The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-07-29

rose IN his tossing boat and flung the life
line IN the direction OF a boy who was fish.
inc n, the bank But the boy did not know
that n man was shooting the rapids, ana
hs had not seen the boat. hidden as II was
nv the lane OF waves through which II had
| come until the lifeline fell close at hi,
feet. He thought Nlssen was the ghost OF
| Captain Webb. who had been drowned SO
long ago that the boy knew OF II oniy
| from what he had heard older people tell
He dropped his fishing pole and ran. No
power on earth couId have persuaded him
70 pick up the slender cord and which now
! began to slip into the water as The Fool
killer and Its passenger were drawn away
| ON another trip around the whirlpool.
Nissen drew the lifeline IN slowly Jus,
as he started to SIT down, his boat struck
a deep whirl and was twisted around SO
RAPIDLY that Nissen was almost thrown into
the water. But. after a farewell dip and
a eood-by spring. The FoolkilIer'' left tina
whirl and kept on its periious journey
around the pool. huee crib. washed from
Buffalo, dashed in from the rapids. and
was caught by the whirlpool. 1t was tossed
and pitched and rolled: then dragged sud
denly to the center of the pool and sucked
under. In an instant It shot upward gain
high above Nissen's head. IS 1t fell it
almost touched the Gunwales Of The Fool
| killer and then 1t bumped and pushed
and Rugged the side Of the ting boat until
NIssen thought there would be no escaping
II. But contrary eddy caugat the boat
and the CRIB. and threw them apart-the
boat TO swirl again toward tie center o,
the pool. and twist and turn. and dip and
dance and the crib 10 so twisting and
turning down 4he river.
THE FOolkller'' pursued It's devious
course around and through the pool four
times. The boy who had been fishing when
Nissen first threw his ,ife line had returned.
With him he brought other boys. Together
they saw IL was a man and boat, and not
a ghost and a ghostly craft. Nissen called
to them. This as he swung clear of
the debris the fourth time. and the whlrl-
ing waters were carrying him close again
10 the Canadian shore. The boys needed.
They waded out into the stream until they
stood In watersup TO their arms. Then
when N:ssen threw the life line they seized
II and dragged him and his boa: to shore.
Nissen and 1.-The Foolkiller" entered the
Whirlpool at 5:02 o'clock; 1t was Just
o'clock when the boys caught The line and
dragged them to the shore. Nissen was
cold. partly from fear and partly from the
chillness Of the water in which he had been
drenched for two hours. But the boys built
a fire on the bank, ard sat in. open eyed
wonder while Nissen warmed and drisf
himself and chatteringly told them soAs
wonderful things about shooting Whirlpool
Rapids.
II didn't have much trouble except for
the first big wave that struck me after
entered the RAPIDS, he told the newspaper
men afterward II was not looking when
this wave struck me. and 1t caught me fair
and with my mouth open. as I was yelling
a greeting to some men In the elevator on
the Canadian side. Ny lungs were filed
with water. and was almost knocked from
the boat. I was thrown into q paroxysm
OF coughing, but that was soon over. and
didn't have any more trouble OF that kind
I kept my eyes open and my mouth shut:
and when I saw a wave coming I took a
good breath and was ready for 1t. 1t was
rather appalling to have those big logs
shooting up and dropping down around me
there in the Whirlpool: but as long as they
made even little miss I was all right"