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Niagara Parks Journey Behind the Falls in Autumn 2007 25
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William "Red" Hill, Sr. biography
| William "Red" Hill, Sr. biography |
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William "Red" Hill, Sr.
Red Hill, Sr. didn't take a barrel over the Falls, but he successfully challenged the Rapids and Whirlpool three times - feats many considered just as dangerous. The pressure and undercurrents in that part of the River created a vortext - a whirlpool - that could suck things like barrels and boats right down to the river bottom.
Mr. Hill first went through the Rapids and Whirlpool in 1910. Twenty years later, he was back with a steel barrel that had air holes plugged with corks that could be removed in an emergency. Inside the barrel he was suspended by a harness system that kept him from banging against the steel walls. As 25,000 people lining the river watched, the barrel became stuck in the vortext of the Whirlpool for 3 1/2 hours, and was finally freed by Mr. Hill's friends so that he could continue on to the Queenston docks.
For his final river advetnure in 1931, Mr. hill used the barrel of George Stathakis who had died in that same barrel going over the Falls the year before. By the time Mr. Hill reached the Whirlpool, the barrel had sprung a leak and was half full of water. Again the vortex snared the barrel and Mr. Hill was saved only by the courageous actions of his son, Red Hill, Jr., who swam out to attache a rope to the barrel so it could be tugged to shore.
Mr. Hill, Sr. is equally famous for being the ""hero of Niagara."" An incredibly powerful swimmer, he was credited with saving 28 people from drowning, and he rescued a number of daredevils who lived through their stunts at the Falls. He also recovered bodies of 177 persons who were victims of suicides or accidents. |
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21.05.2005 13:21 |
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