The Mena weekly star., 1912-02-08
DEATH CONOUERS;;
THRONC HELPLESS
Thousands See Three People Car
ried 10 Death on Niagara lee
Bridge-Two Men Die
Like Heroes.

Niagara Falls, N Y, Feb. 4-The
great ice bridge that has choked
the river channel between the cat
aract and the upper steel arch
bridge below the falls for the last
three weeks, broke from its snoring
Just at noon today and went down
the river, taking with it to their
death a man and woman believed to
bo Mr.. and Mrs. Eldridge Stanton
Of Toronto, Can. and Burrell Hea-
cock. IL years old, of Cleveland, o.
Four others were on the ice at the
iipap hat managed to get ashore in
safety.
The bridge was considered per-
fectly safe. For weeks the great
fields of ice had been coming down
the river. piling up against the bar
rier until it was from GO TO 80 feet
thick and under The influence of
zero weather had become firmly
anchored to the shore.
On the bridge at the time it tore
free from the shore besides these
three were Monroe Gilbert of this
city. Tenatius Roth of Cleveland
Heaeock's companion: William Hill.
an old river man; William Le-
Blonde river man, and an unidenti-
fed italian.
Rushed in Wrong Direction.
Hill heard the grinding and
crashing of the ice and ran at TOP
speed toward the Canadian shore,
calling to the others to follow him.
The woman fell, her strength en-
tirely spent. The man strove to get
her TO her feet again and tried to
drag her along the ice. calling for
assistance to Roth and Heacock
who were nearest Heacock turned
back to the couple and helped sun
port the woman. The act cost him
his life. The moving foe with the
three HELPLESS beings nassed slnwlv
on down the river. Then it broke
in two. Heacoek on one end and the
man and woman on the other
Firemcn Rrina Ropes.
Meantime the fire headduarters
truck had been called out and a
general alarm Of fire on the Can
adian side called the men out there.
The Niagara avenue flremen were
sent to the lower steel arch bridge
and there took station with rope.
The Canadian flremen had two
ropes down from the cantilever
bridge, which is about 300 yards
above the other structure.
Heacock saw the ropes dangling
from the bridge and made ready TO
catch one. He caught that held by
Officer Pat Kelly of the Ontario po-
lice force and company of about
% railroad men caught it and
jumped free of the ice.
The sag Of the rome at that great
Drop about POO feet. let him into
the chilly water up to his waist,
and before he was clear of ii was
frightfully battered hv three sue
cessive foes of iutting ice.
Hands Slip With Safety Near
Kelly and his men pulled steadily.
Ten feet. 90 feet. 25. 80 feet, up he
came. The great crowd on the
bridges cheered-those who were
not weeping. Grimly the boy hung
on. trying always to get himself or
his leg around the rope. Then his
hands began to slip. He sought to
get hold of the rope with his teeth
but could not Finally. when he
was about GO feet clear of the water
his head fell hscl. Hee los. lic;. his his grip grip
and plunged far down into the
stream.
The mighty rush Of waters was
too much for him. He was caught
like cork and was sent racing in
to the midst of the seething water.
Heacock's failure was witnessed