Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1893-05-27
wHENNIAcARA RIVER RAN DRY
A Remarkable Event in the History of
Our Great american Cataract

Our Great american Cataract
Niagara Falls March 81 Letter in
New York Times: 1t is just forty
five years ago to-day that the great
Magyar River went dry 1t was the
only time in history that this extra
ordinary freak of nature was ever
known to take place.
Many have questioned the occur
renee and some have denied that such
a thing could be, but on the morning
of March 81, 1s4S, the waters re-
coded and the bed OF the river above
the Falls was exposed TO view. The
best witness of this event is Bishop
Fuller of Hamilton, Ont In an in
terview with the New York Times
correspondent he said;
II did not see the occurrence my
self, but | was told Of it the next day
by my brother -in-law, Thomas Z.
Street, NJ. p, who had a grist mill
on the rapids above the Falls lie
said that his miller knocked at his
bedroom door about o'clock in the
morning and told him 10 get up
quickly, as there was no water IN the
mill race and no water in the great
river outside the mill race. He said
that he was startled at the intelli-
gence and hurried out as soon as he
could dress himself. There before
him he saw the river channel, on
whose banks he had been born thirty
four years previous, almost dry.
After a hurried breakfast Mr..
Street and his youngest daughter
went down about three quarters of a
mile to the precipice itself, over
which there was SO little water run
ming that, having provided himself
with strong pole, they started from
Table Rock and walked near the edge
Of the precipice about one-third or
the way toward Goat Island on the
American shore. Sticking her fathers
pole in a Crevice of the rock, Miss
Street tied her pocket handkerchief
firmly on top of the pole. Mr.. Street
SAID that he turned his view toward
the river below the Falls and saw the
water SO shallow that immense jag
ged rocks stood up in such frightful
and picturesque manner that he
shuddered when he thought of his
having frequently passed over them
in the little Maid of the Mist.
"He then returned home and drove
from the Canada shore about a half
mile above the Falls, opposite Goat
Island, and then drove out into the
river bed. When he told me this he
reproached himself very much for not
having sent for me. ] was about
eight miles distant, but he said
that although he had several times
thought of doing so, he each time
concluded not to do it lest before we
could reach the wonderful scene the
waterswould again come rushing down
the river bed. OF course every one
was speaking Of the wonderful event
when l was out there the next day.
and l have heard Others who wit
messed it speak of, it since that time.
"Mr Streets theory TO account fol
the recession of waters was this
That the winds had been blowing
down Lake Erie, which is only about
eighty feet deep, and bad been rush
ing a great deal of the water from il
over the falls Then suddenlychang
ing, the wind blew this little water
comparatively speaking) up TO thu
western portion of the lake. At thi'
juncture the ice on Lake Erie, which
had been broken up by these higt
winds, got iammed in the river be
tween Buffalo and the CanaCa side
and formed a dam which kept bacl
the waters Of Lake Erie a whole day,