Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1913-01-18

themselves for their great leap. But
the more notable series is further
down. Below the falls the river moves
sleepily alCng for while, but pres
emily it is compressed into a narrow
gorge through which it makes it's de-
scent to Lake Ontario. This sudden
narrowing into a defile whose bed is
studded with rocks churns the i'm
mense volume of water into mass of
turbulent waves, where the main cur.
rent, travelling at 80 miles an hour. is
swung backward and forward and
from side to side like a drunken thing.
These whirlpool rapids, as they are
called, empty the stream into the
whirlpool itself, from which it has
still to surge through the Devils Hole
rapids, no less triumphant, before it
once more becomes navigable near
Lewiston.
The Whirlpool rapids were safely
threaded in 1861 by the Maid of the
Mist, but the ordeal turned the cap
tain of the steamer into an old man.
Many years later a man named Perry
made the same trip in a lifeboat. A
rival, r. w. Flack, challenged him to
a race over the course, and lost his
life in a preliminary rehearsal. But
the most tragic story Niagara has to
tell is that of Captain Matthew Webb.
The son of an English country doc
tor, he entered the mercantile marine
as lad, but before he was thirty he
abandoned a seafaring life to become
a professional swimmer. In 1875 he
swan from Dover to Calais. In 1883,
though warned that physically he was
not what he had been. he made the
desperate resolve to swim the WhirL
pool rapids. In describing his plans
he explained that when he found the
water very bad he would go under,
and would remain under until COM
PEELED to come up for breath. He in
tended at the whirlpool to strike out
with all his strength to keep out of
the suck hole in the center. my life,"
he added, will then depend upon my
muscles and my breath, with little
touch of science behind them" On
the afternoon of July "a he took the
plunge from a small boat. On enter
ing the whirlpool rapids he was al.
most turned over by the force of the
water, but he recovered himself, and
in about five minutes he had trav-
ersed the mile and a quarter from the
old suspension bridge to the entrance
of the whirlpool. Here he seemed for
a moment to be doing well. Then he
threw up his arms and disappeared.
Swimming Whirlpool Rapids.
In July, 1890, John Soules was more
fortunate than Captain Webb. for his
defeat came earlier. While he was in
the whirlpool rapids the breakers
dashed him against the rocks, and he
was washed ashore, badly bruised, be.
fore reaching the whirlpool. Other
swimmers who have attempted the
passage have hesitated TO trust their
unaided strength and skill. w. j.
Kendall, Boston policeman, got
through in 1886, but he wore cork
vest. He reported at the end of mis-
Journey that he had found his swim.
ming abilities useless. The current
took him into its main eddy and
sucked him down like a fash When
he reached the spot where Webb lost
his life the water went from under
him and a wave knocked him uncon.
scious. He was seen to be shot out
from the pool SO feet from the center
On regaining consciousness he swan
ashore, thus avoiding being dashed
down the DEVILS hole rapids. On Sep
temper z, 1889, Steven Brodie, who
some time before had jumped offBrook
Ign bridge, descended the falls them
selves, clad in an india rubber suit
surrounded with steel bands ane
thickly padded About a week later
another adventurer, Walter Campbell
wearing a cork jacket, equalled Ken
dalrs feat, and even excelled 1t. for
he made his way as far down n
Lewiston.