- Bobby Leach
Bobby Leach (1858 in
Cornwall, England –April 26 ,1926 ) was the second person to go overNiagara Falls in a barrel, afterAnnie Taylor , and the fist male to ever do so, accomplishing the feat onJuly 25 ,1911 . He spent six months in the hospital recovering from injuries he sustained during the fall, which included two broken knee caps and a fractured jaw. [ [http://www.nfpl.library.on.ca/stuntupload/leach.html Stunters & Daredevils ] at www.nfpl.library.on.ca] Leach had been a performer with the Barnum and Bailey Circus and was no stranger to stunting. Prior to his trip over the falls he owned a restaurant on Bridge Street and would boast to customers that anything Annie could do…he could do better.After surviving the plunge he went on to make a good living by touring vaudeville theatres and lecture halls, recounting his harrowing experience, and displaying his barrel. Unlike Annie Taylor before him, Bobby Leach attained some success from his endeavour. For several years he toured Canada, the United States and England, recounting his harrowing journey at vaudeville shows and lecture halls, exhibiting his barrel and posing for pictures.
Leach returned to Niagara Falls, New York in 1920 and operated a pool hall. While in his sixties he attempted to swim the whirlpool rapids but failed after several attempts. During these aborted attempts, Bobby Leach was rescued by
William "Red" Hill Sr. , a riverman, who knew the Falls well and became well known in the area for later rescues. In 1946 his son, Red Hill Jr. lost his life in his attempt to journey over the falls.In 1926 while on a publicity tour in New Zealand, Leach injured his leg when he slipped on an orange peel. The leg became infected, and eventually gangrene necessitated the amputation of the leg. Despite this extreme procedure, Bobby Leach died two months later. [http://adventure.howstuffworks.com/niagara6.htm]
Notes
External links
* [http://www.infoniagara.com/other/daredevils/bobby.html Info Niagara]
* [http://www.uh.edu/engines/epi1007.htm University of Houston]
* [http://www.nflibrary.ca/nfplindex/search.asp?search=1&db=5&idx=ti&query=bobby+leach Images from the Niagara Falls Public Library (Ont.)]
* [http://reservationsystems.com/niagara_daredevils/bobby_leach.html]
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