Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1883-01-31
WHEFTIN9 W VA WEDNESDAY MORNING. JANUARY 81. 1888
NIAGARA IN WINTER eARB.
The "Ice Bridge" and other Wonders
. "A Perilous Trip Over the lee.

The "Ice Bridge" and other Wonders
"A Perilous Trip Over the lee.
EIAGARA, January 30.-0n the 18th and
18th of the present month a respectable ice
bridge, so to speak, was formed just below
Niagara Falls, and another still lower down
toward the railway suspension bridge.
During The following week the ice was
crossed at these points by many people.
and in the middle of the river, opposite
the Prospect Park Inclined Railway, q COM
Portable shanty was erected on the ice for
the taking of Photographic views and the
peddling of liquid refreshments.
For a mile and a half below the Falls
the river gorge is filled with stationary
masses of ice. At the foot of the Ameri-
can Falls is an enormous hill of ice, round
ed and falling in graceful curves to the
Jagged hillCcks below. A person can
climb this ascent and stand under the great
wet shoulder of Niagara. Looking. up to
the Horseshoe the mist hangs so heavily
over it as entirely to conceal the great
green torrert, end at the sides, where the
water is shallower the cliff is actually
Cased with Solid lee.
in its whole l60 feet perpendicular. Water
is probably running under it, but one can
not see il. Goat Island and Prospect Park
are masses of frost foliage; the face of the
cliff beloS is everywhere sheathed in ice.
some clear water-not much us visible
lust at the foot of the Falls; the ice begins
10 seal up the gorge almost at the impact
of the descending waters. Opposite the
lower side of the American Falls, and two
thirds OF the way across the river, there is
a great irregular pile where the green
water is visible for the length of 100 and
the width Of 80 feet, the sides of which are
perpendicular masses of ice 40 feet high. 1t
looks as if the chafng food had demanded
breathing place at this point, and forced
the great ice blocks up aud off with their
upheaval. With these exceptions the ice
bridge covers the waters of the riyer-and
this open pit with its precipitous sides af-
fords a guide in estimating its thickness.
For at least 40 feet-probably double that
in places-is this ice piled over the
Raging Flood OF Niagara.
The term ice bridge is a misnomer. and
the situation requires a more particular
description to set the reader right as to its
real character. Viewed from the Snspen-
sion oot-bridge at the lower end of the
park, it has the appearance OF rough
pack of ice, without great Irregularities Of
Surface, through which run threadlike
chasms at intervals. Descending the park
stairway to the highest point reached by
the glacier, the adventurous visitor looks
across adeselation Of huge blocks of ice,
with which the gorge is choked. Hills,
valleys, ridges, promontories, are before
him, lying much as millions Of tons of
loose rocks might lie if dumped carelessly
down upon a level. There is no path.
way across it; the situation is not old
enough yet for local enterprise to have
hewn out and filled up good footway, and
planked over the uncomfortable fissures.
The passage is not without danger, arising
from several long assures or crevices from
five to ten feet in width, which reach down
80 feet or so, and which need to be circum-
specify crossed in the absence Of planks. 1t
would make little difference to the un-
fortunate falling into one OF these whether
he reaches the water or not; he would
hardly get out again in either event OF
course, the reasonably long continuance OF
the ice bridge will see good path smoothed
out over it, and these perilous chasms
bridged.