Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1896-01-30
DRIVING GEESE FOUR-IN-HAND.
Jack Harper's TriumphAl Voyage Down the
Ohio River In . Tub.

Jack Harper's Triumphal Voyage Down the
Ohio River In . Tub.
Jack Harper was an odd man. He
came to Ohio Falls from Newcastle,
England, and was employed by the
j., M. &. I. r. R. Co. in its shops,
which were at that time located in
this city-a good mechanic and fond
of fun. 1t was in tho summer Of
1870, and there was to be grand
Fourth of July celebration at Old
Camp 10 Holt, in which not only the
shopmen, but hundreds of Others,
were to take part. The managers OF
the affair were very anxious to make
it grand success, and for that pur-
pose racked their brains for novel
ties, but when Jack Harper proposed
to tame a team of geese and attach
them to washtub, in which he
proposed to sail down over the rap
ids of the Ohio and land just below
the picnic ground, thoy were para
lyzed, especially when he insisted
that it could easily be done, and to
prove his assertion began forthwith
to train his proposed team of four
geese.
Many of the persons who took an
interest one way or another in tho
picnic are still alive, and some of
them reside at Indianapolis. These
will remem Der that Harper began to
train his odd team on the quiet wa
tiers of the Ohio above the falls. He
put queer three cornered yokes upon
the necks of tho birds, and by means
of these attached them to his frail
craft. He guided them by means Of
reins attached to their bills and
long, straight switch. 1t took nearly
three months and much patience be.
fore he had his birds in trim, but
the geese showed themselves much
more intelligent and teachable than
they get credit for, and the people of
Jacksonville had the satisfaction Of
knowing that in their city was the
only four goose team in the world.
Long before the Fourth of July
the queer outfit was the talk of the
three falls cities, and when the great
day arrived there was a concourse
of thousands at the picnic grounds
waiting to SEQ the novel Lohengrin
descend the river. 1t was near noon
when he launched his unwieldy bark
from the Indiana shore at the gov
eminent dam and began his descent,
the geese swimming proudly ahead
and drawing the teetery vessel in
which Harper was balancing him
self. The falls of the Ohio are not
safe for good, well managed boat
unless the crew understands the cur
rents and knows the rocks, SO it can
better be imagined than told what
risk Harper ran in his washtub.
But he bravely went on, keeping his
geese, who swerved occasionally
from the channel, in the way they
should go by means of his switch.
He managed his team admirably in
spite of his uncomfortable and del
icate position in the tub, and the
crowd cheered him as he safely
passed one danger point after anoth-
or, but as he swung around the bend
to the deep and swift waters of the
big eddy the wind rose to almost q
gale, and water began to dash over
him and into his tub, and to make
matters worse the geese became un-
ruly and would not obey his guild.
anoe.
He must have been a cool headed
man not to have lost his head, but
he did not, and with a great effort
and much ooaxing and whipping he
managed to turn his refractory team
inshore and reached land safely
amid the huzzas Of the crowd. He
was completely drenohed and worn
out. Since then no one has attempt
ed to descend the falls of the Ohio
in tub drawn by team of geese.
indianapolis News.