Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1909-04-15
Unprecedented Weather Condi.
lions Has Frozen the Floods
from Bank to Bank.
IMMENSE DAMAGE DONE
Rapid Rising Of the River Has Dc.
stroyed PropcrtO All along the
Banks-Bont Houses and Piers
Buried beneath Thousands
Of Tens of Ice.

and for the first time since the white
man has come to the banks Of the Niagara,
the voice Of the river has been mute.
The first time was late In February when,
following a severe northerly blow; the
falls ran dry, and now. for the second
time. following severe Southwestern,
when the food is frozen solid from bank
TO bank
Unprecedented weather has brought
about unprecedented conditions. On We'd
nesday OF last week the worst gale Of the
season and the most violent that the re-
OF the weather bureau have ever re-
corded for April tore out OF the Southwest,
and following the lakes and the channel
OF the Niagara, left ruin in its wake.
The solid ice fields Of Lake Erie were
churned from end to end and piled in a
huge conglomerate at the lower end Of
| the lake.
At Niagara Falls there had been heavy
fee bridge in the pool below the Cataract
| since the middle of the winter Under the
| impart of the mass Of ice from the lake
above and the added floods brought down
| by the wind. the bridge gave way and
began to surge down the rapids but be-
| fore 1t could win freedom in the ample
waters Of Lake Ontario. the wind shifted
again to the north. Instantly the moving
foes packed at the mouth Of the river.
Zach instant OF cold CONCEALED the pack
more solidly and, each hour brought
added pressure from above
Unable to escape h* Its natural chan
nels the level ~ the river rose by leaps
and bounds. The highest flood level re-
corded from previou. years Is % feet
above the normal. Friday night the river
was ~ feet above normal
Water poured over tho window stills Of
the power house Of the Ontario Power
company. which had been placed at what
| all engineers thought to be safe height
above any possible danger, and flooded
the machines Tie tracks Of the Great
! Gorge route We're. with few stretches OK
cepted. covered from the lowef steel
arch bridge to Lewiston. In the lower
stretches OF the river, where the ice is
packed the hardest every boat house,
every fishing shack with its traps. often
the sole capital Of the owner. .every
private pumping station that supplied the
summer homes that line tho shores.
every private landing and the piers Of
both the international railway and the
Niagara Navigation ompany at Lewis
ton and Queenston are buried beneath
| thousands Of tons OF ice. At Niagara on
the-Lake the wharf Is also overwhelmed
and all the bathing houses have been
swept off their foundations
THOUSANDS OF SIGHT sEERs.
Conservative estimates place the dam
ag. at 1000 900. All day long a constant
stream OF visitors poured down the rail.
way tracks the trolley tracks, packed
| the trains and the cars and even rode
and walked across country 10 see a sigh,
that Is not likely to repent itself within
| tie life time Of the present generat On
Under a brilliant sun the river lay white
and glisten'ng TO the horizon. And Il
was silent, absolutely voiceless. for the
first time within their memories. The
weight Of that silence was an imponder-
nrle thing hut It hung heavy on all who
listened with a chilling solemnitv more
awful than the roar Of the rapids.
| All estimates OF ultimate damage are
conditioned by what the weather may
| have in store. The best that can be
hoped for Is a succession OF calm. warm
days. Then the ice will melt gradually
and subs!de bit by bit. Already 1t has
sunk hve and In spots. 10 feet, as the
support Of the water beneath has beer
withdrawn.
The worst that could happen would BIZ
another violent blow from the south.
west. BY no means all the ice in the
lake Is out. For the moment, the upper
rcsches Of the river are running clear
btu as far as the eye can see, the white
mantle OF the frost blankets the lake
II that great mass should be driver
down on to the Jam below. the damage
| would be inconcevable.