Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1893-05-16

wheh rhG NlAoARA HiveR RAN DRY
A Nlagaya Falls isttsrin The New York
Tines. ssys, u r Just forty.1vs yea1
ago that the great Nlagsrs river went
dry. II was the only time In history
that this extraordinary frsak Of nature
vas ever known 20 take place.
Many have questioned The occurrence
and some have denied that such thing
could Be, but on the morning Of March
81, 1646, the waters rcccdcd and the bed
Of the river above the Falls was exposed
TO view. The best witness Of this event
II Bishop Fuller Of Hamilton, Ont. In
an interview with the New York Tines
correspondent he said;
III did not 80 the occurrence myself,
but ] was told Of it the next day BY my
brother-ln-law, Thomas @. Street, II. r.,
who had q grist mill on the rapids above
the Falls. lie said that his miller knock
ed at his bedroom door about 3 o'clock
10 the morning and told him 70 get up
quickly, ~ there was no water 10 the
mill race and no water In the great river
outside the mill race. lie said that he
Was startled at the intelligence and hur-
Red out 90 soon 20 he could dress him.
self. There before him be saw the river
channel, on whose banks he had been
born thirty-four years previous, almost
entirely dry.
"After hurried breakfast Mr.. Street
and bis youngest daughter went down
about three-quarters OF . mile to tho
preciplce itself, over which there was 90
little water running that, having provid-
Cd himself with strong pole, they start
ed from Table Rock and walked near the
edge Of the preclpice about one-third Of
the way toward Goat Island on the
American shorc. Sticking her fathers
pole In crevicc 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 90 shallow
that immense jagged rocks stood up In
such q frightful and picturesque manner
that he shuddered when he thought Of
his having frequently passed over them
In the little Maid OF the Mist.
ale then returned home and drove
from the Canada shore about half mile
above the Falls, opposite Goat Island,
and then drove out Into the river bed.
When he told me this he reproached him.
self 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 II lest before We
could reach the wonderful scene the
waters would again come rushing down
the river bed. OF course every one was
speaking Of the wonderful event when
I was out there the next day, and ]
have heard others who witnessed 1t
speak Of Il since that time.
"Mr. Streets theory to account for the
recession of waters was this: That the
winds had been blowing down Lake Erie,
which Il only about eighty feet deep, and
had been rushing . great deal OF the
water from II over the Falls. Then sud-
denly changing, the wind blew this little
water Comparatively speaking) M to
the western portion OF the lake. At this
juncture the Ice on Lake Erie, which had
been broken up by these high winds, got
damned In the river between Buffalo and
the Canada side, and formed dam
which kept back the waters Of Lake Erie
q whole day."