Across The Fence: Over The Edge – Niagara's Argonauts

"If everybody jumped off a cliff would you jump after them?" This was the question my mother would pose when our pleas to be allowed some frivolous privilege included the irrational rational that "everybody's doing it."

Perhaps Bobby Leach's mother had already passed on when the 53-0yea- old, Cornwall, UK, circus performer decided to go over the edge of Niagara Falls in a steel barrel. If not, it is obvious that she was unable to dissuade him from the foolhardy attempt.

Bobby owned a restaurant near Niagara Falls on the U.S. side and often boasted that anything Annie could do, he could do better. (Annie was the Annie Taylor who was first to go over the falls in a barrel in 1901) Apparently his bragging eventually got him backed into a corner with no other means of escape but to carry out his boast.

On the 25th of July 1911, 10 years after Annie, Bobby Leach went over the falls in a steel barrel and survived. After six months in the hospital, recovering from the broken bones and lacerations he suffered in the attempt, Bobby went on tour and made a fair living making celebrity appearances in the U.S., Canada and England.

In 1926, while making public appearances in New Zealand, Bobby slipped on an orange peel and broke his leg. The injury became gangrenous and amputation was required. Bobby died from complications after the surgery.

Nine years later, in July 1920, Charles Stevens of Bristol, England would be the third person to make the 180-foot drop over the falls. Charles was a daredevil barber known as the "Demon Barber of Bristol" for his many high dives and parachute jumps. With 11 children to feed and clothe, Charles hoped for fame and fortune to be the result of his feat.

Although his predecessor, Bobby Leach, warned Charles that his barrel design was faulty, Charles dared to proceed. For ballast, to keep his barrel upright, Charles had an anvil placed in the bottom of the barrel, a design that Annie Taylor had also used. However, Annie's barrel had the anvil "built in" and Charles had the anvil lashed to his feet.

Thousands of spectators gathered at the foot of the fall to watch as Charles' barrel shot over the edge and plummeted to the rocks and rapids below. The barrel shattered on impact and Charles was dragged to the bottom of the Niagara River by the anvil tied to his feet. Among the shattered remains of Charles barrel, rescuers found one of his arms still strapped securely in the barrel's leather harness.

Charles' body was never recovered, but his arm is buried in an unmarked grave in Drummond Hill Cemetery in Ontario, Canada. His 11 orphaned children had a father famous for being the first to die in an attempt to conquer the falls.

Daredevil number four was Jean Albert Lussier from Springfield, Massachusetts. On the July 4, 1928, Albert went over the falls in a six-foot, inflated rubber ball. The sphere was reinforced with steel bands on the outside and inside was padded with a number of inner tubes packed around him.

Albert survived, moved to Niagara Falls, N.Y., where he sold pieces of his rubber ball for 50 cents each. When the original rubber ball had been sold off, Albert substituted discarded inner tubes and sold the counterfeit bits of rubber to unsuspecting tourists.

The fifth person to attempt the Niagara challenge was George Stathakis, a Greek emigrant who worked as a chef in Buffalo. George designed an elaborate and huge barrel made of wood and steel. The finished barrel was ten feet long and more than five feet in diameter. On July 5, 1930, George took the plunge accompanied by his pet turtle, the turtle survived. George's barrel was trapped in the back current under the falls for more than 20 hours. George suffocated inside the airtight capsule.

Twenty-one years later, in August 1951, Red Hill Jr. climbed inside his homemade vessel dubbed "The Thing." Consisting of 14 truck tire inner tubes bound together and wrapped in canvas, the vessel was by far the most questionable design to date. After the plunge the ill-fated contraption broke apart and the only proof that Red Hill Jr. had made the journey was the pair of shoes he had worn, wedged between a couple of the inner tubes. Red's body was recovered downstream.

In the 50 years since Annie Taylor had made the first unprecedented plunge over the falls, five others had made the attempt – three had died trying.

Despite the 50-50 odds, on July 15, 1961, William FitzGerald would challenge the odds and risk his life on the fool-hearted adventure. Perhaps he believed that number seven really was his lucky number.

William was a maintenance man for IBM and it appears he was also an able designer. Using the concept of Lussier's rubber ball, William improved on the design by making it larger and stronger. He included a generous supply of oxygen in the event that the vessel might become trapped behind the falls and provided ample padding and restraints inside. Although the hatch popped open prematurely and William was compelled to hold it closed during the 180-foot drop, he emerged triumphant and relatively unscathed.

Being of African descent William declared, "I have integrated Niagara Falls." But the big question was, "Why?" to which he relied, "I know why, but nobody else does. It was a very personal reason," adding, "I am not a daring person. I don't believe there is any such thing as a brave man ... only men who act brave."

It would be 23 years after 1961 before another Niagara Falls daredevil would pick up the gauntlet and take the challenge. Karel Soucek a Canadian professional stuntman was born in Czechoslovakia, made the Niagara Falls drop on July 2, 1984 and emerged bleeding but alive from his specially designed "barrel." Soucek had spent $45,000 to build the craft and film his stunt but returned his investment through sales and paid interviews. (It is unfortunate that Annie Taylor and the children of the "Demon Barber of Bristol" couldn't have earned at least half that amount.)

Soucek later convinced a promoter to finance a re-enactment of the Niagara drop performed in the Houston Astrodome. The stunt proved fatal and Soucek died from his injuries on Jan. 19, 1985.

Steve Trotter of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., has the distinction of being the youngest daredevil to go over the edge not once but twice. In 1985 at 23, Trotter made his first successful plunge and escaped unharmed. Ten years later he would again purposefully take the tumble in a specially equipped boiler tank.

In his second attempt his stunt partner Lori Martin accompanied him. On this second, co-ed cruise over the cascade, the Niagara Parks Service was not amused. Trotter was fined $14,700 and spent two weeks in jail.

Canadian John "Dave" Munday was the first to make two successful solo plunges over the great falls of Niagara, once in October 1985 and again in September 1993.

In 1989, the first team to go over the falls in the same vessel was Jeffrey Petkovich and Peter Debernardi. The two Canadians went over the falls in a barrel designed for the joint venture. The pair emerged from their barrel unscathed.

Jessie Sharp of Ocoee, Tenn., was an experienced white water kayaker. His attempt to go over the falls in a kayak was intended to promote his hoped-for career as a professional stuntman. Jessie planned to gain enough speed, as he approached the falls, to propel himself far enough out that he would land well beyond the dangerous rocks and whirlpools at the bottom of the falls.

He wore no protective gear or lifejacket preferring to be unrestrained in order to allow the physical movement required to maneuver. Jessie was confident of his success and parked his car down river, below the falls and made dinner reservations for the evening. Jessie's body was never found.

Robert Overacker, challenged the falls on Oct. 1, 1995. Robert's plan was to speed down the Niagara River on a jet ski and plunge out over the falls where he would release the jet ski, pull the ripcord of his parachute and drift easily to a soft landing below. Unfortunately Robert failed to secure the parachute's harness to his body. Robert perished in the attempt.

Finally, on October 20, 2003, almost exactly 102 years from the date of Annie Taylor's first and only solo, female attempt to go over the edge, Kirk Jones from Canton, Mich., would be the 16th person to conquer the mighty Niagara.

Kirk jumped into the Upper Niagara River, 20 feet from the edge of the falls. His preparation for the attempt was in his own words, "very unsophisticated and unscientific." Mr. Jones bolstered his courage with a few stiff drinks, threw himself into the river and went over the falls. His equipment consisted of his shirt, slacks and simple street shoes.

Miraculously, Kirk survived, uninjured but was arrested by Canadian officials and hospitalized for psychiatric evaluation.

M. Timothy Nolting is an award-winning Nebraska columnist and freelance writer. Contact Tim via email at [email protected]