The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1907-02-16
WATER WALKER IN NEW
ORLEANS ON TIME
Almost Exhausted After His Long
Tramp Over Flood = Completes
Mile Feat Walking Down on
the Mississippi.

the Mississippi.
New Orleans Times-Democrat of
Feb. II says:
With hundreds of people lining the
Wharves at he river front and climb
ing over one another in their eager
ness to see the man who had walked
from Cincinnati, O., to the head of
Canal street, in the middle of the
Ohio and Mississippi rivers, by
means of batteaux, or water shoes,
Captain" Charles w Oldreive, Of
Boston, completed his I553-mile feat
at Io:44 o'clock yesterday morning,
arriving just one hour and sixteen
minutes ahead of the time
He was apparently thoroughly ex-
hausted from his strenuous effort of
the last half day, having been carried
along with the current for a distance
of about twenty-five miles, his start
ing point having been .Ames planta-
ton. The landing was made in the
launch, the captain waving his sill
ver-colored cap and bowling to the
crowds from the side of the craft as
7 neared the landing place. The spot
was the barge of the naval station
AS the water walker stepped on the
barge he staggered for a minute from
exhaustion and the pain of severe
rheumatic attack. Within a few sec
onds he had regained his bearing and
was stepping TO the middle of the
pontoon
The crowd tried to force its way
into the station Office, but the police
kept them out. When Oldreive Sc
cured his breath he said: "This is all
| want. I'm Yankee, and as good
one as any, but l wouldn't walk
that river again for five times the
money | won. / am all in. I had
hard fight for life just before
reached the end of my trip, but l
got here. Had it not been for some
negroes on a barge on the other side
of the river | would have been swept
under and drowned
Il will walk the English Channel
next fall and then | am done. / have
won the money and that's all | want
for mine" He showed his exhaus-
ton, and though his wiry body was
full of excitement, there were lines
of pain that came over his face from
time to time that told of the strain
of his long fight with the water
His wife did most of the talking for
the party. She looked as though she
could take another trip and feel none
the worse, but she expressed great
satisfaction that her husband had
gone through the ordeal in safety
"We have had some mighty hard
pulls to make this trip" she said.
"The toughest experience we had in
the trip was at Hickman, KY, when
we got caught in the whirlpols and
suckholes of the Ohio, but our mar
rowest escape was right here within
sight of New Orleans l don't be-
lieve my husband would have made
the journey had it not been for those
negroes who pulled him onto the
barge just in time so that his bat
teaux could float under the barges.
Just second more would have been
too late, but / am glad he got
through. No sum of money would
tempt me to allow hi INTO make the
trip again | know he couldn't do
it, because / am the only one that
would follow him in life boat and
keep him from drowning. | was
right behind him all the time. l
feared all along that something
would happen, and there was hardly
day that we did not have some ac-
cidert At Louisville the boat had
to lay up for repairs for day on ac-
count of an accident, but that was
allowed to be added added to our
time So we madethe trip IN one
hour and sixteen minutes less time
than we had to do it and win. When
we reached. Hickman, KY, we both
had a narrow escape The Georgia
Lee, steamboat was making big
waves and the water was very high,
forming a terrible eddy. We were
swept from the channel over to the
Kentucky side, and / could not go
to where my husband was walking
He almost went under several times,
and / was In sight and unable to
help The people on the steamboat
came TO his rescue and took us Out
of the worst of 1t.
"At the chalk banks at Columbus,
KY, at Memphis and Greenville we
also had hard pulls. but nothing COM
pared to the time at Hickman rap
ids. The falls of the Ohio were easy
for my husband, and he walked over
them twice. once b1indfolded. They
say that Capt. Oldreive does not
walk That is not true; he does walk
on the waves. and his time IS faster
than the current We even beat the
launch after we left Baton Rouge
From Wednesday until Saturday at
/ fernoon we did not See it. and VIZ
spent our nights IN the houses o
fpIantafion owners. The launel
tcaught as at Ames plantation las
might The wager IS bona hde- Tn
money Is in = bank At Boston. W
will gel its and think my husban