The evening times., 1900-07-25

Incoming embCldened by his success he
announced q year later that he would
brave the rapids themselves. He Kept his
word and made the attempt in the presence
oI many people. He was an expert in the
canoe, but before his craft was in ;he
rapids two minutes it was overturned and
crushed against a rock and Moon Face.
waving a farewell to his friends. was
swept into the current and never seen
again.
"Trip of the Maid of the sIiSf
After that there is no record Of the at
tempt being made 10 stem either the up
per or lower rapids until 1891, whea three
men-Robinson, Jones. and McIntyre-
made the latter trip June Is. 1861. in the
steamer Maid of the Mist. Mcintyre vas
the machinist. Robinson the pilot. and
Jones tae engineer. About p. N. Jones
TOOK his place IN the hold and. knowing
that their fitting might be short al the
longest and might be only the preface 20 a
swift destruction. set his steam vaIve
al the proper gauge and aWaited-not
without anx!ety-the signal that should
start them On their flying voyage McIn-
tyre Joined Robinson at the wheel on the
upper deck. Self-pOssessed with the calm
ness which results from undOubted coUr-
age and confidence. yet with the humility
which recognizes all possibilities. with
cc"ncast eyes and firm hands Robinson
TOOK his place at the wheel and pulled
she starting bell. With a shrek from her
whistle and a puff of white smoke
troI2 her escape pipe 20 take leave as
IL were ct the multitude gathered
on the shore and On the bridge, the boat
ran up the eddy a short distance. then
swung around TO the right. cleared the
smooth water and shot like an arrow mo
the rapids under the bridge
She took the outside curve Of the rapid
enc when half way down il Jet OF water
struck against her rudder. a column dashed
up under her staTbOard side. keelea her
over. carried away her smokestack. start
ed her overh2ng on that side threw Rob
insoE fat on his back thrust McIntvre
against her sJarboard wheeIhouse with
such force as 10 break il through Every
eye was fixed, every tongue was silent. and
every looker-on breathed frecr when she
emerged from the fearful! baptism shooI,
Ter wounded sides, slid into the whirlpool
keel
Robinson rose at Cnce. seized tha whseI
SET her TO the right Of the large pct IN The
pool. and then turned her directly through
the neck Of it. Thence. after receiving an
other fearful drenchiEg from its combing
waves, she dashed on without further incl
dent TO the quiet bosom Of the river below
Lewiston
Thus was accomplished the most per!Iou,
and remarkable voyage ever made bv men
The boat was - feet long with J. feet
I breadth Of beam and feet depth OF hold
| Her engine had leo horse power. Robin
son, speaking Of the trip. said that the
greater part Of il was what he had always
imagined would be the sailing Of a large
bird in downward fight. Wccn The acci-
Gent occurred the boat seemed 10 be struck
in al directions at once She treu,bIsI
as though she would crumbIe away. HIS
and Nclatyre's hold on the helm had ab-
so!utely no effect. MCIutyre's hair was
grey when he landed. Jones nervous svs-
TEN was shattered. and, although Robinson
lived several years afteIward. he was never
t5e sTne man.
Captain Webb's Fatal Swim.
Il was in 1SS5 that the tragic death az
capt. Mathew Webb occurred. He was =
noted English swimmer who had GupIi-
Gated Byron's and Learder's feat several
times and also astonished the world by
swimming twice across the English chan
mel. lie was born IN Shropshire in ISIS
and he had been a captain Of a me~sban.
vessel and received one Of the first medals
given by the Royal Life Saving Society
| for saving a drowning mans life. He
/ first attracted attention by swimming the
| Thames from Blackwell 10 GravesenJ In
1870, and TWO weeks later he swan rom
Dover to Ramsgate in eight and one
fourth hours. He then tried the English
/ channel, but adverse currents bafled him
but on August q. 1873, he swan il in
twenty-One hours.
He had heard of the feat Of the Maid az
the Mist and determined 10 duplicate IL
by swimming. He landed in New York in
June, 1888, cnd at once repaired to Niagara
no 10
wafer, the distance. the currents. and the
rocks This occupied over three weeks. when
he announced that he was ready 10 try
the task.
July 2. 1883. In sight OF many thousands
of people he stepped out on the rocks f-r
| his plunge. The railroads had run excur-
sion trains 20 the spot and the newspapers
had given many columns of free advertis-
I Ing 20 the project. Webb was confident "a
the last. He said he understood the cu--
rents, for he had tested them with logs OF
| his size and weight. He knew Just where
he would strike and he could tell he said
within five feet OF where he would land
He plunged in, cheered by the crowds and
band playing near by. With the mighty
muscles which had carried him through the
choppy seas of the English channel ha
made his way while the angry waves tossed
him right and left.
Over and over he went with the water
now lifting him high. now burying him be-
meath its surface. Hardly had he taken
FIVE strokes before IL was plain to the
watchers that he had no control over his
body in the angry troughs. All the science
which carried him through the ordinary
seas on the other side was useless here.
He tossed like chip and was already far
cut of his proposed course. Then the
crowds knew he was doomed, If, indeed.
he was not already dead He Dassad
| quickly out of sight into a boiling eddy
and from thence TO the fatal whirlpool.
from which no human skill could save
! him alive. His battered body was discov-
cred Tar down the river and from terri
bic gashes on his head it was supposed
that he struck a rock and was made un-
conscious. He was man Of tremendous
endurance and undoubted courage. but his
last feat was foolhardy IN the extreme.
Tnere was not another attempt at this
feat until 1856, when a perfect craze for
tempting Providence at the falls and
whirlpool took place, no less than four
separate efforts being made that year,