Cañon City record., 1911-10-12
NEAR TRAGEDY
ENACTED At.
GRAPE CREEK
Four Members Of PoIyscope Com
pany Near Death Tuesday
Morning.


realistic scenes are being enacted in
6vicits% of Canon City snder the
direction Of Otis B. Thayer for the
6elig Polyscop company of Chicago
that lSill later be reproduced in NOV
ing pictures throughout the country.
There is a large element OF danger
8 to the participants in some of these
4 dramas that are protrayed for the
benefit of the camera and only those
of the steadiest nerves and the utmost
bravery are chosen TO take part in
their presentation. for most OF them
4 delineate the wild and woolly west"
when its frontier was a buffer be-
tween savagry and civilization.
In producing flm at the mouth Of
& Grape creek on the Arkansas river
thisS morning showing the pursuit Of
couple Of outlaws. or cattle rust
y lers." at least three men narrowly
3 escaped drowning. to say nothing Of
a several other minor incidents that
cashe near resuiting in the loss OF
life. The Surroundings are admir-
ably adapted for procuring such a
series e pictures as Mr.. Thayer
4 wanted to properly represent The
d outiaws- and nearly q score Of fear
4 less horsemen were employed to
4 furnish the required life and move
mcnt 20 the scene. The two outlaws,
who were represented by Tom Nix and
! Charlie Farrar. rode their horses at
: break-neck speed down the side Of
the mountains on the south side OF
the river. some four or Ave hundred
yarx above the mouth Of Grape
creek and plunged into its current
from n rock fully ten feet above the
bank: creating mighty splash in the
wsSsr as they did so. A few minutes
later the sserir and posse follow
ed and reBsated the same perform
ance: q regular fusiiade OF shots be-
ing nred By the pursued and the pur-
saers to siSe a realism to the scene.
There is an unusually high stage
Of water I'm the river at present. and,
also, in Grape creek. and TO that fact
was due the danger to both horses
and riders. The great volume OF wat
er pouring out of Grape creek forces
its way at right angles almost across
the river and imperlls the life OF any
living thing that gets into it. except
waterfowl A sandbar has been Great
ed by It's current for. perhaps.
quarter OF the distance across the
river on its eastern border and Il
VS. to that haven of refuge that Mix
and Farrar were swimming their
horses when the latter nearly lost his
life. Farrar In some manner got too
far out from the bank and was
swept around the end of the bar By
the rushing waters and horse and
rider were rspcatedly submerged
in a swiriing current that nothing
could 5S,thstand.
Mix and those who a few moments
before had pursued him as an outlaw
hurried to Farrar's assistance and
succeeded In saving him by the skill
full use OF their iariats: one OF them
throwing rope over his shoulders
ma he appeared for moment above
the water. He was hauled out upon
the sand more dead than alive and
the efforts OF his associates devoted
10 his recuscitation. He was soon al
right and jocuiarly asked Mr.. Thay-
or II he wanted the performance re-
peated.
Frank Carroll. who was one OF the
sheriffs posse, was nearly drowned In
the'same place and in almost precise
ly the same manner few minutes
later. The horse he was riding was
aneble to swim against such flood
Of waters and went down more than
once before man and animal were
-