In 1920, English barber Charles Stephens made history as the first person to die attempting to go over the falls in a barrel, when the anvil he packed as ballast burst through the bottom of the barrel, taking him with it.
I remember reading about that. Damn fool tied the weight to his leg(!)
Upon the request by Leach, Hill Sr. suggested that Stephens send the barrel over the Falls unoccupied, as a test. Stephens was a stubborn man who strongly disagreed with this idea and decided to carry out with his plans. The barrel was heavy and was designed with straps for Stephens’ arms. As means for steering, Stephens strapped an anvil to his feet. He was unenthusiastically persuaded to take a small tank of oxygen with him and he wore only padded clothing.
While attempting to perform this feat with no police interference, Leach, Hill Sr. and a small fanfare looked on in amazement and horror at 8:15am. Stephens left from Snyder’s point located about 5 km upstream from the Falls. Leach, with fear of certain tragedy, left before Stephens went over the brink at 8:55 a.m. When the huge barrel hit the water at the base of the waterfall, the anvil which was tied to Stephens’ feet was propelled through the bottom of the barrel taking Stephens to his death.
The remnants of the barrel remained trapped at the base of the Falls until its iron rings broke away. When the debris was recovered, only the tattooed right arm of Stephens was still strapped in the harness.
"Life is tough. It's tougher if you're stupid." - John Wayne