The Ice Bridge Disaster of 1912
After a tragic incident, people were prohibited from operating businesses and walking on the natural ice bridges at Niagara Falls.
Ice bridges are a regular occurrence at Niagara Falls. When Lake Erie freezes over, strong winds push huge chunks of ice into the Niagara River where they become jammed and crash over the Falls. The thick, solid sheets of ice accumulate and turn into ice bridges. These superstructures can stretch across the river, connecting America and Canada.
In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, tourists flocked to Niagara Falls to walk across the jagged mounds of ice. The sounds of ice breaking off the bridge were as loud as thunder sometimes. Local business owners built shanties on the ice from which they sold food, alcohol, and souvenirs. Photographers hawked once–in–a–lifetime photo opportunities.
Such was the scene on February 4, 1912. That winter, a massive ice bridge had formed between the Falls and the Upper Steel Arch Bridge. As Niagara Falls, Ontario native William “Red” Hill, Sr. was getting ready to open his refreshment shanty, he suddenly felt the ice bridge tremble beneath his feet and heard a horribly loud sound coming from the Falls. He began running toward the Canadian shore and shouting for others to follow him.
Approximately thirty-five people were on the ice bridge that fateful day, including locals Monroe Gilbert and William Lablond. Ignatius Roth and Burrell Hecock, two teenage boys from Cleveland, Ohio, were throwing snowballs on the ice. Eldridge and Clara Stanton, a married couple from Toronto, were holding hands as they walked across the bridge. The first four individuals followed Hill’s frantic charge toward the Canadian shore while the couple rushed toward the American shore.
The Stantons were just inches from safety when the ice they were standing on suddenly broke off from the riverbank and water appeared at their feet. Terrified, they started to run in the opposite direction toward Canada, but an exhausted Clara stumbled and fell on the ice. As the ice block beneath them began to move away from the shore, Eldridge cried out for help and desperately tried to pull his wife to her feet. Running for his own life, young Hecock bravely turned around to help the couple. All three were soon stranded on the ice block as it floated down the river.
Although rescue workers hurled ropes down from Niagara’s bridges, the victims weren’t strong enough to claw themselves to safety. Hecock came close but lost his grip on the rope and fell into the river where he drowned. After one last kiss, Eldridge and Clara knelt down and embraced until their ice block was capsized by a huge wave. They disappeared into the Whirlpool Rapids and perished. After this tragic incident, people were prohibited from operating businesses and walking on the frozen river.
Niagara Falls Heritage Area
