I love Niagara Falls daredevil stories. LOVE THEM. I used to tell them all the time when I was in college, and had a summer job as a Niagara Falls tour guide. If you had a good group of people on your tour, and you kept them entertained, the tips could be pretty good….so I worked hard on my daredevil stories.
I was thinking about them when I heard that Governor Cuomo has signed legislation allowing one of the Flying Wallendas to perform a tightrope walk over Niagara Falls. If Canada also gives its blessing, then next June, Nik Wallenda will walk nearly 2,000 feet on a two-inch steel cable, high above the falls.
Whether he succeeds or fails, Wallenda will join the long list of daredevils who have been attracted to Niagara Falls for centuries.
The Great Blondin
It all starts with the Great Blondin. His story dates back to before Abraham Lincoln was president.
His real name was Jean Francois Gravelot. Born in France in 1824. At the age of five, trained as an acrobat. At the age of six, he began performing in Europe, known as “The Little Wonder”. In 1855 he came to the United States, and thrilled American audiences.
But his biggest claim to fame was yet to come.
Blondin became obsessed with crossing the Niagara River on a tightrope. And in 1859, he did it. June 30, 1859…..Blondin crossed above the rapids beneath the falls on an 1,100 foot rope, three inches in diameter.
But he wasn’t done. Far from it. Blondin performed his death-defying act EIGHT MORE TIMES that summer. Once, he did a somersault. Once, he did it with his arms and legs shackled.
But one of those crossings topped all the others. And still ranks as one of the top achievements ever at the falls. Blondin walked across that tightrope CARRYING HIS MANAGER ON HIS BACK.
Blondin was back in Niagara Falls the following year for more crossings, in front of hundreds of thousands of sightseers. In one of them, he pushed a wheelbarrow across the gorge.
Blondin truly was great. He was the first to cross the Niagara on a tightrope, he’s still considered the best….and more than 150 years later, he’s still the most famous of all Niagara Falls daredevils.
The Great Farini
Another great one. Like Blondin, the name sounds foreign. But he was American. Actually, he was from Lockport….the other end of Niagara County from the falls. His real name was William Leonard Hunt. He was among the many who saw Blondin cross the gorge in 1860. But he did more than cheer. He turned to his girlfriend and said “I can do that”. So he quit his job to pursue his dream. The job, by the way, was working for his girlfriend’s father, and when he quit she dumped him….but if you have a dream, you have to pursue it.
Farini’s dream came true later that summer. And talk about a daredevil act. He pulled off a stunt for the ages.
Farini made it halfway across the gorge, then LOWERED HIMSELF to the Maid of the Mist boat, 200 feet below. While there, he had a glass of wine (who wouldn’t?) and then climbed back up. He underestimated that part of the stunt and barely made it, nearly falling several times. But he finished his crossing.
He never tried the boat stunt again, but crossed the gorge several more times that year, each time trying to outdo one of Blondin’s stunts. He balanced on his head, he hung by his toes, he carried a woman, he carried a washtub…..many of his acts were more daring, but Farini never achieved Blondin’s fame.
Annie Edson Taylor
This was my favorite daredevil story to tell tourists. Because when you think of daredevils and Niagara Falls, you think of barrels. And when you think of people going over the falls in a barrel, you think of men….young men….dashing young men.
The first person to do that wasn’t a man. And wasn’t young either.
Annie Edson Taylor was a school teacher from Michigan. A widow….her husband was killed in the Civil War.
She decided that becoming the first person to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel would be her ticket to fame and fortune.
So on October 24, 1901…her 63rd birthday…she climbed into a wooden barrel, and over the Falls she went….surviving with only minor cuts and bruises. But the fame and fortune thing? That didn’t quite work out. People had a hard time believing this matronly widow actually conquered Niagara Falls. Her manager took off with her barrel. At one point an attractive young woman pretended she was Annie….and more people believed her! Taylor died penniless 20 years after her stunt. Want to see her grave? It’s in the “Stunters section” of Oakwood Cemetery in Niagara Falls, NY.
She never achieved fortune….but Annie finally did achieve fame. Unfortunately, she didn’t live to see it. But no story of Niagara Falls daredevils is complete without her. Annie Edson Taylor will always be part of the legend of the falls.
George Strathakis
This is another one of those stories that prove God has a sense of humor. George Strathakis survived his plunge over Niagara Falls in a barrel. But he still died.
Confused? I’ll explain. But first, here’s a little background. Strathakis was a Greek immigrant who worked as a chef in Buffalo. So naturally challenging the falls was his next career move.
On July 5, 1930 Strathakis climbed into a wooden and steel barrel, and over the falls he went. The barrel survived intact. So did he. Just one problem. As the barrel bounced and bobbed in the middle of millions of gallons of water, it ended up stuck behind the falls. For 22 hours. Strathakis only had an eight-hour supply of air. By the time the barrel came free, rescuers recovered it, and pried it open…..Strathakis had suffocated.
But the news wasn’t all bad. Strathakis took his pet turtle with him. It survived.
Jessie Sharp
This one is relatively recent…..Jessie’s brush with Niagara Falls immortality happened about 20 years ago. The reason he’s on this list is because….even though it’s wrong of me to speak ill of the dead….Jessie Sharp was a moron. An incredibly, dramatically, overwhelmingly stupid person. He’s not just the dumbest daredevil ever to challenge Niagara Falls. He may be the dumbest person ever to VISIT Niagara Falls.
You see, Jessie decided to go over the falls in a kayak.
He planned it for three years. Then on June 5, 1990 he climbed aboard and paddled off into the upper rapids, while his friends videotaped his journey.
He didn’t wear a helmet because that would have covered his face in the video. He didn’t wear a life preserver because that might hamper his escape if he got caught under the falls. No helmet, no life jacket, just Jessie and a kayak. Did I mention he planned this for three years?
The video of Jessie paddling away was the last anyone ever saw of him. His body was never recovered. Not even part of it.
So assuming Canada goes along with New York and approves Nik Wallenda’s request, next summer he’ll be the next name on the list of Falls daredevils. Will it be triumph or tragedy? Either way, next year’s tour guides should have a good story to tell.
No comments:
Post a Comment