The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-04-03
NIAGARA FALLS BARE
For One Whole Day the Rocky
Precipice Was Dry.
THE WATER CEASED TO FLOW

In the Neutrality-suspicious. q the Ter
rent and the cavss ~ the 0teppaoe.
In the early eprieg Of 1S4S occurred
q natural phenomenon % strange, %
sudden and % stupendous that the Old
er Inhabitants Of western New Yoel
still speak of 1t with ave- and wonder
This phenomenon Was nothing aaae
than the running dry Of Niagara fallA
The story II selfom recountsd now.
but 1t was q nine days wonder for the
whole country whHn 1t appeared il
the newspapers. Fer the nrst time n
history the roaf Of the Grandest cata'
ract in AmericR was hushed.
In the early Inor3inG OF March 81
1S4S. people living in the vicinity d
the falls were awakened BY q pecUalns
hush. ~ startling In its sudden0eas
and intensity ~ the most thundesoos
explosion cculd have been. May
dressed and hastened outdoor. urea6
BY q conviction thse something appall
ing had happened or was about 10
happen. Some Thought the end a.
the world was ut hand. Others imae
tined that they had grown suddenly
deaf. Still others thought that the
hush preceding q terrific hurricane had
fallen upon the air All were oppresH
ed with feeling o. profound ave and
dread.
1t was soon discovered. howeves.
that the cessation Of the roar Of the
falls was the sole cause Of this com.
mon panic. AZ the dim light Of early
morning grew stronger the people
were able to see the almost bare precf
pice Of the falls. over which but q
short time before thousands Of tons
of water had bcan pouring. Only
here md there small streams, con-
stantly growing smaller, now trSckled
down the face Of the towering wall
Above the falls. instead Of the rush
ing, foamlng river. only . naked chan.
mel, studded with black and jagged
rocks. appeared. The bed Of the river
was practically exposed from shore to
shore. except for small streams. like
mountain brooks, running slowly to
the verge Of the precipice. 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 ~ far
as Goat island ON the American sSde
ana never even wet their feet. Some
went exploring in the river bed above
the fairs and discovered q number Of
ancient gun barrels. lost probably By
sportsmen up the river IN long CONS
days and still after the rotting away
Of their stocks slowly forced down
curious formations in the rocks were
discovered. the existence Of which had
never been suspected before.
All that day. March 81, 104S. Niagara
falls remained dry, and people who re
mained up until late Mt night, expect
ing to see q change, went to bed with
out witnessing 1t. Tut In the early
morning Of April the familiar thun
der OF the great cataract was oncs
the mysteriously drained river bed
was again pouring its food over tn
falls.
! Now for the explanation Of thaI
strange phenomenon. It proved to be
after all. very simple. The winter q
1S47 and 1S4S bad been one Of exfrem>
severity. Ice OF such thickness had
! never been known as formed ON LAX
Erie that season. When the breakup
came, toward the end Of March, I
F! Strcng northeast wind was blowing
which piled the great fields Of ice II
hoes and then In banks ~ high q
miniature iccbergs. Toward night Of
| March 30 the wind suddenly changes
to the opposite direction and increaset
to . terrific gale, which hurled baci
/ the piled up ice and drove 1t into TIL
entrance Of Niagara rfver with suel
force that huge ANA almost i0peoe
tfable dam was formed. For q Whc1
/ dny the source OF the river Was st0p
ped up. and the stream was drAinet
OF Its supply. By the morning q To
S1st the river was practically dry. an
thus for twenty -four hours the roar o
Niaea1a falls w. Uel1eA- TA0 - u
/ early mOGDing of Apg1 IT, -