Daredevils can be best summarized as persons who wish to take conscious risks with their lives with the emphasis on survival. However, some risks are so great that the chances of survival based upon a balance of probabilities become so little that they become suicidal in nature. It may be a thin line of definition but a line none the less. Now days, the art of being a daredevil has become so sophisticated that chances of survival are almost predictable.

Most of the contraptions that the daredevils used usually had a nickname or had a statement printed on it (such as something political, a charity, and a sponsor or of course their own name). The numbers never really were an issue. Weight, balance, ballast and of course the odds of survival were the only true numbers the daredevils cared much for. Most importantly they pursued fame and fortune or notoriety. None have ever become rich and/or lastingly famous....yet.

If you weren't the very first, remarkably the members of the public didn't care beyond perhaps watching the event. Spectators came not watching for a successful conclusion but rather the deadly consequences of failure.

Daredevils of today can't compare to those of forty years ago because of changing water conditions and technological innovations. Niagara Falls has 12-15 suicides each year. This number has been fairly constant for the past century. The difference between the two types of persons is that by pure luck...someone may survive. If they do survive, they are considered a daredevil.



A Power Point Presentation -16 mb

It wasn't until some years after the bitter fighting along the shores of the Niagara River during the War of 1812, that Niagara started to come into its own as a tourist attraction.

By the 1820's there were three hotels catering to the visitors of Niagara Falls. The hotel owners were responsible for the first stunt over the Falls in order to attract attention of members of the public and to boost the tourist trade.

The hotel owners acquired a condemned Lake Erie schooner named the "Michigan". The hotel owners then advertised in advance that they would send the schooner over the Horseshoe Falls on September 8th 1827.

Most of the animals placed aboard were able to safely escape before the ship broke apart on the shoals and was swept over the Horseshoe Falls.

This daredevil event took place as advertised before an estimated crowd of 10,000 people.

This heralded the beginning of 170 years of recorded history of men and women challenging the Niagara River and the Falls in face of death for fame and fortune. Like a giant roulette wheel, they came willingly and gambled with their very lives.

SOME SURVIVED......and......SOME DIED

The river is ferocious and unforgiving

Blondin balancing between life and death

courtesy of the Niagara Falls (Ontario) Public Library

for a quick reference visit

and then learn all about those Daredevils listed in the index below

Samuel Dixon crossing the Niagara River Gorge on a rope in 1890

courtesy of the Niagara Falls (Ontario) Public Library

Annie Taylor, the first to conquer the Horseshoe Falls

proudly displaying her barrel

courtesy of the Niagara Falls (Ontario) Public Library

CHRONOLOGICAL INDEX

Schooner Michigan

Sam Patch

E. Jackson

Blondin the Great

Seth Ford

The Great Farini

William Leonard Hunt

Captain Joel Robinson

Harry Leslie

Andrew Jenkins

Henry Bellini

Captain J.D. Rhodes

Stephen Peer

Maria Spelterini

David McDowell

Frank Brown

Clifford Calverly

D.H. MacDonald

Charles Cromwell

Walter Campbell

Samuel Dixon

James E. Hardy

Oliver Hilton

Captain Matthew Webb

Carlisle Graham

George Potts

William Hazlett

James Scott

William Kendall

Lawrence Donovan

Alphonse King

Charles Percy

Robert Flack

I.H. Ashley

Peter "Bowser" Nissen

Captain Billy Johnson

Joe Chambers

Martha Wagenfurher

Maud Willard

Annie Edson Taylor

Claus Larsen

Lincoln Beachy

Bobby Leach

Oscar Williams

Peter Langaard

Vincent Taylor

Jean Lussier

Charles Stephens

George L. Strathakis

William "Red" Hill Sr.

William "Red" Hill Jr.

Major Lloyd Hill

Ted Mercier

Joseph Hawryluk

Scott Graham

Claus Kirkoff

Roger Woodward

Nathan T. Boya

William A. Fitzgerald

Raymond Weaver

Karl Koch

Bruce Curtis

Ronald Hess

John Kazian

Niagara White Water

Henri Julien Rechatin

Edward Friedland

Jim Sarten

Niagara Gorge River Trips

Mr. X (James Randi)

Kenneth Lagergren

Chris Spelius

Don Wheedon

Carrie Ashton

Karel Soucek

Steven Trotter

Phillipe Petit

John David Munday

Peter DeBernardi

Jeffrey Petkovich

Jessie W. Sharp

Robert Overacker

Kirk Jones

Mr. Y

Mr. Z

SCHOONER "MICHIGAN"

1827

(animals aboard)

In 1827, William Forsyth of the Pavilion Hotel with the help of John Brown of the Ontario House and General Parkhurst Whitney of the Eagle Hotel in Niagara Falls, New York staged the very first tourist stunt at Niagara Falls.

Forsyth bought an old condemned lake schooner named "Michigan"

The "Michigan" was 16 feet from keel to the deck. The water depth at the crest of the Horseshoe Falls was nearly twenty feet deep back then (presently 3 - 5 feet).

The hotel owners then advertised in advance that they would send the schooner over the Horseshoe Falls on September 8th 1827. Printed broadsheets were delivered throughout Western New York and Upper Canada announcing:

"The pirate Michigan with a cargo of ferocious wild animals will pass the great rapids and falls of Niagara - 8th September 1827 at 6 o'clock

The Michigan has long braved the bellows of Erie, with success, as a merchant vessel: but having been condemned by her owners unfit to sail long proudly "above"; her present proprietors, together with several public spirited friends, have appointed her to carry a cargo of Living Animals of the Forest, which surround the upper lakes, through the white tossing and deep rolling rapids of Niagara and down its great precipice, into the basin "below". The greatest exertions are being made to procure animals of the most ferocious kind, such as Panthers, Wild Cats and Wolves; but in lieu of these , which it may be impossible to obtain , a few vicious or worthless dogs, such as may possess strength and activity, and perhaps a few of the toughest of the lesser animals will be added to, and compose the cargo...

Should the vessel take her course through the deepest of the rapids, it is confidently believed that she will reach the Horse Shoe unbroken; if so she will perform her voyage to the water of the Gulf beneath which is of great depth and buoyancy, entire, but what her fate will be the trial will decide. Should the animals be young and hardy and possessed of great muscular power and joining their fate with that of the vessel, remain on board until she reaches the water below, there is a great possibility that many of them will have performed the terrible jaunt, unhurt!"

To further add to the stunt the schooner was decorated to look like a pirate ship with human shaped dummies tied to her deck.

The only animals placed on board the doomed ship included a buffalo, two small bears, two raccoons, a dog and one goose. Some reports also included two fox, fifteen geese and an eagle. This was a far cry from the ferocious animals that Forsyth had advertised would be aboard the doomed vessel.

On September 8th 1827, with a crowd estimated at 10,000, the ship was towed by Captain James Rough from Black Rock to Navy Island using the paddle steamer "Chippawa". Here the "Michigan" was pointed towards the Falls in mid-river. Prior to the release of the "Michigan", visitors were allowed to board the schooner and view the condemned animals.

At approximately 6 p.m., the schooner "Michigan" was released into the currents of the upper Niagara River and drifted towards the Falls. As it reached the rapids, its hull was torn open and the schooner began filling with water. The two bears running loose on deck jumped free of the schooner into the rapids. They were able to swim to Goat Island. The other animals were caged or tied to the ship died when the schooner went over the Horseshoe Falls. At the base of the Falls, only the goose had survived the plunge and was caught by Mr. Duggan.

SAM PATCH

1829

(Survived)

On Wednesday October 7th 1829, Sam Patch became the first daredevil to challenge the Niagara River. The 22 year old from Rhode island dove into the churning waters of the Niagara River from a height of 85 feet. Mr. Patch chose Goat Island between the Luna Falls and the Bridal Falls to erect his diving platform. He survived this headfirst high dive unscathed. On October 17th 1829, Sam Patch made the second successful high dive at the falls from a height of 130 feet.

Following his feats at Niagara Falls, Sam Patch went to Rochester where he attempted a 100 foot dive into the Genesee River. During this dive, Patch died by drowning.

E. JACKSON

1856

(Survived)

On August 27th 1856, E. Jackson swam in the Niagara River from the Briddle Stairway (Goat Island) to the Horseshoe Falls.

THE GREAT BLONDIN

AKA: Jean Francois Gravelot

1859

(Survived)

Blondin crossing the Niagara River Gorge on a rope in 1859

courtesy of the Niagara Falls (Ontario) Public Library

The most famous of Niagara's daredevils was Jean Francois Gravelot, better know as "The Great Blondin". He was born February 28th 1824 in St. Omer, Pas de Calais in Northern France.

Blondin first came to Niagara in early 1858. He became obsessed with crossing the Niagara River on a tightrope. On June 30th 1859, Blondin successfully walked across the river on a tight rope. For this crossing , Blondin utilized a 1,100 foot long - 3 inch diameter manila rope stretched from what is now Prospect Park in Niagara Falls, New York to what is now Oakes Garden in Niagara Falls, Ontario. He began his first walk from the American side and completed his crossing in 20 minutes. Blondin used a thirty (30) foot (9m) long balancing pole that weighed 40 pounds.

During the summer of 1859, Blondin completed eight more crossing times. His most difficult crossing occurred on August 14th when he carried his manager Harry Colcord on his back. During the summer of 1860, Blondin returned to Niagara for a second successful year of tight rope walking across the Niagara River for hundreds of thousands of sightseers. One of his acts included pushing a wheelbarrow along as he crossed.

On September 8th 1860, Blondin completed his final tight rope crossing of the Niagara River. In 1860, Signor Guillermo Antonio Farini (aka: William Hunt) of Lockport, New York was Blondin's formidable rival. Others followed in the absence of Blondin but none was more daring or famous.

Blondin died in 1897 at the age of 73 years.

Blondin tightrope walking across the Niagara River Gorge carrying his manager Harry Colcord on his back on August 19th 1859

courtesy of the Niagara Falls (Ontario) Public Library

SETH FORD

1859

(Survived)

On July 22nd 1859, Seth Ford swam across the Niagara River from a location north of the American Falls to the Canadian shoreline.

SIGNOR GUILLERMO ANTONIO FARINI

"THE GREAT FARINI"

aka: WILLIAM LEONARD HUNT

1860

(Survived)

The Great Farini crossing the Niagara River Gorge on a rope carrying a washing machine on his back on September 5th 1860

courtesy of the Niagara Falls (Ontario) Public Library

William Leonard Hunt was born Lockport, New York in 1838. Hunt was raised and educated in Port Hope, Ontario. He had dual citizenship.

During the early summer of 1860, a young 22 year old Hunt watched intently from the shore of the Niagara Gorge as Blondin made his way across the Niagara Gorge by walking across a rope strung from side to side. Hunt turned to his girlfriend and proclaimed that he could do what Blondin could. That night, Hunt and his girlfriend returned to Lockport, New York. Hunt was working for the father of his girlfriend as a store keeper, gave notice to his employer that he was quitting to pursue his career dream as a rope walker in order to challenge Blondin. His girlfriend immediately broke off their engagement.

During the summer of 1859, Hunt was offered $100 to perform at a local fair in Port Hope. Hunt demanded $500 on the condition that he would stand on his head above the Ganaraska River. Hunt carried out this performance with a borrowed rope. He walked back and forth across the river without a balancing pole. In addition, he stood on his head, did somersaults and walked blind folded as he had promised. Hunt was an extremely strong young man and had won a tug of war over six other men single handed.

William Hunt changed his name to Signor Guillermo Antonio Farini. He would quickly become known as "The Great Farini". Farini left his home in Port Hope after his father accused him of being a disgrace to his family by becoming a circus performer.

Farini moved to Minnesota and for a short time worked at his uncle's general store. Farini then joined the Dan Rice's floating circus on the Mississippi River. Farini was reunited with his family after buying his father a farm.

Farini issued a series of challenges to Blondin but they remained unanswered. Blondin was a more polished acrobat however Farini was a much more powerful performer and a much better businessman. Blondin usually took a collection at the end of each performance while Farini marketed and packaged his performances to ensure a larger audience and financial success.

Farini's first performance at Niagara Falls occurred on August 15th 1860. Farini began the tightrope walk while carrying a balancing pole and an additional coil of rope strapped to his back. When Farini reached the mid-point he tied the pole to the tightrope and using the coil of rope he carried with him, Farini lowered himself to the deck of the Maid of the Mist boat 200 feet below. Getting down was relatively easy. On the deck of the boat, Farini drank a glass of wine before ascending back to the tightrope above. This task was much more demanding than Farini anticipated. Farini was near total exhaustion and nearly fell on several occasions. Farini did make it back to the tightrope, and continued to the shoreline. After a brief ten minute rest, Farini made the return crossing blindfolding and wearing baskets on his feet. This was the first and only time that Farini tried lowering himself from the tightrope to the river below. Blondin did not try to equal this feat.

In the weeks that followed, Farini matched or surpassed each of Blondin's performances. Farini balanced himself on his head, hung from the tightrope by his toes and carried a person across the Niagara Gorge on his back. On September 5th 1860, Farini carried an Irish washer woman across the gorge on his back to counter an earlier performance by Blondin. When Blondin took out a stove on the tightrope and cooked an omelette, Farini carried a washtub out on the tightrope. He then lowered a bucket to the river below to retrieve water in order to wash a dozen handkerchiefs. Farini had a driving desire to be the best.

Farini performed at Niagara Falls twice each week. Although his acts were more daring and drew larger crowds, he never achieved the fame that Blondin did. Blondin received most of the attention and most of the press.

For Farini, tightrope walking was but one of his many interests throughout his life. During his life he was an inventor, an explorer, writer, secret service agent, painter and sculptor. In 1862, while performing a tightrope walk above a bull ring in Havana, Cuba, a female he was carrying on his back fell to the ground below. The female dies several days later.

The Great Farini hanging from the tightrope over the Niagara River Gorge

courtesy of the Niagara Falls (Ontario) Public Library

On August 8th 1864, Farini returned to Niagara Falls and attempted to perform another death defying feat. Farini wearing a pair of specially made stilts waded out into the cascading water just above the American Falls. Farini planned to walk to the brink of the Falls but one of the stilts he was wearing was caught in a crevice in the riverbed causing it to break. Farini suffered a badly injured leg but was still able to reach Robinson Island which is nearest the Luna Falls. Here he was rescued. Farini left Niagara Falls defeated and deflated.

In 1866, Farini took his tightrope and circus act to England, Europe, Africa and the Middle East. During the years that followed, Farini did many other things with his life. He was an explorer and during the American Civil War, Farini was a member of the Secret Service for the Confederate Army, The Great Farini returned to Canada in 1899. He took up the art of oil painting. He remained active in his later years as well.

William Leonard Hunt, aka: The Great Farini died in January of 1929 at the age of 91 years. Farini is buried in Port Hope, Ontario. The Great Farini was one of the worlds greatest tightrope walkers to ever conquer Niagara.

CAPTAIN JOEL ROBINSON

1861

(Survived)



a stereograph of the Maid of the Mist II being navigated through the Whirlpool Rapids

by Captain Joel Robinson on June 6th 1861

In 1846, the Niagara Falls Ferry Association was incorporated. The Maid of the Mist Ferry Service had begun.

The first Maid of the Mist was launched on May 27th 1846. It remained the only method to cross the border until 1848, when the first suspension bridge was built. With a ferry service no longer required the Maid of the Mist boat service realized the need for a tourist boat attraction.

Due to its popularity, a larger boat, the Maid of the Mist II was launched for service on July 14th 1854. It was a single smoke stacked 72 foot long steam propelled paddle wheeler. In 1861, due to a financial crisis and the impending American Civil War, the Maid of the Mist was sold at public auction. It was sold to a Canadian Company providing the boat could be delivered to Lake Ontario. In order to do so the Maid of the Mist would have to be navigated through the Great Gorge Rapids, the Whirlpool and the Lower Rapids prior to delivery. The thought was mind boggling and terrifying.

On June 6th 1861, 53 year old Captain Joel Robinson undertook this mission along with two deck hands. At approximately 3 p.m., with his mechanic, James McIntyre at his side in the wheel house, Captain Robinson began this perilous journey. His engineer, James Jones was tending to the boiler to ensure maximum power was available when needed. A short blast of the boats whistle announced the beginning. With both shores lined with people who had come to see this spectacle, Captain Robinson and crew rode the Maid of the Mist through one of the world's most wild and dangerous white water rapids.

The first giant wave, threw Robinson and McIntyre to the floor of the wheel house and tore the smoke stack from the boat. Engineer Jones was thrown to the floor of the engine room. On his knees, he held on to a pipe stand for his life. The boat was now at the mercy of the mountainous waves crashing against and over the tiny boat. The boat was carried at approximately 39 miles per hour through the rock strewn rapids. Soon the Maid of the Mist was propelled into the Whirlpool. The relative tranquility of the Whirlpool allowed Captain Robinson to regain control of his boat.

Captain Robinson had great difficulty breaking the Maid of the Mist from the grip of the Whirlpool before challenging the final leg of this dangerous trip through the dreaded Devil's Hole Rapids. As the boat escaped the grips of the Whirlpool, Captain Robinson did the best he could to hold a course through the center of the channel with his badly damaged vessel.

The three mile journey through the rapids and the whirlpool was successful except for losing the smoke stack. Captain Robinson had accomplished something no one had done before and thought impossible. Captain Robinson and his crew were motivated by the five hundred dollar reward if they successfully delivered the boat to the docks at Queenston, Ontario.

The frightening experience of this journey caused Captain Robinson to give up a career that he loved. He retired into near seclusion. Captain Robinson died two years later at the age of 55 years.

HARRY LESLIE

1865

(Survived)

On June 15th 1865, Harry Leslie, "the American Blondin", walked a tightrope across the Niagara Gorge over the Whirlpool Rapids.

ANDREW "PROFESSOR" JENKINS

aka: The CANADIAN BLONDIN

1869

(Survived)

Professor Jenkins crossing the Niagara River Gorge on his velocipede

courtesy of the Niagara Falls (Ontario) Public Library

Andrew Jenkins was born in Gloucester England on May 3, 1844 to his parents Mr. & Mrs. Benjamin Jenkins. He had two brothers William and Adam and two sisters. His brothers and sister Mary Anne was born in England. His second sister Elizabeth was born in the United States following the families move to North America in 1850.The family settled in the United States where Benjamin Jenkins was a rail road contractor.



Following his career, Benjamin and his family moved to Canada and settled in Turnbull Corners which is now Branchton located near Galt Ontario.



At the age of 15 Andrew Jenkins was taken to Niagara Falls by his father to see the famous Blondin perform his stunt of walking across the Niagara Gorge on a tight rope. Since then Andrew wanted to be a daredevil like Blondin.



Jenkins began practising by stringing a rope between two trees in his backyard and practiced rope walking on the rope. Everything that the Great Blondin did, Andrew practiced. Andrew’s first appearance was performed at a high school picnic on a rope 50 feet above the ground. He performed high rope walks locally.



At an early age Andrew saw a bicycle act on a Galt stage. This is where the idea of riding a bicycle across the Niagara River gorge on a rope came from.



Andrew Jenkins, also called "the Professor" performed his stunt Niagara Falls on August 26th 1869.

The “Canadian Blondin" crossed the Niagara River gorge on a 4 inch diameter rope measuring 1040 feet long on a bicycle named the "doon bike". He was 25 years of age at the time. George Sleeman, a Guelph Brewer accompanied Andrew to Niagara to help erect the rope.



He never returned to Niagara Falls to attempt any other stunts.



For 14 years after Andrew Jenkins performed his stunt Niagara Falls he repeated his performances at different locations across Canada and United States. He spent a great deal of time performing daily at Rocky River Resort near Cleveland Ohio on 1000 feet of rope.



After retiring he opened a photography shop in Dunnville, Ontario and Galt, Ontario.



Andrew Jenkins was nearly blinded when a bottle of ammonia exploded while he was working in Dunnville. He retained partial vision in only one eye.



Andrew Jenkins died on July 14, 1924 at the age of 80 years.



- The information above was provided by Sara and Don Jenkins





The Velocipede Ride across Niagara



How Professor Jenkins crossed Niagara River on a "velocipede"-what the machine was-how was the event was regarded



August 27, 1869



from the Buffalo Express



On August 26th 1869, a new candidate has made his appearance before the public for glory, renown and shekels. He is called "Professor Jenkins", or "the Canadian Blondin", and his forte is riding the bicycle on a rope. His first call for public attention in this section of the country was made in a little handbill announcing that his "performance on the tight rope had astonished the world, and left competitors far behind", and furthermore that he would ride a velocipede across Niagara Falls yesterday afternoon.



Early in the day the crowd around the falls was far from small, and by noon the excursion trains on the Great Western and Lake Huron Railroads had brought thousands of people, all anxious to see the man ride over the falls in the velocipede. But the show was not at the falls at all, but below suspension bridge, on the exact spot where the genuine Blondin years ago cross the river with the man on his back. The rope, 2 inches in diameter and 1000 feet long, was placed in position last Friday, and made as secure and tight as possible.



The Velocipede and the Rope



The machine used by Professor Jenkins is not in any sense a velocipede. It is, however, a bicycle, and turned upside down would resemble in some degree a modern velocipede. The wheels, 3 inches wide are made heavy wood without tires, but in their places are grooves one and three-quarter inches deep. The front wheel is 3'2" and the hind wheel two feet - 10 inches in diameter. The connecting rods are iron, so also the balance-pole, which is 8 feet long and tipped with 10 pound balls, and weighs 28 pounds. The whole thing, with the man thrown in, weighs 298 pounds.



The propelling power is a pinion cog-wheel made of brass, about 9 inches in diameter, which is made to gear to cogs which surround the front wheel at the bottom of the groove.



It was supposed, naturally enough, that a man writing across the Niagara River on a single rope would draw a large crowd of people to the falls; but it costs money to buy ropes and build fences; and those interested solicited subscriptions to defray expenses. The amount raised on both sides of the river was $130 of which the Elgin House gave $50. It was also agreed that half of the receipts at the bridge should go to the performer. The expenses were about $1000, the rope alone costing $350.



The 1000 feet of good 2 inch hemp rope stretched across the chasm, 200 feet above the boiling flood, was the first object to be gazed upon by the crowd, but you could not reach it without paying $.25 which a great many did, and were rewarded by a close inspection. The cable was fastened securely and immovably on the American shore, but on the Canadian shore coiled around a windlass to facilitate tightening, and then twisted and tied around a couple of cedar stumps. The deflection of the rope was about 30 feet. Photographers were early on the ground and secured the best locations for their cameras.



How It Was Done



At 2:30 o'clock the Professor made his appearance at a small house on the Canada side with the pieces of his machine, and at once proceeded to put them together, a task of no small labour. With the aid of his men, he first placed the fore wheel on the rope just at the edge of the precipice, and while one man balanced it, another placed on the standard from the underside, thus bringing two strong bars of iron on either side of the rope. All the joints were securely fastened with bolts. The braces or connecting rods extending from the standard to the rear shaft in the form of the letter "O" made the connection complete and very strong. The Professor then got outside of the rope, arranged the pinion wheel and fastened the balance pole across the "O" part of the braces. This done, the seat, a strip of leather, was secured to the rear axle by means of straps. This arrangement, which it was seen at once would throw the entire weight of the machine and the rider under the rope was a source of disappointment, if not of relief, too many of the spectators, who, not consulting the innovative genius of the Canadian Blondin, rather expected to see him mounted on a Greenwood velocipede which of course would give a good chance for ground and lofty tumbling.



Murmurs



All being in readiness, the bicycle was fastened by a rope to the bank, and Jenkins who had superintended all the operations started for his hotel to robe.



During his absence the crowd viewed the machine critically, and murmurs of "humbug" "sold" "who couldn't" were heard, but as a general thing the crowd were pleased with the ingenious method in which the great danger supposed to be involved in the undertaking had been avoided. By this time the people who had been pouring in on excursion trains from all parts of Canada had assembled in convenient locations for observation, to the number of perhaps 8,000.



The lion made his second appearance at 3:30 o'clock, dressed for the performance. He wore white tights, black velvet knee breeches, shoulder straps and cross belts of the same material, and on his head was placed a crown shaped hat and all were profusely bedecked with tinsel and beads. His feet were covered with buff moccasins. Before alighting from the carriage, Jenkins stopped and talked with our reporter; but there was a little nervousness apparent about his eyes and mouth which perhaps was caused by over smoking, or the enormous quid of tobacco he was seen to bite from a borrowed plug.



False Start



We gave him a word of encouragement, and he at once took his position astride the rope and proceeded to arrange the leather strap or seat, which as it was allowed to touch the rope seemed more for the purpose of protecting the velvet pants from damage by attrition then to sit upon. In fact he did not set but stood up with his feet about 18 inches apart, resting on the balance pole. In a moment he grasped the handles of the pinion wheel and turned them, moving slowly from the bank, the crowd preserving a death like stillness. After passing out a few yards a halt was made, and the photographers were allowed to take his picture. He then returned and waited five or 10 minutes and resumed his seat. Three pistol shots were then fired from the Canadian side and it was a "Go".



The machine move slowly forward, the rope swaying gently from side to side until he had passed about 50 feet, when another opportunity was given the artist, after which he crawled along at a snail's pace to the middle of the abyss, where he raised and waved his hat and received a faint cheer in response. From the center to the American shore it was evidently hard work to propel the bicycle, but at last the edge of the cliff was reached, and then the welcome did ring with the applause of the people. The time occupied in passing over the rope was just 11 minutes.



Professor Jenkins' velocipede

courtesy of the Niagara Falls (Ontario) Public Library

HENRY BELLINI

1873

(Survived)

Henry Bellini tight laying down while rope walking across the Niagara River in 1873

courtesy of the Niagara Falls (Ontario) Public Library

Henry Bellini was born in England.

In 1873, Bellini came to Niagara Falls at the age of 32 years. On August 25th 1873, Bellini made his first tight rope walk across the Niagara River using a 1,500 foot long - 2.5 inch diameter rope weighing 2,500 pounds. He combined a tight rope walk with a leap into the churning river below. He tried crossing using a 48 pound - 22 foot long balance pole. Following his leap into the water, Bellini was picked up by an awaiting boat. Bellini made three such leaps during 1873. In the winter of 1886, Bellini jumped from the Upper Suspension Bridge. He was hauled from the water unconscious with broken ribs but alive.

Bellini died in 1888 while jumping from a bridge in London, England.

Henry Bellini tight rope walking across the Niagara River in 1873

courtesy of the Niagara Falls (Ontario) Public Library

CAPTAIN J. D. RHODES

1878

(Survived)

On June 26th 1878, Captain J. D. Rhodes jumped into the Niagara River from a ninety foot high platform erected below Prospect Point on the American shore.

STEPHEN PEER

1887

(Died)

Stephen Peer in 1887

courtesy of the Niagara Falls (Ontario) Public Library

Stephen Peer was born in 1840 in the Stamford Township and was 19 years old when Blondin performed his first tight rope walk in Niagara Falls. Peer wanted to become Niagara's first tight rope walker.

In 1873, Stephen Peer signed on to become an assistant to Henry Bellini by helping Bellini string the rope across the gorge. Peer's first public appearance opened with Bellini's equipment but without Bellini's consent. Bellini tried to stop Peer by trying to cut the tight rope without success. Bellini was chased out of town.

By 1887, Peer had become famous enough to begin performing under his own billing. On June 22nd 1887, Peer performed a tight rope walk on a five-eighth inch diameter wire cable stretched between the present Whirlpool Bridge and the Penn Central Bridge. Peer started his crossing on the Canadian side, successfully completing a double crossing.

On June 25th 1887, Stephen Peer was found dead laying on the bank of the Niagara river directly below his wire cable. It is speculated that Peer tried an unscheduled night crossing after an evening of drinking.

MARIA SPELTERINI

1876

(Survived)

Maria Spelterini crossing the Niagara River Gorge on a rope in 1876.

The only woman tightrope walker to ever challenge the gorge

courtesy of the Niagara Falls (Ontario) Public Library

Signorina Maria Spelterini became the first woman to ever cross the Niagara River gorge on a tight rope.

Spelterini was a 23 year old buxom 150 pound beautiful woman of Italian descent. She made her debut on July 8th 1876 performing a successful crossing using two and a quarter inch wire located just North of the lower suspension bridge ( presently the Whirlpool Bridge). Maria Spelterini soon proved herself equal to those tight rope walkers that preceded her.

On July 12th 1876, Spelterini crossed wearing peach baskets strapped to her feet. On July 19th 1876, she crossed blind folded. On July 22nd 1876, Spelterini crossed with her ankles and wrists manacled.

On July 26th 1876, Maria Spelterini made a farewell crossing. She never performed any more in Niagara Falls. Her personal life remains a mystery. The date and place of her death are unknown.

July 1, 1876



A Lady to Cross the River on a Single Rope



The great sensation of the present day in the amusement world is the projected trip across Niagara River of a young lady, lately arrived from Europe, and known as the Signorina Maria Spelterini. This young artiste arrived in New York about two months ago, and has since been quietly making preparations to accomplish the feat that gave Blondin a world wide reputation.



During her stay in the city the Spelterini gave two representations at Jones' Wood, and perform feats on the high rope 100 feet above the ground that at once convinced the spectators of her perfect right to cucomiums, she has received from the European press.



Some well-known managers who were present at her initial performance freely express the opinion that she excelled in grace and daring any artiste that has ever visited this country. A Herald reporter paid Miss Spelterini a visit yesterday afternoon, and in the course of a conversation learned the following facts:



She was born Livorno, Italy and made her first appearance in public with her father's company when she was three years of age. She performed until she reached the age of 10 upon the tight rope and then commenced the slack-wire and the rolling globe. In the two last acts, she achieved a brilliant success, performing for two years in Berlin and Vienna.



In 1871, she went to Russia had made such a great success upon the high rope that she adopted that branch of her profession entirely and gave it her sole attention. She is gifted with wonderful nerve, combined with cool daring, and during her entire career, she never made a single mistake, although on several occasions, she was only saved from accident by great presence of mind.



In 1873, when performing in Surrey Gardens, London, on the day the Alexandria Palace was destroyed by fire, she was standing on a platform waiting to commence her act when the rope broke. The shock threw down the pole on the other end. The one supporting the platform on which she stood rocked violently as her assistant was jumping about and about to throw himself off, but she caught him by the hair of his head and made him stand still until assistance was brought, and they both landed on terra firma safe and sound.



On one occasion, when performing at night in Jersey at the height of 125 feet over the Bay, a violent thunderstorm arose, frightening everybody in the vicinity, but she went through her performance with the lightning flashing all around her and never for a moment lost her presence of mind. Last year, at Oporto Portugal, she was advertised to carry a boy across on her back, a distance of 200 feet, about 80 feet from the ground. The boy disappointed her, and she carried her brother across, a gentleman weighing 170 pounds.



Speaking of Niagara, the Spelterini does not regard the feet as anything at all extraordinary, as walking across the river does not display the artistes nerve half as much as the different performances that she proposes to give on the rope. If sufficient strain can be got on the rope so as to stretch it tolerably straight. She will be able to give her entire repertoire and, in any case, if the rope can be properly guyed she will perform some 10 or 12 different acts.



The rope is now being manufactured in the city, and when completed, will measure 1000 feet and weigh 1,700 pounds. It will require 1,000 pounds of guys to keep it fairly steady. The rope will be stretched across the Niagara Rapids about 200 feet below the Rail Road Suspension Bridge and 800 feet on each bank of the river will be enclosed and arranged with scats for the accommodation of spectators. The Erie, New York Central, Great Western, Canada Southern, and other roads will run trains at excursion rates to accommodate the visitors anxious to pay a visit to the falls and see a woman crossed the Rapids on a rope, a feat never before attempted.



The first performance will be given on July 1, Dominion day at 4 PM and the second at the same hour on July 4, in honour to the Centennial celebration.



Signorina Spelterini and her brother left last night for the International Hotel, where she will remain during her stay at Niagara Falls.





Maria Spelterini wearing wooden buckets on her feet

crossing the Niagara River Gorge on a rope in 1876

courtesy of the Niagara Falls (Ontario) Public Library

DAVID MCDOWELL

1881

(Survived)

On August 10th 1881, David McDowell of Batavia, New York walked across the Niagara Gorge on the narrow railing of the Upper Suspension Bridge. He was intoxicated at the time.

FRANK M. BROWN

1882

(Survived)

On August 25th 1882, Frank M. Brown of New York City, New York swam across the Niagara River from the foot of the American Falls to the Canadian shoreline in 4 minutes and 46 seconds.

CLIFFORD CALVERLY

1887, 1890

(Survived)

Clifford Calverly pushing a wheelbarrow across the Niagara River Gorge

on a rope in 1892

courtesy of the Niagara Falls (Ontario) Public Library

Records are very few pertaining to Clifford Calverly.

Calverly was born in 1870 in Thornbury, Ontario. He lived in Clarksburg, Ontario where he worked as a steeplejack. In 1887, Clifford Calverly came to Niagara Falls to perform his tight rope act.

During his successful crossing he set a speed record by crossing the gorge in two minutes and thirty-two seconds as compared to the usual fifteen to twenty minutes required by most of his predecessors. During subsequent crossings, Calverly skipped rope, hung by one arm, hung by one foot, sat on a chair and used a wheelbarrow.

Clifford Calverly crossing the Niagara River in 1887

courtesy of the Niagara Falls (Ontario) Public Library

D.H. MACDONALD

1887, 1890

(Survived)

D. H. MacDonald made at least one successful crossing using the equipment of Clifford Calverly.

CHARLES CROMWELL

1887, 1890

(Survived)

Charles Cromwell was born in Blenheim, Ontario. He was the son of Frank and Maud Cromwell. Frank was an aerial trapeze artist. Frank and Maud worked for the Ringling Brothers Circus. Charles grew up and lived in Paris, Ontario but traveled frequently with his parents and the circus. Once Charles had grown up he began working with the Yankee Robinson Circus as a rope walker.

A successful tight rope walk across the Niagara River gorge was completed by Charles Cromwell. Cromwell failed to attract much media or public attention. Charles completed two crossings of the Niagara River Gorge. He utilized a 16 foot (4.8m) long balancing pole that weighed 42 pounds. He died in Galt, Ontario on December 19th 1938 at the age of 83 years.

WALTER G. CAMPBELL

1889

(Survived)

1889

Walter Campbell and dog "Jumbo"

navigated a clinker boat through the Whirlpool Rapids

Walter Campbell was born on October 30th 1868 in Youngstown, New York. He was one of eleven children born to his parents James and Rachel (Ribble) Campbell.

On September 15th 1888 at approximately 3:20 p.m., nineteen year old Walter Campbell set out along the Niagara River with several friends and his pet dog "Jumbo" in a small clinker built boat.

Campbell rowed to the old Maid of the Mist landing (just south of the Michigan Central Railway Cantilever Bridge) where he dropped his friends off.

Campbell wearing bathing trunks and a cork life preserver, set out form shore with his pet dog onboard. Campbell was standing while using an oar as a rudder to guide his boat to the middle of the river.

Campbell was swept downstream by the current into the Whirlpool Rapids. As he entered the ferocious white water, his dog "Jumbo" was thrown into the water ahead of the boat. Campbell lost the oar he was holding. He crouched down into the boat and was seen holding the sides of the boat as it pitched wildly in the water.

As the boat was propelled through the rapids, it quickly filled with water. The boat broke into pieces, throwing Campbell into the water.

Campbell had to swim against the current to avoid being struck by the wreckage of the boat, before being swiftly carried into the Whirlpool. At the Whirlpool, Campbell was able to swim to the Canadian shoreline where he was rescued twenty minutes after his journey began.

Campbell's pet dog died from drowning during the perilous journey.

Following his feat of survival, Campbell earned a thousand dollars for a four week appearance at the old Wonderland in Buffalo, New York.

On January 16th 1909, died at the age of 39 years, two weeks after he had been committed to the county almshouse as a result of a chronic illness.

SAMUEL J. DIXON

1890

(Survived)

Samuel Dixon crossing the Niagara River Gorge on a rope in 1891

courtesy of the Niagara Falls (Ontario) Public Library

Samuel J. Dixon was a photographer from Toronto, Ontario. On September 6th 1890, Dixon crossed the Niagara River gorge using a seven - eighths inch diameter rope stretched across the gorge over the wildest part of the Whirlpool Rapids. His balancing pole was made up of three pieces of gas pipe - sixteen feet in length. Dixon crossed from the Canadian side to the American side before returning. On the return he added more suspense by lying on the rope with the pole resting on his chest, standing on one foot and by hanging from the rope with one hand. Dixon was truly the last of the memorable tight rope walkers ever to come to Niagara Falls.

JAMES E. HARDY

1896

(Survived)

James E. Hardy came from Toronto, Ontario to Niagara Falls in the summer of 1896. At the age of 21 years, Hardy was the youngest person ever to tight rope walk across the Niagara River gorge. During the summer of 1896, Hardy made sixteen crossings. James Hardy died in May 1939 at age 65 in the City of Toronto.

OLIVER HILTON

1897

(Survived)

Oliver Hilton came to Niagara Falls from Hamburg, New York. He was a professional circus rope walker. Hilton claims to have crossed the Niagara River gorge on September 16th 1897 ( at the age of 10 years) in stocking feet on the rope that James E. Hardy had left behind. No proof existed to support this claim.

CAPTAIN MATTHEW WEBB

1883

(Died)

Captain Matthew Webb was born in Shropshire, England in 1848. He was one of seven children born to his parents, Matthew Webb and Sarah Cartwright. At the age of 12 years, Matthew Webb enrolled as a sea cadet on the naval training ship, the HMS Conway in Liverpool, England. He became an experienced sailor. During his years at sea, he became a very good swimmer. He became famous for his swimming feats, many performed while saving human lives.

In 1873 Webb became the recipient of a gold medal from the Royal Humane Society of Great Britain for lifesaving for jumping off a Cunard steamer "Russia" to save a sailor who had been washed over board.

On August 24th 1875, Webb swam the English Channel. Webb came to Niagara Falls during the Summer of 1883 to challenge the Niagara River. He had been promised a $2,000 reward if he swam the Niagara River Whirlpool Rapids.

At 4 p.m. on the afternoon of July 24th 1883, Captain Webb was rowed out from the Maid of the Mist landing to the middle of the Niagara River by Jack McCloy. At 4:25 p.m., Captain Webb dove into the river and began swimming towards the great whirlpool rapids. Eye witnesses claim that Captain Webb made the trip through the rapids in two minutes only to be drawn underwater at the vortex of Whirlpool. There are however conflicting eye witness accounts as to whether Captain Webb drowned in the rapids or in the whirlpool. At any rate, Webb's mangled body was recovered from the Niagara River near Queenston four days later History would later prove that the swim Captain Webb had undertaken could be done successfully.

Captain Webb was buried at Oakwood Cemetery in Niagara Falls, New York.

On August 22nd 1886, a Boston Policeman made the trip through the rapids wearing a cork life preserver. On July 18th 1933, William Kondrat age 18 of Chatham, New Jersey began swimming across the Niagara River near the Maid of the Mist docks. Kondrat was swept down river by the current towards the Great Whirlpool Rapids. Kondrat survived the rapids and the Whirlpool by the narrowest margin. Before being rescued Kondrat had been in the water nearly two and a half hours.

CARLISLE GRAHAM

1886

(Survived)

Carlisle Graham posing with his barrel

courtesy of the Niagara Falls (Ontario) Public Library

On July 11th 1886, Niagara Falls witnessed its first barrel stunt. Carlisle D. Graham, an English cooper (barrel maker) who had recently immigrated to Philadelphia Pennsylvania USA came to Niagara Falls. Graham had constructed a five and a half foot barrel of oaken staves and handmade iron hoops for his widely advertised trip.

On Sunday July 11th 1886 during the early afternoon, Graham began his trip from what is now the Whirlpool Bridge through the great gorge rapids and the whirlpool. Graham stood six feet tall had to stoop over once inside the barrel to allow the water tight lid to be screwed into place. He was completely encased in a waterproof canvas sheath with the exception of his two arms which allowed Graham to hold onto inside mounted metal handles. The initial trip took 30 minutes. Graham survived but had become extremely ill and dizzy from the ride.

This led Graham to announce that on August 19th 1886 he would make a second trip. In this trip he would keep his head outside of the barrel. On August 8th 1886, before Graham could undertake this stunt, two fellow shipmates George Hazlett and William Potts successfully conquered this same stretch of river using Grahams barrel. Both survived uninjured.

Carlisle Graham made his second trip as scheduled on August 19th 1886. Graham survived but leaving his head outside the barrel resulted in Graham sustaining hearing impaired. On August 18th 1886, the day before Graham's second trip, James Scott, of Lewiston, New York attempted to swim the rapids and lost his life.

In November 1886, George Hazlett and his girlfriend Sadie Allen of Buffalo, New York rode the barrel together through the rapids and the whirlpool without incident.

Graham made his third trip through the rapids on June 15th 1887 and his fourth trip on August 25th 1889 in a newly designed seven foot long barrel.

Now famous, Graham announced that he would ride his barrel over the falls but did not carry out his plan. On July 14th 1901, Graham made his fifth trip through the whirlpool rapids. During this trip he nearly suffocated to death after getting caught in a whirlpool eddy for twenty minutes.

On September 6th 1901, Graham loaned his barrel to Martha Wagenfuhrer of Buffalo, New York. Miss Wagenfuhrer became the first woman to successfully navigate the rapids and whirlpool alone. On September 7th 1901, Graham arranged a double performance with friend Maude Willard of Canton, Ohio. Willard would ride the barrel through the rapids to the Whirlpool and both she and Graham would swim the rest of the way to Lewiston. Willard rode Graham's barrel through the rapids then was caught in the whirlpool for several hours before she could be rescued. Willard was found dead of suffocation. She had taken her pet fox terrier along with her and the dogs nose had become stuck in the barrels only air hole.

On July 17th 1905, Graham swam a race in the lower rapids below the Whirlpool to Lewiston with William J. Glover Jr. of Baltimore Maryland. Glover won the race. Glover was 32 years old and Graham was 45 years old. Both wore life preservers and neck braces. Graham's date of death is unknown. He is buried in Oakwood Cemetery in Niagara Falls, New York.

GEORGE POTTS

and

WILLIAM HAZLETT

1886

(Survived)

On August 8th 1886, George Potts and William Hazlett, together, navigated through the Whirlpool Rapids in a barrel owned by Carlisle Graham.

JAMES SCOTT

1886

(Died)

On August 22nd 1886, Carlisle Graham had offered $10 to anyone willing to retrieve his barrel from the Whirlpool following his daredevil stunt ride through the Whirlpool Rapids. James Scott agreed to Graham's offer. While awaiting Grahams return, Scott made a practice jump into the water from a location west of Thompson's Point at the Whirlpool. Scott failed to resurface and died of drowning.

WILLIAM KENDALL

1886

(Survived)

William Kendall - 1886

courtesy of the Niagara Falls (Ontario) Public Library

On August 22nd 1886, William Kendall went through the Whirlpool Rapids wearing only a life preserver as protection.

LAWRENCE DONOVAN

1886

(Survived)

On November 7th 1886, Lawrence Donovan jumped into the Niagara River from the Upper Suspension Bridge while wearing suit, canvas shoes and a bowler hat.

ALPHONSE "PROFESSOR" KING

1886, 1887

(Survived)

On December 15th 1886, Alphonse "Professor" King walked 30.5 meters (100 feet) on the Niagara River near the Canadian shoreline while wearing a pair of tin shoes. King called his shoes "Golden Fish". This stunt took place at the Upper Suspension Bridge.

On August 14th 1887, Alphonse King crossed the Niagara River below the Horseshoe Falls on a water bicycle. The modified bicycle consisted of a wheel with paddles erected between two water tight cylinders - 8 inches (20 cm) in diameter and 10 feet (3m) long.

CHARLES A. PERCY

1887, 1888

(Survived)

On August 28th 1887, Charles A. Percy successfully navigated the Whirlpool Rapids in a boat. Percy was unable to continue his journey along the river to Lewiston New York because his boat became stranded in the Whirlpool.

On September 16th 1888, Percy again successfully navigated the Whirlpool Rapids in his boat. On this trip, Percy was able to cross the Whirlpool and continue his trip through the Great Gorge Rapids (Devils Hole Rapids) on route to Lewiston. As Percy was passing the Niagara Glen area, he was tossed out of his boat. Percy was wearing a life preserver and was able to floated down river the remaining distance to Lewiston, New York.

ROBERT FLACK

1888

(Died)

On July 4th 1888, Robert Flack was drowned while attempting to navigate the Whirlpool Rapids in a boat. Flack was using a self described "secret" buoyant filling which turned out to be excelsior (wood shavings). Flack had secured himself into his boat by a number of harnesses. Unfortunately Flack's boat over turned and Flack was unable to free himself before drowning.

I.H. ASHLEY

1890

(Survived)

On May 3rd 1890, I.H. Ashley of Chicago, lowered himself from the Upper Suspension Bridge into a small boat waiting in the Niagara River below. Ashley used aluminium tape controlled by a clutch to lower himself to the awaiting boat.

PETER "BOWSER" NISSEN

1900, 1901

(Survived)

In July 1900, Peter Nissen came to Niagara Falls to challenge the Niagara River. Nissen had brought with him a specially built boat in an attempt to conquer the great gorge rapids and the whirlpool. His boat was twenty feet long with a six foot wide beam and four foot depth. It was entirely decked over except for a center cockpit. Nissen has air compartments built into the front, back and sides of the cockpit. Nissen first trip through the rapids was successful however his boat became trapped in the Whirlpool for over an hour before being brought to shore. The next day, Nissen completed the trip from the Whirlpool to Lewiston.

Over the winter, Nissen rebuilt his boat. It was longer and two feet narrower with an eight horsepower steam engine. It had a larger rudder and more ballast. After making several successful runs in the river just below the falls, Nissen was ready to challenge the rapids. On October 12th 1901, Nissen rode the boat through the rapids. As he did, he ducked into a crawl space under the cockpit without incident. In a later incident, Peter Nissen and friend James Rich began to do depth soundings in the Whirlpool. While doing so the boat was caught in the vortex of the Whirlpool and damaged severely. Both Nissen and Rich narrowly escaped death but the boat sank.

The first person to actually ride the rapids in a boat was Charles Percy in August 1887. Percy was riding a seventeen foot boat. He made three trips through the rapids in 1887. On Percy's last trip he narrowly escaped death and his boat sank.

On July 4th 1888, Robert Flack of Syracuse, New York was killed in an attempt to copy the feat of Charles Percy. Flack had secured himself into his boat by a number of harnesses. Unfortunately Flack's boat over turned and Flack was unable to free himself before drowning.

CAPTAIN BILLY JOHNSON

1901

(Survived)

On July 4th 1901, Captain Billy Johnson jumped into the Niagara River from the deck of the Maid of the Mist boat just below the Horseshoe Falls and swam down river.

JOE CHAMBERS

1901

(Survived)

On August 2nd 1901, Joe Chambers swam the Lower Rapids (Devils Hole Rapids) between the Whirlpool and Queenston - Lewiston. Chambers wearing a life buoy arrived safely at the dock in Lewiston, New York.

MARTHA WAGENFURHER

1901

(Survived)

On September 6th 1901, Martha Wagenfurher journeyed through the Whirlpool Rapids in a barrel. Upon reaching the Whirlpool, Wagenfurher became stranded in the middle for such a lengthy period of time that it became necessary to call for the Great Gorge Railway illumination car to be brought to the Whirlpool so its search light could illuminate the water surface. When Wagenfurher was pulled to shore she was exhausted and sea sick but otherwise uninjured.

MAUD WILLARD

1901

(Died)

On September 7th 1901, Maude Willard and Carlisle Graham planned a combined stunt. Willard would traverse the Whirlpool Rapids in Graham's barrel and from the Whirlpool she would continue to Lewiston with Graham swimming behind the barrel.

Willard entered the barrel with her pet dog for the journey through the rapids. As the barrel reached the Whirlpool it became stranding for the next six hours in the middle.

When the barrel was recovered and brought to shore, Maude Willard was dead. Her pet dog jumped out of the barrel uninjured. The dog survived the ordeal by putting its nose to the only air hole the barrel had allowing the dog to breathe which resulted in Willard suffocating to death.

ANNIE EDSON TAYLOR

1901

(Survived)

An historical picture of Annie Edson Taylor being rescued following her plunge over the Horseshoe Falls

courtesy of John Guthrie

On Monday October 21st 1901, Mrs. Annie Edson Taylor shot the Horseshoe Falls this afternoon and survived, a feat, never before accomplished, and, indeed, never attempted except in the deliberate commission of suicide.



Not only did she survive, but she escaped without a broken bone, her only apparent injuries being a slight scalp wound, a moderate concussion, some shock for her nervous system and bruises about the body.



She was conscious when taken out of the barrel. The doctors in attendance upon her tonight said that although she was somewhat hysterical, her condition is not at all serious, and that she probably will be out of bed within a few days.



The initial voyage over Niagara's cataract began at Port Day, nearly a mile from the brink of the falls. From Port Day, Mrs. Taylor and her barrel were taken out to Grass Island, where she entered the barrel, and at 3:50 p.m. she was in tow of a boat speeding well out into the Canadian current. At 4:05 p.m. the barrel was set adrift and Mrs. Taylor was at the mercy of currents in the water that never before have been known to spare a human life once in its grasp. From the spot where the rowboat left the barrel the current runs frightfully swift and soon breaks over the reefs that cause the water to toss in fury. The barrel was weighted with a 200 pound anvil and it floated nicely in the water. Mrs. Taylor apparently retained in an upright position for the greater part of the trip down the River and through the rapids.



Fortunately the barrel was in deep water, and except for passing out of sight several times in the white crested waves, it was in view for the greater part of a mile. In passing over the horseshoe fall the barrel kept toward the Canadian side 300 feet from the center. It dropped over the fall at 4:23 p.m. the bottom of the barrel leading the way. In less than a minute it appeared at the base of the fall and was swept downstream. The current cast it aside in an eddy where it floated back upstream and held between two eddies until captured at 4:40 p.m.



At 2:30 p.m. this afternoon a boat containing Mrs. Taylor, her barrel, Fred Truesdale and William Holleran, pulled out from Port Day, and went to Grass Island.



Just before the boat was pushed off, Mrs. Taylor turned to a Cataract Journal representative and hand him an empty envelope on which was written the address "Mrs. Jane M. Kendall, Eddytown, New York." Mrs. Taylor had written this address just before she left the house to enter the boat and the strong firm hand in which he wrote testified to her coolness and calmness. "This is my sister" said Mrs. Taylor "and in case of accident and I should not come back, will you kindly notify her?"



Mrs. Taylor changed her clothing and entered the barrel there, and at 3:30 p.m., Truesdale and Holleran with the barrel in tow started out into the river. They pulled within 200 yards of the Canadian shore right where the water is good and deep, and there at 4 p.m. said "goodbye" to Mrs. Taylor and the barrel. The current caught the strange craft immediately, and it was swept rapidly toward the tossing waters of the upper rapids.



Truesdale and Holleran rolled the barrel into shallow water at the head of Grass Island. Water was found to be trickling through one of the barrels seems. Truesdale caulked the crevice while Annie lamented the time lost, yearning to get underway. Soaked in water the wooden staves expanded, cutting off the seepage. The men dragged the barrel ashore like before. She did not want to particularly disrobe in front of everyone, nor be seen squeezing her body through the barrels narrow hatch. Graciously the river men, reporters and cameramen retired to the far side of the island. Screened from being viewed by reeds, she peeled off her hat, jacket, and outer skirt and placed them in the boat. Wearing a blue and white shirtwaist opened at the throat, she squirmed into her barrel. Modesty saved, she gave the all clear and the men came back.



She fastened herself into Captain Johnson's harness. Two big cushions were passed in and position for maximum padding. She held a pillow to place on top of her head once the barrels lid was battened down. Facing her as she reclined were the three small air holes in a vertical row. Two were plugged with corks which she could remove if she needed more air. Through a rubber hose screwed into the top hole from inside, the bicycle pump would fill the barrel with air. She would then cork the spout of the hose, and if for air supply became exhausted she could uncork the hose and continue breathing - snorkel fashion.



"Now you may go ahead with the pump" she called out, her voice sounding faint inside the barrel. Holleran eagerly grabbed the bicycle pump and connected it to the barrels valve and began pumping air into the barrel. He pumped for several minutes until the pump began to labour. Panting and puffing, he hollered to Annie, "Have you got enough air?" Taylor replied she had.



When released, the barrel floated at an angle of 45°, but everybody was afraid that an anvil fastened to the bottom would cause it to stick on the rocky ledges.



Nothing like this occurred, however and onward went the barrel. Thousands of spectators watched its progress from every available point, none sure that the woman was in the barrel. The barrel hung well in the Canadian channel. Once or twice a disappeared in the boiling water at the foot of the reefs, but each time it emerged and was carried onward by the current. It rode the waves magnificently.



At 4:23 p.m. every spectator watched breathlessly as the barrel made the plunge over the crest of the Horseshoe Falls passing over about 200 feet toward the Canadian side from the center. The fall was 158 feet.



One minute later the barrel was seen floating in the foaming waters at the foot of the fall. Cheer upon cheer went out by the spectators.



The barrel was all right. Was the woman in it? If so, was she alive?



It swept close to shore between two eddies. At 4:30 p.m., it was captured and pulled out on a rock. When the cover was broken off, Mrs. Taylor raised her arm and waved her hand. The small group of rescuers cheered and the people on the cliffs knew that she was alive and responded with cheers. It was necessary to saw a portion of the top away to get her out. She walked across a plank to the shore and was seen on her way to her boarding house in the Niagara Falls, New York.



The barrel was half filled with water and she had a cut 3 inches long back of her right ear. Her shoulders are strained and she suffered severely from shock.



As the doctors worked over her she said to a correspondent:



"I felt as though I was being knocked pieces in churned all over; that all nature was being annihilated. I thought of trying not to break my neck. I caught on to the side straps. After the men sent me a drift I closed my eyes and prayed God to spare my life. I struck rocks three times and the water seemed to come in the barrel everywhere. I knew when I went over the fall, and lost my senses just a minute. I am not a sporting woman. I have always lived a good life, and am not afraid to face God or man if it was with my dying breath I would warn anybody not to do it. I felt like I was all alone. People here have been good to me and I did this to help those who helped me. I hope some good will come of it. I would rather face a cannon knowing that I would be blown to pieces, then go over the falls again. I feel that I want to offer a prayer to God for sparing my life".



Mrs. Taylor declared that her idea of going over the falls grew old of reading of Captain Webb's feat of undertaking to swim the rapids. Yesterday she admitted that "financial results" was what she was after.



"I do not wish to be classed with women who are seeking notoriety" said Mrs. Taylor, "I am not going over the falls as a mere act of bravado. I feel that something may accrue from it in a financial way". "I first made a barrel of paper in my room in my boarding house in Bay City, prepared myself as if for a trip and got into it. Thus I got my idea as to the proper size of the barrel, then I drew a diagram of it, marked the dimensions and had a copper make it".



"At first I preserved the utmost secrecy about it, not even letting my fellow boarders know of it. But after I got a manager, I learned that I could make nothing of the venture without notoriety. When the newspapers learned of it, I was hounded almost to death by reporters. One of them went so far as to ask me "do you seriously contemplate committing suicide?" I retorted "I hope I do not look like a person who would do that. Why only this morning when I called Mayor Butler to get a permit to sell pictures of myself and barrel, he asked me "are you the fool that's going over the falls?"



As it was landed on a rock out in the river it was difficult to handle but several men soon had the lid off. Mrs. Taylor was alive and conscious but before she could be taken out of the barrel it was necessary to saw a portion of the top away. Her condition was a surprise to all. She walked along the shore to a boat and was taken down the river to the Maid of the Mist dock where she entered a carriage and was brought to Niagara Falls, New York.



She is suffering greatly from the shock. She had a 3 inch cut in her scalp back of her right ear, but how or when she got it she does not know. She complains of pain between the shoulders, but this is thought to be from the fact that her shoulders were thrown back during the plunge, as she had her arms in straps, and these undoubtedly saved her neck from breaking.



In passing over the falls she admits having lost consciousness. While thanking God for sparing her life, she warns everybody against trying to make the trip. So severe was the shock that she wanders in her talk but there is little doubt that she will be in good condition within a day or two.



Three doctors are at her bedside tonight.



The trip was witnessed by several thousand people. The fact that Mrs. Taylor failed to go on Sunday did not lessen the confidence of the public in her. Still everybody was agreed that it was a foolhardy trip.



The Washington Post reported that Minnie Edson Taylor, 50 years old, went over Niagara Falls on the Canadian side this afternoon and survived, a feat never before accomplished and indeed never attempted except in a deliberate commission of suicide. She made the trip in a barrel.



By her calculations, the anvil fastened to the bottom of the barrel kept the foot downward, and so it too landed. Had turned over and landed on its head, Mrs. Taylor's head would have been crushed in and her neck broken.



During her stay here she has impressed everybody with her wonderful nerve. Mrs. Taylor is an interesting well-educated person. She is very much unlike the general run of cranks and fools who do feats or talk of doing them at the falls. She is about 43 years old and good-looking. She says she is a teacher of physical culture and dance schoolteacher and recently came here from Bay City Michigan. She is a graduate of the New York University at Albany New York. She talks of aristocratic friends in Boston, New York, Philadelphia and other large cities.



It was reported that Mrs. Taylor was 43-50 years old at the time. She was born in Auburn New York and has crossed the American continent eight times. Genealogical records confirm the year of Annie’s birth in 1838 however the actual date is subject to much speculation. Taylor claims her birth date was October 21st, the date of her stunt. The best evidence is that Annie Edson Taylor was 63 years of age at the time of her successful stunt. Annie had a propensity to exaggerate the circumstances of her life and age to augment the hype surrounding her stunt.



Annie Taylor was 5'4" tall and she weighed 160 pounds at the time of her stunt.





Rescued



Carlisle Graham waited on the Canadian shore about 50 yards below the falls. Among the score of others eager to help land the barrel were Graham's friend "Kid" Brady, a featherweight boxer, Capt. Billy Johnson, Maid of the Mist engineer John Ross, and Harry Williams, proprietor of the Lafayette Hotel the Niagara Falls, Ontario.



The barrel veered into Big Bass eddy. Graham and a handful of others leaped onto a reef in the pool. The barrel circled the spume-coated waters several times. Always just beyond the men's reach. Finally a Niagara Falls, Ontario, man named Mark Mundi snagged the barrels towline with a grappling hook. Kid Brady stripped to his swimming suit and slip into the water. Holding on to the rock he grasped the rope and passed it up to Graham. Scrambling back up, Brady joined Graham Ross and Williams as they pulled the heavy barrel out of the water onto the rock. Quickly they cut the lid off. Ross, on his hands and knees, poked his head inside. Cradled on a saturated pillow, a sickly white face turned its eyes upward and blinked in the flood of daylight.



"She's alive!" cried Ross.





The Test Trip



Taylor had hired a promoter of carnivals, fairs and other exhibitions named Frank "Tussie" Russell, age 34 of Bay City. He seemed like a perfect choice to manage a high diving feat. He was hired by Mrs. Taylor to become her manager and promoter. Taylor although wanting little recognition learned that there was little money to be gained without notoriety.



Perhaps one of RusselI`s first jobs was to secure local help to launch Taylor in her barrel from the Niagara River. Inquiries led Russell to the Buffalo Avenue home of the brawling teamster named Fred Truesdale. A strong, wiry man with the black bushy moustache, Trusedale had fished and hunted ducks on the upper river for years and knew its occurrence and temperament like a book. A number of times, at the request of other would be daredevils, Truesdale rowed across the river and dumped a barrel overboard in the current that sweeps over the horseshoe's western rim close to the Canadian shore. It must've been Truesdale who suggested sending Annie's barrel over the falls on a trial run first with a cat inside.



Before the big day came, and before the preliminary test drop, Annie's barrel was removed from the lobby of the state Park hotel and taken to an alleyway, perhaps behind the hotel, were Annie posed for pictures inside her barrel. Crudely hands painted on the staves were the words "Queen of the Mist".



On the afternoon of Friday, October 18th 1901, Russell and several helpers rolled the barrel into a dray and brought Annie’s` pet cat named "Iagara" to Port Day. Here the barrel was loaded into his boat, the cat placed inside, and the manhole cover closed. The barrel was then towed the near the Canadian shore and released. The barrel was carried over the Horseshoe Falls. It was later recovered by Captain Richard F. Carter and a deckhand took a rowboat upstream where they snag the barrel near the Canadian shore contorted back to the dock the lid wasn't screwed and the reportedly jumped out however in reality the cat was dead. The cause of death is said to have been suffocation. The barrel was undamaged.





Aborted Attempt



On Sunday October 20th 1901, Mrs. Taylor made ready for her great adventure. This was the originally scheduled date for her attempted stunt. The weather was clearly an issue and concern for Truesdale and the others as high winds prevailed churning the navigable portion of the river from which they planned to release Taylor inside her barrel. At 2 p.m., in the company of her manager Frank M. Russell and representatives of the press, she arrived at the dock at Port Day. Though it may have caused her some embarrassment she removed most of her outer clothing and stood attired only in trunks and a jacket. A few moments later she slid through the opening in the top of the barrel which floated in shallow water near the quay. Her barrel was towed out to the middle of the River however high winds precluded its release and the journey was cancelled by Truesdale and she was returned to shore.



Family History



Merrick Edson married Lucretia Waring. Merrick operated a large flour mill that he owned on the Owasco River in Auburn New York



Anna Edson was the fourth child and second daughter of Merrick and Lucretia. Anna was born in Cayuga County New York in 1838. Genealogical records confirm the year of Annie’s birth however the actual date is subject to much speculation. Mr. and Mrs. Edson had 11 children: four girls and seven boys.



When Annie was 12 years of age her father died. He was killed in a tree cutting accident on the farm on March 23rd 1850. Her mother Lucretia died not long afterwards. At the age of 14 she and her two older brothers John and Delano were sent by their guardian to attend the Conference Seminary and Collegiate Institute in the Village of Charlottesville, New York about 50 miles west of Albany.



During her stay at the seminary she roomed with another student by the name of Jennie Taylor. They became close friends and eventually became relatives when Jennie married Annie's brother Delano and in 1856, following four years of school, Annie married Jennie's brother David Taylor, a medical student from Branchport New York. David was 11 to 13 years older than Annie was at the time of their marriage. They had one child who died several days following birth.



It is believed that her husband David enlisted in the 19th infantry in Auburn New York in 1861. He was a first lieutenant in the Union Army. Taylor was wounded in battle at Weldon Railroad in Virginia on June 21-23rd 1864 and later died of his wounds. Although Annie claims to have been widowed at the age of 20 it was more likely that she was widowed in her mid to late 20s.



She decided to become a schoolteacher, one of the few occupations open to American women in the 1800s. She became a teacher of physical culture and dance. In 1898, she moved to Bay City, Michigan from San Antonio, Texas. Work in Michigan was sparse. Taylor was becoming increasingly lonely, impoverish and despondent.







Annie Taylor’s Version of Stunt





Mrs. Anna Edson Taylor describes her sensations during the passage over Niagara Falls in a barrel:



"Then I said to Mr. Truesdale, the boatman, that he could cut me loose, but when he did so to wrap on the barrel with his ore. A moment later came the warning rap and I was off, but not before I cried out to Mr. Truesdale- “there is water coming in here.” He answered, "There isn't enough to do any harm and you'll be over in 5 minutes.”



Mr. Truesdale's voice seemed to come from a great distance, to be swallowed up in a steady roar of the falls. I thought my heart would burst when I was when I realized that I was set loose and was floating toward the falls. My heartbeat so hard I thought it would suffocate me, but it was too late to back out.”



The barrel flowed smoothly on for while, it seemed to me, and then suddenly it plunged down over the first drop, about 15 feet high. I struck on the rocks, and the barrel rolled over and over. After this it seemed to me as if I went around a curve and I rolled over again and hung against a rock. It was just as if I could feel myself hanging on the edge of a sheer precipice and shutting my eyes before the drop into the abyss.



Now I tell you I knew exactly where I was. I knew I was on the edge of the precipice, and braced myself for the shock, and I think that for about 3 seconds I lost my reason. I did not faint, but my mind was gone. I was oblivious of everything.



The next thing I knew I was in the cataract below. It must've been the velocity of going over that took my senses away. I realized that I was in the cataract under the falls. I can only describe the fearful sensation by linking it to the movement of a dasher in a churn.



It was is if you had turned me with all your might and pushed me around and around at the same time, over this way, and over that way, and round and round, and thrust up and down with joy and force. It was a tremendous churn!



But the barrel, in spite of these terrible thrusts and the wild whirls, was standing up. The water was up to my waist, and I was on my knees in the bottom of the barrel, more dead than alive. Every time the barrel bobbed up it seemed almost jumped out of the water.



Those mighty jumps were terrible. Every time it came down it seemed to strike upon a rock. It would stand on the rock and grind and grind. Water was coming in from the top, and my hands were in it, but my arms were tight bound in the loops.



The awful rolling knock my head first on the front of the barrel and then on the back. I expected to be killed at any moment, but even at that I was not sorry that I was where I was.



Then all at once, the barrel gave a tremendous jump. It seemed to me it leaped 15 or 20 feet in the air, like a streak of lightning, and I lost my senses again.



When I came to myself, I was going around like this (waving her hands in a swift, rotary motion). The barrel was standing straight up, but revolving so rapidly that I was dazed and dizzy, but I remember thinking, "this is the place where things go down and disappear forever", and I kept running this over in my mind again and again.



And now, for the first time, I began to have hope, and with it came the feeling of pardonable triumph. I had succeeded, and although I was spent and weak, I was eager and confident that somebody might come and pull me out quick. If I was strong enough I would have screamed with delight when I felt the barrel being dragged to shore.”





The Barrel



The barrel that Annie Taylor had taken in her journey over the falls was made of white Kentucky Oak of an inch and a half in thickness with 10 hoops, each riveted every 4 inches. The barrel was made by the Bocenchia Cooperage Company of West Bay City, Michigan. The barrel was 22 inches in circumference at the head, 34 inches in circumference in the middle and 15 inches in circumference at the foot. The barrel was 4 1/2 feet high, weighing 160 pounds. Each stave was oiled thinking the barrel would shed water better because of the oil.



To provide ballast and to keep the barrel upright in the water, a blacksmiths anvil had been bolted with iron bars to the barrels underside. A small hole had been drilled near the top of the barrel into which a threaded rubber air hose would be screwed to allow Annie to breathe, snorkel fashion in case she exhausted the barrels limited air supply.



The manhole was U-shaped measuring 12 x 14". It was not circular and not at all cut to suit Annie's rather buxom contours of the stout widow. Covering the manhole was a bar of wood for inches thick. Through this lid a heavy iron screw ran. A bar dropped over this and a not placed on the screw was fastened down by a wrench. Taylor was in the barrel one hour and 15 minutes.



Taylor believed that she would not be in the barrel over 50 minutes and that she would have air enough in it to last her that length of time. It will hold about 30 square feet of air when the bicycle pump is applied. Besides, the barrel will have a valve which Taylor could open to admit more air in case the barrel should remain below the falls longer than she estimated.



A leather harness and cushions inside protected her body. Air was secured through a rubber tube connected with a small opening near the top of the barrel. It is softly padded with the usual type of netting. It is also equipped with four sets of grips so that the occupant can support herself no matter what angle it may turn in the river. Mrs. Taylor said she desired to make the trip in such a way she won't have to look at the water. She will enter the barrel a long way up the river so that she won't be aware of any potential dangers as she floats towards the falls. This will enable her to retain her nerve though she really has no fear of the coming experience.



“I shall have a pillow above my head it will just fit the space that will be between my head in the barrel head. Then I shall have another pillow back of my head, another one in front of it, a belt around my waist to hold me in the center and prevent my coming in violent contact with either the head or the foot of the barrel, and metal handles fastened to the sides, to which I can hold firmly in further precaution against a collision of my head with the top of the barrel. The foot of the barrel will be weighted to an extent of 150 pounds, so I believe it will land feet first and on the slant, cleaving the water outward, while I am in a half reclined position.”





She immediately proceeded to get into the barrel and was not long in getting ready. The barrel lay on its side, for the air holes near the head were over her face as she reclined within. She had her harness on. This was the belt Captain Billy Johnson, the lifesaver had advised her to use. She had sought his advice and he had tried to dissuade her from making the trip. The device was a belt that fits around the waist with a strap running from the middle of the back of the belt down through an iron hasp in the floor of the barrel and back up in front of the belt where it fastened with a buckle. This was designed to hold her fast to the bottom of the barrel when it was in its most upright position in the water so that her head could not bump against the top of the barrel. Two large cushions protected the front and back of her body from the shoulders to knees, and she had a pillow to place over her head when the manhole cover was in place. The button that held it was of the same kind of wood, being about 12 inches long, 3 inches wide and 2 1/2 inches thick. Around the edges of the manhole cover Mrs. Taylor had tacked a strip of rubber to make it fit snug. Mrs. Taylor called out that she could see daylight through a crevice on one side of the cover and asked that they plug it up. They tamped a strip of cloth firmly into it. Mrs. Taylor said it was all right.



Although her older sister and four of her brothers were still alive, her thoughts at the prospect of death turned to another to whom she felt a closer bond: her sister-in-law, the former Jane Taylor. Since their old school days at Charlottesville, Jane, now Mrs. Jane Kendall, had remained her trusted friend, and more recently her only on begrudging benefactor.





After the Stunt



Following her stunt, Annie made a number of appearances at local gatherings including the Pan American Exposition in Buffalo. She spoke of her experiences and sold postcards of she and her barrel along with a short biographical story she had written.



Shortly afterwards, she and her manager Frank Russell became embroiled in a monetary dispute during which Russell made off with Taylor’s barrel as a ransom. Through the courts, Taylor was able to recover the barrel. Russell was by now fired.



Taylor hired a new manager. His name was William A. Banks of Youngstown, Ohio. Ultimately Banks deserted Annie stealing her barrel Taylor had received word Banks, was rumoured to have sold her barrel to a certain theatrical company for a sum of $500. Taylor was never able to recover her coveted barrel.



From 1912 until the close of 1919 Mrs. Taylor maintained a residence on Cherry Street in the south end of Niagara Falls it was during this period that she became a familiar figure in souvenir shops and on the sidewalks where she cajoled tourists to purchase copies of her biographical sketch. For several months at a time each year she left the city to visit her older sister Mrs. Kendall. On November 6, 1919 it was reported that Annie Taylor was almost completely blind.



On March 4, 1921 Mrs. Taylor, penniless broken health, despondent, and sightless was taken to the Niagara County infirmary at Lockport New York. The examining physicians concluded her blindness was permanent and she probably had but a few weeks to live.



At 4:30 p.m. on April 30, 1921, Annie Edson Taylor died. To save her from the disgrace of the paupers’ grave, a few friends started a movement to raise funds to have her buried in historic Oakwood Cemetery where rest the remains of Capt. Matthew Webb, Carlisle Graham, Francis Abbott and other heroes of Niagara Falls were buried. In July of 1933 her grave was marked by a polished stone measuring 2 feet high 16 inches across. The inscription on the tombstone reads:







Annie Edson Taylor

first to go over the Horseshoe Fall in a barrel and live

October 24, 1901









An historical picture of Annie Edson Taylor in her barrel following her plunge over the Horseshoe Falls

courtesy of the Niagara Falls (Ontario) Public Library





CAPTAIN KLAUS LARSEN

1910

(Survived)

On September 18th 1910, Captain Klaus Larsen was the only boater to show up in response to an advertisement by the Niagara International Carnival Committee promoting a boat race through the Whirlpool Rapids.

As the only participant, Larsen rode his boat through the rapids to the Whirlpool. Larsen began the second leg of his journey through the Lower Rapids (Devils Hole Rapids) on route to Queenston. During this portion of his trip, Larsen's boat was swamped and Larsen was tossed into the water within sight of Queenston.

Larsen was able to make his way to shore and finished his trip to Queenston aboard the Great Gorge Railway.

On October 28th 1911, Captain Larsen made a successful trip through the Whirlpool Rapids in his boat. Larsen successfully repeated this same stunt on October 29th 1911.

LINCOLN BEACHY

1911

(Survived)

Lincoln Beachy flying his biplane under the Upper Steel Arch Bridge

courtesy of the Niagara Falls (Ontario) Public Library

Lincoln Beachy was born in San Francisco in 1887. At the age of 18 years, Beachy built his own dirigible. He was a short man with a jutting jaw.

The first airplane to appear over Niagara Falls came in June 1911 in response to a $1,000 prize offered to anyone piloting an aircraft to attend the joint United States - Canadian International Carnival at Buffalo and Fort Erie.

The airplane was a Curtiss biplane and was piloted by Lincoln Beachy an American employed by Curtiss Aircraft Company of Nebraska. The Curtiss biplane had an open cockpit and was a two winged plane.

On June 28th 1911 at 5:40 p.m., Beachy took off from an airfield in Niagara Falls, New York climbing high into the sky, Beachy circled his plane over the falls several times before diving down into the mist of the falls to within twenty feet of the waters surface before flying under the arch of the Falls View Honeymoon Bridge. Beachy continued to fly his plane just above the river surface along the length of the gorge at a speed of 50 mph before climbing back up high into the sky before he reached the two rail bridges. Lincoln Beachy was the first person to fly under a Niagara Falls bridge.

Beachy was killed on March 14th 1915 during a flying exhibition over San Francisco, California. Beachy's aircraft crashed into San Francisco Bay.

Lincoln Beachy sitting at the controls of an early aircraft

courtesy of the Niagara Falls (Ontario) Public Library

BOBBY LEACH

1910, 1911

(Survived)

Bobby Leach

courtesy of the Niagara Falls (Ontario) Public Library

Bobby Leach had a reputation in England as a circus stuntman. He had attracted attention to himself by announcing the intention of becoming the first person to complete the "triple challenge". This included:

1.) making a barrel trip through the rapids to the whirlpool,

2.) going over the Falls in a barrel, and

3.) parachuting from the Upper Suspension Bridge into the river upstream of the rapids.

On July 1st 1908, Leach jumped off the Upper Steel Arch Bridge using a parachute to become the fourth (4th) person to do so.

During the summer of 1910, Leach returned to Niagara Falls to test his barrel. He attempted to ride the barrel through the Great Gorge Rapids to the Whirlpool. Leach had attached an anchor to his barrel but it was cut loose by rocks. Leach's barrel bounced from rock to rock through the rapids before becoming stuck in an eddy in the Whirlpool. Leach was rescued by William "Red" Hill Sr.. Hill had to risk his life by swimming out to Leach's barrel and dragging it into shore. Leach was removed from the barrel unconscious. Hill Sr. climbed into the barrel and rode it through the lower rapids to Queenston. During that summer, Leach made three (3) other successful trips through the famous Whirlpool Rapids.

In addition, Bobby Leach made two aborted attempts to swim across the Niagara River down river from the American Falls.

On the afternoon of July 25th 1911, Bobby Leach climbed into an eight foot long steel drum at Navy Island where the current of the Niagara River veers towards the Canadian shore. The drum was released at 2:55 p.m.. It took eighteen minutes to reach the brink of the Horseshoe Falls before going over. It took 22 minutes to recover the drum. It had become stuck in the river at the base of the falls before Fred Bender (an Ontario Power Company employee) tied a rope around his waist and swam to where the barrel was. Bender tied a rope to the barrel and it was hauled to the Canadian shore. Leach was removed from the drum and rushed to the hospital suffering from two broken knee caps and a broken jaw.

Twenty three weeks later, Bobby Leach left the hospital and went on tour with his barrel throughout North America and Europe. Leach did return to Niagara Falls to parachute from an airplane.

On July 1st 1920, Bobby Leach jumped using a parachute from an airplane. He repeated this feat again on October 10th 1925. In both cases Leach landed in corn fields on Canadian soil near the Niagara Gorge. Records are vague as to his parachute jump.

While in Niagara Falls, Bobby Leach purchased and operated a restaurant.

In April of 1926, Bobby Leach died at the age of 70 years in Christchurch, New Zealand as a result of an accidental slip on an orange peel while on his daily walk. His fractured leg had become infected and was amputated. Two months later he died in hospital.

OSCAR WILLIAMS

1911

"THE GREAT HOUDIN"

aka: OSCAR WILSON

(Survived)

Oscar Williams (a.k.a. Oscar Wilson) came to Niagara Falls in June of 1911. Williams called himself "The Great Houdin". He was a steeplejack by trade and lived in Niagara Falls, New York.

Niagara Falls, New York - June 14th 1910



The Great Houdin, a tight-wire performer, entertained a holiday crowd this afternoon at an international carnival here, but hardly in the manner he intended. He was on the programme for a trip across the Niagara Gorge on a quarter inch diameter cable, holding fast by his teeth. His wire was stretched 100 feet north of the Upper Steel Arch Bridge, a point where it was intended his feat would be witnessed by a crowd of 80,000 assembled on the State Reservation, as well as in Queen Victoria Park.



He mounted his wire and began sliding from the New York bank toward the Canadian shore. Houdin was waving the flags of both countries as he slid along the wire. A slope was planned for the wire, but the weight of his body quickly pulled the strand, making it too slack. Houdin had to stop at a point over the centre of the river approximately 1,100 feet from the American shore and still 600 feet away from completing his journey. For a few minutes the immense audience applauded his feat, but when he did not continue toward Canada It was apparent that he was in difficulties, which he indicated by waving flags.

Awe-stricken, the crowds looked on while the man, diminutive in form, struggled to retain his hold on the small pulley from which he was suspended. Houdin grabbed the cable with both his hands and then crossed his legs over the wire and hung that way for 45 minutes until he could be rescued. Houdin was not more than 200 feet north of the Upper Steel Arch Bridge that had been closed to traffic sometime before his scheduled trip however there were several hundred people on the bridge watching as events unfolded



Firemen were called and responded with several hundred feet of rope. A loop was tied in the rope around the cable with about 300 feet on one side and several hundred feet on the other. One end was thrown over the bank and the foreman slid it along on the cable by walking along on the bridge. Houdin had shifted his position repeatedly and when the rope finally neared him, he almost lost his balance as he reached for it, so eager was he to accept the succor offered. When it was seen that he had grasped the rope, a cheer went up from the anxious crowd that could be heard above the roar of the great cataract. When it reached Houdin the rope was cast off from the bank and it dropped to the lower river where the steamer Maid of the Mist observing that something was amiss picked up the lower end. The little steamer struggled with the current, but kept well under Houdin, who safely lowered himself hand over hand to reach the boat, a distance of nearly 200 feet. Another great cheer arose when Houdin was hauled safely aboard and sank to the deck completely exhausted.



Houdin's real name was Oscar Williams, a steeplejack from Niagara Falls, NewYork.



Niagara Falls, New York - June 28th 1911



On June 28th 1911, Houdin returned to Niagara Falls to mark the closing of the annual Niagara International Carnival. Other star performers included Lincoln Beachey and Robert Leach. A crowd of 300,000 spectators had gathered to watch the events.



Leach shot the Whirlpool Rapids in a steel barrel where he became stranded in the whirlpool before being rescued. Beachey had flown his bi-plane over the Horseshoe Falls and under the Upper Steel Arch Bridge the day before without incident. Today Beachey battling high winds narrowly escaped crashing into the river below.



Houdin had undertaken to repeat his failed feat from the previous year by sliding by his teeth across the Niagara Gorge situated under the Upper Steel Arch Bridge. This time Houdin began his slide for life on the Canadian shore. Within 100 feet of the American shore, Houdin became stranded once more because of a slack wire. Houdin remained marooned until he was hauled ashore by rope.





PETER LANGAARD

1911

(Survived)

On October 24th 1911, Peter Langaard successfully navigated the Whirlpool in a boat. Langaard's boat struck a piece of driftwood while circling the Whirlpool losing the propeller from his boat motor.

Without power, Langaard was stranded in the Whirlpool for four hours and twenty minutes before being rescued.

CHARLES STEPHENS

1920

(Died)

Charles Stephens came to Niagara Falls to challenge the Niagara River during the summer of 1920. Stephens was a 58 year old barber from Bristol, England. He was the father of eleven children. His wife was named Annie. He had acquired a reputation of daredevil in Europe where he made a number of high dives and several parachute jumps. In Bristol, England he was known as the "Demon Barber of Bristol".

On July 11th 1920, Charles Stephens went over the Horseshoe Falls in a barrel made from Russian oak. Bobby Leach advised Stephens not to make his journey until Stephen's barrel was perfected. Stephens refused because he thought Leach did not want him to be a success like Annie Taylor and Bobby Leach. Leached asked William "Red" Hill Sr. to speak to Stephens.

Hill Sr. suggested that Stephens send his barrel over the Falls unoccupied for the first time as a test but Stephens refused. The barrel was heavy and had straps for Stephens arms. As ballast, Stephens strapped an anvil to his feet while Leach and Hill Sr. looked on in amazement and horror. Charles Stephens was a stubborn man. He was reluctantly persuaded to take a small tank of oxygen with him. He wore only padded clothing.

Because of the possibility of the police trying to stop him, Stephens decided to begin his trip over the Horseshoe Falls with little fanfare at 8:10 a.m.. Stephens left from Snyder's point located about three miles upstream from the Falls. Leach was so certain that a tragedy was going to take place that he left not wanting to watch. Stephens went over the brink at 8:55 a.m.. When the huge barrel hit the water at the base of the waterfall, the anvil which was tied to Stephens feet was propelled through the bottom of the barrel taking Stephens to his death.

The remnants of the barrel remained trapped at the base of the Falls until its iron rings broke away. When recovered, only the tattooed right arm of Stephens was still strapped in the harness. The tattoo read "Forget Me Not Annie".

Stephens arm is buried in an unmarked grave at Drummond Hill Cemetery in Niagara Falls, Ontario.

Charles Stephens became famous for being the first of the barrel stunters to die challenging the Falls.

It would be eight years before another daredevil would challenge the river again.

In 1991, the only surviving child Viola Cogan age 81 years visited the Horseshoe Falls. Ms Cogan was present in 1920 when her father made his fatal plunge.

VINCENT TAYLOR

1927

(Survived)

On September 5th 1927, Vincent Taylor, an Australian daredevil, made a parachute jump from the Upper Steel Arch Bridge.

JEAN LUSSIER

1928

(Survived)

Jean Lussier (right) posing with William "Red" Hill Sr. (center)

courtesy of the Niagara Falls (Ontario) Public Library

On July 4th 1928, Jean Lussier a 36 year old French speaking man from Springfield, Massachusetts came to Niagara Falls and made history by going over the falls in a rubber ball and by being the first person to utilize an inflated rubber craft instead of the more conventional wooden barrel or steel drum.

Joseph Albert Jean Lussier was born in Concord, New Hampshire. His French Canadian parents moved back to Quebec shortly after Lussier was born. At age 16, Lussier returned to New Hampshire in order to learn English. Lussier was working in a grocery store when he heard about the Charles Stephens tragedy in Niagara Falls. Lussier went on vacation to Niagara Falls and to learn more about Stephens fatal ride over the falls in a barrel. Lussier became interested in challenging Niagara Falls himself.

With a design in mind, Lussier went to an Akron, Ohio rubber company to develop his idea. Lussier put up his life savings of $1,500 to finance his dream. It was called a rubber ball being six feet in diameter with inner and outer steel bands. It was lined with thirty-two inner tubes for shock protection with an empty space in the middle for himself including an air cushion. Lussier weighed 154 pounds. The rubber ball had 150 pounds of hard rubber ballast for the bottom to keep the ball from spinning head over bottom. Lussier had devised a system of valves to provide air from tanks containing enough oxygen to keep him alive for forty hours just in case he was trapped under the waterfalls.

On July 4th 1928, Lussier managed to elude police and rowed his ball out to the middle of the Niagara River about two miles upstream of the Horseshoe Falls. Here the ball carrying Lussier was cut free and began its journey towards the falls. The 150 pound ballast bottom was ripped out from the bottom before the ball reached the crest of the falls. At 3:35 p.m., the rubber ball went over the Horseshoe Falls. Three inner tubes burst and the frame was badly damaged. At 4:23 p.m., the rubber ball was picked up by the Maid of the Mist boat and towed back to shore. Lussier sustained only minor bruising.

In order to profit from his success, Lussier began selling off pieces of his rubber ball to tourists. When he sold out Lussier began selling pieces of rubber that he would purchase from a near by tire store. At the beginning of World War Two, Lussier was rejected from service because of his age. Lussier worked in a defense factory until the end of the war.

In 1952, at the age of 61 years Jean Lussier had a dream of being the only man to ever go over the American Falls as well as the Horseshoe Falls. Lussier began making plans for another ball device twice as big as the rubber one he had used over the Horseshoe Falls. This ball would be 12 feet in diameter and weigh 550 with him included. The ball would have three layers made of cork, aluminium and rubber with a series of braces. The inner ball wo