The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-02-04
A THRILLING STORY.
1T IS OLD. BUT NEVER FAILS TO IN
TEREST THE READER.
The Voyage of the Maid of the Mist
Through the Niagara Rapids and
WbirlDool

Through the Niagara Rapids and
Whirlpool.
From, the Chicago Herald
| It was on April 1, 1861, that one of the
most thrilling events IN Niagara's history
! occurred. Between the Canadian and
! American banks of the river there had
piled for many years a little steamboat
| known as the Maid Of the Mist. The vessel
was built on the American side, and all the
| time it had 1oated around on the rough
waters here it never went more than a half
mile from the spot where il was constructed
and launched. The reason for this is very
simple. 1t could not move up
stream because Of the falls, and
it could not go down further than the
new suspension or foot bridge. If it
ventured too far in this direction it
| was liable TO get caught in the swift cur
| rent, carried down TO the whirlpool rapids
| and then TO the whirlpool itself-cer tain
| death for everyone on board. The vessel
| was not a success in financial way. Not
as many people visited the falls then as now,
/ nor were there so many willing to brave
the dangers of a ride on a small boat in
| these turbulent waters. knowing that if
| the machinery should give way the craft
would soon be swept to destruction
The builders of the boat had never been
| paid in full. They grew tired of waiting
for the balance, secured the necessary pa
| pers, and were about to attach the boat
! The owner. however, got wind of the affair,
| steamed over to the Canadian side and
| anchored there. Efforts were made to patch
| up truce, but without success. Something
| had TO be done. The owner could not at
ford TO let the vessel lay IN the dock and
| rot. The boat could get no passengers IN
| 2 all cd 70 10 ha 4
side. This was impossible on account of the
officers who were there night and day ready
| to pounce upon it the moment it poked its
| nose into port.
The owner, who also acted ss captain ana
pilot. was a man Of nerve, He saw there
was but one way 10 get the boat away from
| the American creditors, and that was to
move it from the falls. But how was this
to be done, was the question. There was
| but one route and that was through the
| wild rapids and the wilder whirlpool. He
consulted his engineer and fireman. Would
they aid him in the attempt TO make the
| perilous passRgel Yes, they would and they
did. All the men had grave doubts as TO
how the journey would end, but they did
not propose to back out. They settled up
their affairs and prepared for the trip.
OFF FOR THE WHIRLPOOL.
One morning before the sun had risen the
| Maid of the Mist was throwing great clouds
of smoke from her stack. People who saw
her thought the difficulties had been settled
and that the boat was about to resume bust
ness at the old stand. The officers on the
other side thought the captain had given up
the fight and was ready to errrender. Sud-
| denly the lines were cast of and the steamer
| snorted OUT into the stream. She ran up
| toward the falls, the route always taken
when starting for the other side.
She tipped aud tossed about up
| near the oateract for few seconds, then
| wheeled around aud pointed straight down
stream. AS she whizzed by the waiting Of
flcers the captain dotted his cap and smiled.
| Could the people aboard be mad, or were
| they just playing joKeg asked the men
| who we're around at the time. They would
| run down a short distance and then return,
of course. Surely they could not be think
! ing of forcing passage through the whtrl-
| pool and expect to come out live. Down the
vessel went, though, and she never came
back.
! AS far as where the cantilever bridge now
stands the trip was comparatively quiet
| one. Here. though, the water commenced
| to seeth and foam; there Is big fall in the
| river bank and the current is as swift as at
any place in the world. The men on the
boat were dashed to their respective posts
| tions and every pound of steam that fire
and water could make was on. The
| captain gave the signal and away went the
Maid of the Mist on her journey over the
| angriest piece of water to be found on this
or any other continent. The Maid dashed
into the boiling, foaming mass and for a
| few seconds kept gallantly on her
! keel. Then she struck the curve in
| the river where the water seems 70 leave
the bed and shoot into the air. She raised
| on the crest Of a gigantic wave that is al
ways formed here by the curve and the
| currents and many cross-currents, and for
J iOaf
length. She gave plunge, diving down
| deep enough, it seemed, until her nose
could touch the bottom. 1t appeared as if
| she would never rise from the trough Of the
awful sea, but AN instant later she com
menced to climb the next great wave, so
steep it was that her Prov was pointed to
| the sky. Up she came and down she went
again, the whole vessel being lost to view
| occasionally behind the mountains OF water.
INTO THE JAWS OF DEATH.
Thus far the engine had worked nobly.
the steam had held out well, the boats nose
had been kept 10 the front, and the nerves
| of the men on board were still like steel.
| Forward went the little steamer, tipping on
her sides at times until her smokestack
would almost touch the top OF a neighbour
ing wave, nearly standing on her PROV one
| second and the next rushing along on her
stern. That she missed striking one Of the
| many rocks and being crushed to splinters
was miracle. Providence and good pilot
keut her on her proper course.
The trip through the Eapids was ended
but the most perilous part OF the voyage
was yet TO come. AS the Maid approached
the whirlpool the black smoke that went
I'D from her stack showed that she was pre-
pairing for the final plunge. Down she
went at a speed so great that the isst-run-
ming waves could not catch her. She
wavered as she struck the ever whirriDg
waters, toppled over to leeward as the
| twisting torrents met her and for q moment
it looked as if the engine would be powerless
to drive the boat through; that the gallant
vessel would be whirled around on the
rocks where the brave trio would
meet certain death. The little wheel,
though made itself felt, and in just seven
seconds the Maid was safe on the other side
of the whirlpool, and in four minutes from
the time she started from the falls she had
completed the most perilous trip made by
any vessel before or since. Neither boat nor
person ever went through these angry
waters before and came out alive, and, with
the execution Of a man who made the
trip in an iron barrel, no one has ever at
tempted The voyage since.
Just as the good people we're beginning to
stir at Lewiston the Maid Of the mist hove
into sight, coming leisurely down the
stream. She steamed to Niagara on the