St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-07-08
cADAVERS IN NIAGARA RIVER
Commissions for Their Recovery
Paid by Coroners on Eithes


Commissions for Their Recovery
Paid by Coroners on Either
Bank.
Buffalo Express.
There exists at Niagara falls and
along the river from that point to
Lake Ontario an industry the like of
which cannot probably be found in the
civilized world In his character of
Rogue Riderhood, Dickens has por-
trayed a man who eked out an exist
ence by robbing the dead bodies of
unfortunates who had met death in
the muddy water of the Thames or
had been thrown into the stream to
conceal a greater crime, but to him and
his kind the corpses had no interest,
aside from any valuables they might
have upon their persons. At the falls
however, dead bodies have a market
able value, and it is the business OF
hunting for "floaters." as they are
called, that constitutes so UNIQUE an
industry.
Yet the occupation is perfectly Iegit-
innate one. The bodies are not despoiled
in any way by the men who pursue
this occupation, and there is little
doubt that they are as honest a set as
can be found anywhere. They do not
sell the bodies to medical colleges or
Tor any purpose not recognized by law:
IN Iact, 1t might be said, they do not
Sell them at all, yet they realize, often,
comfortable incomes from this source.
>, what maks this possible is the fact
that there are two nations on the two
banks of the Niagara river. In the
towns along the river on both sides
there are coronerS that create demand
Tor noaters and makes them market
aple commodity. The coroners receive
their pay by fees so much for every
inquest. and are naturally anxious to
learn of any new cases.
Inc annual number of cases is large
so large that number of men exist on
1 what they make in picking up loaters.
ne me 1 fa nave always been a favorite
spot Tor suicides, and many a myster-
Ious disappearance has been solved
long after by the finder of a fioater
III the Niagara river, which is identified
as the missing one. Nearly every body
t faa is drowned off the shores at Buff
raIo eventually finds it's way to the
Ialls, and once over the brink of the
prec1p1ce it is soon picked up by some
one of these fioater hunters.
Youngstown is an especially good
spot Tor the finding of ftoaters. Here
there is an eddy that brings the bodies
IN close to shore, and often thew he.
come Decalmed, as it were. for DAYS
long enough to rise to the surface and
pc picked up instead of drifting ont
INTO the lake. Two or three men make
TINS their regular hunting ground, and
passers-by on the river brink often
hear a cry of joy arising from the
depths of the gorge, which on inquiry
proves to be the shout of one of these
hunters who has just made a find.
me men are mostly fishermen or
longshoremen. who fill in the dull sea-
son In the winter by fishing through
the ice. They are a hardy set, rough
IN appearance and manners. and dulIed
by their long association with corpses
SO that they do not feel any qualms
at handling the most decomposed
bodies. As soon as one of their number
nnds foater he anchors it in some
safe spot by the river side. where II
VII! be concealed by the oVergrowine
bushes and sets out to notify the cor,
oner; One man, it is said, ALWAYS waits
until he has three bodies before send.
ing for the authorities, saving himself
Two trips to the coroners office and
receiving his emolument in larger Sums
oy this means. Most of them are SAT,
lsned to get So at a time, which is said
10 be the commission allowed bv the
o1nclals for new business.