The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1913-10-24
DARING RESCUE IN
NIAGARA WHIRLPOOL
Fred Preston Swan Out and Pulled in
Boat Containing Peter w. Langeard,
Who Had Been Exhausted By
His Own Efforts.

Niagara Falls, n. y, Oct. 24.-0yer
| four hours in the grasp of the whirlpool
in small motor boat, Peter w. Lam
geard of Detroit was rescued at O'clock
last night more dead than alive. He
was taken to hotel on the Canadian
side, where it was said that he would be
all right in "a hours although his nerves
were badly shattered by the ordeal
through which he passed.
Langeard made the trip through the
whirlpool rapids from the Maid OF the
Mist landing on the Canadian side to
the whirlpool to furnish a subject for
moving picture film. The trip had
been made several times before without
mishap.
Langeard navigated the rapids safely,
but when he swung into the whirlpool
driftwood clogged the propeller OF his
boat and he was powerless TO bring the
craft out of the center of the vortex.
For nearly three hours he endeayored
to clear the propeller by leaning ovef
the stern of the boat but the driftwood
was so tightly jammed between the
flanges and the hull that he could not
remove it and the careening of the boat
of the whirlpool made it necessary for
him to devote nearly all his efforts to
keeping it from overturning.
Time after time the prov of the lit
tie craft was sucked down into the whirl-
ing waters and the stern was lifted high
in the air. To the hundreds that lined
both shores at dusk it seemed that Ian
geard must lose in the end. When the
boat upturned he would lean out over
the stern and, by balancing, would swing
it out into a narrow circle outside the
heaviest point of suction, only to be
swung back to the danger point few
minutes later.
When darkness closed in over the
gorge, headlights were taken from troll
ley cars along the Canadian side and in
their dim rays the crowd watched Ian
geard's fight for life. In the meantime
the fire department from Niagara Falls,
Ont, had been summoned and several
unsuccessful efforts were made by the
firemen to send out rope attached to
a float.
Shortly before s o'clock Fred Pres
ton of Niagara Falls, Ont, volunteered
to swim out with life line attached to
MS waist. LdHpedIu Dy Inls time was
exhausted and lay still in the bottom of
the boat, which bobbed around in the
vortex like cork.
The crowd, then numbering nearly
900, cheered when Preston struck out
for the rescue. Half way out his lite
line became entangled in driftwood and
he was compelled to return to shore. On
the second attempt he reached the side
of the boat. He was afraid to climb
into the craft, which was then half filled
with water. Clinging to the side of the
boat he called out to the rescuers on
shore to pull.
The swinging of the boat around the
made the task of pulling pres
sure on the line at the right moment
most difficult. A pull at the wrong time
would have torn Preston away or over
turned the boat. The length of the wa
ter soaked line also added to the diff
Guilty of the rescue.
Aided by instructions called out by
Preston, the boat was finally manpu-
vred out of the danger zone and was
slowly drawn ashore. Preston was Civ
en- a great ovation by the crowd.