The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-01-02
A GOOSE FOUR-iN-HANp
Driving Down the Falls of the Ohio In
waShtub.

Driving Down the Falls of the Ohio In q
washtub.
Jack Harper was an odd man. rs
came to Ohio Falls from New Castle,
England, and was employed by the J.,
NJ. & l. Railroad company in its shops,
which were at that time located in this
city; a good mechanic and fond of fun.
lt was in the summer of 1870, and there
was to be grand Fourth OF July cello
bration at Old Camp 10 Holt. in which
not only the shop men, but hundreds OF
Others were to take part. The man
ayers of the affair were very anxious
TO make il grand success. and for that
purpose racked their brains for novel;
ties. but when Jack Harper proposed
to tame a team of geese and attach
them to a washtub. in which he pro-
posed 10 sail down over the rapids OF
the Ohio and land just below the pic
mic ground, they were parnlyzed. espe-
cially when he insisted that il could
easily be done, and 10 prove his asser.
ton began forthwith tn train his pro-
posed team of four geese.
Many of the persons who took inter
est one way or another in the picnic
are still alive, and some of them reside
ut Indianapolis. These viii remember
that Harper began 10 train his old
team on the quiet waters of the Ohio
above the falls. He put queer. three.
cornered yokcs upon the necks of the
birds, and by means of these, attached
them TO his fTail craft. He guided them
by means of rrins attached 10 their
bills and n long, straight switch. II
took him nearly three months, and
much patience. before he had his birds
in trim, but the geese showed them
selves much more intelligent and teach
able THAI they generally get credit for.
and the people of Jeffersonville had tho
satisfaction of knowing that in their
city was the only four-goose team in
the world.
Long before the Fourth of July thu
queer outfit was the talk OF the thres
falls cities. and when the great day
arrived there was concourse Of thou
sands at the picnic grounds. waiting tn
see the novel Lohengrin descend the
river. II was near noon when he
launched his unwieIdy bark from ths
Indiana shore at the government dam
and began his descent. the geese swim
ming proudly ahead and drawing the
teetery vessel in which Harper was bal
ancing himself. The falls Of the Ohio
are not safe FOR n good. well-menned
boat, unless the crew understand rha
currents and knows the rocks. 40 10 can
be better imagined than told what a
risk Harper ran IN his washtub. But
he brsvely went on. keeping his geese.
who sweryed occasionally from the
channel, in the way they should 60
by means of his switch. He managed
his team admirably in spite of his IN
comfortable aud delicate position in
the tub, and the crowd eheered him
Is he safely passed one danger point
after the other. bat as he swung around
the bend 20 the deep and swift waters
of the Big eddy the wind rose % almost
gale, and water bryan 90 dash over
him and into bis tub. and. n make mat
vers worse, the geese became unruiy
and would not obey his guidance.
He must have bern a csoi-headesf man
not 90 have lost his head. bst he did not.
and with a great effort and much coax
ing and whipping he managed 10 turn
his refractory team in shore and
reached land safely amid the huzzahs %
tire crowd. lie was completely
srenehed and worn out Since then no
one has attempted 20 deEcsBd the falls
Of The Ohio IN a tub drawn By tesszsx
Sesse--Indianapolis News.