The Portland daily press., 1892-11-19


itself, or would go to pieces on touching
the rapids.
AS we thus speculated our idle talk was
suddenly replaced by general cry of
horror, for, from the bottom of what we
had thought an empty shell, the head
and shoulders of man all at once be-
came visible, and the next moment he
rose to his feet. Beyond all doubt the
iuckless being had only that instant
awakened.
Can human imagination conceive or
mortal pen describe what that awaken
ing must have been?
A few short hours before he had lain
down to rest in fancied security and
with bright anticipations of coming
sport. Now he opens his eyes and looks
around to find himself-where?-on the
very brink of that wildly tossing, awful
food from which all the wealth, all the
united powers of the world cannot save
himl
The boat was almost in the exact
center of the river. Those of us who
had field glasses could see that a group
much larger than our own had congre-
gated on the American shore to witness
the final catastrophe.
It was not long delayed. In less than
q minute after the poor man had be-
come aware of his situation he took of
his hat, waved it frantically toward
either bank, and an instant later was
gonel Nor did any part Of the boat
again appear.
One more sad incident and we will
then turn to something brighter.
Two half intoxicated young men, resi-
dents of Chippewa, one morning made
some disturbance in one of the hotels.
To get out of the way for the present
they then crossed the river to Port Day.
There they drank, we were told, more
liquor and became very quarrelsome.
Toward evening they set out to return,
but instead Of making a start from
away up strear4, they rashly pushed di-
rectly into the current and attempted to
make the passage in a straight line.
1t is barely possible that they might
have succeeded in landing on the Can
ada side away down by the head of
Streets island had not a great crowd
of people, noticing their dangerous posi-
ton, assembled on the bank to watch
their progress. The poor fellows, each
pulling pair of SOULS, had come more
than half way across and were now, as
nearly as we could judge, only few
hundred yards above the edge of the
rapids, when, to our infinite dismay,
they suddenly turned back toward the
American shorei Why, will never be
known, but it was supposed that, seeing
the crowd on the bank, the young men,
in their maudlin condition, conceived
the idea that it had gathered for the
purpose of arresting them for the morn
ing's fracas.
Whatever the reason for their mad
move, it proved fatal one. They had
lost some distance in turning, and had
not gone fifty yards on the return course
when we could see that they were being
carried rapidly down stream. Now the
appalled, and utterly helpless spectators
were compelled to witness pltiable
sight indeed. The imninence of their
peril seemed to have sobered the men,
and as soon as they found themselves
being swept broadside down they turned
the bow of their boat straightu stream,
meantime plying their oars with des-
perate energy, in the forlorn hope OF
gaining on the mighty current!
Both were skilled oarsmen, and so
rapid and powerful were their strokes
that for the space of five seconds they
actually held the light boat motionless,
as we could see by aligning it with land
marks on the further shore.
But the IN equal strife could not last.
Of what avail was human muscle here?
Foot by foot, stern foremost, but still
bravely pulling, they were borne down
the smooth chute, nearer and nearer to
that first awful cascade, which sends its
spray heavenward almost in the center
Of the rapids upper edge.
Among the watching crowd on shore
were several women, and these broke
into anguished cries as they saw the lost
men heroically battling for life up to
the last hopeless moment.
Passionately, for the time bereft Of
reason, they appealed to us to save
them, but we could only groan in our
impotence and await the end.
The poor boys did not cease to row
until their little craft was on the curling
brink of the dread plunge. Then both
relinquished their oars, dropped to their
knees and covered their faces with their
hands. Brief space had they in which
to pray, for now the boat was caught by
the writhing wall Of water, tossed high
in air, while the men still chung to the
cross seats, and then-oh, the horror of
it!-all were whirled over and over and
swallowed up in those cruel depths
from which no human creature has ever
escaped alive.
Now for less painful scene:
On a certain summer day young
woman, half crazed by terror, rushed
along the lower street of Chippewa,
screamings "Oh, helpl help! help! My
little Jimmy's away out on the big river
and he'll go over the fallsl'
Instead of jumping at once for boats,
| number Of men, as if doubling Mrs.
Armstrong; word, ran down to where a
| view of the Niagara could be obtained,