Would you go over the Falls in this barrel?!

The other day when out for a walk I went past Henri’s Motel. Out front they have a white barrel that is painted with the words:

The original
Hill’s Barrel
July 1949

I supposed they are referring to Major Lloyd Hill who went over the Falls in a barrel on July 30, 1949. NiagaraFallsInfo.com has the following information:

On July 30th 1949, Major Lloyd Hill, using a 650 pound barrel, successfully navigated the Whirlpool Rapids. Hill became stranded in the Whirlpool and had to be rescued by the City of Niagara Falls Fire Department.

I don’t know what all he had inside the barrel, but without any padding it sure looks like you’d be tossed around quite a bit!

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