The Lamar register., 1893-01-28
Il i supposed that vhilo he sIeDt

w - At uit eventA SnOrtiy after
day break next morning. some OF
Chippewa's early risers called out that
an empty boat was going over the
falls A knot OF interested spectators
soon focked dowr. TO the rivers edge
to SEQ tho exciting evept-opiniodD
being about equally divided as 10
whether tho light slsiff would live to
reach the catarac. itself or would 90
to pieces on touching the rapids. {.
AS We thus speculated our idle
talk was suddenly replaced by gen.
erai cry OF horror. for from tho bot
tom OF wha. we had thought an emp.
~ she'll tho head and shoulders OF a
man all at onco became visible. and
the next moment he rose TO his feet
Beyond all doubt the luckless being
had only that instant awakened.
Can human imagination conceive
or mortal pen describe what that
awakening must have heen9
a few short hours before he had
lain down to rest Ia fancled security
and With bright anticipations OF com
ing sport Now he opens his eyes and
looks around TO fad himsslf-where?
on tho worry brink OF that wildly
tossing awful food from which all
the wealth. all tho united powers OF
the world cannot save him
The boat was almost in the exact
center OF tho river Those OF us who
had field glasses could SEQ that
group mucl larger than our own had
cougregated on tho American shore
10 witness the catastrophe
1t was not long delayed. In less
than a Minute after the poor man had
become aware OF his situation. he
took OF his ha; waved 1t frantlcaIly
toward either bank and an instant
later was gone,Nor did any part OF
the boat appear again.
One more ran incident and we will
turn 10 something brighter
Two hali-intoxicaied young men. ..
residents OF Chippewa ono morning
made somo disturbance in one OF the
hotels
To get out OF tho way for tho pres
cut they then crossed tho river TO
Port bay. There they drank. wo
were told moro liquor and becnmo
very quarrclsome Toward evening
they Sc: out To return. but instead OF
making start from away up the
stream they rashlY pushed directly
ioio the current and attempted to
make the passage ia a straight lire.
IL Is barely possible they might
have succeeded in landing on the
Canadian s!do away down by the hsnd
OF Street island had not n great
crowd Of people noticing their daa-
gcroas position. assembled on the
bank TO watch their progress The
poor iellows each pulling q pair OF
scuils had come more than halfway
across aud were now rs nearly as
ne aould idga ouly few hundred
yards above the edge OF the rapids
when. 20 orr Infinite dlsmay. they
s-ddcnly turned back toward the
American shore Why will never
5c known bat Il WAS supposed that
seeing tho crowd on tho baak the
youas men. IN their mandlin coadI-
uoa co5eeiyed tho idea that i; had
gathered ioe the purpose OF arresiing
them Zoe the moraing's iraeas,
Whatever the reason for their mad
move il proved fatal oac They
had los; some distance in turning.
and had not go; iIfty yards on the no.
turn course when we could see that
they were being carried rapidly down
stream Now the appalled, and ut
ierly helpless spectators were com
PEELED 10 witness pitlabic sight in
deed The Immiuence OF their peril
seemed to have sobered the men; and
30 soon as ihey found themselves be-
Ing swept oroalside down they
turned the bow OF their boat straight
upstream meantime plying their
oars with desperate energy. in the
forlorn hope OF gaining on tho mighty
current
Among the watching crowd on tho
shore were several women and these
broke into auguished cries as they
saw the lost men herolcally battling
for life up 10 the last hopeless mo-
ment
Passionately. for the time bereft of
reason. they appealed to US to save
them. but we could only groaE in our
impotence and await the end
Tho poor boys did not cease to row
until their little aft was on the curl
ing brink of the dread plunge. Then
both relinqutshed their oars dropped
to their knees and cove cd their faces
with they bands B-lei space had
they in which TO pray; for now the
boat was caught b. the writhing wall
OF water tossed high in air. while
the men-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 ~