The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1912-02-05


river channel between the cataract an
the upper steel arch bridge below tn
falls FOR the last three weeks brok
away just about noon yester
day and went down the river, takini
with IL to their deaths n man an,
woman said to be Mr.. and Mrs. Tel
bridge Stanton of Toronto and Burre,
Heacock, seventeen years old of Cleve
land, o. Four other persons were oi
the ice at the time. bur managed I,
get ashore in safety,
Hundreds Might Have Perished.
The bridge was considered perfectly
safe. For weeks great fields of ice hat
been going down the river. piling uT
against the barrier until il was from
sixty To eighty feet thick. and under
the influence of zero weather the great
mass had become firmly anchored tc
the shore. The jam was about one
thousand feet in length and i'm some
Places a quarter of a mile in breadth
For weeks It had offered safe passages
10 the hardy and yesterday an inn
mense crowd of excursionists came 10
view the winter wonder of the river.
Had the accident happened an hour
later in the day. hundreds might have
lost their lives, for the crowd was
moving into Prospect Park for the pur-
pose of venturing out upon the ice.
Hero Sleeps in Whirlpool Rapids.
Somewhere deep In the whirlpools to-
day sleeps the man. partially identi-
fed as Mr.. stanton. who twice put
aside chances OF rescue in order to re-
main with his terror stricken wife and
who. IN the shadow of death--.just at
the break in the rapids-spurned as
sstance for himself ana attempted to
bind about the woman's body a rope
dangling from the lower steel arch
bridge The lad. Burrell Heacock. was
cast in the same mould. Had he not
turned back on the Ice to give assist
ance tn the man he. too, might have
made the shore.
On the bridge at the time ii tore
free from the shore, besides the three
persons mentioned. were Monroe Gil
bert of this city. Ignatus Roth of
Cleveland. Heacock's companion; Will
lam Hill, an old river man; William
Lablond, a river man, and an uniden-
titled Italian. Hills shack was near
est TO the American shore. When ne
heard the grinding and crushing of
the ice he ran at top speed toward
the Canadian shore. calling to the
others to follow him. Lablond gave
them warning that safety lay In that
direction. Gilbert. Roth and the htal-
ian followed their lead. but the others
became confused. BY the time these
others regained their composure. the
bridge was moving fast down the rlv-
err
Woman Gives Up ''e Fight.
The man and woma started first
towards the American s.ore, but they
We're stopped by lane OF open water
Back they ran again towards the Ca
madam side, and then turned about
and made for the American side. While
hardly more than fifty yards from the
rocky shore. the woman fell on her
face, utterly spent. 81 can't go on; /
can't go on" she cried. Let us die
here"
And all the time the great field of
ice, driven onward by the southwest
gale and pressed by jam broken away
from It's anchorage near the base OF
the Horseshoe fall. went on, breastingI
the terrible out-rush of the Niagara
Falls Power company's tunnel out
How, the mlghtiest current In all the
river. without being broken.
As the woman fell. the man strove
to get her to her feet again and tried
to drag her along the ice, calling Tor
assistance TO Roth and Heacock, who
were nearest. Heacock turned back
to the couple and helped support the
woman. The act cost him his life.
Roth Saved in Nick OF Time.
Roth struggled along over the hum
mocks Of ice. getting close To the open
stretch of water at the Canadian END
of the jam. There were men on the
shore, ready to give assistance--La-
blond, Hin. william Cook and super
lntendent Harry King OF the ontario
Power company. They We're stationed
~ the bottom Of the cliff. just at the
'oot OF Eastwood street. Niagara FAILS
ont. Roth was afraid to trust himself
~ the icy waters. Labiond jumped To
'he field Of ice with n rope and haii
carried, half dragged tho hoy ashore.
After getting Roth safely ashore, the
men made an effort to reach the other
'hree IN the ice Put at point about
Slx hundred feet below the upper steel
"tch bridge the ice broke into two
great fields. One section went to-
ward the American shore and anchor
'" ON a great rock. near the hydraulic
p"wer house. The moving foe with