Niagara — Historical and Reminiscent 



continued to move. The excitement lessened slightly when it 1900 

 was apparent that all but three persons had reached places of un ap 

 safety. These three were a man and a woman out toward the 

 center, who were making for Canada, and a young man who 

 attempted to reach the American shore. This young man dis- 

 played wonderful coolness. He had approached as close to the 

 shore as the moving ice would allow and then he turned his face 

 downstream. It was evident that he must change his route. Some 

 began to think he was lost. He faced the upper steel-arch bridge. 

 The crowd on the banks immediately got his idea of safety and 

 cheered him for his nerve. Up against the abutments of the 

 bridge, the ice was crowding mountains high. There was an 

 element of great danger in this turmoil of ice, but the young man 

 kept his head. Straight up he stood. The ice moved along. If 

 he passed under the bridge, he would certainly lose his life in 

 the wash of the stream that poured out from the power tunnel. 

 It was a moment of intense excitement. He must catch the 

 bridge or die. 



Up from the abutments, in most graceful form, the main span 

 of the arch rises. It seemed almost impossible for him to grasp 

 the bridge from where he stood, but fortune favored him. 

 At the critical moment there was a mightly upheaval of ice. He 

 was fairly lifted from the ice-bridge and thrown upon the arch, 

 to which he clung with desperate tenacity until sufficiently com- 

 posed, after which he made his way along the girders to the 

 shore, cheered by all who were about. In the mean time the man 

 and woman farther out on the ice had been making terrific efforts 

 to reach the shore. 



The course they took was full of peril. It led them nearly 

 the entire length across the ice-bridge. When they started they 

 were nearer the American shore, but it was evident that they were 

 frightened by the ice piling up there. They had selected the 

 route they took because of its apparent smoothness, but it was 

 terribly rough at its best, as they found in their flight. The man 

 led the way, in order to pick safe footholds. Repeatedly the 

 woman was seen to fall. Her companion hurried on at times in 



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