The manner in which Mrs. Taylor got the inspiration to go over the
Falls of Niagara, to perform a feat never before attempted by a human
being, is best told by her in the following words:
For two years I had been constantly studying, when not occupied in
teaching, what I could do to make money--to make it honestly and
quickly. All kinds of schemes ran riot through my brain. Reading in a
New York paper about people going to the Pan-American Exposition, and
from there to Niagara Falls, the idea came to me like a flash of light,
“Go over Niagara Falls in a barrel. No one has ever accomplished this
feat.” I did not think it wrong, as there was nothing immodest in the
act, nor did it involve the life of anyone but myself. I believe in
prayer, and that God will answer if only there is faith. As my motive
was not a selfish one, but to succor two friends, one who has little
children, the other in delicate health, and to aid myself financially,
I believed I would live. I was determined to live, to vindicate to the
world God’s mercy and goodness.