Barrel It

Niagara Falls -- this natural wonder shared by Canada and the US is the stuff of legends. For ages, people have been attracted to the crashing falls. Every single day, groups of tourists from around the world board the Maid of the Mist and get an up-close and personal look at the 176 foot tall, 1060 foot wide wonder. While you might think of a boat ride to the falls as adventurous enough, you won't believe how some thrill seekers throughout history used to barrel it over the falls.

As you might imagine, going over Niagara Falls in a barrel is a very dangerous thing to do. It's thought that since the early 1900's, 16 people have gone over the falls. Out of 16, 11 people survived. Every barrel riding attempt was performed at Horseshoe Falls, also known as the Canadian Falls. This is because the bottom of the American Falls is fraught with sharp rocks, a definite danger to anyone falling from above.

There have been some interesting people to take the barrel ride, but by far the most intriguing of them would have to be a woman named Annie Edson Taylor. In 1901, this 63-year old retired teacher strapped herself (and her cat) into a barrel and headed over the edge of the falls. She was rescued from her barrel after seventeen minutes, unharmed except for a few cuts and bruises. While she never did achieve the wealth and notoriety she'd hoped for, Taylor was deemed the 'Heroine of Niagara Falls.' after her harrowing journey.

The first man to go over the Falls in a barrel was named Bobby Leach and took the trip over the falls in 1911. While he did survive, he broke both knees and his jaw after his barrel hit the rocks. Adventurer Charles Stevens was not so fortunate, however, and was the first person to perish when he attempted to go over the Falls in a barrel in 1920. Since then, daredevils from all over have still tried to barrel it over the falls. The most recent attempt in 2003 by a man named Kirk Jones is thought to be the most amazing yet. Jones was the first person to successfully go over the falls without a barrel, or any other protection for that matter. After heading over the falls, Jones swam to a group of rocks and climbed out of the water, unharmed. Whether Jones was incredibly skilled, or simply incredibly lucky remains a mystery. Will he be the last daredevil to go over Niagara Falls? Only time will tell!

Copyright 2006 Jim Sterling - All Rights Reserved

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