Is The Bolton Strid Stream the World’s Deadliest?
You might expect to find the deadliest stream in the world to be in some far-off the beaten path, exotic place, but it's in... England?
By Jaime Trosper for Interesting Engineering Image: Steve Glover
at Flickr
Earth is filled with many beautiful rivers and streams-- places where you can't help but want to take your shoes off and stick your feet in the water.
Most of the time, this is a perfectly safe (not to mention satisfying) way to cool off on a hot summer day, but there's a little-known stream in England where going in any further could cost you your life.
The term "looks can be deceiving" comes to mind. You certainly wouldn't think it by looking at it, but this little stream--known as the Bolton Strid--has an insidious reputation.
Locals claim it has a 100 percent mortality rate for anyone entering the stream, though there are no definitive figures on how many lives this little stream has claimed over the years.
So, what makes it so dangerous?
First of all, the stream isn't as narrow as it appears... the ground beneath is filled with all sorts of underground tunnels and caverns (where the bulk of the river's water hides).
[And the] water rushing from the River Wharfe to the Strid is compressed as it narrows, which creates a bottleneck effect that sees the speed of the water increase dramatically and very fast...
[Plus the whirlpool effects] make it nearly impossible for a swimmer to escape like...
Barry and Lynn Collett on a scenic hike along the River Wharfe in 1998.
No one knows exactly what happened to the couple, [but] it took rescuers 6 days to find Lynne's body, while Barry's remains weren't discovered until almost a month later...
