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: ; amphiet asa ich. ae i or pepe Saree te tis reliable paper the . yeur was wrongly stated and the names ot i! anes _ nie DEVOTED. TO -CO VOL. V. NO, 36. CLEVELAND, 0. SEPTEMBER 6, 18838. $2.00 PuR ANNUM SINGLE Copixs 5 CENTS. ‘THE MAID OF THE MIST. vestinent, with escape for the boat shut off The tatul s vim of Captain Webb in tho | at the end by the cataract and at the other whirlpool rapids of the Niagara river has - awakened fresh interest in the tumultuous current. ‘here have been cranks innumer- able who have threatene! to emulate tlie brave English swimmer, but so far all have “petered out,’’ to use a homely phrase. None have hag the courage ‘necessary to put their intentions into execution. An event of real interest to occur September 6th will be the passage of anew Maid of the Mist through the rapide, the object being to repeat the sight afforded when the old Maid of the Mist made her perilous passage June 29th, 1859. The new boat is to be 65x12 feet, and ex- ternally: will be as near as possible an exact counterpart of the old steamer. There being no necessity for engines and boiler thexe will be replaced by ballast. The rudder will be lashed so as to send the boat right into the rapids, and no. human being will be al- lowed aboard. Presi‘lent Porter, of the vil- lage of Niagara Falls, is one ot the prime movers of the enterprise, and he wants it distinctly understood 1t is not a money-mak- ing scheme. Since the trip of the Maid of the Mist is to be repeated, interest is revived in the origi- nal passage. A complete narrative of the voyage, though it was of short duration, has never been given. A garbled account, com- piled by somebody at the falls who has long since been forgotten, was published, in a nny addition —to-a the venturesome men who went through the rapids were incorrectly given. A story of the trip as given by the only survivor | who is now living, is, under the cirenm- stances, very interesting. DeWitt C. Me- Murtry is the only one of the three who was aboard the Maid of the Mist on that occasion who is alive now, and your correspondent was tortunate enough to find him at the City eHotel, where here is employed as a clerk, this morning. Mr. McMurtry isa native of Rome, N. Y.. but has passed most of his lite at Niagara. He is tifty-seven years old, tall and lean. Hie beard is grey and grizzled, and his countenance is open, manly and honest. He isa modest, retiring man, and seldom cares to relate his experiences on the day in question, which, he says, he will ol- ways remember. Mr. MeMurtry’s narrative was as follows: - “Jt was June 29th, 1859, that we made our trip. The Maid of the Mist was used as a leasure boat, taking parties from the lower anding-place to various points of: interest; ding the American and the Horsehoe rae on the Canadian side. She waa about 150 feet long over all, and had 16 feet beam. She wus a side-wheeler, with new and pow- erful engines. ‘The engines were high pzes- sure an’, we usually curried from 125 to 130 pounds of steam, but on this trip the ball was get to blow off at 228 pounds,” “How did you happen to make the trip?” sked. want war made to evade the payment ofa mortgaye held by Judge Addington, of Buf falo. His son and Miss De Forrest, a beau- tiful girl, were victims of the cataract. As I remember, it was in 1844. They were on Luna Ixland. He held her out over the wa- ter and said that he was going to throw herin, She slipped from bis grasp, dropped into the current and went over the falls. He went with her having jumped in to save her. The bodies were recovered. But that is not about the mortgage, and it had nothing to do with our trip. ‘Lhere were two Maids of the Mist, and in 1850 the first one was pronounced un- safe, dismantled, and turned adrift in the current to go to pieces on the first rock she struck. James W. Buchanan, of ‘Toronto, had just moved to Suspension Bridge, was posees-eu of considerable means, and thought it would be a good idea to build a new Maid of the’ Mist. The boat was large and elab- orately planned. Mr. Buchanan’s money gave out wheu she was ready to receive her machinery. He wanted to use the old Maid’s engine and boiler, but Joel Robinson, who had been selected to act as her captain, would not listen to the proposition, ‘The owner ac- cordingly bought new machinery, to bu which he borrowed $7,000 from Judge Ad- dington. ‘The Judge considered it a safe in- by the whirlpool rapids. At tirst Buehanan kept up the payments of interest, but tinally found that the boat was likely to rain him entirely. Some ‘Toronto: parties wanted a pleasure boat to run between Presvort and Kingston and they. offered Buchanan $25,000 for the Maid of the Mist, provided she was delivered at Queenstown, at the mouth of the Niagara river on the Canada side. Rob- ingon aaid to me after explaining the situa- tion; ‘If we run this boat through itewill be worth $500 to me and $100 apiece to you and Jones.’ Jones was the engineer and I Nir the fireman. We concluded to run the risk. 4 P “On the day selected Robinson was lished to the wheelhouse and Jones and I went be- low into the firehold. battened down securely, and hawser was cast oft.. We were blowing off steam at 228 pounds, ‘he distance from our landing to the dock at Queenstown was just tive miles, | one mile of Which was the whirlpool torrent. We madé the trip in seven and three-quar- ter minutes, two minutes only being spent in the rapids. When we struck ‘the first rapid our boat leaped downward perhaps thirty feet. ‘Then, with greatly increased impetus, she was hurled clear out of the wa- ter. ‘Through the heavy glass portholes at times, together with the different working of the machinery, I could tell wnen we were in or out ofthe waters, ,Down would go the boat until it seéined’ as if she would never stop, when suddenly she would right herself and with a bound, which seemed almost hu- man, the boat would leap: out ot the water. ‘The current runs forty-five miles an hour and the waves are twenty feet high. Going through such a tumult of water so quickly you can imagine how we were tossed about in the hold. Jones and I were almost killed by the quickly sueceediig shocks. ‘'Yhere was barely tlme to catch my breath between each concussion, Every moment L expected the hull would be hurled onto some sharp- pointed rock, which would cleave her in twain and leave us at the mercy of the rap- ids, to be beaten to death by the great waver. | Our course was ip the center of the stream, as near as we could makeit. ‘he water there was sixty feet higher than on the sides of the stream. ‘The bottom of the river is deeper in the center, and the torrent flows in a sort of cylindrical form, as near as I can judge. “Suddenly the keel lightly grounded on a rock. ‘The current struck her sideways; she swung around and shot down the stream. It was at the entrance to the whirlpool. When [ got out of the hold at Queenstown the wa- ter was waist high, the boat had_ been sp racked and wrenched in her passage. On the start I had no fear, but the sensation af- ter we got into the rapids was so fearful that I would have given worlds to get ashore. Had [ been able to make the land after the first two plunges nade by the Maid all the money inthe whole United States would not have tempted ine to go on board again, I believe that nothing short of an interposi tion of Providence saved our lives. Robin- son and Jonea, by the way, died scon after the trip, and 1 am now the only living man who has been through the rapids. “From my experience I do not believe that it is possible for another man to go through there alive, certainly not as Captain Webb tried to do It. Ido not believe in the reac- tionary theory of Dr. Palmer, but I thin that the waves would beat the life out of any man who got within their power.”’— Buffalo Times. — Mr. William Whitely, of Housatonic, Maas., has recenty secured a patent fora safety top for elevators. A frame passes across the top and down the sides of the carriage, and connected with it by cams and links, and partially supported by a weight and cord, 8o that the descent of the carriage within the frame will apply the cams and stop the downward movement when It is desired. Upon the bolts that con- nect the cam links with the top of the ear- riage are placed rubber blocks, to relieve the jar when the descent ot the carriage is stopped by the cams, IRON SHIPBUILDING IN MAINE Tt it considered as eseential to the success ofan tron shipbuilding yard that it be located in close proximity to iron and coal producing districts, ‘This isan article of faith whieh people strengthen by repeated discussions of the subject. ‘The success ot the Clyde yards is largely attributed to this fact. ‘The seat of the iron shipbuilding industry in this country is declared to be on the Delaware. That place has the desired) advantages and by inference it. would -be foolish ‘to seek to establish the industry elswhere. © ‘This theory, or. fact as many maintain, like hos:s of others based Upon the strength of certain great advantages they possess, need not be accepted with the certainty ofa mathematical } demonstration, All such are subject to gertain conditions which inject an element The hatches were | of uncertainty into the otherwise asstired position. — According to this theory the further away) American iron shipyards are from the Delaware the less likely are they to succeed, and by implication they who put money into such ventures are examples of the rule that a fool and his money are’ soon parted. But we tind the rule upon which this theory is based broken daily and in nearly all branches of manufacture. Why, therefore, shouid) shipbuilding be an ex- ceptioy? Let us answer one question by asking another. It isan exception! Ad- vantages belonging to nearness of raw ma- terial are great, but they do not vover every- thing, negessary., Some . sbipbuilders in Mainé fire evidently of ibut ‘belief, tor they | have started in that State (which is certainly A great distance from tle Delaware) an iron shipbuilding yard. ‘They have accepted the fact that the wooden ‘ship. will soon) cost almost as much to build as the iron one, and they want to be in a position to supply the latter kind of vessels. ‘The undertaking is experimental of course and has been com- menced in a comparatively small way. Be- lievers in the theory above set forth will naturally predict the failure of this enter- prise. We do not believe that their prediction will come true. And even if it shoud the failures of.this first attempt would not by any means establish the proposition that other.attempts in the same neighborhood will also be failures. Here is an energetic, intelligently directed attempt to establish an industry ina new néighborhood, an in- dustry to take the place of one that -is de- eaying and an industry which, if successful will give profitable employment to a large class of mechanics and be of material benefit toalarge part of the country. It should rather be encouraged and supported than coldly regarded as an experiment, the failure of which will prove the soundness of a theory, ‘This yard is located at Bath, the very hert of the wooden shipbuilding in- dustry. Fortunately itis in the hands of ; men who are not easily discouraged and who are sanguine of success with this 1 ew departure. Men like Goss, Rogers, Sewall, Sawyer, Hyde, Packard, men who. have done good workin shipbuilding, are support- ing this iron shipbuilding enterprise. ‘The works already established have been kept busy, principally with engine buildirg and | work of.asimilar character. But judging | by what has already been accomplished, py present indications and from actual promises of support, the managers of the enterprise | think that an iron shipyard can be worked | successfully by them. They have = the courage of their convictions and there seems no good reason, taking everything into con- sideration, why they should not establish a yard on a sound basis. It is to be hoped at least that this new yard will be called upon | for bids for any new iron sailing ships or auxiliary steam vessels that may be ordered. A few contracts of this kind will soon estab- lish the fact as to whether the undertaking is to be a permanency, which we nope will be the case for the sake of the shipping in- dustry of the country.— Maritime Register. SER ONE a The largest ferry-boat in the world is said to be the Solano, built to run on San Fran- cisco harbor for the Central Pacific Railroad, The Solano is described as a vessel of 3.640 tons, and of the following dimensions: Length of main deck, 494 feet 8 inches; of hull, 466 feet. 2 inches; width over all, 116 feet; width between wheel casings, 64 feet; height amidships, 18 feet 6 inches; height at ends, 15° teet 9 inches; draught when loaded, 6 feet 6 inches. ‘The boat has four lines of rails, and, as they extend from end to end there is sufticient accommodation for forty-eight freight cars or twenty-four pas- senger cars With locomotive and tender. The boat is ehietly used for passenger ser- vice, freights being taken by the old route. and transferred at oakland, NIAGARA’S CATARACT. The following thrilling story is related im a letter lately found, bearing date October: 2, 1848: At about sundown. last evening aman was carried over the falle. Who he was is not known. From his management of the sailboat in which he came down the river, I think he was not well acquainted: with. the current of the rapids. His dress and appearance indicated respectability, and after he got into the rapids his self posses- sion was. extraordinary. His beat was a very good one—decked over on the bow, and I should think would carry three or four tons. From what I learn of a sailboat having been reen below Black Rock, coming down, I think it was from there or Buffalo. No other than a person unacquainted with. the current above the ripids would venture so near them. I was on the hend of Goat. [-land when’ [ discovered the boat—then near halt a nile from below the foot of Navy Island and nearly two miles above the falls. > Theresseemed to be two th the boat. It was. directed toWards the American shore—the wind blowing from the shore, and the sail was stilbstanding. Being well acquainted with the river I regarded the position of the boat as extraordinary and hazardous, and watched it with intense anxiety. discovered the moiion of an oar, an] from the changing direction of the boat, conciud- ed itUhad but one. While constantly &Dp- proaching nearer the rapids [ could discover it was gaining the American shore, aud by the time it had got near the first. tall in the rapids about half a mile above Goat Island, it was directly above the Island. ‘There it turned up the river and for some time the wind kept jt nearly stationary. ‘The only hope seemed to be to come directly to Goat Island, and, whether I should’ run half a mile to give an alarm or remain to assist in case the boat attempted to make the Is- land was a point of painful doubt. But soon the’ boat was again turned toward the American shore. Then it) was certain that it must go down the American rapids. I ran for the bridge, called a man at the toll- gate, and we ran tothe main bridge in time to see the boat just as it got to the first large fallin the rapids. Then I saw but one man --he standing at the stern with his oar | changing the course of the boat down the current and as it plunged over he sat down, I was astounded to see the boat rise with the mast and sail standing, and the man again erect directing the boat toward the shore. Ashe came to the next and to each succeeding fall he sat down, and then would rise and ply his oar in the intermediate cur- rent. Still there was hope that he would come hear enough to the pier to jump, but ina momentit was gone. Another thought | he might jump upon the rock near the bridge, but the current dashed him from it under the bridge, breaking the mast. Again he rose on the opposite side. Taking his oar and pointing his boat toward the main shore | heeried “Had I better jump from the boat ?” We could not answer for either seemed sure destruction, Within a few rods of the falls the boat struck a rock, turned over and lodged. He appeared to crawl from under it, and swat with the oar in his hand till he went over the precipice. Without the power to render assistance—for half an hour watch- jing a strong man struggling with every nerve for lite, yet doomed with almost the certainty of destiny to an immediate death, still hoping with every effort for deliverance —caused an intensity of excitement I pray God never again to experience, ' $a At an auction in Montreal a flag called by nautical men a ‘‘blue’ Peter” fluttered. from the window. ‘This flag is a ship signal for departure, and its display where the auctioneer was shouting “Going, going!” had a sort of appropriateness, Soon L,