1 00:00:02,560 --> 00:00:05,760 Speaker 1: You're listening to American Shadows, a production of I Heart 2 00:00:05,880 --> 00:00:19,799 Speaker 1: Radio and Grim and Mild from Aaron Mankey. A time 3 00:00:19,840 --> 00:00:22,799 Speaker 1: when newly wedded couples celebrate their life together, whether it 4 00:00:22,840 --> 00:00:26,599 Speaker 1: be for a quick getaway or an elaborate vacation, But 5 00:00:26,800 --> 00:00:30,800 Speaker 1: in ancient and medieval times, the tradition wasn't always celebratory. 6 00:00:32,120 --> 00:00:37,040 Speaker 1: Some historians point to the ancient practice of marriage by capture. Essentially, 7 00:00:37,159 --> 00:00:39,560 Speaker 1: a woman was taken by the groom or his family 8 00:00:39,640 --> 00:00:42,879 Speaker 1: and married off. The couple was hidden from the bride's 9 00:00:42,880 --> 00:00:45,920 Speaker 1: family until the marriage was consummated, making it too late 10 00:00:45,960 --> 00:00:48,920 Speaker 1: to nullify the union. If the woman was no longer 11 00:00:49,000 --> 00:00:54,360 Speaker 1: chased and potentially pregnant, her place in society was tarnished. Thankfully, 12 00:00:54,360 --> 00:00:58,800 Speaker 1: over time, alliances and contracts gave way to courtships, which 13 00:00:58,880 --> 00:01:03,360 Speaker 1: forever changed the honeymoon. By the eighteen hundreds, many women 14 00:01:03,400 --> 00:01:08,080 Speaker 1: became trailblazers, selecting both their own groom and their honeymoon destination. 15 00:01:09,400 --> 00:01:13,360 Speaker 1: Theodosha Burr was one of those women. A prodigy and 16 00:01:13,440 --> 00:01:17,199 Speaker 1: the apple of father Aaron Burr's eye. Theodosha met plenty 17 00:01:17,200 --> 00:01:21,240 Speaker 1: of soldiers and commanding officers during the Revolutionary War. The 18 00:01:21,280 --> 00:01:23,920 Speaker 1: family remained close with others who had helped fight against 19 00:01:23,959 --> 00:01:29,399 Speaker 1: the British, including Joseph Brant, a celebrated Mohawk chief. Theodosha 20 00:01:29,520 --> 00:01:32,480 Speaker 1: enjoyed the great outdoors, and during the social gathering in 21 00:01:32,480 --> 00:01:35,679 Speaker 1: New York City during the late seventeen hundreds, Brandt offered 22 00:01:35,680 --> 00:01:38,320 Speaker 1: to show her the yet unpamed portions of New York 23 00:01:38,400 --> 00:01:42,480 Speaker 1: State whenever she wanted to go. On February second of 24 00:01:42,520 --> 00:01:45,919 Speaker 1: eighteen o one, at seventeen years of age, Theodosha married 25 00:01:46,040 --> 00:01:50,080 Speaker 1: Joseph Alston, a wealthy Southerner. Instead of heading to Europe, 26 00:01:50,120 --> 00:01:53,800 Speaker 1: a popular choice for rich newlyweds, the couple accepted Brandt's 27 00:01:53,800 --> 00:01:56,880 Speaker 1: earlier offer and honeymoon at his home on the Grand River. 28 00:01:57,840 --> 00:02:00,600 Speaker 1: The trek wasn't easy. The two arrived at companied by 29 00:02:00,600 --> 00:02:05,200 Speaker 1: a caravan of pack horses and several staff members. When 30 00:02:05,200 --> 00:02:08,200 Speaker 1: the couple returned, they told stories about the area's beauty, 31 00:02:08,480 --> 00:02:13,680 Speaker 1: especially the breathtaking site of Niagara Falls. Inspired other brides 32 00:02:13,720 --> 00:02:17,079 Speaker 1: began to choose the location for their honeymoons. Elizabeth Patterson 33 00:02:17,120 --> 00:02:20,720 Speaker 1: picked it for hers with Jerome Bonaparte, Napoleon's younger brother. 34 00:02:21,960 --> 00:02:24,600 Speaker 1: Tourism boomed with the opening of the Erie Canal in 35 00:02:24,639 --> 00:02:28,120 Speaker 1: eight making it possible for the middle class to enjoy 36 00:02:28,160 --> 00:02:32,320 Speaker 1: the destination too. Once railroads began to carry passengers all 37 00:02:32,360 --> 00:02:35,640 Speaker 1: over the country, newlyweds arrived at Niagara Falls every week. 38 00:02:36,400 --> 00:02:39,880 Speaker 1: In one my Niagara Falls honeymoon became the song of 39 00:02:39,919 --> 00:02:43,760 Speaker 1: the year. The falls became the place to honeymoon in 40 00:02:43,760 --> 00:02:47,800 Speaker 1: the United States. Marilyn Monroe starred in the nineteen fifty 41 00:02:47,880 --> 00:02:52,720 Speaker 1: three film Niagara, further boosting its popularity. Tourists flocked to 42 00:02:52,760 --> 00:02:56,200 Speaker 1: the area, taking in the local shops, fashionable hotels, and 43 00:02:56,360 --> 00:03:00,600 Speaker 1: natural sites. Some ventured out to prospect point obserfy Asian Tower. 44 00:03:01,480 --> 00:03:05,520 Speaker 1: A boat tours behave another favorite attraction, departing and arriving 45 00:03:05,560 --> 00:03:08,560 Speaker 1: on the American side, made of the mist took visitors 46 00:03:08,560 --> 00:03:11,080 Speaker 1: close enough to feel the spray coming from the falls. 47 00:03:12,200 --> 00:03:16,440 Speaker 1: The falls also provided power to local areas. Casinos flourished 48 00:03:16,480 --> 00:03:19,639 Speaker 1: on the Canadian side. Musicians and theater troops found work 49 00:03:19,680 --> 00:03:25,400 Speaker 1: there too, and as thrilling as superstars, honeymooners and photographers were, 50 00:03:25,800 --> 00:03:33,160 Speaker 1: the falls attracted something more dare devils. I'm Lauren Vogelbaum. 51 00:03:33,200 --> 00:03:45,000 Speaker 1: Welcome to American Shadows. Niagara Falls attracted more dare devils 52 00:03:45,040 --> 00:03:48,680 Speaker 1: than any other natural wonder in the world. The unforgiving 53 00:03:48,720 --> 00:03:52,280 Speaker 1: and turbulent current, the sheer height and gusting wind brought 54 00:03:52,320 --> 00:03:55,360 Speaker 1: adrenaline and fortune seekers looking to push the limits of 55 00:03:55,360 --> 00:04:00,720 Speaker 1: their craft. Humans have always found dangerous stunts and acrobatic entertaining, 56 00:04:01,320 --> 00:04:04,400 Speaker 1: and once one has been mastered, the next performer has 57 00:04:04,440 --> 00:04:07,520 Speaker 1: to come up with a bigger, wilder, and riskier act. 58 00:04:08,440 --> 00:04:11,800 Speaker 1: With the explosion of entertainment choices over the years, audiences 59 00:04:11,840 --> 00:04:17,000 Speaker 1: always demand something new, something grander, more elaborate, more death defying, 60 00:04:17,839 --> 00:04:22,720 Speaker 1: and the daredevil's oblige. Some have been barn stormers, pilots 61 00:04:22,720 --> 00:04:25,919 Speaker 1: who perform in aerial shows, wing walkers stepped from the 62 00:04:25,920 --> 00:04:29,360 Speaker 1: cockpit and onto the wings in mid air, human cannonballs 63 00:04:29,440 --> 00:04:33,839 Speaker 1: launched themselves from catapults and cannons, and of course, tightrope 64 00:04:33,839 --> 00:04:38,960 Speaker 1: walkers balanced on thin ropes and wires over mountain passes, skyscrapers, and, 65 00:04:39,480 --> 00:04:44,400 Speaker 1: as you might have guessed, Niagara Falls. French born Charles 66 00:04:44,440 --> 00:04:47,760 Speaker 1: Blondine always had a talent as an acrobat, making his 67 00:04:47,800 --> 00:04:51,320 Speaker 1: stage debut when he turned five. He traveled to the 68 00:04:51,400 --> 00:04:54,400 Speaker 1: US in eighteen fifty five, and after performing with an 69 00:04:54,440 --> 00:04:58,040 Speaker 1: equestrian troop. Charles decided to try walking a tightrope across 70 00:04:58,120 --> 00:05:03,200 Speaker 1: Niagara Falls. Given the public's morbid fascination with such feats, 71 00:05:03,240 --> 00:05:07,799 Speaker 1: he knew his performance would draw large crowds. After announcing 72 00:05:07,800 --> 00:05:10,320 Speaker 1: his intention to cross the falls in eighteen fifty eight, 73 00:05:10,640 --> 00:05:13,840 Speaker 1: people across the nation placed bets on whether he'd survive. 74 00:05:14,960 --> 00:05:17,479 Speaker 1: He arrived at the falls in the winter, and after 75 00:05:17,600 --> 00:05:20,800 Speaker 1: taking in the amount of snow and the biting cold winds, 76 00:05:20,800 --> 00:05:24,560 Speaker 1: he chose to de lay the crossing until summer. On 77 00:05:24,920 --> 00:05:28,800 Speaker 1: June thirtieth of eighteen fifty nine, he returned, joined by 78 00:05:28,839 --> 00:05:33,280 Speaker 1: over twenty five thousand spectators. A hemp rope one thousand, 79 00:05:33,360 --> 00:05:36,159 Speaker 1: three hundred feet long and just two inches in diameter 80 00:05:36,520 --> 00:05:39,520 Speaker 1: and an ashwood pole twenty six feet long were his 81 00:05:39,640 --> 00:05:44,000 Speaker 1: only tools. Charles never used a net, believing that such 82 00:05:44,040 --> 00:05:48,640 Speaker 1: preparations only made an accident more likely to happen. While 83 00:05:48,680 --> 00:05:51,719 Speaker 1: his manager explained the logistics of walking a tight rope 84 00:05:51,720 --> 00:05:54,960 Speaker 1: to the crowd, Charles, dressed in pink tights to match 85 00:05:55,000 --> 00:05:58,039 Speaker 1: the colors of the slowly setting sun, took his first 86 00:05:58,080 --> 00:06:01,560 Speaker 1: steps on to the rope. A children hid behind their 87 00:06:01,560 --> 00:06:05,880 Speaker 1: mother's skirts. The women stole glances around their parasols. Everyone 88 00:06:05,960 --> 00:06:09,000 Speaker 1: held their breath as he moved forward, using the fifty 89 00:06:09,000 --> 00:06:13,279 Speaker 1: pound pole to counterbalance himself on the thin rope. When 90 00:06:13,279 --> 00:06:16,520 Speaker 1: he reached the halfway point, he stopped and abruptly sat down. 91 00:06:17,120 --> 00:06:19,799 Speaker 1: Several people in the crowd fainted from the building's stress. 92 00:06:20,360 --> 00:06:24,000 Speaker 1: Charles didn't appear nervous, though, He called out to the 93 00:06:24,000 --> 00:06:26,800 Speaker 1: maid of the mist and dropped a line. Instead of 94 00:06:26,800 --> 00:06:29,520 Speaker 1: lowering himself on to the boat. He asked the captain 95 00:06:29,640 --> 00:06:32,880 Speaker 1: if they happened to have any wine, and the captain 96 00:06:32,920 --> 00:06:36,159 Speaker 1: secured a bottle and Charles hauled up the line. He 97 00:06:36,279 --> 00:06:39,080 Speaker 1: drank the whole bottle, got to his feet, and, to 98 00:06:39,120 --> 00:06:43,160 Speaker 1: the crowd surprise, broke out into a run. The center 99 00:06:43,320 --> 00:06:46,799 Speaker 1: line sagged with the effort. That didn't slow him down, though. 100 00:06:47,279 --> 00:06:49,960 Speaker 1: He continued to run until he reached the Canadian side, 101 00:06:50,720 --> 00:06:53,960 Speaker 1: and once he stepped on solid land, a band struck up, Home, 102 00:06:54,040 --> 00:06:58,520 Speaker 1: Sweet Home. After twenty minute rest, Charles strapped a camera 103 00:06:58,560 --> 00:07:00,600 Speaker 1: to his chest and stepped back to the rope to 104 00:07:00,640 --> 00:07:03,880 Speaker 1: return to the American side. Two hundred feet out. He 105 00:07:03,920 --> 00:07:06,839 Speaker 1: paused again, fixed his pole to the wire, set up 106 00:07:06,880 --> 00:07:09,720 Speaker 1: the camera, and snapped a picture before resuming his walk. 107 00:07:10,480 --> 00:07:14,120 Speaker 1: The return trip took him twenty three minutes. He announced 108 00:07:14,160 --> 00:07:16,200 Speaker 1: to the American crowd that he had returned for an 109 00:07:16,280 --> 00:07:20,320 Speaker 1: encore performance on July four. Mark Twain called him an 110 00:07:20,360 --> 00:07:24,080 Speaker 1: adventurous ass for his endeavor. Others insisted the performance was 111 00:07:24,120 --> 00:07:28,000 Speaker 1: a hoax. Charles repeated the stunt on July four without 112 00:07:28,120 --> 00:07:31,960 Speaker 1: a pole. This time he added feats like walking backward 113 00:07:32,080 --> 00:07:34,760 Speaker 1: and laying down on the rope and turning over. On 114 00:07:34,800 --> 00:07:37,040 Speaker 1: the return trip, he covered his head with a sack. 115 00:07:38,120 --> 00:07:40,920 Speaker 1: He made several more crossings in the coming weeks, drawing 116 00:07:41,000 --> 00:07:45,600 Speaker 1: even larger crowds. On July fifteen, President Millard Fillmore was 117 00:07:45,640 --> 00:07:48,880 Speaker 1: in attendance when Charles added back flips, somersaults, and even 118 00:07:48,960 --> 00:07:53,080 Speaker 1: pushed a wheelbarrow across the rope. Two weeks later, he 119 00:07:53,160 --> 00:07:56,560 Speaker 1: carried his manager across on his shoulders. The added weight 120 00:07:56,640 --> 00:07:58,640 Speaker 1: snapped a few of the anchor ropes, but the pair 121 00:07:58,680 --> 00:08:02,560 Speaker 1: made it across unharmed. In his next performance, he crossed 122 00:08:02,560 --> 00:08:04,520 Speaker 1: in the dead of night with his arms and legs 123 00:08:04,520 --> 00:08:08,400 Speaker 1: and shackles. By the end of his career, Charles Blondine 124 00:08:08,440 --> 00:08:12,600 Speaker 1: had crossed Niagara Falls and Astounding three hundred times, not 125 00:08:12,720 --> 00:08:15,760 Speaker 1: once did he consider a net or taking out life insurance. 126 00:08:16,440 --> 00:08:26,920 Speaker 1: To him, that was too much of a risk. While 127 00:08:27,080 --> 00:08:29,760 Speaker 1: Charles may have been the most dramatic daredevil to cross 128 00:08:29,840 --> 00:08:34,800 Speaker 1: Niagara Falls, he certainly wouldn't be the last. Maria Spelterini 129 00:08:34,880 --> 00:08:37,800 Speaker 1: crossed in eighteen seventy six, making her the first woman 130 00:08:37,840 --> 00:08:41,280 Speaker 1: to do so. While there's not much on record about 131 00:08:41,280 --> 00:08:44,319 Speaker 1: her childhood, it's thought that her parents were circus performers 132 00:08:44,320 --> 00:08:47,600 Speaker 1: in Italy. She began walking tightropes when she was just 133 00:08:47,720 --> 00:08:51,160 Speaker 1: three years old. The spelled her nis toward Europe, and 134 00:08:51,240 --> 00:08:55,360 Speaker 1: Maria's solo performances made her a star. After the American 135 00:08:55,360 --> 00:08:57,920 Speaker 1: Civil War, she moved her career to the United States. 136 00:08:59,640 --> 00:09:03,160 Speaker 1: Into lie of eighteen seventy six, America celebrated its first 137 00:09:03,280 --> 00:09:07,040 Speaker 1: hundred years as a country. People flocked to the Centennial 138 00:09:07,080 --> 00:09:13,920 Speaker 1: International Exhibition in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Niagara Falls festivities competed with Philadelphia's, 139 00:09:14,000 --> 00:09:16,960 Speaker 1: and they knew they needed something to draw in the crowds. 140 00:09:17,600 --> 00:09:21,280 Speaker 1: Charles Blondine Zax would be tough to follow. A Word 141 00:09:21,280 --> 00:09:23,640 Speaker 1: of Maria's talents on the tight rope had spread and 142 00:09:23,720 --> 00:09:27,160 Speaker 1: they offered her the job. She was just twenty three 143 00:09:27,240 --> 00:09:30,720 Speaker 1: years old. When she crossed on July eight, eighteen seventy six, 144 00:09:31,320 --> 00:09:34,640 Speaker 1: the crowds cheered her, both from the American and Canadian sides. 145 00:09:35,640 --> 00:09:38,960 Speaker 1: Having drawn plenty of spectators, she was hired for repeat 146 00:09:38,960 --> 00:09:43,040 Speaker 1: performance four days later. For her second walk, she strapped 147 00:09:43,120 --> 00:09:46,240 Speaker 1: baskets of peaches to her feet. For her third performance, 148 00:09:46,280 --> 00:09:48,560 Speaker 1: on July nineteenth, she wore a bag over her head, 149 00:09:49,720 --> 00:09:52,199 Speaker 1: and after that she crossed with her feet and wrists 150 00:09:52,240 --> 00:09:57,280 Speaker 1: and manacles. Maria made a fifth and final appearance crossing 151 00:09:57,280 --> 00:10:00,360 Speaker 1: the falls on July before heading back to Phili Delphia 152 00:10:00,440 --> 00:10:03,880 Speaker 1: to perform at the exhibition. She and Charles had set 153 00:10:03,880 --> 00:10:06,760 Speaker 1: the stage for more daredevils to make the cross, each 154 00:10:06,760 --> 00:10:12,280 Speaker 1: one trying to upstage their predecessors. Clifford Calverley came to 155 00:10:12,360 --> 00:10:16,960 Speaker 1: Niagara Falls in seven. While his walks weren't as elaborate 156 00:10:17,080 --> 00:10:20,080 Speaker 1: or daring as Charles and Maria's, he made his mark 157 00:10:20,160 --> 00:10:23,440 Speaker 1: by setting speed records, crossing over the falls ten minutes 158 00:10:23,480 --> 00:10:26,920 Speaker 1: faster than anyone else. His fastest clocked in at just 159 00:10:26,960 --> 00:10:30,400 Speaker 1: two minutes and thirty two seconds. Not to be outdone 160 00:10:30,400 --> 00:10:33,120 Speaker 1: when it came to stunts, in later crossings, he skipped 161 00:10:33,200 --> 00:10:35,880 Speaker 1: rope hung by one arm, hung by one foot and 162 00:10:36,000 --> 00:10:39,760 Speaker 1: balanced on a chair. At twenty one years old, James E. 163 00:10:39,880 --> 00:10:42,480 Speaker 1: Hardy became the youngest cross in the summer of eighteen 164 00:10:42,520 --> 00:10:46,920 Speaker 1: sixty one. Sixteen years later, in eight seven, Niagara Falls 165 00:10:46,960 --> 00:10:51,120 Speaker 1: had another first. Stephen Pierre was a local and grew 166 00:10:51,200 --> 00:10:54,240 Speaker 1: up watching Charles Blondein and the others crossed the falls. 167 00:10:55,080 --> 00:10:58,280 Speaker 1: Unlike them, Stephen didn't learn tightrope walking as a child, 168 00:10:58,920 --> 00:11:01,800 Speaker 1: but though he started at forty, he didn't let age 169 00:11:01,840 --> 00:11:05,280 Speaker 1: get in the way. He practiced with ropes made of 170 00:11:05,280 --> 00:11:08,320 Speaker 1: woven grape vines between two trees and a family orchard. 171 00:11:09,240 --> 00:11:11,880 Speaker 1: From there he entertained locals by walking a tight rope 172 00:11:11,920 --> 00:11:15,440 Speaker 1: across main street. His big break came when he signed 173 00:11:15,440 --> 00:11:18,640 Speaker 1: on as an assistant to professional tight rope walker Henry Bellini. 174 00:11:19,880 --> 00:11:22,440 Speaker 1: Henry had come to the falls from Australia in eighteen 175 00:11:22,480 --> 00:11:26,199 Speaker 1: seventy three. Instead of making a full crossing, his routine 176 00:11:26,240 --> 00:11:28,600 Speaker 1: was to walk to the halfway point and dive into 177 00:11:28,600 --> 00:11:32,200 Speaker 1: the water below. In eighteen eighty six, he jumped from 178 00:11:32,200 --> 00:11:34,960 Speaker 1: the upper suspension bridge and the rescue boat hauled him 179 00:11:34,960 --> 00:11:38,920 Speaker 1: out of the water, unconscious and with broken ribs. Henry 180 00:11:38,960 --> 00:11:42,079 Speaker 1: continued to instruct his young protege. The words spread that 181 00:11:42,120 --> 00:11:45,680 Speaker 1: he had a bad temper during his lessons. One day, 182 00:11:45,760 --> 00:11:49,559 Speaker 1: when Henry wasn't looking, Stephen used his mentors ropes. He 183 00:11:49,640 --> 00:11:52,240 Speaker 1: hopped up on the line and easily skipped across to 184 00:11:52,280 --> 00:11:56,440 Speaker 1: the cheering crowds, then began his trek back. When Henry 185 00:11:56,480 --> 00:11:59,200 Speaker 1: heard the commotion and saw the crowds applauding, he flew 186 00:11:59,240 --> 00:12:01,760 Speaker 1: into a rage. He began to cut the rope while 187 00:12:01,800 --> 00:12:04,880 Speaker 1: Stephen was still out on it. He cut two of 188 00:12:04,920 --> 00:12:08,240 Speaker 1: the three lines before onlookers stopped him, and Stephen made 189 00:12:08,240 --> 00:12:11,920 Speaker 1: it safely across. The locals ran Henriotte of town. After that, 190 00:12:13,120 --> 00:12:16,560 Speaker 1: Stephen returned for repeat performance on June twenty second of 191 00:12:16,559 --> 00:12:20,280 Speaker 1: eighteen eighty seven. Three days later, he became the fall's 192 00:12:20,320 --> 00:12:23,560 Speaker 1: first fatality. A passer by discovered his body on the 193 00:12:23,559 --> 00:12:27,160 Speaker 1: banks of the gorge below his cable. Some locals suggested 194 00:12:27,240 --> 00:12:29,760 Speaker 1: he might have been drinking. Others thought he had met 195 00:12:29,760 --> 00:12:33,440 Speaker 1: a more nefarious death at the hands of arrival. The 196 00:12:33,520 --> 00:12:36,880 Speaker 1: corner ruled it a suicide. It was commonly thought that 197 00:12:37,000 --> 00:12:40,360 Speaker 1: all daredevils harbored a death wish, a theory, but Stephen's 198 00:12:40,400 --> 00:12:45,440 Speaker 1: family strongly disagreed with. Regardless, the circumstances surrounding his death 199 00:12:45,559 --> 00:12:51,280 Speaker 1: remained a mystery, which naturally added to the falls popularity. 200 00:12:56,559 --> 00:12:59,439 Speaker 1: Like all forms of entertainment, if a stunt has been 201 00:12:59,480 --> 00:13:03,680 Speaker 1: done enough times, the novelty wears off. After a while. 202 00:13:03,800 --> 00:13:06,880 Speaker 1: Watching the tight rep walkers venture across the Falls lost, 203 00:13:07,000 --> 00:13:13,360 Speaker 1: some of brill spectators wanted something more. Death defying little 204 00:13:13,360 --> 00:13:17,000 Speaker 1: Annie Edson had no interest in playing with dolls. Instead, 205 00:13:17,160 --> 00:13:20,640 Speaker 1: the locals often recalled seeing her climbing trees and playing sports. 206 00:13:21,400 --> 00:13:24,400 Speaker 1: They described her as having a lively imagination and an 207 00:13:24,440 --> 00:13:30,000 Speaker 1: insatiable thirst for adventure stories. Annie's personality wasn't the social 208 00:13:30,040 --> 00:13:32,640 Speaker 1: norm for girls in the eighteen thirties and forties, but 209 00:13:32,760 --> 00:13:36,120 Speaker 1: her parents never pressured her to be more feminine. The 210 00:13:36,160 --> 00:13:39,000 Speaker 1: family owned a highly profitable flour mill, and she and 211 00:13:39,040 --> 00:13:43,560 Speaker 1: her seven siblings lived a charmed life. Later, Annie completed 212 00:13:43,600 --> 00:13:46,920 Speaker 1: higher education, received an honors degree, and became a teacher. 213 00:13:47,760 --> 00:13:50,079 Speaker 1: She met one David Taylor, and the two soon wet, 214 00:13:50,880 --> 00:13:54,920 Speaker 1: but tragedy struck twice. Their young son died in infancy, 215 00:13:55,240 --> 00:13:58,360 Speaker 1: and soon afterward David was killed during the Civil War. 216 00:13:59,640 --> 00:14:03,240 Speaker 1: Now on her own with no income, Annie returned to teaching, 217 00:14:03,520 --> 00:14:06,839 Speaker 1: often traveling the country to find steady work. Her love 218 00:14:06,880 --> 00:14:09,640 Speaker 1: of dance inspired her to open a school in Bay City, Michigan. 219 00:14:10,360 --> 00:14:14,960 Speaker 1: The business proved unsuccessful, but she didn't stop trying. She 220 00:14:15,000 --> 00:14:18,199 Speaker 1: found work teaching music in Sue Sat Marie, San Antonio, 221 00:14:18,320 --> 00:14:22,640 Speaker 1: and Mexico City. Along the way, she inadvertently found adventures 222 00:14:22,640 --> 00:14:27,120 Speaker 1: of her own. Annie survived a house fire in Chattanooga, Tennessee, 223 00:14:27,240 --> 00:14:30,440 Speaker 1: and an earthquake in South Carolina. She had been through 224 00:14:30,440 --> 00:14:34,160 Speaker 1: a lot and was certainly down on her luck. In Texas, 225 00:14:34,240 --> 00:14:37,000 Speaker 1: robbers held up her stage coach. She refused to give 226 00:14:37,040 --> 00:14:39,320 Speaker 1: them the money hidden in her dress, even when one 227 00:14:39,320 --> 00:14:42,239 Speaker 1: of the men leveled a gun at her head. Defiantly, 228 00:14:42,400 --> 00:14:44,680 Speaker 1: she told him to pull the trigger. I should rather 229 00:14:44,720 --> 00:14:49,120 Speaker 1: be without her brains than her last dollars. Annie returned 230 00:14:49,200 --> 00:14:53,240 Speaker 1: to Bay City for work, finding none and fast becoming desperate, 231 00:14:53,280 --> 00:14:56,760 Speaker 1: and she settled near Saginaw Bay in to teach dance 232 00:14:56,800 --> 00:15:00,560 Speaker 1: and etiquette to children. Things seemed to be turned around 233 00:15:00,880 --> 00:15:05,520 Speaker 1: until the lumber industry faltered once more. She found herself 234 00:15:05,560 --> 00:15:09,400 Speaker 1: in financial straits. It was nineteen o one and newspapers 235 00:15:09,400 --> 00:15:12,360 Speaker 1: were filled with stories about the Pan American Exposition, in 236 00:15:12,480 --> 00:15:17,480 Speaker 1: Niagara Falls. Always the adventurous one, Annie began to plot 237 00:15:18,520 --> 00:15:21,040 Speaker 1: at sixty three years old. She might not be able 238 00:15:21,080 --> 00:15:23,240 Speaker 1: to walk a tight rope, but she could do something 239 00:15:23,320 --> 00:15:27,440 Speaker 1: no one else ever had, go over the falls. She 240 00:15:27,560 --> 00:15:30,720 Speaker 1: had a barrel custom made from white oak, but when 241 00:15:30,800 --> 00:15:33,160 Speaker 1: complete it stood four and a half feet tall and 242 00:15:33,200 --> 00:15:36,040 Speaker 1: three ft wide. It was about as large as an 243 00:15:36,040 --> 00:15:39,800 Speaker 1: icebox or a small coffin, depending on how you viewed 244 00:15:39,840 --> 00:15:45,120 Speaker 1: Annie's plan. She arrived in late October and hired two assistants. 245 00:15:45,840 --> 00:15:48,600 Speaker 1: High winds made the first attempt to treacherous for the boat. 246 00:15:49,400 --> 00:15:51,880 Speaker 1: The conditions were better the next day, the twenty four. 247 00:15:52,760 --> 00:15:56,040 Speaker 1: At around two o'clock that afternoon, Annie and her assistants 248 00:15:56,080 --> 00:15:59,440 Speaker 1: departed from port. Day with the excited spectators cheering them on, 249 00:16:00,680 --> 00:16:03,040 Speaker 1: Annie slid into the harness attached to the inside of 250 00:16:03,080 --> 00:16:06,440 Speaker 1: the barrel. The assistants packed in pillows and handed her 251 00:16:06,440 --> 00:16:09,200 Speaker 1: a breathing apparatus that would supply about an hour's worth 252 00:16:09,240 --> 00:16:12,240 Speaker 1: of air, though she didn't show it, and the thought 253 00:16:12,240 --> 00:16:15,160 Speaker 1: of the barrel crashing, much less sinking to the bottom 254 00:16:15,680 --> 00:16:20,520 Speaker 1: terrified her. Once inside, with a lid tightly shut, assistance 255 00:16:20,560 --> 00:16:24,160 Speaker 1: lowered the barrel into the water. The barrel bobbed and 256 00:16:24,240 --> 00:16:26,960 Speaker 1: swirled in the current, and the roar of the approaching 257 00:16:26,960 --> 00:16:30,840 Speaker 1: falls grew louder. Annie thought of the stagecoach robbers who 258 00:16:31,000 --> 00:16:33,920 Speaker 1: held a gun to her head, though she couldn't see it. 259 00:16:34,160 --> 00:16:38,040 Speaker 1: She now faced a different threat of death. On shore 260 00:16:38,160 --> 00:16:42,120 Speaker 1: spectators gasped. The barrel, raced along, then lurched forward over 261 00:16:42,120 --> 00:16:44,680 Speaker 1: the edge of the a hundred and sixty seven foot drop. 262 00:16:45,720 --> 00:16:50,080 Speaker 1: The barrel tumbled downward and vanished. Strong undercurrents pulled it 263 00:16:50,120 --> 00:16:53,160 Speaker 1: along the bottom, slamming it into rocks, causing cracks that 264 00:16:53,280 --> 00:16:56,960 Speaker 1: let water seep in. Then the barrel shot upward to 265 00:16:56,960 --> 00:17:00,240 Speaker 1: the surface. The churn took hold, spinning it and ending 266 00:17:00,240 --> 00:17:04,159 Speaker 1: it to the bottom again. Onlookers stood horrified. Annie and 267 00:17:04,200 --> 00:17:08,399 Speaker 1: the barrel were gone. Minutes later, the men on a 268 00:17:08,440 --> 00:17:10,680 Speaker 1: rescue boat spotted the barrel as it bobbed to the 269 00:17:10,720 --> 00:17:13,840 Speaker 1: surface again. They quickly fished the barrel from the water. 270 00:17:15,000 --> 00:17:18,760 Speaker 1: Annie popped out and bruised and nauseated, with her forehead 271 00:17:18,760 --> 00:17:21,600 Speaker 1: bleeding from a large gash. She waved to the crowd. 272 00:17:22,680 --> 00:17:24,879 Speaker 1: The Maid of the Mist blew its horn in celebration, 273 00:17:25,200 --> 00:17:27,359 Speaker 1: and those packed on board to get a close up 274 00:17:27,359 --> 00:17:31,520 Speaker 1: of the event applauded and waved back. The newspapers printed 275 00:17:31,560 --> 00:17:35,359 Speaker 1: the story, and Annie rose to fame. It wouldn't last, though, 276 00:17:35,960 --> 00:17:39,560 Speaker 1: a dishonest manager stole her money. Women's rights had come 277 00:17:39,560 --> 00:17:42,400 Speaker 1: a long way from honeymoons, but in the eighteen hundreds, 278 00:17:42,560 --> 00:17:47,120 Speaker 1: financial institutions required women to have a man's approval. When 279 00:17:47,160 --> 00:17:50,320 Speaker 1: asked by a reporter if she would consider a repeat performance, 280 00:17:50,520 --> 00:17:53,199 Speaker 1: Annie replied that she had rather face a cannon than 281 00:17:53,280 --> 00:18:07,400 Speaker 1: go over the falls again. Annie's health suffered. She blamed 282 00:18:07,400 --> 00:18:09,679 Speaker 1: her near blindness on the trip over the falls and 283 00:18:09,720 --> 00:18:13,440 Speaker 1: the gash on her head. Near penniless once more, and 284 00:18:13,680 --> 00:18:17,439 Speaker 1: regained some money with interviews, public appearances, a memoir, and 285 00:18:17,520 --> 00:18:21,040 Speaker 1: a reenactment of her stunt for Silent Film. Though she 286 00:18:21,119 --> 00:18:24,000 Speaker 1: managed to eke out a living, she passed away, broke 287 00:18:24,240 --> 00:18:29,119 Speaker 1: and in relative obscurity on April n in Niagara County. 288 00:18:30,280 --> 00:18:33,160 Speaker 1: Close friends and fans attended her funeral on May five. 289 00:18:34,160 --> 00:18:37,200 Speaker 1: That same day, a celebrity arrived in town in preparation 290 00:18:37,280 --> 00:18:40,000 Speaker 1: for the film The Man from Beyond. He had been 291 00:18:40,080 --> 00:18:44,320 Speaker 1: hired to swim across the rapids. The swim was dangerous, 292 00:18:44,320 --> 00:18:46,520 Speaker 1: but the crew made sure to tether the star to 293 00:18:46,560 --> 00:18:49,760 Speaker 1: safety lines. There had been plenty of deaths in the 294 00:18:49,840 --> 00:18:53,879 Speaker 1: rapids before. In eighty three, Captain Matthew Webb, who had 295 00:18:53,880 --> 00:18:56,800 Speaker 1: been the first person to swim the English Channel without assistance, 296 00:18:57,280 --> 00:19:01,840 Speaker 1: drowned while attempting to swim the Niagara Rapids. The locals 297 00:19:01,880 --> 00:19:04,240 Speaker 1: weren't thrilled about the filming happening on the day of 298 00:19:04,240 --> 00:19:08,040 Speaker 1: Annie's funeral, but one particular scene angered them the most. 299 00:19:08,680 --> 00:19:11,119 Speaker 1: It called for a canoe with stunt Demi's to go 300 00:19:11,320 --> 00:19:15,600 Speaker 1: over the falls. The Niagara Gazette reported on both the 301 00:19:15,640 --> 00:19:18,760 Speaker 1: funeral and the movie shoot, criticizing the movie and those 302 00:19:18,760 --> 00:19:21,840 Speaker 1: associated with it for filming, particularly the canoe scene on 303 00:19:21,880 --> 00:19:25,520 Speaker 1: the day of Annie's funeral. Locals commented that the film 304 00:19:25,640 --> 00:19:28,600 Speaker 1: stars benefited with a much higher payout than Annie's real 305 00:19:28,680 --> 00:19:32,480 Speaker 1: life plunge took in. Annie had not only been the 306 00:19:32,520 --> 00:19:35,200 Speaker 1: first person to go over the falls and survive, but 307 00:19:35,280 --> 00:19:37,879 Speaker 1: should also been the only woman to attempt the feat. 308 00:19:38,880 --> 00:19:42,560 Speaker 1: The celebrity met plenty of resistance around town, and police 309 00:19:42,560 --> 00:19:45,920 Speaker 1: and others continually reminded him that he couldn't and shouldn't 310 00:19:46,000 --> 00:19:49,919 Speaker 1: attempt to go over the falls. Irked by the continued reminders, 311 00:19:50,200 --> 00:19:52,439 Speaker 1: he stated that if he decided to go over, he 312 00:19:52,520 --> 00:19:57,240 Speaker 1: would and that he wouldn't get hurt. The townspeople found 313 00:19:57,280 --> 00:20:01,119 Speaker 1: his attitude and comments a bit disrespectful. Annie was a 314 00:20:01,119 --> 00:20:03,800 Speaker 1: local hero. They called her the Queen of the Mist. 315 00:20:05,200 --> 00:20:08,720 Speaker 1: After filming ended that day, the Star seemingly realized how 316 00:20:08,760 --> 00:20:11,520 Speaker 1: he had come across it. Said he went to the 317 00:20:11,520 --> 00:20:15,200 Speaker 1: Oakwood Cemetery and visited a section dedicated to Niagara Falls 318 00:20:15,240 --> 00:20:19,880 Speaker 1: daredevils called Stunter's Rest. There he spent time in front 319 00:20:19,880 --> 00:20:23,280 Speaker 1: of Annie's grave. You see, he had once been a 320 00:20:23,359 --> 00:20:25,919 Speaker 1: dare devil himself before he turned to acting as a 321 00:20:26,000 --> 00:20:36,800 Speaker 1: lucrative source of income. That celebrity was Harry Houdini. There's 322 00:20:36,800 --> 00:20:39,120 Speaker 1: more to the story, and stick around after this brief 323 00:20:39,160 --> 00:20:54,360 Speaker 1: sponsor break to hear all about it. When we think 324 00:20:54,400 --> 00:20:57,240 Speaker 1: of dare devils, we think of those like Annie who 325 00:20:57,359 --> 00:21:01,399 Speaker 1: risk life and limb for fame or fortune. There's another 326 00:21:01,480 --> 00:21:04,119 Speaker 1: kind of daredevil, though, ones who don't do it for 327 00:21:04,160 --> 00:21:08,360 Speaker 1: the glory. They do it to save other people's lives. 328 00:21:08,359 --> 00:21:11,840 Speaker 1: Such was the case on February eighteenth of nineteen fifty two. 329 00:21:13,560 --> 00:21:16,080 Speaker 1: A five hundred and four foot tanker called the S. S. 330 00:21:16,080 --> 00:21:19,320 Speaker 1: Pendle Pin was headed south in near white out conditions 331 00:21:19,520 --> 00:21:23,840 Speaker 1: ten miles off the coast of Chatham, Massachusetts. Rough seas 332 00:21:23,840 --> 00:21:27,840 Speaker 1: accompanied the heavy snow. The northeaster was a record breaker, 333 00:21:28,160 --> 00:21:30,840 Speaker 1: hammering New England with more than thirty inches of snow 334 00:21:30,960 --> 00:21:35,240 Speaker 1: in two days. As the last daylight faded from the sky, 335 00:21:35,520 --> 00:21:38,200 Speaker 1: the Pendleton's crew did their best to keep from being 336 00:21:38,280 --> 00:21:41,359 Speaker 1: tossed overboard and prevent the ship from veering off course. 337 00:21:42,840 --> 00:21:45,800 Speaker 1: Just after dark, a loud crack broke over the sound 338 00:21:45,880 --> 00:21:49,560 Speaker 1: of the wind waves and shouts. The ship listed sharply 339 00:21:49,600 --> 00:21:53,600 Speaker 1: to one side before breaking into two. The captain and 340 00:21:53,680 --> 00:21:56,639 Speaker 1: seven crewmen on the bow were left without power and 341 00:21:56,880 --> 00:22:00,280 Speaker 1: began to drift south. The thirty two men on the 342 00:22:00,280 --> 00:22:03,520 Speaker 1: stern had power, but knew they wouldn't stay afloat for long. 343 00:22:04,320 --> 00:22:06,960 Speaker 1: Unable to send an s O S to nearby ships, 344 00:22:07,000 --> 00:22:09,280 Speaker 1: the best the men could do was hope someone would 345 00:22:09,280 --> 00:22:14,199 Speaker 1: spot them despite the near zero visibility. Mid morning the 346 00:22:14,200 --> 00:22:17,159 Speaker 1: following day, an s O S came in from another tanker, 347 00:22:17,240 --> 00:22:20,240 Speaker 1: the Fort Mercer. They had also snapped in half and 348 00:22:20,320 --> 00:22:25,320 Speaker 1: needed immediate assistance. The Chatham Lifeboat Station sent rescue teams 349 00:22:25,359 --> 00:22:27,720 Speaker 1: in an airplane to aid in locating the ships some 350 00:22:27,920 --> 00:22:31,720 Speaker 1: twenty miles off the coast. A while in search for 351 00:22:31,760 --> 00:22:35,080 Speaker 1: the Mercer, the Coastguard picked up the Pendletons on their radar. 352 00:22:35,800 --> 00:22:37,840 Speaker 1: It took them a few minutes to realize they had 353 00:22:37,840 --> 00:22:43,200 Speaker 1: two broken ships. Commanding Officer Daniel Webster Clough dispatched first 354 00:22:43,240 --> 00:22:48,240 Speaker 1: Class Bernard Webber to the Pendletons. As afternoon turned to dusk, 355 00:22:48,400 --> 00:22:52,160 Speaker 1: Webber assembled the makeshift crew. Most of the men were 356 00:22:52,240 --> 00:22:55,240 Speaker 1: untested when it came to dangerous situations at sea, but 357 00:22:55,440 --> 00:22:59,360 Speaker 1: they understood the risks. By all accounts, they were embarking 358 00:22:59,480 --> 00:23:03,400 Speaker 1: on a sewer side mission. The thirty six ft lifeboat 359 00:23:03,720 --> 00:23:07,800 Speaker 1: called the CG set out in the dark and the 360 00:23:07,840 --> 00:23:12,639 Speaker 1: blinding snow. Not long after leaving the harbor, they suffered damage. 361 00:23:13,520 --> 00:23:16,280 Speaker 1: Now they were searching for a sinking ship in the dark, 362 00:23:16,560 --> 00:23:19,199 Speaker 1: without a compass, and in the worst nor easter the 363 00:23:19,240 --> 00:23:23,440 Speaker 1: coast had ever recorded. And even worse, the damage also 364 00:23:23,480 --> 00:23:26,800 Speaker 1: took out their lights, so other ships couldn't see them either. 365 00:23:28,560 --> 00:23:32,000 Speaker 1: The crew pushed onward, singing songs to steady their nerves 366 00:23:32,000 --> 00:23:35,840 Speaker 1: and pass the time in the sixty foot waves. Then 367 00:23:36,040 --> 00:23:38,679 Speaker 1: out of the darkness came the shrieks and groans of 368 00:23:38,680 --> 00:23:42,280 Speaker 1: twisting metal in front of them, A huge hunk of 369 00:23:42,359 --> 00:23:45,240 Speaker 1: tanker rose from the water, then vanished into the foam 370 00:23:45,280 --> 00:23:50,600 Speaker 1: before reappearing once more towering over the lifeboat. A Webber 371 00:23:50,640 --> 00:23:54,280 Speaker 1: steered the lifeboat around while the men shone searchlights, illuminating 372 00:23:54,320 --> 00:23:58,280 Speaker 1: two things, the ship's name, the USS Pendleton, and a 373 00:23:58,320 --> 00:24:02,560 Speaker 1: man aboard waving Frank Lee. They couldn't believe anyone had survived. 374 00:24:03,920 --> 00:24:06,720 Speaker 1: He disappeared into the wreckage and returned, this time with 375 00:24:06,760 --> 00:24:09,320 Speaker 1: a line of men. They tossed over one of the 376 00:24:09,320 --> 00:24:13,080 Speaker 1: ship's ladders, but it couldn't reach the lifeboat. With no 377 00:24:13,160 --> 00:24:16,360 Speaker 1: other choice, the men aboard the Pendleton climbed down one 378 00:24:16,440 --> 00:24:19,280 Speaker 1: by one to take a leap, doing the best to 379 00:24:19,320 --> 00:24:22,320 Speaker 1: time their jumps to the rough waves nor eastern winds, 380 00:24:22,359 --> 00:24:26,840 Speaker 1: an ever shifting distance between ladder and boat. When they 381 00:24:26,920 --> 00:24:29,360 Speaker 1: let go of the ladder, some dropped onto the lifeboat. 382 00:24:30,160 --> 00:24:32,119 Speaker 1: Those who fell into the sea were scooped out of 383 00:24:32,119 --> 00:24:34,879 Speaker 1: the frigid water before the waves carried them off, and 384 00:24:35,000 --> 00:24:37,800 Speaker 1: strong winds slammed the ladder into the tanker's side. While 385 00:24:37,800 --> 00:24:42,119 Speaker 1: the men made their daring escape, Webber had a problem. 386 00:24:42,359 --> 00:24:44,560 Speaker 1: His boat could only carry a dozen people, and they 387 00:24:44,600 --> 00:24:47,440 Speaker 1: had twenty on board already, plus another twelve still aboard 388 00:24:47,440 --> 00:24:50,960 Speaker 1: the Pendletons. If they left now, the remaining men would 389 00:24:51,000 --> 00:24:54,120 Speaker 1: be dead before he could return. He and his men 390 00:24:54,160 --> 00:24:57,840 Speaker 1: decided that everyone would either live together or die together. 391 00:24:59,560 --> 00:25:02,719 Speaker 1: The pendle Sin's cook, George Myers, stayed above the tanker 392 00:25:02,760 --> 00:25:05,840 Speaker 1: to help study the ladder. When he was alone, he 393 00:25:05,880 --> 00:25:09,600 Speaker 1: at last began his descent. The Pendleton groaned and began 394 00:25:09,640 --> 00:25:14,440 Speaker 1: to sink. Myers jumped. A massive wave slammed into them, 395 00:25:14,600 --> 00:25:18,679 Speaker 1: crushing Myers between the lifeboat and the Pendleton's Unable to 396 00:25:18,680 --> 00:25:21,159 Speaker 1: retrieve his body, Webber steered the boat away from the 397 00:25:21,160 --> 00:25:25,439 Speaker 1: sinking ship. Webber guided the damaged lifeboat back to the 398 00:25:25,440 --> 00:25:29,119 Speaker 1: pier entirely on instinct. A crowd of women and children 399 00:25:29,119 --> 00:25:31,919 Speaker 1: awaited them. Many of them cried as they greeted their 400 00:25:31,960 --> 00:25:35,040 Speaker 1: loved ones. Others cried when they learned the crew on 401 00:25:35,080 --> 00:25:41,520 Speaker 1: the tanker's other half had been lost. The c Gred 402 00:25:41,600 --> 00:25:44,879 Speaker 1: was restored towards former glory for a public ceremony with 403 00:25:45,040 --> 00:25:56,480 Speaker 1: risk taker Bernard Webber and his wife Aboard American Shadows 404 00:25:56,520 --> 00:26:00,199 Speaker 1: as hosted by Lauren Vogelbaum. This episode was written by 405 00:26:00,200 --> 00:26:04,360 Speaker 1: Michelle Muto researched by Ali Steed and produced by Miranda 406 00:26:04,440 --> 00:26:09,320 Speaker 1: Hawkins and Trevor Young, with executive producers Aaron Mankey, Alex Williams, 407 00:26:09,320 --> 00:26:12,720 Speaker 1: and Matt Frederick. To learn more about the show, visit 408 00:26:12,760 --> 00:26:16,240 Speaker 1: grim and mild dot com. For more podcasts from iHeart Radio, 409 00:26:16,480 --> 00:26:20,119 Speaker 1: visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you 410 00:26:20,200 --> 00:26:21,240 Speaker 1: get your podcasts.