Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1893-06-20
SWAN TO HIS DEATH,
How Captain Webb Net His Sad
Fate,
An Eyewitness Tells the story Of
the Bravc VANS Last
Struggle.


Struggle.
Itissingular, but true, that the world
has never been told how the greatest Of
swimmers, Captain Webb, losi his life
In tho whirlpool rapids Of Niagara.
This arises from the fact that tue trial
swim which resulted fatally was not
advertised, but was in fact undertaken
almost secretly. Consequently there
was no reporters present.
Every Que at the falls hau heard Of
the swimmers intention, says writer
ia the New York Reo0rdsr, but when
one day cabmnn told me AZ he
drove past that Webb had de-
scendcd the precIpice near the
Clifton Houfe to make tile trial ! be-
lieyed with difficulty. Nevertheless |
went over and descended Ia the cleva-
tor at the whirlpool rapids Canada
sidel and passed along al tho foot OF the
precipioe until 1 was opp0aito the spot
where the fury OF the waters IL great.
cst. Here the preCiplces converge.
The spectator Will notice that when
the descending waters strike the pro.
iectlons OF fallen rock at the foot Of the
procipices there are waves sent wash.
ing outward and diagonally across the
main volume OF the river. Couse.
quently there IL continunllyn combat
Of waters in the middle OF the stream.
It 10 n bewildering spectacle OF Ina
measurable iorcos, giving the idea ola
great drove white horses driven into
narrow gorge, where, In the crush,
hundreds are forced upward and ride
along on the backs VI others, plunglng
aud Ringing their white cresta high
In the air and gnashing at each other
90 they 20.
As / waited with some Others who
had hurriedly come 20 the spot Cap
tain Webb Jumped from boat far up
the river IN the calm part. And thu
description Of what hrst happened TO
him was obtained from some friends
VINO were or the railway suspension
bridge Mt the time. As be passed
underneath the bridges which stretch
like ribbons across the chhsm my
friends were admifing the whitontsh
OF the skin. When no arrived opp0.
HlAH ilt hNh NNhN was AtAs
As soon az he passed the suspension
bridge the fight for life began. The
frst back.wash, such a. / have dea-
oribed, was small one. The second
followed almost Immediately, aud he
tried to swim over II. But 40 great
was ita force that IL turned him over
backward and spread him out ut full
length on the dark blue surface Of the
ia lei q.
bridge could see that he had received
terrible blow. Under the next back
wave ho apparently Owed, or II may
have simply Overw helmed him, but
when he appeared again at the surface
the water was 90 turbulent and the
speed q his passage 20 great that
minute description became impossible.
From where | STOOD | saw him long
before he reached the bridges, aud ae
he came near me could occasionally
see his head. looking like n black
tpOt la the water. Sometimes II was
hoisted high on the top Of wave, or
ridge, or upheaval Of water, but most
Oi this time II was lost TO eight In the
gullies or valleys or beneath the sur.
face.
II does not take long TO 10 few
hundred yards ut nineteen miles an
hour, anu In few moments he was
quite near me, Here, either by luck
" management, he was In the cnlmest
part Of the river-on course that
WI avoid the leaping mountains
OF water that foam lngaintt the current
lurghef out. Az he came opposite me
ms cOuntenance was set firm and he
was Ubaking the water from his eyes.
There was no sign Of distress ON his
face He was In an upright position,
threading water" as the boys call II.
particularly noticed the bright rcd
color OF his shoulders, neck anu face.
From the determination In his face I
ielt quite sure that he would make the
passage safely. But when directly OPP
pgsite me he Disappeared. This We
IN water 10 comparatively trtnqull III I
any swimmer would apparently b,
safe In II.
He did not dive. There was no oc-
ossion TO do 30. lie simply went un.
der, a. II pulled down by the foot. We
waited, breathlessly, but with little
fear, for no had locked 20 brave aud
full OF power. Then 1 jumped from
the rock to the roof Of the photograph
shop for better view, Tho peoplo
beside me, who had been cheering,
were now silent.
From the roof l could see far down
the river. was certain that the head
lid not appear again, and yet 1 could
not imagine this superlAtively brave
man TO be already dead. | ascended
the oliil and drove 10 the whirlpool,
hut nothing more was seen Of tho
great swimmer until his body wac
found, days after, seven miles dow IA
the river.
What WAS It that destroyed Captain
Webb3 Was the Reduces OF his skin
caused by wave-beatiug or by sutloca-
TOM Was he carried TO unknown
depths In one OF those downward shoots
which seem, Ia places, TO be indicated
NJ the surhce2 All the waters near
Nmgnla Falls are fascinating and
pitiltss, beautiful with gladstone colors
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