CARLISLE GRAHAM
1886
(Survived)
On July 11, 1886, the first ever barrel stunt was performed at Niagara Falls by Carlisle D. Graham, an English barrel maker who had recently immigrated to Philadelphia.
Graham constructed a barrel of oaken staves bound by handmade iron hoops. He began his trip from the current location of the Whirlpool Bridge through the gorge rapids and the whirlpool.
He had to crouch inside the barrel so that the watertight lid could be screwed into place. He held onto mounted metal handles inside the barrel and the rest of his body was covered with waterproof canvas sheath. He survived the trip, which took approximately 30 minutes, but it had made him dizzy and ill.
His second trip was made keeping his head outside the barrel; this resulted in impaired hearing. He made 5 trips through the whirlpool rapids. He nearly suffocated to death on the final trip after getting caught in an eddy for 20 minutes.
He is buried in Oakwood Cemetery in Niagara Falls, New York.
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