Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1892-11-23

very Dr1nK OF rnat wildly tossing. avIm
food from which all the wealth, all the
united powers of the world cannot save
him
The boat was almost in the exact
center of the river. Those of us who
had field glasses could see that group
much larger than our own had congre-
gated on the American shore to witness
the final catastrophe.
1t was not long delayed. III less than
a minute after the poor man had be-
come aware of his situation he took off
his hat, waved it frantically toward
either bank, and an instant later was
gone! 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 start from
away up stream, they rashly pushed di-'
rectly into the current and attempted to
make the passage in 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 Il great crowd
Of people, noticing their dangerous posi-
ton, assembled on the bank to watch
their progress. The poor fellows, each
pulling pair of sculls, had come moro
than half way across and We're now, az
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 ths
American shore! 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 haG
lost some distance in turning, and haG
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 a pitiable
sight indeed. The immincnce of thei1
peril seemed to have sobcred the men:
and as soon as they found themselves
being swept broadside down they turned
the bow of their boat strait ght up stream,
meantime plying their oars with des-
perate energy, in the forlorn hope Of
gaining Oh tho mighty CURRENT
Both were skilled oarsmen, and SC
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 unequal strife could not last
OF what avail was human muscle here?
Foot by foot, stern foremost, but still
bravely pulling, they were borne dowr
the smooth chute, nearer and nearer t.
that first awful cascade, which sends its
spray heavenward almost i'll 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 te
the last hopeless moment.
Passionately, for the tine bereft ol
reason, they appealed to us to save
them, but we could only groan in oul
ND .yyroit tl,o o,.I
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 thei1
knees and covered their faces with thei1
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 clung to the
cross seats, and then-oh, the horror OF
it!-all were Ehirled over and over anG
swallowed up in those cruel depths
from which no human creature has ever
escaped alive.
Now for q less painful scene:
On certain summer day young
woman, half crazed by terror, rushed
along the lower street of Chippewa,
screaming: 'Oh, help! help help! Ny
little Jimmy's away out on the big river
and he'll go over the fallsr'
Instead of jumping at once for boats,
a number of men, as if doubling Mrs.
Armstrong; word, ran down to where a
view of the Niagara could be obtained,
and there afoat on its surface in an old
boat, saw Jimmy apparently enjoying
his ride, but being gradually carried
outward and down stream.
It seems that the little five-year-old
fellow had been playing in small scow,
the bow Of which rested lightly on the
beach, and had rocked it free of its hold
to his great delight and foated serenelv
away.
On the west bank Of Welland river.
about $50 yards above its junction with
the Niagara, stood the house and shop
Of joel Lyons, a stout, muscular shoe
maker and practiced oarsman. On hear
ing the alarm given this man wasted no
time i'll idle eXclamations, but ran at
once to where several boats were moored
further up stream. Selecting one al
ready provided with sculls, he sprang
into it ana was away at full speed be-
fore most of the onlookers had collected
their senses.
Just at this moment l arrived upon
the scene and witnessed all that after
Sard occurred.
Now there are two entrances and exits
to and from the Welland; one, known
as 1.-The Cut" being on the upper or west
side of an isolated bluff called Hog is
land, and the other-the original chan
nel-on the lower or east side.
1t was from out this last named pas
sage that the child had floated, and con-
sequently he was much nearer the falls
than if he had emerged into the Niagara
from the cut.
Lyons of course took the east channel,
but he had quite 400 yards of slack wa
ter to row over before striking the larger
river, and when he reached it the little
scow with its precious freight was ct
least that distance from shore and much
closer to the rapids than even the bold
est oarsman would ordinarily dare to go.
So utterly desperate appeared the