Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1889-09-06
THROUGH NIAGARA'S RAPIDS.


TRIP SUCCESSFULLY IN A BAR
REL.
a special from Buffalo to the
New York Herald says: ..
Carlisle ID. Graham this afternoon
successfully performed tue most
daring feat that he has yet at.
tempted at Niagara, and the
treacherous waters made him go
beyond his expectation in showing
what can be done in the gorge.
Graham's ambition has been to go
over Niagara Falls, but tOdaY's ad-
venture is just az dangerous aud a
craft which will withstand the
racking 1t received over the rocks
under the tcmpestuOus lower rap
ids is sure TO 90 over the falls all
right. That II what Graham will
do next.
The barrel used in this after.
moons trip was new one, built OF
locust wood which came from CHINA
and which was strong and tough.
1t was like the barrel which Gra-
ham lost in the whirlpool two
years ago, but Is smaller. 1t is d
feet tall. % inches in diameter
across the head and Is inches at
the bottom. The diameter at the
bulge near the top ls 80 inches.
The barrel weighs 80 pounds, but
the weight was increased fully one
hundred pounds by sand ballast
! and drag of a piece of railroad
iron. Besides this the weight of
the occupant would keep the bar.
rel upright
Graham was quite sick before
hand. and bad been unable to eat
anything since yesterday. He re.
fused to drink some brandy offered
him and slid down through the
manhole into the barrel. Charles
Wiedman, John KepfOrd and John
Wiesenberger towed the casS TO
the centre of the river and set 1t
adrlft at twenty minutes to five
o'clock. 1t drfted slowly under
the railroad bridges, giving Ora.
ham a chance to fasten the man
hole cover with an iron bar and
brace himself for the danger ahead.
The suspense was not long, for
in q few moments the barrel was
buried in the frst breaker Of the
whirlpool rapids. When a quiet
bit of the angriest water in the
world, as Captain Webb called II,
was reached, the barrel recovered
its buoyancy and dashed into the
whirlpool. The mile OF rapids had
been shot in three and one half
minutes, twenty miles an hour
gait.
Graham had not time to open the
manhOle cover in the whirlpool.
His barrel rode quickly to the
centre of the maelstorm and was
carried toward the Canada shore,
passing by a crowd of rescueTs on
the point. Constable Horn, with a
rope attached to his waist, stood
OIL rock ready to spring into the
water to aid the navigator and
William Dayere, the theatrical
man, who backed Graham IN pre-
vlous attempts, was there with a
crowd to help pull both out. A
fountain of foam over.swept Horn,
and Graham's barrel passed down
the river iutO the deYil's rapids
beyond reach. "That settles him,
remarked Mr.. Horn. "He wasn't
, well enough to 60 this tar, and the
devils rapids will kill him.
The party drove down to Lewis
ton in a carriage, but the rapids
, carried the barrel faster than feet
, horses could 90, and it was lost
: sight of after il had been appar.
2 emily sucked under by the maei'
! storm at the Devils Hole.
Graham was found at Lewiston,
} where be had been rescued more
dead than alive, Dy John Lousdale
: and Seymour Fleming. He was iu
the barrel only twenty tive min
utes altogether, aud allowing fol
the time he was floating in smooth
water he made four miles OF angry
rapids in ten minutes, averaging
twenty-five miles an hOlr.