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- North Tonawanda NY Evening News - 5/13/1974
Search efforts continued today for the bodies of two men
who were swept over the Canadian side of the Horseshoe
Falls Saturday night after their outboard motorboat
apparently became disabled in the upper Niagara River.
The men, both presumed dead, have been tentatively
identified as David A. Boyd, 29, of 4714 Pomeroy Ave.,
Town of Niagara, and Donald Walker, 19, of 327 10th St..
Niagara Falls, N.Y.
Niagara Frontier State Parks Police, members of the
U.S. Coast Guard, station at Youngstown, and Canadian
authorities were searching the whirlpool area below the
falls today for signs of the two men. Parts of the 16-foot
fibreglass boat and some of its equipment have been
recovered.
Hundreds of spectators on both the Canadian and
American shores watched helplessly as the boat capsized
and plunged over the 176-foot falls at about 7:30 p.m.
Several witnesses said the boat appeared to have lost
power in the upper rapids as the occupants tried
unsuccessfully to steer the craft away from the brink of
the precipice.
After the boat capsized, one of the two men reportedly
clung to the craft as it went over the falls. The second
man, seen wearing a lifejacket, reportedly tried to swim
against the strong current, but was also swept over the
falls.
After the incident, Canadian and American authorities
launched a check of area marinas and other launching
sites seeking clues to the victims' identities.
Boyd's car and an empty boat trailer were found at the
City of Niagara Falls boat ramp on Cayuga Island.
Niagara Falls Police Detective Lt. James Gray said
parts of the wrecked boat have been identified by Boyd's
wife.
Friends of Donald Walker said the youth, who was
employed as a mechanic at Bahama Marina, 2109 Military
Road, Niagara Falls, had been working on Boyd's boat and
believe the two men may have decided to take the craft for
a test run.
Witnesses reported the boat's motor was running
intermittently before the accident. Police speculate the
rapids might have been too much for the small motor to
handle.
An earlier report that the craft might have run out of gas
was discounted after police on the Canadian side of the
Niagara River recovered two full cans of gasoline,
presumably from the wrecked boat.
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