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NARROW ESCAPE AT ICE BRIDGE
[Welland Tribune, 5 February 1904]
One of the most thrilling double rescues ever witnessed at Niagara took place Sunday afternoon on the ice bridge below the American Falls. Edward Murty, the 14-year old son of Mrs. Elizabeth Murty of No. 432 Cedar ave., and John Morrison, a young man, were the two who were in such deadly peril. Morrison and a number of his friends were standing on the ice bridge at the point where it converges with the ice mountain, when suddenly they saw a large piece of the bridge, on which Morrison was standing, break loose and float away. A chasm of about 15 feet in width yawned between Morrison and firm ice in a few moments, but luckily the detached floe lodged against another projection of the bridge and did not whirl out and under the structure, which had it done so, would have been certain death for Morrison.
Hardly had Morrison’s friends realized his danger when they were startled by a shriek up the side of the ice mountain, and turning they beheld, headed straight for the opening made by the detached floe and flying as if on wings, a lad rushing down the mountain side. He was on skates and apparently lost control of himself. A second later and he had disappeared over the edge of the wall of ice and plunged into the cold waters of the river. It was the instant decision of all that he would pass beneath the ice bridge and be drowned.
Morrison was a spectator of the boy’s plunge and bravely went to the rescue. Throwing himself flat on his stomach on the ice he waited for the reappearance of the lad. The moment the boy’s head appeared above the water he made a grab and was successful in catching him by the collar and dragging him on the floe beside him.
A rope was secured and one end of it was tossed across the open water to Morrison. He first tied it securely about the waist of the boy and told the lad to jump into the water, at the same time directing those on the firm ice to haul him in. Young Murty made a leap into the water, and a second later he was hauled to the surface and in another minute he was safe on the firm ice. The rope was then thrown back to Morrison and he tied it about his own waist and jumped into the water. The task of getting him across the opening and up the steep wall of the icy ledge was difficult in the extreme but a number of willing hands were at the rope and he was soon safe among his friends.
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