Omaha daily bee., 1910-11-20
ROSTER OF NIAGARA LUNATICS
Fascination of the ROcL-Bound
Rapids for NOtoriety
Seekers.

The rapids below Niagara Falls where
the whole enormous river rushes at APP
palling speed through q steep, narrow,
cliff-b bound gorge, seem to possess an ex-
traordinary fascination for a certain class
Of fools.
The latest Niagara lunatc Is a person
who has gone through the rapids in
motor boat. His engine was smashed, so
was his rudder, and we are told that in
one place the whole boat was actually
flung bodily out Of the water jumping
a length Of twenty feet, II was the nerest
fluke of chance, OF current. that cast tho
battered boat and its badly injured occu-
pant into a calm pool, from whion IL was
possible to rescue him.
For the last forty years we have had
a succession Of similarly foolhardy fcats,
only one Of which had the slightest JUST
fication. About the year 1850 a small
steamboat was launched on the CO mpar-
atively quiet pool at the foot Of the falls
to take visitors out 60 see the falls from
below.
The business did not pay, and, in 1851
the owner OF the Maid of the Mist. as
It was called, decided to sell II. He
had an offer from a man down the river
at Lewiston, but, in order to deliver it
he had to take It down through the
whirlpool rapids
A huge crowd gathered to watch the
trip. The little vessel flashed into the
whirlpool and was absolutely lost to view
amid the huge waves Everyone thought
that 1t was gone. But it emerged again
shooting out 80 that half its keel was
1 exposed to view, and fled down the tor
/ rent at incredible speed.
! To make a long journey short. II did get
I thrOuwb hut DBL
inson, who commanded it, never recov-
cred from his awful experience. Within
a few weeks his hair went white, and
he died about three years later.
Sixteen years later-in 1577-a mar
named Charles Percy went through the
rapids in a specially-construct ufeboat
The boat was solidly decked, ard below
were two air chambers, In one OF which
carefully padded. Percy lay
He accomplished the trip safely, and
soon afterwards made a wager with an.
other lunatic called Flack for rae,
through the whirlpool rapids, the stake.
to be $500 a side.
Flack apparently was a bigger fool thar
Percy for he braved the terrors OF tn,
passage in boat partly built OF cork. bu
with no pads or air-chambers. In this h.
set out for a trial trip on July 4 1878
N@NAS Az SNNAA ANaNlAeu the famous Hn1rl
pool a wave upset his boat and It wen
into the caldron bottom up. An hour late
It was picked up some miles below, an,
Flacks body was found still strapped I,
the seat.
This put an end to the boat oruze. bu
several individuals have since run" tn
rapids in barrels" specially built of stou
oaken timbers and deliberately paddle,
within.
A Boston policeman named Kendall wa
the earliest barrel man. He went dow
Tor the first time in July, 1886, and in tn
following August gave a second eNhjbt
don. together with two other men. In eacl
case the voyage took about tvent,
minutes. woman afterwards dared
similar experience. Her barrel leaked an,
she was half drowned.
And then there was Captain Webb. tn
only man who ever swan the EnRlisl
channel. who scorned boats and barrels
and without even a Hfeboat made an AZ
tempt to swim the rapids on July "a. lsS,
A grewsome photograph exists shown
the last glimpse which the huge crow
obtained Of this greatest OF swimmers. a
the first wave OF the whirlpool tossed hir
high before dashing him down on IN
razor-edged rocks which tore the life fror
him.-Cincinnau Enquirer.