Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1909-06-16
NIAGARA FALLS BARI
For One Whole Day the Roe4v
Precipice Was Dry.
THE WATER CEASED TO FLow

S'io" Occurred al
March 81. 1s4a-Terrified the p...'
In the Neutrality-suspicious. Of IN. -
rent and the Cause Of the s.ooo,,.
In the early spring of 1s4s oecu,,.,
natural phenomenon so strapca
sudden aad 50 stupendous that the o,s
er inhabitants of western New ",
still speak of 1t with awe ana xona.-
This phenomenon was nothing ~
than the running dry of Niagara fsu,
The story Is seldom recounted no.
but 1t was a nine days wonder for ~,
whole country when it appeared !,
the newspapers. For the first tima 1,
history the roar Of the grandest c,,.
ract in America was hushed.
In the early morning of March .,
1S4S. people living In the viclnItv !,
the falls were awakened by a pecuIi,,
hush. as startling In its suddepnsS,
and intensity as the most thupdercn,
explosion could have been. Manv
dressed and FASTENED outdoors urvad
by conviction that something apnsn.
ing had happened or was abopt IA
happen Some thought the end ~
the world was at hand. Others imay.
ined that they had grown suddenlv
deaf. Still others thought that the
hush preceding terrific hurricane had
fallen upon the air, All were oppres.
ed with feeling Of profound awe and
dread.
1t was soon discovered, however
that the cessation Of the roar Of tha
falls was the sole cause Of this cnm.
mon panic. AS the dim light Of early
morning grew stronger the people
were able TO see the almost bare pred.
pice Of the falls. over which but A
short time before thousands Of tons
Of water had been pouring. Only
here and there small streams. con.
stantly growing smaller. now trickled
down the face Of the towering wall.
Above the falls, instead Of the rush.
Ing, foaming river. only naked chan.
mel studded with black and Jagged
rocks. appeared The bed OF the river
was practically exposed from shore 10
shore. exceps for small streams, Ike
mountain brooks. running slowly 10
the verge of the preeipice The spec.
tators could hardly believe their eyes.
Some remarkable feats were per.
formed on that day when Niagara ran
dry. People walked from the Canadian
side OF the river. along the edge Of
the frightful precipice, nearly as far
ns Goat island on the American side
and never even wet their feet. Some
went exploring in the river bed above
the falls and discovered number OF
ancient gun barrels. lost probably by
sportsmen up the river in long gone
days and stiIl after the rottiE& away
Of their stocks slowly forced down
stream by the current. Caves and
curious formations in the rocks were
discovered. the existence of which had
never been suspected before.
All that day. March 81. 1s4s. Niagara
falls remained dry. and people who re-
manned up until late at night expect
ing to see change. went to bed with
out witnessing It. But in the early
morning of April ] the familiar thun-
der OF the great cataract was once
more heard. and every one knew that
the mysteriously drained river bed
was again pouring its food over the
falls.
Now for the explanation Of this
strange phenomenon. 1t proved to be,
after all. very simple. The winter OF
1s47 and 1S4S had been one of extreme
severity. Ice Of such thickness had
never been known rs formed on Lake
Erie that season. When the breakup
came. toward the end Of March,
strong northeast wind was blowing.
which piled the great fields Of ice in
foes and then In banks as high as
miniature icebergs. Toward night on
March 80 the wind suddenly changed
to the opposite direction and Increased
to terrific gale, which hurled back
the piled up Ice and drove 1t into the
entrance Of Niagara river with such
force that q huge and almost impene-
trable dam was formed. For whole
day the source Of the river was stop
ped up. and the stream was drained
Of its supply. By the morning Of the
51st the river was practically dry, ana
thus for twenty -four hours the roar OF
Niagara falls was stilled. Then in the
early morning Of April the ice
pack gave way under the tremendous
pressure from above. and the long re-
strained volume Of water rushed
down and reclaimed its own.-E1
change.