The daily Alaskan., 1908-04-06
OVER HIaGa7A FALLS
Fete Of a Schooner That Was
 Used aS an Experiment.
SHE WAS DASHED TO PIECES.

tho Mighty Falls Tore Her Into
 splinters--A Pair Ot Tough Geese.
 The following story Of the first pub lie excursion to Niagara Falls was written at thc-tlmc by an eyewitness:
 sThr schooner Michigan was the largest vessel ou Lake Erie at that time. she was too large, In fact to enter the various harbors on the lake, and, being somewhat decayed In hci uppers. tue owner. Major Frazer, got the Idea that she would answer the purpose oc testing the fate of a vessel that by accident might approach too near the cataract aud also the fate Of living things that might be caught in the rapids The proprletors of the large public houses at the falls on both sides Of the river and of stages and stcaInboats made up purse to pur- chase the schooner. aware that they would be amply repaid by the specta- tors that the exhibition would attract.
 For several days previous to Sept. G. 1898. the day for which the affair was fixed. which was Saturday, the stages and canalbOats came to Buffalo crowded with people. On the night Of Sept. S wagons filled with country people rattled through the village In unbrOken procession all night long, and on the morning Of Sept 6 Buffalo it. self seemed to be moving In one mass toward the point of attraction. Five stcamboats had been advertised to leave Buffalo Saturday morning. They were the Henry Clay, William Penn, Pioneer Niagara and Chippewa. The Chippewa was appointed to tow the schooner Michigan to the Niagara river. ] was & passenger on her.
 "As soon as we got well under way the scene became interesting. The otb- CT four steamers cnme blowing along in our wake crow6:d to the guards with messengers and bands of music playing. The Chippewa lowed the big schooner to Yale's landing, on the Can ada side Of the Niagara river. where our passengers went ashore, us did those ot the William Penn. The pas seueers Of the Henry Clay and Pic neer landed on the American side. Yale's Landing was three miles above the falls. and the crowds Of people were taken from there on down the river in wagons of all kinds. The hour fixed for towing the Michigan from Yale's Landing to the rapids was 8 in the afternoon,
 This task. an extremely hazardous one. was intrusted to the oldest sailor on the lake. Captain Rough. With a yawl boat and five sturdy oarsmen the old captain got the schooner under way. They lowed her to within quar- ter of a mile of the first rapids and within half a mile Of the tremendous preclplce ltself-as near as they dared approach. They cut the big vessel adrltt. and she passed majestically on, while the oarsmen of the yawl had to bend their every nerve and muscle to remove themselves from the peril Of being drawn down by the rushing Wa ters. Indeed. such had been the fear and apprehension of the men that they mutlnied against Captain Rough and cut the towline before the time hs had set. IT they had obeyed the reck- less old captain, he. the yawl and its crew would have preceded the Michl' gan over the falls.
 "The high grounds on both shores of the river were lined with people as the Michigan. unguided by human agency. approached. head on. the first rapid of the seethIng descent, apparently keep ing the very course that 8 skillful nav igator would have guided her in. The American ensign streumed from her bowsprlt and the British jack aoated at her stern. The vessel shot the first rapid unhurt. stlll head on, making a plunge. shipping sea and rising from it in beautiful style. In her descent of the second rapid. the water momento. rily increasing lu velocity and tumult, her towering masts went by the board giving the spectators startling repre- sentatlou of the crashing of vessels spars in shlpwreck at sea. She swung around and presented her broadside to the dashlng and foamlng water. and. after remaining. as it seem cd. stationary for moment, swung around until she was headed upstream.
 Passing the third rapid she bilged but carried her bull to all appearances whole as shc tossed and groancd be- tween Grass island and the British shore Co the Horseshoe fall, over which she was drawn stcruforemost and hurled into the laundering abyss. She was dashed Co fragments before she struck in the seethlug waters below. Immediately after shc went over hun, dreds Of people hurried below the falls. The river was covered with fragments ot the vessel Nowhere could bo found as much as two boards nailed together, and her great tlmbers were broken Into bits Ike drewood.
 There were aboard the Michigan Shen she started on her trip toward Al. s,us a vttd huil buffnlO from n