The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1911-08-02
DAREDEVILS At NIAGARA.
Some Hair Raising Stunts That Have
Been Tried on the Mad Waters
and What Happened.

Niagara Falls, itself most wonder
ful sight, has been the scene of some
of the most marvellous acts-especial-
]y of daring-eyer known to man, but
never was so unique a conquering OF
nature by man as took place at the
falls on June 9th, when Lincoln
Beachey circled over the Horseshoe,
swooped under the arches Of the up
per steel bridge and down the gorge
to the whirlpool in the latest contriv-
ance of science, biplane.
Beachey is no amateur flyer. Some
of his flights have been hair-raising.
Yet lit was the most exciting trip
of my life he said after landing at
Niagara Falls, Ont.
Two hundred thousand persons were
gathered at the falls to see the bird
man in heretofore untried feat. The
occasion reminded many of the days
when fool-hardy Adventures tempted
fate by going over the falls, by try
ing to swim the rapids, or through the
whirlpool; or, in years way back in
time, men and women walked, ran,
danced or skipped across the open
mouthed chasm on tight rope. The
interest shown by the crowd was the
same; the palpitation lest the daring
aviator be sucked downward by the
ool,~ ND OH. c,1rrnntS
were as tbrobbing as when thousands
of eyes watched an intrepid swimmer
battering head and body against the
raging waves OF the whirlpool. Beach
ey's performance was preceded by
rush through the gorge rapids in
barrel by Bobby" Leach, who has
now made the trip five times. Each
time he has started from the Maid
of the Mist landing and heretofore his
assistants have been on hand to pull
his barrel out with graphing hooks
when the gorge rapids had been
passed. The other day his barrel
gained such momentum that he was
CdIIlSu UcyOllu lCoS1 VI l1Ao AAASd SAAN
on into the Whirlpool rapids. There he
was tossed and tursed and flung about
fearfully. To make matters worse, his
barrel weight shifted, throwing the
air vent out of gear, and leaving a
small hole through which the water
rushed. When the barrel emerged
from the vortex graphing hooks We're
used to land it. Leach still lived,
although he was taken to a hospital.
These attempts to display superb
ority over nature have been many and
varied. Perhaps the first man who
ever travelled to Niagara Falls with
the ayowed purpose of performing a
feat hitherto never ATTEMPTED was Sam
Patch, mill hand employed in fac
tory above Pawtucket Falls, Rhode
Island. He may have been inspired
10 his act by the beautiful legend cur
rent among the Indians of the day
that the god of the falls demanded at
least one life year, and that, to en-
JOy luc ldNOl VI ILLS SOu, IlC AAOoI
beautiful maiden in the tribe was sent
over the falls as a sacrifice. Or his
inspiration may have come from his
presence in Niagara Falls in Septem-
Der, 1929, at which time the con-
demned brig Michigan was sent over
the cataract after being loaded with
panic stricken wild animals.
Diving Into the River.
At home Sam Patch used to battle
with companions and engage in high
jumping. First he dove from bridge
into deep pool; then, not satisfied
with such daring, sought greater
heights on the roofs of nearby mills.
In this manner Patch develope abil-
ity and ambition. Noticing the enorm-
Gus crowd which the destruction of
the Michigan took to the falls, he re-