Rapids in the Niagara River below the falls are considered "Class 6 – Extreme" on the international scale of river difficulty. The challenge of navigating these waters has been enticing stunters to Niagara for years.
In 1886 Carlisle D. Graham of Philadelphia Falls rode an oak barrel through the Whirlpool Rapids, becoming the first of the "barrel performers" . He repeated the trip three more times. On one occasion he held his head outside of the barrel and consequently suffered from deafness the rest of his life.
Major Hill (his name and not a title), son of the famous Riverman Red Hill Sr, ran the Rapids successfully four times in 1949, 1950,1954 and 1956. He was murdered in Niagara Falls in 1976
William Thomas Hill Sr, born 1888, nicknamed "Red" was the most famous of the family of "Rivermen". His knowledge of the Niagara River tides, undertows and currents was unsurpassed. His exploits were legendary, they include:
- 1896 saved his younger sister Cora from a burning house
- 1910 rescued Bobby Leach from the Whirlpool Rapids
- 1912 rescued Ignatuis Roth from drowning in the Ice Bridge tragedy
- 1918 rescued Loftberg and Harris from a stranded scow above the Falls
- 1928 rescued Jean Lussier from below the Falls
During his lifetime he was responsible for rescuing 123 bodies from the Niagara River and was the recipient of 4 Royal Humane Society medals for acts of bravery.
William J. Kendall, a policeman from Boston Mass., swam the Whirlpool Rapids on August 22, 1886. He wore only his swimming trunks and a cork life preserver. He suffered minor cuts and bruises.
In 1910 the Niagara International Carnival Committee promoted a motor boat race through the Whirlpool Rapids, Captain Klaus Larsen was the only boater to respond to the ad. Larsen successfully navigated the Rapids, but his boat was swamped within sight of Queenston.
Bobby Leach, born in Cornwall, England was a circus stuntman. How he arrived in North America we do not know. His goals were to complete a "triple challenge" of the Falls and the Niagara River.
- a barrel trip through the Rapids to the Whirlpool
- a barrel trip over the Falls
- a parachute jump from the Upper Suspension Bridge into the River, just upstream from the Rapids
In the summer of 1910 he made his first attempt, but became stuck in an eddy in the Whirlpool and had to be rescued by the famous Niagara Riverman "Red Hill Senior". On July 25, 1911 he made the trip successfully, but not undamaged. He received two broken knee caps and a broken jaw. His became the first successful navigation of the Falls. He returned to Niagara Falls in the 20s for his final stunt, parachuting off the Upper Suspension Bridge. Rumour has it that he did not parachute from the Bridge but rather from a plane and that the wind forced him to land in a corn field in Canada. While visiting New Zealand, Bobby Leach slipped on an orange peel, fracturing his leg. Gangrene set in and Bobby Leach died on April 26, 1926.
Charles A. Percy made two trips through the Whirlpool Rapids in a boat. On the first trip, August 28, 1887, he successfully navigated the Rapids but was unable to complete his trip to Lewiston as he couldn't get across the current after the Whirlpool. His second trip was September 16, 1888. He again navigated the Whirlpool successfully, but was thrown out of his boat and spent the rest of his trip wearing his life preserver.
On June 11th 1977, Karel Soucek made a successful trip through the Whirlpool Rapids in a barrel. On July 2 1984 Karel Soucek of Hamilton, Ontario made a successful plunge over the Horseshoe Falls yet again in a barrel. Soucek suffered only minor injuries. He died less than a year later performing a stunt at the Houston Astrodome.
1901 was the "Year of the Women" at Niagara Falls. Annie Taylor, Maude Willard and Martha Wagenfuhrer all made the headlines with their journeys. Martha made her journey through the Whirlpool Rapids on September 6, 1901, she was successful. The very next day Maude Willard made the same trip in the same barrel, she did not survive.
Born in Shropshire, England in 1848, Matthew Webb was one of 12 children. Drawn to the water at an early age, he ran away from home at the age of 12 for a life at sea, and eventually became the captain of his own ship. In 1875, he gained world fame by being the first recorded person to swim the English Channel without the use of any aids. Lasting more than 21 hours, this swim was the catalyst to great fame and fortune. For a time, he travelled extensively demonstrating his swimming and diving skills, and was the most famous swimmer in the world. During such a visit, he became acquainted with the mighty Niagara.
In 1883, he announced that he would swim the mighty rapids and whirlpool of Niagara. Many people tried to talk him out of such a dangerous feat. An article in the Suspension Bridge Journal claimed that the rapids "are not like surf or storm waves. They strike a blow like a sledgehammer and their power is akin to a cyclone." Matthew Webb remained confident that he could conquer the river's 39 miles per hour speed and 95-foot depth. Asked about his strategy, he said, "Now I want to avoid the sides and yet I dare not go into the middle, for there lies the vortex, and that means death."
On the afternoon of July 24, 1883, he proceeded down to the ferry landing. Ferryman John McCloy was waiting for him in a small fishing scow and rowed him out to midstream. Wearing the same red silk trunks that he wore for his English Channel swim, he dove into the water at 4:25 p.m. Things seemed to go well at first and he swam easily and swiftly downstream, covering 1¼ miles in only five minutes. Just as he passed under the railway suspension bridge, he was seen heading for a giant wave which seemed to snatch him up. Some of the many bystanders heard him cry out and throw up his arms before he disappeared under the water, never to be seen again.
Four days later, his body was found near Lewiston, N.Y., with a three-inch gash on his head. The autopsy revealed that surprisingly, he did not drown. The great force of the wave that struck him had paralyzed his nerve centres which made it impossible for him to breathe or use his limbs. He is buried in Oakwood Cemetery in Niagara Falls, N.Y., where he lies adjacent to another famous daredevil, Annie Edson Taylor who survived her barrel trip over the falls in 1901.
In 1901, Maude Willard successfully navigated the Whirlpool Rapids but she suffocated when her barrel was caught for four hours in the Whirlpool Rapids. She had borrowed the barrel from Carlisle Graham.
Niagara Falls Public Library. 2017. Niagara Falls - Then & Now: A Photographic Journey Through The Years. Stunters, Traversing the Rapids
Niagara Falls Then and Now
A collaborative project
Niagara Falls Museums - Niagara Falls Public Library - Dept. of Geography and Tourism Studies,Brock University.
Original newspaper series by
Sherman Zavitz, Official Historian for the City of Niagara Falls from 1994 - 2019.
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