Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1895-10-19
TRAGEDY AT NIAGARA.
He Had Caught a Tree on the Verge C.,
the Precipice. but Went Over

He Had Caught a Tree on the Verge c.
the Precipice, bur Went over.
Unjust have been near the end Of tho
fljes. that first visit of mine. l had
just become captain of boat on the
river and had come down here between
runs A big tree had lodged over the
falls just like that one there now. /
seem 10 see it an over again-only
things along shore are different a
little before @ o'clock one evening man
started from the other bank at what
he must have thought a safe distance
from the falls
Very soon we saw that il was des-
perate rowing with him. but he seemed
TO be getting across when suddenly his
boat began. TO whirl downward with
the current He went with it. o. course,
but uttered no cry. and when almost at
the verge Ct the precipice he leaped up
and caught a limb of that tree-no. not
that one. but The one that was there
forty years agO-and seated himself
across the trunk And there he sat
with the waters roaring close around
him like hungry wolves.
You should have seen the excitement,
Men, women and children gathered on
the bank and stood hour after hour.
shouting and praying and crying over
that man-aud not one of them knew
him, l never did hear who he was
People coming in on the trains stopped
OH to see what the excitement was
about. especially those from Che West.
on the Canada southern. the one now
called tho A1fpHfrov Central
You know it runs several miles along
the shore. giving q view Of things from
the rapids to the whirlpool, and so pe0,
PIE could see from the car windows that
something unusual was happening
down there. And some Of The men who
had stopped off dubbed together and of
tered $4,000 20 anybody who would
save that mamie q perfect stranger.
700. And they Went up and down
through the crowd. throwing their
arms as ii they We're insane, and shout
ing out their offer until they were
hCarse.
Ten thousand dollars then seemed as
much as hundred thousand does now
and it was awfully tempting; but ev-
/ crybOdv was afr3id-s0me because they
didn't know anything about the rocks
and undercurrents, and some because
/ they knew too much
The man was but o few feet from
sbore-we could talk with him from
the bank. He was a well-built, fine
/ looking young fellow Of about %
/ When men wanted a few years ago to
get the cables across for the suspen-
/ sion bridge over there and didn't know
/ how, some one-an American no doubt
suggested @ way, which they follow
ed
They sent across @ kite; to the tail OF
/ the kite they tied q cord to the cord a
rope. and TO the rope cable. I've been
| wondering since l sat here why. i'm all
| that crowd. not one of us thought of
trying 10 help in that way The wind
/ blew 20 ward the island. and we might
have lowered the rope to him-pos-
sIo.v. Heaven knows we wanted 10.
As the hours ran on we seemed ia
get acquainted with that man until he
appeared 10 be our own brother. and
yet we couldn't get 20 him mOuthful
Of food C~ help him blc', TO life Well
he SAT there. looking into the face o.
death. speaking only when spoken TO-
from g o'clock in the evening till 4
o'clock the next afternoon, twenty-five
hours.
AT last something had to be done
and so q boat. secured 0y ropes. was
drifted toward him. It scethed round
and round and then seemed to stop a
second right unde~ where he sat. lie
gave q brave, well-ajmed leap. but the
boat glided from under him. and with
the words everyone saws they use i'm
meeting sudden. conscious death. My
Cod he went over the falls.-Chicago
/ Tribune.