 | イグアスの滝 2002年に撮影したイグアスの滝。アルゼンチン側からのビュー。 |
 | Niagara Falls Niagara Falls |
 | Niagara Falls Over The Falls Bobby Leach and his barrel after his trip over Niagara Falls, 1911In October 1829, Sam Patch, who called himself The Yankee Leaper, jumped from a high tower into the gorge below the falls and survived; this began a long tradition of daredevils trying to go over the Falls. In 1901, 63-year-old school teacher Annie Edson Taylor was the first person to go over the Falls in a barrel as a publicity stunt; she survived, bleeding, but virtually unharmed. Soon after exiting the barrel, she said, "No one should ever try that again." Unfortunately, the fortune she hoped to make from a later lecture tour was never realized, as her manager was a con-man who took everything she owned. (Legend says that a small kitten rode in the barrel with her, but this seems to have been a whimsical myth. She in fact sent the cat over the falls in a barrel first. Although the cat did not survive, Taylor went on with the stunt. Still, when she posed with the barrel afterwards, a kitten sat placidly on top of it.) Since Taylor's historic ride, 14 other people have intentionally gone over the Falls in or on a device, despite her advice. Some have survived unharmed, but others have drowned or been severely injured. Survivors of such stunts face charges and stiff fines, as it is illegal, on both sides of the border, to attempt to go over the Falls. In 1918, there was a near disaster when a barge working up-river broke its tow, and almost plunged over the falls. Fortunately, the vessel grounded on rocks just short of the falls.[23] Other daredevils have made crossing the Falls their goal, starting with the successful passage by Jean François "Blondin" Gravelet in 1859. These tightrope walkers drew huge crowds to witness their exploits. Their wires ran across the gorge, near the current Rainbow Bridge, not over the waterfall itself. Among the many was Ontario's William Hunt, who billed himself as "Signor Fanini" and competed with Blondin in performing outrageous stunts over the gorge. Englishman Captain Matthew Webb, the first man to swim the English Channel, drowned in 1883 after unsuccessfully trying to swim across the whirlpools and rapids downriver from the Falls with nine other people. Two others drowned with him, and the other seven gave up before finishing their course. In what some called the "Miracle at Niagara", Roger Woodward, a seven-year-old American boy, was swept over the Horseshoe Falls protected only by a life vest on July 9, 1960, as two tourists pulled his 17-year-old sister Deanne from the river only 20 feet (6 m) from the lip of the Horseshoe Falls at Goat Island.[24] Minutes later, Roger was plucked from the roiling plunge pool beneath the Horseshoe Falls after grabbing a life ring thrown to him by the crew of the Maid of the Mist boat. His survival, which no one thought possible, made news throughout the world. On July 2, 1984, Canadian Karel Soucek from Hamilton, Ontario successfully plunged over the Horseshoe Falls in a barrel with only minor injuries. Soucek was fined $500 for performing the stunt without a license. In 1985, he was fatally injured while attempting to re-create the Niagara drop at the Houston Astrodome. His aim was to climb into a barrel hoisted to the rafters of the Astrodome and to drop 180 feet (55 m) into a water tank on the floor. After his barrel released prematurely, it hit the side of the tank and he died the next day from his injuries.[25] In August 1985, Steve Trotter, an aspiring stunt man from Rhode Island, became the youngest person ever (age 22) and the first American in 25 years to go over the Falls in a barrel. Ten years later, Trotter went over the Falls again, becoming the second person to go over the Falls twice and survive. It was also the second-ever "duo"; Lori Martin joined Trotter for the barrel ride over the Falls. They survived the fall but their barrel became stuck at the bottom of the falls, requiring a rescue. They became the first individuals to serve jail time for going over Niagara Falls. The first two-person trip over the brink goes to Jeffrey Petkovich (25) and Peter Debernardi (42) on September 27, 1989.[26] On September 27, 1993 John "David" Monday, of Caistor Centre, Ontario, became the first person to survive going over the falls twice.[27] Kirk Jones of Canton, Michigan became the first known person to survive a plunge over the Horseshoe Falls without a flotation device on October 20, 2003. While it is still not known whether Jones was determined to commit suicide, he survived the 16-story fall with only battered ribs, scrapes, and bruises.[28] A newspaper account in the late 19th century does cite a bulldog believed to have successfully, though accidentally, endured the passage. All "over the Falls" survivors have passed over the Horseshoe Falls, where there are fewer boulders, and the current can "throw" a person farther away from the brink to avoid them. |
 | ナイアガラの滝－４ Horseshoe Fallの横から |
 | 通常の20倍...華厳の滝 台風の影響で華厳の滝の水量が通常の20倍超だとか。 涼しそうでいいですねぇ。 |
 | Brink of Death on the Brink of Niagara Falls This is actual footage captured by tourists and amateur photographers at Niagara Falls on 19 March 2003, of a 48 yo man from Buffalo, NY, at the brink of the Falls along Terrapin Point of Goat Island, NY, side of the Horseshoe Falls. Earlier in the day he lost thousands (borrowed from his father) at newly opened Seneca Nation casino, and was already $600,000 in debt to Casino Niagara on the Canadian side. He was overcome with despair, and left a carefully written note behind saying, "Please tell my parents I'm sorry." The shock of the cold water and swift current jolted him to realize he wasn't ready to die (common statement from survivors after dramatic suicide attempts, aka, jumping off Golden Gate Bridge). At the very last moment before going over the falls, he wedged his feet in a crevice and held on for hours before his rescue. How was he able to stand there? How did he stop his body from advancing to the edge? The water speed in the river ranges from 2 to 3 feet per second (faster and slightly more shallow as it reaches the edge). The bottom is jagged, but worn smooth (visit the three sisters' islands and walk on the rocks to see how slippery they are when dry). The spot where the man stood has a water depth to his knee. At night and in winter, 75% of the water is diverted for power. In summer daytime, 50% is diverted. At 5:00pm in the summer, there would have been twice as much water, so it would have been more violent and waist high. How he withstood the water pressure, even reduced, on slick rocks, even jammed in a crack, in ice cold winter temperatures, is hard to fathom. Rescuers approached from an ice shelf jutting over the water. Hightly decorated helicopter pilot, Capt. Kevin Caffery, was known for taking extreme measures to save people in many river and lake rescues (aka, ice fishermen stranded on a breakaway ice flow, landing on a submerged rock to save a woman). Here, Caffery pushed the limits of the single engine helicopter in blinding mist and unpredictably updrafts from the releasing energy of the falling water. In the water were police Sgt. Pat Moriarty and firefighter Gary Carella. They strained against the current to save him from drowning when he was pulled under the ice shelf by the water. He said to his rescuers, "Let me go, don't kill yourselves, too." He said over and over, "I'm sorry." They managed to pull him to safety. He was admitted to hospital for his injuries and psychiatric help. He refused reporters interview requests. The tape of his rescue is used for training. *** 4 July Through a contact, I was told this week that the rescued man continues to get support for his gambling problem. *** This event was reported by many local and national news outlets: AP, CBS, Time Magazine, and others. The man's name was not released. -------------- Suicides at Niagara -------------- Niagara Falls is a very beautiful place on earth. The power and the magesty of the Falls is overwhelming. You can get up close and personal with the Falls in many safe ways. The Maid of the Mist (US and Canada), the Cave of the Winds (US), and Journey Behind the Falls (Canada) are amazing. Unfortunately, some people go there for other reasons. Every year there is an average of 12 to 18 known suicides at Niagara Falls (not all bodies are recovered) and about 25 a year at the Golden Gate Bridge. Awareness, proper help and the support of friends and loved ones could prevent a vast number of these deaths. The lure of the Falls for suicide is well documented, but in recent years, the publicity is presumed to inspire more people to choose the Falls as a means to their end. It begs the question, why more isn't done to curb suicide at it's source, and to offer more mental health services - this queston was raised after the college shooting and suicide in VA. At the Falls, many people, both men and women, have gone into the rapids quietly, calmly, and often without witnesses. Due to the rocks at the bottom of the American (Rainbow) Falls, there is a lure to the expectation of a quick finality and a hope that their body won't be found - although many are pushed out by the force of the water. Often the only facts of the suicide are notes, letters, personal belongings, and clothes left behind. Over the past 100 years, several people were rescued from the water or rapids between Goat Island and Prospect Point. Usually they were within 100 feet of the shore and 100 to 500 feet from the edge of the Falls. Police, firefighters and friends, used a combination of rope, ladders and wading into the less rough part of the water to get within rescue reach. In recent years, there were several daring rescues, using police and tourist helicopters, from areas not safely accessed any other way. |
 | Niagara Falls Niagara Falls, Toronto, Canada |
 | Niagara Falls - Journey Behind The Falls - 2 portals Finally, I had a chance to explore the great falls up close, actually as close as you can get: I walked down from the Niagara Falls Fallsview Casino to the Niagara River from where I had a great view of the American Falls. Just a few steps further I reached the Canadian Horseshoe Falls, the larger of the two. I had a quick lunch in the Table Rock Center and then headed into the basement where I started to explore a series of tunnels that terminate in two portals located behind the falls. Viewing the power of these majestic waterfalls from these openings and from the outside viewing platform is a truly awe-inspiring experience. |
 | ナイアガラの滝 アメリカ滝 Niagara Falls ナイアガラの滝 の、「アメリカ滝」です。 滝の下から滝に接近するアトラクションに参加。すごい迫力です！ Niagara Falls in America. |
 | Niagara Falls, Canada Beautiful Niagara Falls, view from the air and from the boat. |
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