Why Niagara falls attracted human daredevils

Niagara Falls has been attracting people like a magnet since it was discovered by the Americans. It was mesmerizing with its power, and the man decided to conquer it – to swim across and stay alive. Daredevils jumped into it in barrels, others constructed balls, and others were pushed into it by fateful fate. The survivors were called the daredevils of Niagara Falls, but the police got tired of watching the stunts with a tragic ending, and a law was passed prohibiting jumping into the waterfall, as well as a fine of 25 thousand dollars.

Attempts to overcome Niagara Falls

The power of nature is sometimes amazing, but man is a being who thinks he can transcend any element and defy it. People got acquainted with a similar force, represented in the form of Niagara Falls. This is a complex that was discovered by French colonists in the 17th century, but it became famous only at the beginning of the 19th century, when roads began to be built, and Europeans learned about new places.

Getting to know Niagara Falls caused different desires and feelings: it pleasantly surprised some, while others pushed them to recklessness. They began to make a plan on how to overcome it. There were enough such brave souls. Hundreds or maybe thousands of people jumped from the waterfall, because many were simply not talked about or they left unnoticed, but those who wanted to become famous did it loudly. They were called the daredevils of Niagara Falls because it was a truly insane act. The chances of survival are 50/50 percent, but despite this, people still took risks. For some reason, the Horseshoe Waterfall has become the most popular among the desperate, and most of the tricks are performed from it.

The Daredevils of Niagara Falls

Jumping and falling at Niagara Falls, apparently, has existed since 1829, the jump of 28-year-old Sam Pitch, who is considered the discoverer of tricks on the waterfall. Before that, he had already become famous for his jumps from the mill dam, then mastered more risky ledges and increased his height, for which he received the nickname “Yankee Jumper”. Jumping from Niagara Falls was supposed to bring fame and money. He had to overcome the waterfall with the help of a ladder, and he succeeded.

The Yankee was hoping for a grand performance, but the fog worsened visibility, so he announced that he would repeat the trick in a few days. Ten thousand spectators gathered for the performance. Sam managed to become a national hero, and he showed his trick several more times, but nature does not spare. The same trick, but it didn’t work on the Genesee River, and he didn’t come up. The priests blamed the onlookers for this, saying that they did not allow the Pitch to calmly gather and tune in. They buried Sam where they found him, writing on a plaque: “Sam Pitch–that’s what fame is.”

Joseph Avery and another unknown man ended their acquaintance with Niagara Falls badly. But the incident refers to an accident when people fell into the water due to carelessness, and the purposeful conquest after Sam Pitch happened again in 1889. It was already a fixed trick by Carlisle Graham. He was preparing for it and first tested his strength in the fight against the whirlpool, and on the second day, he was lowered with a barrel into the river and successfully swam out, flying over the waterfall. Then there was the story of teacher Taylor in 1901, who performed a risky trick for the sake of money. First, she tested it on her cat, and a couple of days later, she jumped into an oak barrel. She survived, although she received many abrasions and minor cuts.

There were some unsuccessful jumps, but this did not deter those who decided to jump. In 1911, Bobby Leach, an artist from Barnum’s Circus, overcame a waterfall in a metal barrel, but was injured, and he had to stay in the hospital for six months. In 1928, Lucier successfully jumped into a waterfall on a large inflatable balloon with a spring-loaded steel frame and a rubber coating. In 1920, Charles Stevens’ jump tragically ended, in 1930, George Stathakis could not cope with the waterfall, and the next disastrous trick was the son of William the Red, Hill Jr., in 1951. It was his death that exhausted the patience of the authorities.

Hill Jr. had already climbed Niagara Falls three times before the fatal jump. By doing this, he wanted to prove to his dead father that he was worthy of him, strong and dexterous. But on the fourth time, Hill did not raise enough money to make a solid piece of equipment, and the design turned out to be flimsy. The power of the water tore her apart with ease, hiding Hill in its depths. He was found only the next day, which greatly worried the public. After that, a law was issued prohibiting performing any tricks at Niagara Falls, and as punishment, those who violated it were supposed to pay a fine if they remained alive.

The Legends of Niagara Falls and Suicide

No one knows what makes you jump from Niagara Falls into the abyss, and even the police officers who are constantly on duty there are throwing up their hands. They say you can’t keep track of every tourist, but there are more people they’ve talked out of jumping than those who’ve made the crazy jump. Some fall into the waterfall inadvertently, wanting to get as close to it as possible, climb over the railing, and nature does not forgive rash actions. The waterfall has claimed thousands of lives, and people go to it again and again as if hypnotized.

It was said that the nature of Niagara Falls could not be understood, as it could be calm at one time and bubbling at another. Kirk Jones, an unemployed man, was very lucky when he jumped into the river drunk and without any equipment, apparently deciding to commit suicide, but was washed ashore with minor abrasions. He was fined $2,260 for violating the law. He said that he felt as if he was plunging into an ice bath, and compared the waterfall to a huge animal that swallowed him and was about to tear his head off his body. Then Kirk said that all his troubles remained in the depths of the waterfall, but 14 years later, his body was found almost on the shore in the same place, only with traces of drowning. In 2017, the waterfall did not give him life.

The ancient legend of the Iroquois supports the magic of the waterfall: they believed that the god of thunder, Hinuma, lived behind the Horseshoe waterfall. Food and flowers were constantly dropped to him as offerings to appease his people from a vain death. But one day, nothing worked, and people died en masse. Then the daughter of the Eagle-Eyed chief Lelawala steered her boat straight into the waterfall. The legend says that she was picked up on the fly by two brothers of God and immediately fell in love with her, but she said that she would be with the one who would reveal the secret of how people could escape and what they were dying from. The younger one said that a huge snake lurks at the bottom of the river, which crawls onto land once a year and poisons people’s water in wells and streams.

The spirit of Lelawala went to the tribesmen and told them about the snake. They watched every day until the moment came when the snake crawled into the village. Brave hunters attacked her and severely wounded her. She managed to get away from them, but crawled only to the edge of the cliff, and there she lay dead. Lelawala stayed with the God of Thunder, and this place became known as the “Maiden of the Mist.” Some people who inadvertently fell into the river were rescued in this place, and then they said that they were pulled ashore by a Virgin.