Crossville chronicle. [volume] (Crossville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1921-03-16
OVER NIAGARA FALLS
The Only Woman Who Ever Did Is
Now a Pauper.

Pathetically the vanity of more dis
play and its resulting fame, wher
dlsasociated from real service to the
world, is illustrated in the fallen for.
tunes of Mrs. Annie Edison Taylor
the first person and the only woman
to go over Niagra Falls in a barrel
and live to tell her experience. She
did the stunt on October "a, 1901
For time her courage and daring
and her remarkable vitality were the
thems of headlines and the subjects
of popular wonder and praise. But
on Wednesday she went to the Mag
ara Caunty Inhrmary at Lockport to
spend the remnant of her days.
Twenty years ago she was vigorous,
strong, full of the spirit of adventure
She was university graduate and
she had taught dancing. She boasted
of having crossed the continent eight
times, she had travelled in Mexico,
and she had made sixteen long voy-
ages on the Gulf of Mexico. At Bay
City, Michigan, she conceived the
idea of going over the Falls. She
knew the risk, but the fascination of
danger and the craving for notoriety
were too great to resist. She made
the attempt-and succeeded. For a |
brief space her name was on every
tongue.
She is now IS years old. She is
nearly blind and without friends or |
public .recogination or means of live
ihood. She sadly reflects in a few
words of newspaper talk that for
une does not always follow fame.
The two episodes in her life, some
wenty years apart, form a sad con-
rast. They also point a moral
One other person has gne over .tnI
sails and lived Bobby Leach did
on July rs, 1911. He came out of
lis barrel with broken leg ana
adly shaken up, but made complete
ecovery. His barrel was made of
teel. Daredevil" Chas. G. Stephens
f Bristol, England. went over on July ;
I, 1920, in a barrel of Russian oak
he barrel was smashed to splinter
nd he was drowned. Mrs. Taylor {
lso used an oaken barrel. She was
eld fast in it by harness designed /
, prevent her from being bagned ,
ganst the sides. She had a bad "
;alp wound and was bruiSesd from {
cad to foot when hauled ashore and l
but was not seriously the 6
orse for the adventure. 4
She went over the Horseshoe Falls, b
lther on the Canadian side of the v
entire line. She was cut loose above y
le Falls at 4 :o5 PM, passed the
ink at 4 :23 and was landed at q go.
he retained consciousness as she
ent over the edge but was insen-
Bile when she struct the river below.
he barrel leaked badly and she S
as frightfully tossed about. When fl
was all over she said she would not y
peat the experience for million
,llars, and she would rather stand
fore loaded cannon and be blown -
pieces than once again suffer the "
entail strain. 81
In fact the risk and the strain OF g
e feat place it in the class of haz .
DIS that are beyond justification. D.
lere is no science value attached -
the adventure. 1t proves nothing II =,
It the toughness of some barrels Il Il
d he fact, which needs no proof. q
at men and women can always Dc
und to defy death with perfect
.htness of heart. 1t is chiefly be-
use of the inutility OF the act that
has left its heroine forgotten and
provided for in her old age. The
,rld has rewards only for those
10 either bring to it some benefit
r which it is willing to pay, or
e keep it permanently entertained. -
IS. Taylor proved herself the -
avest woman of her day, but she Ae
INT her courage in futile and Ike
ankless effort. dc