Narrow Escape from Going over Niagara! An interesting story Dated December 8th. 1866. The experience of a good captain, saves his crew, boat, and his self from certain tragedy when a ride over the Horseshoe Falls seems inevitable. A painfully intense excitement was experienced by hundreds of people living along the Niagara River, on Tuesday afternoon of last week at the sight of a vessel with three men on board being rapidly borne down the current towards the Falls, without any apparent possibility of rescue from the shore. The facts are as follows: As a small Canadian trading schooner, the Whip, Captain J.T. Young, was being towed out of Chippawa Harbor by the lug Buffalo, the line by which she was attached to the tug was broken by the strength of the current, and she was carried swiftly down toward the rapid above the Falls. The captain and two men on board saw at once that they were in imminent danger, having neither anchor nor small boat, and being in such a position that no one dared attempt their rescue from shore. By this time hundreds of people were gathering along the banks, expecting nothing else than certain destruction to the vessel and her crew; but when within a couple of hundred yards of the commencement of the rapids, the cool head of the captain conceived an idea which saved the lives of the whole party as well as the vessel. There was quite a gale blowing up the river at the time, and the master, with the aid of two men, seeing all other relief out of the question, ordered all sails hoisted and sailed out of the very jaws of dearth against the powerful current of the river, absolutely landing soon after at Hog Island in safety, having gone further down the Niagara than any other man did in a boat and escape. The admiration and relief of the people along the river banks, upon the execution of the captains plan, found vent in frequent cheers when it became apparent that his efforts would prove successful.
Posted on: Sat, 27 Dec 2014 21:13:06 +0000
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