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The Three Men Give A Toast
To Their Coming Plunge
This team of scientists came up with the perfect attention-getting stunt: they all went over Niagara Falls in a barrel.
They all work for a high-tech company in Silicon Valley. Tim the guy in the middle egged on the other two scientist and they agreed to go along with his plan. A large crane lifted the barrel within one foot of the edge of Niagra Falls so the three men could get in. Then they carefully sealed the top. And within 30 seconds they were dropped over the edge.
With cushions lining the barrel to break their fall they plunged through the falls to the bottom.
Going down they were knocked violently from side to side by the rapids and miraculously the three reached the shore alive after being towed by a small boat, if a bit battered, around 20 minutes after their journey began. After a brief flurry of photo-ops and speaking engagements they were whisked away. The scientists are seeking to donate any money from any future speaking engagements to charity.
Annie Edson Taylor
These three men follow in the footsteps of Annie Taylor.
Annie Edson Taylor (1838 – 1921) was an American adventurer who, on her 63rd birthday, October 24, 1901, became the first person to survive a trip over Niagara Falls in a barrel.
Desiring to secure her later years financially, and avoid the poorhouse, she decided she would be the first person to ride over Niagara Falls in a barrel. Taylor used a custom-made barrel for her trip, constructed of oak and iron and padded with a mattress. Several delays occurred in the launching of the barrel, particularly because no one wanted to be part of a potential suicide. After the journey, Annie Taylor told the press:
“If it was with my dying breath, I would caution anyone against attempting the feat... I would sooner walk up to the mouth of a cannon, knowing it was going to blow me to pieces than make another trip over the Fall."