The record-union., 1895-07-31
ALL IN VAIN.
FruitIess Efforts to Save Human
Life.
A Plunge Over Niagara-Down to Death
Before the Eyes of
hundreds.

Since sunrise they had been reviewing
the wonders concentrated between Lake
Eric and Lake Ontario, for who could re-
sist tho stop-over privileges granted by
the Niagara Falls route? Certainly not
Chicagoans, who love the rush and roar
of life and stupendOus way of doing
things. They chose a seat where they
could look into the majesty OF the Ameri-
can cataract, ana tried, as the June day
waned, to realize that the great thunder,
the desperate leap of silver and sapphire,
the grinding into white smoke on the
rocks below. had been going on for eras.
This was a tremendous mental undertake
ing for mortals accustomed 10 the evan
escence of great power, and they presently
abandoned the effort as vain. and confined
themselves TO remarking the daring po-
sition Of tree. washed down the river by
recent freshet, and apparently rooted In
the ledge of rocks over which raved and
plunged the American Falls. The wooden
giant, extended at full length, seemed to
be looking defiantly over the rocky wall
down into the caldron below. That the
torrent must finally conquer was evident,
but 10 defy Niagara for even a few hours
how magnificent!
THE STRANGERS STORY.
THAT tree reminds me OF my first visit
to the Falls" said a sudden and deep
voice from a bench few feet away from
where the TWO travellers were sitting. AS
no one else was within reasonable hear
ing. the awakened dreamers felt the re-
mark must be for them, though the
speaker looked as if he we're addressing
the Canadian shore or the Three Sisters.
lie was q stout, elderly, beneV olent-faced
man, to whom IL was surely quite proper
to listen. He went on hurrledly. as II he
felt ilnpeled 10 tell story and wished 1t
finished alter the manner OF
the Ancient Mariner. at must have
been near the end of the fifties, that first
visit OF mine. | had just become captain
of u 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 to see it all over again
only things along-shore ara different.
A little before o'clock one evening
man started from the other bank at what
he must have thought safe distance
from the falls. Very soon we saw that it
was desperate rowing with him, but ne
seemed to be getting across, when sud-
denly his boat began to whirl downward
with the current. He went with it, OF
course, but
lie UTTERED NO CRY;
and, when almost at the verge of the
precipice, he leaped up aud caught limb
OF that tree-no, not that one, but the one
there forty years ago-and seated himself
across the trunk. And there he sat. with
the waters roaring close around him like
hungry wolves.
~ on 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 mau-and not one OF them knew
him! | never did hear who he was.
People coming in on trains stopped OFT to
see what the excitement was about, espe-
ciany those from the West on the Canada
southern, the one now called the Michi-
gan Central. You know, it runs several
miles along the shore, giving view of
things from the rapids TO the whirlpool.
and SO people could see from the car
windows that something unusual was
happening down here. And some of the
men who stopped off dubbed together
and offered $40, 900 to anybody who would
save that man-be perfect stranger too!
And they went UP and down through the
crowd throwing up their arms as ii they
were insane, and shouting out their offer
till thew were hOarse. Ten thousand dol
lars then seemed as much as hundred
thousand does now, and it was awfully
tempting; but everybody was afraid
some because they didn't know anything
about the rocks and undercurrents, and
Some because
THEY KNEW TOO MUCH.
Tho man was but few feet from
shore. We could talk with him from the
bank. He was we'll built, ine-looking
young fellow of about 10 When men
wanted a few years ago TO get the cables
across for the suspension bridge over
there and didn't know how, some one
an American, no doubL-suggested way
which they followed. They sent across Il
kite to the tail OF tho kite they tied
cord, to the cord rope, and TO the rope a
cable. Pve been wondering as | sat
here why, in sill that crowd, not one of
us thought of trying to help in that way.
The wind blew toward the island, just
over against where the man sat, aud we
might have lowered i rope to him-pos-
sibly. Heaven knows we wanted to. AS
the hours ran on we seemed to got ac-
quainted with that man until he appeared
to be our own brother = and yet we
couldn't get to him mouthful OF food or
| help HIM back to life. Well, he sat there
! looking into the face OF death, speaking
only when spoken TO, from O'Clock in
! the evening 10 O'clock the next alter
noon-twentytwo hours! At last some
thing had to be done, ana so a boat, Sc
cured by ropes, was driited toward him.
1t seaLhed round and round and then
seemed to stop second right under
where he sat. He gave brave, we'll
aimed leap, but the boat glded from
under him. aud with the words they say
everyone uses in meeting, sudden con-
scious death-'My God!'-he went over
the Falls"
Here the elderly gentleman rose alb
rEptly ana strobe away as ii he could not
trust himself to say another word.-Chi-
cago Tribune.