Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1920-07-15
HORSE SHOE
FALLS To DEATH
Charles G.. Stevens of Bristol,
England, Attempts to Ride
Cataract In a Barrel-His
Body Not Recovered

Niagara Falls. N. T., July 1L-Charles
G.. Stephens Of Bristol. England. wac KILL
ed to-day when he went over the Horse
Shoe Falls In a barrel. The cask in which
he made the trim, though built OF stout
Russian oak slaves and bound with steel
hoops, smashed like an eggshell on the
Jagged rocks at the base Of the cataract.
Pieces of the barrel we're picked up near
the bank on the Canadian side. but Steph-
ems body has not been recovered. River
men say tina It may not come to the sur
face for a week or ten days.
Stephens. who boosted the title Of
Daredevil was IS years old, and has a
wife and eleven children in Bristol. where
he was a barber. He served three years
in France with the British army. He had
planned to make a lecture tour OF Eng
land II his trip was successful.
Bobby Leach, who won't over the Horse
shoe Falls in 1911. told Stephens before
ne started that his trip would be a failure.
Leach predicted that the barrel would not
Withstand the drop Of 15s feet, but Steph-
ers refused to be dissueded from the ven-
r:ro. Leach was among the spectators
WHO watched the start of Stephens fatal
trip.
Few knew that Stephens WAS to make
he trip to-day and when the barrel was
70 NV III liC w LiOih ~
dian eide two miles above the falls. there
were only a dozen on hand to watch. II
was $40 O'Clock this morning when
Stephens was cast adrift. Early sight
seers on Goat Island saw the barrel bob.
! bling I'D and down In the tumhling reaches
Of the upre- ra pids. hut none knew that
II carried a man about to defy the
cataract.
Members Of Stephens party followed
the cask down stream in automobiles
In one OF the ara 4 moving picture opera.
tor filmed the progress of the barrel.
AS the barrel drew near the brink Of
the falls it seemed to stand on end
hesitatod a second or two. and then slit
gracefully over the slope head foremos'
and AZ a slight angle. Its cleaning
black and white stripes could be seer
until It had fallen about half way dowr
the face ot the cataract. Then 1t wa.
lost to view in the misty spray.
Men stationed below the falls on tn
Canadian shore watched the barrel as /
fell and prepared to catch 1t IL 1t foatet
into the eddy above the Canadian Maic
OF the Mist landing. 1t was there tina
the barrels in which Leach and Mrs
Annie Edison Taylor made the falls tril
in former years had been recovered.
A quarter Of an hour passed, then
half hour, and an hour Field glasse!
trained on the boiling waters at the bas'
Of the cataract revealed no sign of TIL
cask. When the hour had passed, tn
old rivermen in the little group of watch
ers began to shake their heads obviously
They remembered that Mrs. Taylor ha'
made the trip in 40 minutes and tina
Bobby Leach was or his way to the to-
~ tho hanE ~ minutes affor hio haYre
had been set adrift above the falls.
As the moments of suspense draEge'
along. those who had lowed Stephens GU
into the river above the falls Joined tn
watchers below. Some suggested hat tn
barrel had become imprisoned in tn
backwash OF the falls and would be cas-
out into the river later. but those VIII,
had supervised Stephens trip said tina
he would not survive II the barrel re
manned long behind the great curtain o
water.
Word that Stephens had tried and failet
spread quickly through the two Fall
cities. and great crowds congregated ol
the banks Of the river. Men and womel
stood densely packed on the upper stee
arch bridge. at Prospect Point and aioni
the Canadian and American shores,
II vas shortly after noon. four hour
AFTER stephens began MS trip, Wnen som
one caught sight Of a black object in tn
river nea the base of the falls.
There he isl watchers cried. and Their
was a brief interval of hope that stephen
might have survived the trip.
The dark object was borne swiftly dow
stream for some distance. Then it cir
cled several times and hoated easily int
the eddy. AS it came to rest on tn
surface in the peaceful waters, the watch
ers knew that Stephens attempt ha
ended in tragedy. For the floating ob1ec
was only a section Of the barrel. A
this drafted neal the shore It was draw
in and pulled up on the bank. Late
other pieces OF the barrel 1oated dow
stream and INTO the eddy and were recov
cred. But there was no trace OF tn
body Of it's occupant.
The barrel designed by Stephens for tn
trip was six feet. three inches high
had strap arrangements inside and a
electric light system. An oxygen tan
was carried. which. Stephens said. woul
keep him alive for several hours il tn
barrel became caught in a back edd
under the falls.
Stephens is the third to attempt tn
barrel trip owe the falls, Mrs. Ami
Edison Taylor went over in October. 100
in an oak barrel, and Bobby Leach mad
the trip in July. 1911. in a steel barre
Both are still living.
NAM nIINlIrn M an