adorshki
Reverential Member
In 1911 Bobby Leach, originally from Cornwall, declared that he wanted to cross Niagara Falls closed in a barrel
The widely publicized event occurred on July 25 at Table Rock: Using a cylindrical steel drum with wooden bumpers at each end, Leach, tied to a tight harness, was drifted to the mouth of Chippawa Creek.
Shermann Zavitz, journalist for the Daily Record, described the moment of arrival downstream: "As the barrel approached the edge, the multitude of voices fell silent as if by magic and the silence was intense as the fearful plunge was made. he heard no sound except the roar of the waterfall, until dozens of voices shouted 'there he is' as he reappeared in the seething, bubbling waters below, a short distance below the falls. The next question was of course 'Is Leach still alive'?"
Some time passed before that question could be answered. Soon after the barrel passed the power plant, it was caught in a vortex that swirled it around for about 20 minutes. Finally, Fred Bender, who worked for the Ontario Power Co., handed the end of one rope to a group of his co-workers while he tied the other around his waist, then jumped into the water and swam toward the barrel to drag it to shore .
When he was pulled from the barrel it was discovered that Leach was alive, but he had a gash on his forehead, badly bruised kneecaps, a fractured jaw and a cut on his right ear. He asked for oxygen and immediately afterwards a cigar to celebrate the success of the undertaking. He spent six months in hospital recovering from his injuries and in the years that followed, he and his wife toured the world, becoming famous and acclaimed.
Fifteen years after his famous dive, while walking down a street in Auckland, he slipped on an orange peel, fell and broke his leg. This event led to the need for amputation and Bobby Leach died due to complications from an infection.
The widely publicized event occurred on July 25 at Table Rock: Using a cylindrical steel drum with wooden bumpers at each end, Leach, tied to a tight harness, was drifted to the mouth of Chippawa Creek.
Shermann Zavitz, journalist for the Daily Record, described the moment of arrival downstream: "As the barrel approached the edge, the multitude of voices fell silent as if by magic and the silence was intense as the fearful plunge was made. he heard no sound except the roar of the waterfall, until dozens of voices shouted 'there he is' as he reappeared in the seething, bubbling waters below, a short distance below the falls. The next question was of course 'Is Leach still alive'?"
Some time passed before that question could be answered. Soon after the barrel passed the power plant, it was caught in a vortex that swirled it around for about 20 minutes. Finally, Fred Bender, who worked for the Ontario Power Co., handed the end of one rope to a group of his co-workers while he tied the other around his waist, then jumped into the water and swam toward the barrel to drag it to shore .
When he was pulled from the barrel it was discovered that Leach was alive, but he had a gash on his forehead, badly bruised kneecaps, a fractured jaw and a cut on his right ear. He asked for oxygen and immediately afterwards a cigar to celebrate the success of the undertaking. He spent six months in hospital recovering from his injuries and in the years that followed, he and his wife toured the world, becoming famous and acclaimed.
Fifteen years after his famous dive, while walking down a street in Auckland, he slipped on an orange peel, fell and broke his leg. This event led to the need for amputation and Bobby Leach died due to complications from an infection.
