tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post5049095885738602111..comments2024-03-29T09:18:21.305-04:00Comments on Heroes, Heroines, and History: The 1912 Niagara Falls Ice BridgeDebbie Lynne Costellohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16381517812227326616noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post-56570478019739536952021-03-09T16:25:48.829-05:002021-03-09T16:25:48.829-05:00Your comment is very interesting. I feel your resp...Your comment is very interesting. I feel your respect for the power of the eddy and the juxtaposition between it and the 'carnival atmosphere'. It makes the collapse that much more somber. Actually, your writing is very...poetic in the sense that you include the visual of the black spots on the photo as representatives of life. Nicely done.<br /><br />Thank you for leaving your thoughts. Anita Mae Draperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16618699900826731377noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post-2957669865996711822021-03-09T15:29:43.134-05:002021-03-09T15:29:43.134-05:00Christine, I'm so sorry I missed your comment ...Christine, I'm so sorry I missed your comment when it came in and that it's taken me so long to reply. <br /><br />Thank you for your kind words on my research. Your mention of a lack of film and photos showing the actual collapse of the ice bridge on that day almost brings a smile to my lips because so many images are copyrighted today that it's difficult to find ones I can use. Hence, I'm indebted to the archives, libraries, and others who allow their photos to be used in blogs such as this. Although I'm a writer with a decent enough imagination, nothing thrills me more than seeing an actual photo or film of the event and it sounds like you agree with me on that. <br /><br />I appreciate you sharing your thoughts and memories on this, Christine, and I hope my tardiness doesn't stop you from stopping by for more visits. <br />Anita Mae Draperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16618699900826731377noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post-16542599640385144192021-03-09T12:40:09.859-05:002021-03-09T12:40:09.859-05:00multiple trips to the Falls from child to adult......multiple trips to the Falls from child to adult....the Whirlpool is frightening..Ive always known since a kid that this tragedy happened, and the carnival atmosphere that preceded..but you have made it considerably more real.My memories of the place, and your indepth research have given it an immediacy and acknowledgement tht these were real people. not just black spots on a photo..Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10135713419181704932noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post-83384629368706101152020-08-15T09:03:31.601-04:002020-08-15T09:03:31.601-04:00Hi Anita,
I have visited the falls many times ove...Hi Anita, <br />I have visited the falls many times over the past 50 years but really never took a lot of interest in their history. Our favourite spot is the Niagara Glen Park close to the Butterfly conservatory. This time we also visited the white water walk and I was completely dumb founded by the power of the water surging through the Chanel . That’s were I came across the plaque Showing the tragedy of 1912. After searching on google about the history I came across your post which I found to be very educational. I know there are tragedies happening all the time and most of the time we don’t take an interest in them but this particular story affected me so much that the night following the visit I could not sleep and saw these poor people in my head standing on the ice in the freezing cold in unimaginable panic. I think what makes this story so appealing is the lack of actual film and photos showing this event. Everything is kind of shrouded in mystery just like the misty black and white photos. Thanks for your account of this tragedy!Christinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09803360867008726847noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post-67296824749148292872018-01-08T12:52:42.429-05:002018-01-08T12:52:42.429-05:00Thank you for sharing your information. You've...Thank you for sharing your information. You've piqued my interest on Carter, who would make a great topic for the HHH blog, especially being that he was the son of the Maid of the Mist Captain. My fingers are itching to begin research. :)<br /><br />I really appreciate you stopping by. Thanks again. Anita Mae Draperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16618699900826731377noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post-30414956735122818752018-01-07T06:15:26.146-05:002018-01-07T06:15:26.146-05:00The photo of the Falls from the bridge is from the...The photo of the Falls from the bridge is from the Fallsview (Honeymoon) Bridge). The Cantilever bridge is located 2 miles down river just south of the Whirlpool Bridge and where our famous Whirlpool Rapids begin. After the bridge disaster it was officially against the law to venture out there (even though now and again many did). One person though, was given a licence by the N.Y. State Park to be out there legally any time he wanted to. His name was Carter (son of Maid of the Mist Captain). His expertise skating and sliding down the Ice mountain was second to none and on many weekends before the disaster he had wowed the crowds gathered with his antics.<br />Patrick Siriannihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06387047034756292627noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post-37299816018141497212015-02-08T13:39:45.083-05:002015-02-08T13:39:45.083-05:00You're very welcome, KayM. Thanks for dropping...You're very welcome, KayM. Thanks for dropping by. :)Anita Mae Draperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16618699900826731377noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post-47985335719403373882015-02-08T13:39:05.925-05:002015-02-08T13:39:05.925-05:00Thanks, Linore. No, I didn't know that about t...Thanks, Linore. No, I didn't know that about the Thames. Actually, I never thought of it. I suspect climate and population changes as well as progress has a lot to do with it? And I know the Dutch used to skate on their canals, but never looked to see if they still do. Anita Mae Draperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16618699900826731377noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post-69291679642375117682015-02-07T21:25:19.899-05:002015-02-07T21:25:19.899-05:00Very interesting! Thanks for posting. Very interesting! Thanks for posting. KayMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09972922396306756344noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post-20724346227827113202015-02-06T20:06:17.404-05:002015-02-06T20:06:17.404-05:00Hi Anita Mae, What a great post--really fascinatin...Hi Anita Mae, What a great post--really fascinating history. I had no idea! And so sad, though. Did you know the Thames also used to freeze over and the shops and merchants set up on a much larger scale--I believe 1814 was the year of the biggest freeze. Now I'll have to refresh my research to find out when they stopped doing that, or when it stopped freezing over. Thanks for such an interesting post! Linore Rose Burkard, Novelisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15927467483596900030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post-81927005279829030212015-02-05T22:46:38.509-05:002015-02-05T22:46:38.509-05:00You're very welcome, sharon. I'm glad you ...You're very welcome, sharon. I'm glad you found your way here today and stayed long enough to read it. Comments like yours make it easy to dig deeper for fascinating research. Thank You. :)Anita Mae Draperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16618699900826731377noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post-59229863829117111882015-02-05T22:44:19.005-05:002015-02-05T22:44:19.005-05:00Haha. I'll take that as a yes for the folly si...Haha. I'll take that as a yes for the folly side. And thank you. :)Anita Mae Draperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16618699900826731377noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post-27765102776911436532015-02-05T22:27:41.087-05:002015-02-05T22:27:41.087-05:00That was incredible. I did not even know about th...That was incredible. I did not even know about this ice bridge or about the collapse. Thanks for the research and press tation, sm. wileygreen1( at)yahoo(dot)comsharon mhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10130208778591424260noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post-35727699842793396282015-02-05T20:08:13.207-05:002015-02-05T20:08:13.207-05:00Anita I love the pictures! What a fascinating glim...Anita I love the pictures! What a fascinating glimpse into the past. <br /><br />In response to your question, I can rest in the assurance that one of the ways I will never die is by scrambling about on ice. Janalyn Voigt, escape into creative worlds of fiction.https://www.blogger.com/profile/16233710536302581735noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post-44527071288220367912015-02-05T11:26:39.336-05:002015-02-05T11:26:39.336-05:00Thank you for commenting, Marilyn. I was worried t...Thank you for commenting, Marilyn. I was worried that the post would be too long because I had so many photos, but chose these as I felt they accurately explained the events. <br /><br />And this would be a good time for me to thank Cathy at the Niagara Falls (Ontario) Public Library for getting me permission to use many of these photos. They have so many in their collections and I originally asked for permission for several, and after that was taken care of, I found better - and more powerful photos and then needed to bother her again for more permission. Anita Mae Draperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16618699900826731377noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post-36038683275717639102015-02-05T11:16:30.638-05:002015-02-05T11:16:30.638-05:00Vickie, I've had the pleasure of seeing the Fa...Vickie, I've had the pleasure of seeing the Falls in the summer, too, and I still remember the roar of all that water thundering down. I agree that the folks back then must have felt secure - especially the guys putting up the refreshment and photo booths, which takes away the reasoning that only tourists felt safe. <br /><br />Red Hill's account of the collapse says that he recognized danger from the tremor and groaning sound. I wonder how many times that had happened before but didn't make the news because no one was caught in it.<br /> Anita Mae Draperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16618699900826731377noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post-36556231882771355872015-02-05T11:13:45.714-05:002015-02-05T11:13:45.714-05:00What a fascinating post, Anita! Just seeing pictur...What a fascinating post, Anita! Just seeing pictures of Niagara Falls frightens me, and I can't believe people so nonchalantly roamed around on the ice nearby. Thanks for posting such an interesting post and including some great authentic photos for those of us who couldn't imagine such a scene.Marilyn Turkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09613157670868692501noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post-7473387599422114832015-02-05T11:04:26.208-05:002015-02-05T11:04:26.208-05:00You're welcome, Margaret. You know, I was so e...You're welcome, Margaret. You know, I was so excited to finally go up in the Calgary Tower 2 yrs ago because I wanted to check out the glass observation deck. And yet when I got within a foot of where the tiles ended and the glass began, I got dizzy. So I stood there taking photos of my hubby and teens as they stood ON the glass, iphones in hand, taking pics of the street waaaaaay below their feet. Ugh.<br /><br />Glad you had a chance to stop in today. :)<br /><br />Anita Mae Draperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16618699900826731377noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post-81139926502545208272015-02-05T10:51:45.621-05:002015-02-05T10:51:45.621-05:00I've visited the falls twice in warmer weather...I've visited the falls twice in warmer weather, and it's such a majestic site. But would I walk out there in winter? Probably not. I think in this instance people were lured into a false sense of safety. So many people walked out there that they thought it must be safe. I hadn't heard about the ice bridge collapse. That must have been so scary.Vickie McDonoughhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09698966142886006577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post-12354241020541022532015-02-05T10:35:32.366-05:002015-02-05T10:35:32.366-05:00Hi Anita, Brrr. Looking at all those photos made m...Hi Anita, Brrr. Looking at all those photos made me cold. I would not have tried. I'm truly a chicken when it comes to things like that. I won't even go out on the Grand Canyon glass observation deck and that's probably a lot safer than an ice bridge. I like solid (and I do mean solid) ground beneath my feet. <br /><br />Thank you for sharing! Margaret Brownleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12083440011924979594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post-57036410935583998882015-02-05T09:45:01.845-05:002015-02-05T09:45:01.845-05:00You and me, both, Rebecca. I always have polish sa...You and me, both, Rebecca. I always have polish sausage/smokie whenever I eat at Costco and to think they were eating something similar back at the turn of the century and in such an atmosphere gives a new twist to my Costco memory.<br /><br />Thanks for visiting. :)Anita Mae Draperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16618699900826731377noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4271375082145370896.post-24856606818214068822015-02-05T09:15:53.131-05:002015-02-05T09:15:53.131-05:00Anita Mae, this is one of the most fascinating sto...Anita Mae, this is one of the most fascinating stories I've read recently. I've been to the Falls a few times, and the power of them is awe-inspiring. I can't imagine standing on that ice bridge eating wurst!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16678651951356278532noreply@blogger.com