Golden Valley chronicle. (Beach, Billings County, N.D.) 1905-1916, 1908-04-17
she WAS DASHED TO PIECES.
A Thrilling Sight From the Time She
Struck the Settling Rapids Until
the Mighty Falls Tore Her Into
8nlinters-A Pair of Touch Geese.

and, being somewhat decayed In her
uppers, the owner, Major Frazer. got
the idea that she would answer the
purpose Of testing the fate Of a vessel
that by accident might approach too
near the cataract and also the fate Of
living things that might be caught In
the rapids. The proprietors Of the
large public houses at the falls on both
sides Of the river and Of stages and
steamboats, 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
6. 1923. 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. wagons filed with country
leople ratified through the village in
4kbroken procession all night long, and
IN the morning Of Sept. 6 Buffalo it.
self seemed to be moving in one mass
toward the point Of attraction. Five
steamboats, 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'oth-
er four steamers came blowing dong
in our wake. crowded to the q ards
with passengers and bands Of nusic
playing. The Chippewa towed the big
schooner to Yale's landing, on the Can
ada side Of the Niagara river, where
our passengers went ashore, as did
those Of the William Penn. The pas
sengers Of the Henry Clay and Pho
neer landed on the American side.
Yale's Landing was three miles aboye
the falls, and the crowds Of people
were taken from there on dowI the
river in wagons of I'll kinds. The hour
fixed for towing the Michigan from
Yale's Landingeto the rapids vas 3
In the afternoon.
This task. an extremely haza4dous
one, was intrssted to the Oldest hilor
on the lake. Captain Rough. With a
yawl boat and five sturdy oarsmei the
old captain got the schooner lhder
way. They towed her to within a,luar-
ter Of mile Of the first rapids and
within half a mile Of the tremendous
precipice itself-as near as they Jared
approach. They cut the big 1essel
adrift, and she passed majesticMF on,
while the oarsmen Of the yawl hid to
bend their every nerve and musde to
remove themselves from the petl Of
being drawn down by the ruahini va
tiers. Indeed, such had been the fear
and apprehension Of the men tha1they
mutinied against Captain Roug4 and
cut the towline before the tine he
had set. If they had obeyed the reck-
less old captain, he, the yawl aid its
crew would have preceded the fichl-
gan over the falls.
1.-The high grounds on both shoes Of
the river were lined with peopaels the
Michigan. unguided by human aeency.
approached. head on, the first r3id Of
the seethtng descent, apparenuYkeep-
ing the very course that skilnl nav.
ieator would have guided her Il The
American ensign STRAINED frd her
bowsprit and the British jack loated
at her stern. The vessel shot tle first
rapid unhurt, still head on, mting q
plunge. shipping a sea and rising from
it in beautiful style. In her descent Of
the second rapid. tho water m@enta-
rily increasing in velocity and umult,
her towering masts went by tn board,
giving the spectators a startEiH repre-
sentatfon Of the crashing Of ayessers
spars in shipwreck at -. She
swung around and presentd her
broadside to the dashing and !oaming
water, and, after remaining, aat seem
ed. stationary for Z moment swung
around until she was headed UPSTREAM.
Passing the third rapid CHI bilged,
but carried her hull to all APPEARANCES
whole az she tossed and Eroned be-
tween Grass island and the British
shore to the Horseshoe fall on r,which
she was drawn sternfGenpst and
hurled into the laundering atss. She
was dashed to fragments bfore she
struck in the seethinE wates below.
Immediately after she went jver hun
dreds Of people hurried beloy the falls.
The river was covered with sragnents
Of the vessel. Nowhere coull be found
a. much az two boards nailek together,
and her great timbers were atDkensinto
bits like nreWood.
There were aboard the Michigan
when ahs startad- On her ep toward