Going! Going! Go-not gone, but going. Mrs. Annie Edson Taylor has been going, is going, and could, should, must, or will be going over the Horseshoe Falls in a barrel- maybe? Perhaps? Should it be? And why not? She was due to go over early last week according to the announcement. She was due to go over later in the week. Then she was due to go over yesterday afternoon at 2 o’clock. Instead of her going over, her trip went over…over to Wednesday afternoon, that is! Between 2 and 4 o’clock her manager, Frank Russel announced last evening with positively his most positive positiveness. And Mr. Russell ought to know, because it was he who had previously announced positively that Mrs. Taylor would make the descent over the precipice at 2 o’clock afternoon yesterday!
Excerpt from the Buffalo Morning Express and Illustrated Buffalo Express
Buffalo, New York, 21 Oct 1901, Mon • Page 6
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The raw power and natural beauty of Niagara Falls have captivated every group of people who have called the region home. From the Indigenous peoples who referred to the region as “thundering water” as a tribute to its dangerous power, to the early Europeans who described it as “astonishing, violent, and unparalleled in the universe,” the 16-story precipice has stood as a beautiful…but terrifying testament to Mother Nature’s power.
And like most awe-inspiring natural wonders, the falls have attracted their fair share of thrill-seekers and daredevils. While there are those who have pushed the limits and performed death-defying stunts near or above the falls such as the Great Blondin or, more recently, Nik Wallenda, only a handful have been willing to face the full fury of the mighty Niagara head-on.
Of the fifteen people who have attempted to go over Niagara Falls by various means, only ten have survived. But all of them were inspired to attempt the feat by, of all people, a 63-year-old charm school teacher named Annie Edson Taylor who, in 1901, became the first person to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel.
Like the falls themselves, Taylor’s story is tumultuous and sadly often overlooked by history. But October 24th, 2021 marks both her birthday and the 120th anniversary of her perilous stunt.
Born on October 24th, 1838, Taylor was born in Auburn, New York. Though her father died when she was 12, the flour mill he owned left the family with enough money to live comfortably. Even as a child, Annie proved to have an adventurous spirit that defied the expectations of her gender. A biography written in 1990 described her as a young woman who was uninterested in dolls, instead preferring outdoor sports. She had a dreamy disposition and a lively imagination, “fueled by an insatiable thirst for adventure stories.”
She was also academically gifted and her family’s financial stability allowed her to pursue her studies. Annie studied to become a schoolteacher and even received an honors degree in a four-year training course. It was there that she met and married Dave Taylor, the older brother of a friend. Sadly, the couple’s only child died in infancy and her husband died shortly after. By 20 years old, Annie was a grieving mother and a widow
With no real ties to any one place, Annie moved frequently and took a variety of jobs to support herself. By her own claims, she crossed the American continent 8 times and sailed the Gulf of Mexico 16 times. She lived in cities across the United States and even in Mexico. Interestingly, no matter where she went, trouble seemed to follow her. As one newspaper put it, “She was persistently followed by ill-luck.”
While living in Chattanooga, Tennessee, the house she was residing in caught fire destroying all of her belongings and forcing Annie to flee the flames. After, she moved to South Carolina where she found herself in the midst of an earthquake. While in Texas, the stagecoach coach she was riding in was ambushed by robbers. When they demanded whatever valuables she was traveling with. Annie, with a gun to her head, told them to “Blow away” and refused to part with the $800 she had stashed in her dress.
She eventually made her way to Bay City, Michigan where she opened a dance and charm school catering to the children of the wealthy locals. However, by 1901, her clientele was dwindling and her financial stability was in question.
Fearful of living the remainder of her life in poverty, Annie did what any aging, widowed, charm school teacher would do: hatch a daredevil plan to catapult herself into the spotlight for financial gain.
Now as I said, it was 1901. Buffalo had spent the majority of that year in the national spotlight. Between the Pan-American Exposition, the assassination of President William McKinley, and the inauguration of President Theodore Roosevelt, it seemed like the eyes of the world were on the city. Almost daily, newspapers around the country carried headlines talking about the events in and around Western New York.
And…one of those headlines sparked a wild idea in Annie’s head. As she would later say, “The idea came to me like a flash of light: Go over Niagara Falls in a barrel.” The simple, yet terrifying idea was completely unique. No man or woman had previously attempted the feat. In fact, there was almost nothing to indicate such a thing could even be survivable.
Undaunted, she decided she would be the first.
Almost immediately she realized the barrel itself would be imperative to her success. It would have to be specially designed for the feat. She immediately got to work sketching diagrams and building prototypes out of cardboard and string.
Taylor worked with a company that produced beer kegs and personally oversaw the construction of her barrel, even going so far as to hand-select each piece of wood. The exterior of the barrel was almost as tall as the 5’4 Annie herself and three feet across at the widest part. It was tapered at each end and held together with ten metal hoops.
The plain and unassuming exterior hid a fairly sophisticated setup inside. At one end, an anvil weighed the barrel down to ensure that she would land upright in the water. There were also a series of harnesses and straps to effectively suspend her inside in an attempt to keep her from being tossed around. Finally, the top of the barrel was designed to be opened from the outside. Annie claimed this particular feature was in case she was too exhausted from her tumble to remove the top herself.
Despite the obvious danger and the courage such an endeavor would require, Annie never saw herself as the “Daredevil sort.” In fact, in one interview prior to her trip, she said, “ I do not wish to be classified with women who are seeking notoriety. I am not the common daredevil sort. I feel refined and I know that I am well educated and well connected.”
Regardless of how she wished to present herself, the media and the public had mixed feelings about her plan. Several news sources viewed the stunt as a bit of a joke or Annie as a faker. The excerpt at the start of this episode was taken from the Buffalo Morning Express and was just one of the many news stories that treated the entire idea with a heavy dose of skepticism.
A series of delays and postponements further added to their doubts. However, the delays weren’t due to a lack of courage on Annie’s part. Instead, she and her manager had difficulty finding a boat willing to launch her barrel. Many refused, saying they had no desire to take part in a suicide.
On October 23rd, Annie set out for the falls, but at the last minute opted not to launch and postponed it to the following day.
The police caught wind of the attempted stunt and the plans for its rescheduling. Also wanting to prevent a very public suicide and to discourage future daredevils from stunts of this magnitude, they intended to prevent the launch.
Annie’s manager, Frank Russell, feared police intervention would not only inhibit the attempt but also turn the stunt into even more of a joke in the public’s eyes. He heavily publicized that Annie’s departure would be after 2:30 pm on October 24th. However, all actual arrangements had been made for an hour prior.
On the morning of October 24th, 1901, Annie’s 63rd birthday, she made her way to the home of Fred Truesdale, where she was to wait until her departure for the Falls. Truesdale along with Fred Robinson were to serve as her oarsmen.
But at 1:30 when she was set to depart, Robinson had a change of heart—or well maybe just a flashing instinct of self-preservation. The police had declared that they would arrest anyone who assisted Taylor in the launching of her barrel, or as the police chief had put it “the committing of her suicide.”
The warning was enough to deter Robinson, who refused to go forward with the plan. After nearly 40 minutes of trying to change his mind, fellow oarsmen Fred Truesdale gave up and sought the assistance of William Holleran—another well-known upper river boatman. Holleran agreed, and finally, at 2:15 everything was set for her departure.
Annie emerged from the Truesdale house in an ornate hat and a formal black Victorian gown. Though she had no intention of wearing it for her trek over the falls, ever the prim and proper charm school teacher, she refused to be seen in the knee-length black skirt that was better suited for the barrel. Instead, she would change her clothes on Grass Island, which had been identified as the optimal launch location.
Annie approached the shore flanked by her manager and her oarsmen. A small rowboat was waiting with her barrel in the water, and a small crowd had assembled to see her off.
“Au Revoir.” she said shockingly calmly to the small crowd. “ I shall not say goodbye, for I am confident I will see you again.” Despite her formal Victorian dress, the 63-year-old woman climbed into a small rowboat. Next to her, was the four-and-a-half-foot barrel she had so carefully designed. Without any further fanfare, Taylor and her barrel departed for a small island upstream from the Canadian Horseshoe Falls.
Once on the island, Taylor traded her black gown for a knee-length black skirt and blouse. She then climbed into her barrel, giving it a final inspection and caulking any cracks or gaps. Annie adjusted the woven straps around her waist and through loops in the front and the back of the barrel. To protect her knees and head from making “violent contact” with the barrel, cushions were packed on either side of her. Once she was in position inside, the top was fastened and her oarsmen then used a bicycle pump to fill the barrel with fresh air. From inside, Annie corked the final hole and declared herself ready.
As the men towed her into the water, a faint rapping came from inside the barrel. The barrel was leaking. After confirming that it was only about a pailful of water at the bottom, Truesdale declared that was fine saying, “You will be over the falls and rescued in a few minutes and the water will help keep you awake. We’re going to cast you off now, Goodbye.”
And with that, they positioned the barrel so that the currents would carry it over the center of the Horseshoe Falls. A quick rap on the top let Annie know she had been cut loose. Her fate was fully in the hands of the mighty Niagara.
Continued in Part II.
Lindsey Lauren Visser 