Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1905-06-23
This Man Swan the Niagara Rapids


ment it was stated that If eithe4N
marty failed to appear the other wo,,lX
receive only the forfeit money put /,
by the ma who failed TO appear.
Smith backed out. therefore I got one
$3.50, which Just abo.1t paid expenses
Smith and { went into training q
gether. Sometimes we would spara
two or three hours in The water, wss II
in good shape weighing l49 pounds I q
was determined to make the swim. MI
when Smith quit / purchased & snanN
boat TO use in training. But my friends
who did not want me to brave tia 4
rapids cut the boat loose and let nj
hoct down the river. In spite Of tlJl
loss of the boat / did not give up.
on the day of the performance |
went across the bridge with two al. .
tendants, descended the bank, golrg !
| down by what is known as the oS /
Skinner path. Il is very rough in one
place. / slipped down about sixty feet
at this point, it being 100 feet down
to the water from the top of the bank
NV attendants also rolled down, but .we 5
were not much hurt.
MY performance had been we'll ad. Z
vertised. Let me say if you want good !
business, use plenty of printers ink. !
BY 3 o'clock on July 4, the bridge was (
covered with people, as we'll as thaE
bank and other points Of observation
About 5000 or 5000 people had co. ~
to see me. / had on a red, white vnds
blue suit ove- which / wore q eork
vest, weighing ten pounds. But I
would have got along better withou,
the vest.
1t was arranged that three pistol
shots were to be fired as a signal for
me to start. 1t was 1913 o'clock
when the three shots rung out. / i'm
mediately rose ind went into the wa.
ter, which was very cold. | could see
the people on the bridge waving their
hats and parasols and was not at ALL
nervous.
AT this point the current is very rar(
Id, being about twenty miles an ho~x
and increasing TO forty down &c
stream. Great series and eddies Were
formed by the whirling water. | made
great efforts to get into the main cur
rent without success.
At last l passed the suspension bridge
and began TO tread water with my
feet. / struck some breakers and COM
pleteiy disappeared. l should think that
I was about twenty feet under water,
so when / came up / saw some big
rocks q short distance ahead.
l was dashed against these rocks
'Nlll SIGdl 1OICG dJld L CD ~ pANlyl
shaken up the people on the hridgf
thought l was hurt more than ! MS
Then down I went and passed We
tween two big rocks. If l had beer
two inches nearer either side | would
have never written this story.
After this / found myself drifting to-
wards the shore just above the incline
of whirlpool rapids park. ! made 9
landing at a place where a LANDING
had never been made before n has
never been made since. | got whiting
100 feet of where Captain Webb was
last seen.
After / had rested a few minutes
wanted TO go on down to Lewiston
But my trainer would not allow me
TO do il. So we went home and | was
besieged by reporters, all wanting t.
know the full particulars Of my swim
But I never gave them anything.
Some said that anybody could have
made the swim as l did with corl
vest. But as / said before, the corl
vest was of no assistance whatsoever
| had another chance TO swim tht
rapids with a woman, but no induce
ments were held cut so 1T was giyer
up.
The funniest part of my experience
was that when 1 returned after swim
ming the rapids Mr.. Leary started t.
look for my clothes. He found n o.
the men had my clothes on and was
sleeping in them.
Leary woke him and he said that III
had no idea that / would come u o.
the river alive.
I have had a number of narrow es.
capes, but swimming the rapids wa;
the most hazardous adventure l eve,
undertook. No amount of money coulC
induce me to do ii again. If an!
of my readers are ever in need o
a bath, I would advise them to go K
more quiet waters than the whirlpool
rapids.
I have saved about thirty peopl,
from drowning in my life, But / viii
speak of only one case, which hap,
pened in Detroit river, Michigan. wheI
I saved Hattie Marshall, She fell from
a BOAT and / went in after her. Blu
hat was nothing very great. Any on,
who could swim could have done tn,
same thing. But a day or two after
found a well filed purse in my roon
@ith note advising me TO ask n,
| questions.