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Next to go over Niagara was a 22 year old part-time bartender from Barrington,
Rhode Island. In a device made of two plastic pickle barrels surrounded by large
inner tubes and covered by a tarpaulin, he made his successful plunge at 8:30
a.m. on August 18, 1985.
Emerging uninjured from his home-made barrel, Trotter became the youngest
man to survive the plunge. Trotter, like previous daredevils, was fined. He made
a few television appearances and seemingly disappeared from the public eye until
a dramatic reappearance in the summer of 1995.
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On June 18,1995 Trotter teamed up with friend Lori Martin, a 29 year old woman
from Atlanta, Georgia for the first "co-ed" barrel ride over the Falls.
Their 3.6 m (12ft) barrel was made from two pieces of hot water heater tanks
welded together and coated by Kevlar. It weighed together in at 408 kg (900lbs)
and was reported to have costs $19,000. A Florida investment banker funded this
stunt. The barrel was equipped with 4 oxygen tanks containing enough air to last
for up to one hour and 20 minutes.
Launched shortly before 9:30 a.m. approximately 91m from the brink of the
Horseshoe Falls, it went over the Falls and became lodged in a rock crevice. Members
of the Niagara Falls Fire Department, along with the Niagara Parks Police, had
to climb over a guard rail in the tunnels to reach the trapped barrel and secure
it to shore with a line. They then undid the hatch and pulled out Martin who was
wearing knee pads and protective clothing; Trotter climbed out afterwards.
The barrel was trapped for nine days and was then removed by a crane for safety
reasons. It remained with the Niagara Parks Commission for several weeks before
weeks before Trotter returned to reclaim it, paying the costs that were incurred
in retrieving it from below the Falls.
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Travel Niagara would like to thank
Royal Specialty Sales for their gracious assistance
in this production of our daredevil gallery. During your stay in Niagara Falls
be sure to pick up a copy of their most recent publication
The Magic of Niagara by noted Niagara watcher
George Bailey. |
Make The Magic of Niagara a great memento of
your visit to Niagara Falls. 65 fully illustrated pages detailing Niagara's glorious
past. Available at gift shops throughout the Niagara Region. |
