The Princeton union., 1908-06-11


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
mutinied against Captain Rough and
cut the towline before the time he
had set. If they had obeyed the reck-
less old captain, he, the yawl and its
crew would have preceded the Nichi-
gan over the falls. sc
"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 sk1llful nav
igator would have guided her in. The
American ensign streamed from her
bowsprit and the British jack foated
at her stern. The vessel shot the first
rapid unhurt, still head on, making
plunge, shipping sea and rising from
it in beautiful style. In her descent of
the second rapid, the water momenta-
rily increasing in velocity and tumult,
her towering masts went by the board,
giving the spectators a startling repre-
sentation of the crashing Of vessels
SparS in a shipWreck at sea. She
swung around and presented her
broadside to the dashing and foaming
water, and. after remaining, as it SEEM
ed, stationary for a moment, swung
around until she was headed upstream.
Passing the third rapid she bilged,
but carried her hull to all appearances
whole as she tossed and groaned be-
tween Grass island and the British
shore to the Horseshoe fall. over which
she was drawn sternforemost and
hurled into the laundering abyss. She
was dashed to fragments before she
struck in the seething waters below.
Immediately after she went over hun
dreds Of people hurried below the falls.
The river was covered with fragments
of the vessel. Nowhere could be found
as much as two boards nailed together,
and her great timbers were broken into
bits like firewood.
''There were aboard the Michigan
when she started on her trip toward
the falls wild bull buffalo from g
western prairie. two bears from the
Lake Superior regions, two foxes, a
raccoon. dog, a cat and four geese.
When the vessel left Yale's landing in
tow all these were let loose on the deck
except the buffalo. He was inclosed in
a pen. The two bears got enough of
the trip when the vessel began the
descent of the first rapid, and they
climbed down the side next the Canada
shore, plunged into the swift water.
breasted its powerful sweep successful
~ and reached the shore. They were
80 exhausted when they got on land
that they made no resistance to being
captured. The bears, before they aban.
doned the ship, climbed the masts Of
the vessel and, as it was presumed,
from that outlook saw what their fin
ish would be anyhow and then deter
mined to take the chances Of getting to
land, slim as they We're. The raccoon
ran up mast and remained there un-
til the mast fell. He was never seen
again. The foxes ran frantically up
and down the deck and went over with
the schooner, as did the buffalo bull
and the geese. Not trace of foxes or
buffalo was ever found. Two of the
geese swan ashore halt. mile below
the falls. The other two met the fate
OF the buffalo and the foxes.''