The Princeton union., 1880-09-09
Niagara Falls Dry for a Dav.

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The following letter written from Ham
ilton, Ontario, to the Chicago Tribune, by
the Right Rev. DR.. Fuller, relates a re.
markable occurrence: In the month of
March last I delivered In the city of
Hamilton, Ontario, a lecture entitled
"Upper Canada AS It Was Fifty Years
Ago, and Ontario, as It Now Is,'' and in
the course of my lecture, I spoke OF the
great difficulty of constructing the inter-
national bridge between Buffalo and the
Canada side opposite to that city on ac-
count of the great current of water run
ming at times down the Niagara river,
where the waters are driven by strong
westerly winds down Lake Erie, whereas
the quantity of water running down the
river is very much diminished when the
winds drive up Lake Erie. I then re-
marked:
sThis fact caused an event, thirty.two
years ago this month. of which probably
very few ofyou have ever heard. I refer to
the time when the falls of Niagara were
dry for whole day. That day was the
51st of March, 184S. I did not witness
it myself; but I was told of it by my late
brother-in-law, Thomas G. Street, ESQ.,,
member of Parliament. Happening to
go out to his place next day, he told me
that his miller for he had grist on the
rapids above the falls) knocked at his
bedroom door about five o'clock in the
morning of that day, and told him to get
up,as there was no water in the mlll-race.
He said that he was startled at the intel
lgence, and hurried out as soon as he
could dress himself, and then saw the
river, on the edge of which he had been
born thirty years before, dry. After
hurried breakfast he and his youngest
daughter (then unmarried) went down
about three quarters of mile to the preci-
pice itself, over which there was such
little water running over, that, having
provided himself with a strong pole, they
started from the table-rock and walked
near the edge of the precipice about one
third Of the way toward Goat Island, on
the American shore, and having stuck
his pole in crevice of the rock and Miss
Street having tied her pocket-handker-
chief firmly on the top of the pole, they
returned. He said that he then turned
his view to toward the river below
the falls and saw the water SO Shallow
that immense jagged rocks stood up in
such manner that he shuddered when
he thought of his having frequently
passed over them in the little Maid Of
the Mist Gas often had done). He then
returned toward home and drove from
the Canada shore some one half mile
above the falls toward Goat Island. When
he told me this, he reproached himself
very much for not having sent out for
me, eight miles distant. but he said that
though he had several times intended
doing so, he had each time concluded not
to do it, lest before we could reach the
, wonderful scene the waters should have
returned to their old courses. OF course,
everybody was speaking of the wonder
full event when was out there next day,
and have heard others who witnessed
it speak of it since that time. So far I
can test to the evidence of the fact at the
, time of the occurrence.
Mr.. Streets theory is this: That the
! winds mad been blowing down Lake Erie
{ which is only about thirty feet deep, an6
! rushing great deal of water from il
e. over the falls, and suddenly changed and
t blew this little water Comparatively
speaking) up to the western portion O.
i the lake; and that at this juncture th'
= ice on Lake Erie, which had been broker
t up by these high winds, got jammed il
f the river between Buffalo and the Cana
+ da side, and formed dam which KEEP
; back the waters of Lake Erie whole day