The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1901-07-23
RIAGAKh RAPIDS IN -
BARREL.
y. ID. Graham's Thrilling Trip-The Fhst
Man TO DO This Foat and 1.-Two to
Toll tho Talo.

A special to tho Now York Sun
from Niagara Falls, July 18th, says:
1t is eleven years since anybody
wont through the whirlpool rapids
Of Niagara in n barrel, and as it WAS
this style Of craft to first successfully
brave tho rapids aftor Captain Webb
lost his life, unusual interest centorcd
in tho trip which Charles d. Graham
announced that he would make to-
day. Graham Was tho first to do
what was thought to be practically
impossible, to SO through the rapids
and live to toll tho story. He ro-
peated tho tri p three times, and to-
day he made his fifth successful voy-
age through the gorge.
The pooplo turned out in great
numbers today to see Graham mako
his fifth trip. They flocked to the
bridges, they lined the cliff tops and
they filled the trolly cars Of the Cana
dian Scenic line. The day was
frightfully hot but yet thousands
stood the intense heat for hours, IN
til Graham and his barrel had gone
down the rapids. Mover before have
SO many countries been represented
in tho gathered crowd, This is be-
cause tho Pan American exposition
contributed its quota to the sightsee-
ing number.
Graham had announced that he
would start at three o'clock, and the
big majority were on hand at that
hour. His starting point was from
tho old Maid Of the Mat landing, a
few hundred feet above tho cantiever
and tower steel arch bridges.
It was from this point that Ora.
ham started on his previous trips,
and although the old dock had boon
torn away ho chose to start from
there today. 1t was 1925 o'clock
when he crowded himsolf through
tho manholo into his barrel. A small
row boat was in waiting, and at $50
the barrel with it's human freight,
WIGS being towed out into tho river.
The oresmen wore fearful of being
tucked into tho rapids and they
swung the barrel adrift very early.
This resulted in Graham having an
awful experience and one which be
will long remember. Instead of be-
ing Immediately caught by the cur
rent that would carry him into tho
rapids, his barrel swung into an eddy
on tho New York side, just about the
cantilever bridge. Round and round
in this eddy the barrel swung. Once
or twice the people on tho bridge
thought they saw Graham trying to
find out where we was. For "a min
utes the barrel was held in the eddy,
when at the longest it should not
have been more than Is minutes in
going from the starting point to the
whirlpool and not 80 long III making
the trip through tho gorge to Lewis
ton. 1t was therefore q relief to the
crowd when at 1857 o'clock the bar
rel swung full into the current and a
minute later was riding the first wavo
of the rapids.
The course taken by the barrel
was along the Now York side of tho
crested waves in the center, while on
previous trips the barrel had clung
to the Canadian currents. Frequent
ly the barrel sank out of sight and
once or twice it was apparently a
long time in returning to the surface.
But seconds wero hours in the esti-
nation of the excited people for tho
fact is it took Graham only three
minutes to reach tho whirlpool. In
approaching the pool the barrel
swung into the Canadian current,
but once in tho river pocket it fol-
lowed tho current straight across the
center. Tho current shot it well to-
ward the shore, whore fully 100 por,
sons wore gathered to help rescue
the barrel and its occupant. Many
had expected that Graham would be
forced to 60 round the pool many
times, but he escaped this fate.
Before the barrel had been caught
by the whirlpool strong mon swan
ont and dragged it to shore. When
the cover Of tho manhole was raised
it was found that Graham was in q