The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-06-23
TWO BOYS co To
DEATH IN BOAT IN
WHIRLPOOL RAPIDS
Helpless Hundreds Watch
Awful Spectacle From
Shore at Niagara
CURRENT CARRIES
CRAFT TO RAPIDS
Boys Playing in Boat When Rope
Broke, Carrying Them Into Mid
stream-Clasp Hands in Fare
well When They Realized Fate

Niagara Falls, n. Y. June 22.-Don-
aid Roscoe, 10 years old, and Hubert
Moore, years old. both of Buffalo,
went TO their death in small boat
late this afternoon in the whirlpool
rapids, while hundreds of men swatched
helpless from the shore.
The boys were playing in a flat bot
tom scow half mile above the rap
ids when the rope holdings the boat
broke and they were carried out into
the stream and down the river.
Until the boat reached midsteream
it made little progress. After it passed
the bridges the current carried II
swiftly toward the rapids. The bridge
men did not see the boat until it was
close at hand. Then they called fire
headquarters and two companies of fire
men were sent to save the lads If pos
sibe.
Hundreds swarmed to the river banks
in a vain effort at rescue. The boys,
realizing their fate. stood up as the
boat neared the edge of the roaring
whirlpool and shook hands in farewell.
A second later they were engulfed by
a great wave in the rapids. The boat
shot out of sight. One of the boys was
seen for moment struggling in the
running waters Neither body has been
recovered.
Never at any time was there a chance
to save the boys. Scores of passengers
in the cars along the gorge route watched
the hopeless struggle of the boys, as did
hundreds who had gathered at the water s
edge. Men became hysterical and wom-
en- passengers on the cars wept and
prayed in distress at the plight of the
lads, who were standing in the boat call
ing for help.
As the boat neared Swift Drift, the first
breaking of the water from the calm up
per reaches to the rapids, it began TO
rock. The boys sat down to keep from
tumbing into the stream. Then caught
in swift drift, the boat went racing un-
der the cantiever bridge, Whatever hope
the boys had of rescue was lost They
ceased their cries for help, turned tow
ards each other and calmy shook hands,
then with the boat in the tumbling waters
threw themselves on the seats of the
scow and cluBg with all their strength.
The craft held to its course until it en-
countered huge wave, which crested
at height of 90 feet. it seemed to dive
into the very middle of the wave. and
when it came again to view ii was bot
tom up. A second or two later a little
head appeared bobbing on wave below
for a moment and then was seen NJ
more.
May Never Be Recovered
The bodies of the boys are in the whirl-
pool, and may never be recovered. There
was a quantity of driftwood whlrling
there this afternoon and the bodies may
be beating to pieces, as were those of
Mr.. and Mrs. Eldridge Stanton of To-
ronto and Burrel Peacock of Cleveland
the victims of the ice bridge tragedy of
February L. 1912. They were battered by
cakes of ice.
The point where the boat broke loose
is about a half mile from the beginning
of the rapids. 1t drifted down in about
u minutes.
The Roscoe boys mother is very Ill
and was not told of the tragedy. The
boys are members of well known families
oil Niagara Falls. They were chums.