The Niagara Falls Ice Bridge Disaster | Historical Disaster Documentary | Fascinating Horror
"On the 4th of February, 1912, at the Niagara Falls on the border between America and Canada, three innocent people were swept to their deaths in the raging waters..."
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CORRECTIONS:
► At one point in this video I give the date of this incident as the 4th of August. I should, in fact, have said the 4th of February.
#Documentary #History #TrueStories
As always, THANK YOU to all my Patreon patrons: you make this channel possible.
https://www.patreon.com/fascinatinghorror
SOCIAL MEDIA:
► Twitter: https://twitter.com/TrueHorrorTales
► TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fascinatinghorror
► Suggestions: hello@fascinatinghorror.co.uk
MUSIC:
► "Glass Pond" by Public Memory
CORRECTIONS:
► At one point in this video I give the date of this incident as the 4th of August. I should, in fact, have said the 4th of February.
#Documentary #History #TrueStories
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LearningTranscript
00:00On the 4th of February, 1912, at the Niagara Falls on the border between America and Canada,
00:18three innocent people were swept to their deaths in the raging waters.
00:23The three were tourists who had been enjoying the then perfectly ordinary practice of walking
00:29across the base of the falls on a bridge of ice that sometimes formed there in winter.
00:37The Niagara Falls is actually a set of three waterfalls, the largest of which, known as
00:43Horseshoe Falls, straddles the border between Canada and America.
00:49The site has been earmarked for preservation by both countries since the late 1800s, and
00:54constant efforts have been made ever since to preserve the condition of the area.
01:00Thousands of people visit each year to witness the natural beauty and incredible power of
01:05the falls themselves.
01:07Horseshoe Falls alone is the most powerful waterfall in North America, and when the flow
01:13of all the falls at Niagara is combined an impressive 170,000 cubic meters, or 6 million
01:20cubic feet, of water passes through the falls each minute of the day.
01:28Every winter huge quantities of ice, snow, and slush are also washed over the falls.
01:35Sometimes this mass of frozen material flows on down the river, but sometimes ice flows
01:40crash together and freeze in place, forming a solid ice bridge from one shore to another
01:46at the base of the falls.
01:481912 was one such year, and it was an exciting event.
01:53Enterprising businessmen were quick to erect shacks and shanties on the ice, offering visitors
01:59brave enough to step out onto the frozen falls the opportunity to buy refreshments, have
02:04their photograph taken, ride horses on the ice, or even stay for the night on the falls
02:09themselves.
02:12People came in droves.
02:15While there wasn't quite the same infrastructure there is today back in 1912, there were provisions
02:21for tourists.
02:22You could ride out to the falls in horse-drawn carriages or by train, and once you were there
02:27you'd find a mechanical elevator ready to carry you from the upper reaches to the lower.
02:33The frozen falls were no doubt an entrancing and perhaps intimidating sight, but if you
02:38were bold enough to stroll out onto the ice you could enjoy the kind of wondrous views
02:42you'd never get in summer.
02:45People would visit the falls with their lovers, send home postcards, and play on the ice.
02:51There are even pictures of people sledding on the huge mounds of ice and snow which form
02:55at the falls.
02:58Many of those playing on the ice bridge would have been reassured by its sheer scale and
03:04solidity.
03:05In 1912 the ice was 2.5 meters, or eight feet, thick in places, and was firmly anchored to
03:12both shores, providing a swath of snowy ground almost a mile wide on which to roam.
03:19There seemed no reason to fear its integrity.
03:24And yet at around noon on the 4th of August, with barely a groan by way of warning, the
03:29bridge gave way, dissolving in mere minutes into dozens of moving ice flows.
03:36There were 35 people out on the bridge at the time, many of whom were able to scramble
03:42to safety.
03:43Four were left behind.
03:47Among these four were Ignatius Roth and Burrell Hecock, who were having a snowball fight when
03:53the slide began.
03:55The two friends sprinted for the nearby Canadian shore, but found themselves cut off by a short
04:00stretch of icy water.
04:03Roth didn't hesitate.
04:04He jumped in and waded across to where several onlookers were waiting to haul him out and
04:09warm him up.
04:11Hecock was about to follow, but before he could jump he heard a cry for help coming
04:15from behind him.
04:17He hesitated a moment, and then turned back, giving up his chance of escape.
04:24The cry had come from Mr Eldridge Stanton.
04:27His wife, Clara Stanton, had collapsed from exhaustion as the pair sprinted towards the
04:32Canadian shore, and he was unable to carry her himself.
04:38Seeing this, Hecock ran back towards the pair and helped pick up Mrs Stanton.
04:43Together the three turned again towards the Canadian shore, but it was now too late.
04:50The ribbon of water which separated them from safety had become a stream.
04:55They were trapped on a moving ice flow in the middle of a raging torrent of water.
05:02It was a slow but not peaceful ride.
05:05For at least an hour the flow rocked and pitched as it moved downstream, and at one
05:10stage broke into two giant pieces.
05:14One piece grounded itself on the American shore, but in a stroke of bad luck all three
05:19of the stranded tourists were on the other piece of ice, which continued to surge downstream.
05:26A little later it broke apart again, this time dividing the three, Hecock on one flow
05:33and the Stantons on another.
05:36Witnesses report that they waved goodbye to one another as the river bore them apart.
05:43Further down the watercourse several more permanent bridges spanned the Niagara River.
05:48The trapped tourists passed below one bridge before a rescue effort could be mounted, but
05:53by the time they reached the next bridge firemen, police officers and railway workers had assembled
05:59there with ropes at the ready.
06:02Hecock was first to grab a line.
06:05With his weight, however, the rope stretched enough to dip him into the freezing water,
06:09where he was battered by several moving blocks of ice.
06:13Nonetheless, he managed to hang on as the rope was drawn up towards the bridge.
06:19The watching crowd cheered, anticipating at least one rescue.
06:25Burrell Hecock, however, was exhausted.
06:28His grip failed, causing him to slip down the rope.
06:32Despite a desperate effort, even trying to grip the rope with his teeth for more purchase,
06:37he couldn't hold on and fell before he could be hauled up to the bridge.
06:41He disappeared into the rapids and was never seen again.
06:46This left only the Stantons, whose ice flow was soon to be swept into the rapids too.
06:53As they passed under the first bridge Mr Stanton seized a dangling rope and tried to tie it
06:59around his wife's waist, only for the rope to break when it pulled taut.
07:04At the next and final bridge he grabbed a second line and again began tying it around
07:10his wife before suddenly giving it up as futile.
07:15The Stantons knelt down on the ice, kissed, and held one another as they entered the rapids.
07:22They were, very quickly, swallowed up by the mist and foam.
07:29It is safe to assume that Hecock and the Stantons did not survive their respective plunges into
07:35the Niagara River, although their bodies were never found.
07:39Hecock was remembered as a hero for his willingness to turn back and help someone in need, even
07:45when it meant risking his own life.
07:48But as for the Stantons, who went so calmly to their deaths, they had been married for
07:53six years and had visited the Niagara Falls once in summer and once in winter for each
07:59of them.
08:01They died together, and in a place they clearly loved.
08:08For several weeks a watch was kept on the river and its many whirlpools in the hope
08:13that bodies might be recovered.
08:15They never were.
08:18The Icebridge Disaster marked the last time that people were allowed or encouraged to
08:23cross the Niagara River at the base of the falls when it froze in winter.
08:29Icebridges still sometimes form across the river, although they are rarely as thick or
08:33solid as they were 100 years ago.
08:36Nowadays the tourist amenities at the falls are rather different.
08:41You can enjoy everything from a river cruise to ziplining to a ride on the Niagara Skywheel
08:47or a swim in an indoor water park.
08:51In addition to all these things visitors will find at least one lingering trace of the Icebridge
08:56Disaster.
08:58On an observation deck on the Canadian side of the falls there is a small memorial to
09:03the events of the 4th of February, 1912.
09:06A plaque set into the wall reads as follows.
09:11To the memory of Burrell Hecock of Cleveland, Ohio, aged 17 years, who lost his life in
09:18an heroic attempt to rescue Mr. and Mrs. Eldridge Stanton of Toronto, Ontario, when the icebridge
09:25in the gorge immediately below was swept down the Niagara River and into the Whirlpool Rapids.
09:31February 4th, 1912.