The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-08-19
SOUNDING THE WHIRLPOOL.
Nissen Confident the Task Can ID
Accomplished.

1
| Accomplished.
] From the Chicago News)
| In view of the fact that my name has
been paraded all over the world as that
of a foolhardy adventurer seeking noto-
riety rs dime-museum freak, until every
| fool that falls off the back end of load
of hay issues challenge for me to do the
same. and freak managers and museum
owners by the score have nearly pestered
! the life out OF me with their schemes for
| trotting me around in the same parade
as the bearded lady. the three-legged calf.
and the living skeleton, wish to state
| that l have no great desire to form the
| tail-end of such a procession as the man
| of grit, or the sandpaper man, as people
| would. no doubt, soon get TO call me.
1 had formed the opinion that boat OF
some kind could be constructed to safely
| go through the rapids OF Niagara Falls.
thought that If l could establish the posi-
biIity OF this line OF small boats might
, be run during the Pan-American EXPOSE
ton. something on the same order as
shooting the chutes. that is now practiced
in many Of the large cities. OF course, the
boats would have to be conveyed up the
banks and taken back by rail.
This may seem to some to be a fighty
i1ea, but believed II could be done, and
thought that the excitement OF it would
only render IL so much the more popular,
II it were only known that Ii could be done
without danger to life and limb.
This is my original stand, and l wish to
emphasize ii. for although / have been
treated very kindly by most of the news
papers, some editors. apparently disap-
pointed because ! did not drown as they
predicted. have not hesitated to stab me
in the back with their editorial weapons.
to make sure. as 1t were. OF finishing me.
/ claim that my experiment was perfect
ly legitimate. perfectly honest. thoroughly
scientific and conducted In a bu5inessiike
manner in every respect. 1t had nothing in
it like the bridge jumping act, nothing
sensational. and nothing that calls for the
unkind comments that have appeared in
the editorial columns Of some of the pa
pers in this city.
In February 1897. a Pullman conductor
told me. after repeated enquiries. that the
ice was breaking up in Lake Erie and going
over the falls. / took train the same
afternoon. arrived at the falls the next
morning got a walking pass on the Gorge
route. and studied the currents and the
motions OF the ice for four or five days.
When the Grand Trunk Bridge was nearly
finished / went 10 the falls again to study
the motions of the ties and waste lumber
as they we're thrown of the old bridge and
floated down through the rapids In this
way ! had collected some evidence that
would help me in designing and construct
ing my boat
When finally did build and made the
trip it sailed through beautifully as far as
the rapids. The dangers were not much
more or less than had expected. but the
whirlpool was worse. as | found 1t had
been impossible to study it except from
close quarters.
When l woke up the next morning after
my experiment and looked over the ground
found that during the trip had lost not
only my hat, two oars, a keel, propeller,
and a rudder, but had lost also about ST.,
600 in the experiment and my good name
as a quiet, scientific hustler.
l had carried out part of my programme
only, but my boat was wrecked, / was
dumfounded by the notoriety 1t had
brought me. and | resolved to go home,
put the boat in barn, and go to work.
During the building OF the boat 1t had
come to my knowledge that the Engineer
Corps of the United States Army had tried
to sound the river and whirlpool, and ex-
pended considerable money in the endeav-
or to do this. One OF their experiments. as
l have been told. was the lowering OF
7O0-pound plumb-bob from the Grand
Trunk bridge The lead foated on the
water like a chip OF wood. went down
now in company with several things that
lost there The surveyors found that it
was impracticable to get soundings so low
down. The nearest they came was about
three quarters OF mile above the bridge,
and from there to Lewiston there has not
been a single sounding taken.
I intended to have taken soundings. as
I think it can easily be done In floating
with the stream. but being exhausted by
the worry and trials of getting my boat
into the water ! was glad TO get through
with what did and let the other part of
my programme wait
Now / have recovered from the excite
ment. regained my strength and feel
ready to go through with the rest of the
work had laid out. l find I can sell the
if l succeed, and thus get my
money back. I hope to establish scientific
data that it will be hard to refute. hope
thus to get my good name back
Now ask is this legitimate ambition or
is 1t the idea OF crank? II 1t should |
turn out to be the latter. I suppose / will |
have 20 console myself with the fact that |
there have been greater cranks than my |
self, and some of them have turned out |
to be the cranks that make the world go |
1t may be asked of what practical value |
would the soundings be. My answer is, Of |
what practical value is IL to know that the |
bone? A thousand and one ask for the
depth of the whirlpool. when no one asks
FOR the height OF the north pole. Science
never asks for the monetary value of any
hing