Century-old barge stuck in Niagara River moves for 1st time since 2019 as ice conditions change

A century-old shipwreck in the Niagara River suffered further damage and shifted its position over the weekend following changes in ice conditions along the powerful upper rapids.

The iron scow has remained lodged in place above the Canadian Horseshoe Falls since 1918, last moving in October 2019.

Jim Hill, senior manager of heritage at Niagara Parks, said pieces of the scow started to break off over the weekend.

Hill told CBC Hamilton they noticed the scow had moved "after some storms and something called the ice boom, which keeps the ice in Lake Erie."

"It's really just a chain of metal floating beams in the upper Niagara River that keeps the ice out of the remainder of the river, mainly to protect the hydroelectric plants," he said.

"It was opened up, so a combination of the weather, a lot of snow melt, just Great Lake levels being higher, I think, and all of that ice started crashing into what's left of the poor old scow."

According to Niagara Parks, despite considerable deterioration over the years, the scow — the site of a heroic rescue of two men who were stranded aboard — has miraculously clung to its perch in the upper Niagara River since breaking loose from its towing tug on Aug. 6, 1918.

One hundred years later, on Aug. 6, 2018, Niagara Parks celebrated the anniversary of the iron scow and officially recognized the heroism of William (Red) Hill Sr., who rescued the two men. Part of the anniversary celebration included the unveiling of a set of interpretive panels, to share the story of how the scow became stranded and the harrowing rescue, Niagara Parks said in a news release.

'It's simply falling apart'

On Halloween night in 2019, the scow shifted about 50 metres down river toward the falls, leading to speculation it would wash over the brink.

Hill said it did not move far this time around and there is no public safety concern.

"What seems to be happening is it's simply falling apart in place," Hill said. 

"These are sizable portions of this thing, probably on one end, I'd say 20 per cent has been pulled off and is sitting beside it now. And probably the one-third of it [that's] facing the falls itself, it seems to have pulled away a little bit too.

"In 1918, it looked like a boat, a big boat in the river. And now it's just a collection of rusted chunks of metal that's sitting about 200 metres from the Canadian shore," Hill said.

'This is sort of a landmark here'

The shipwreck is a significant part of Niagara's history, as is the story behind it, Hill said.

"Well, this is sort of a landmark here, but it's really the human story around it.

"There were two men on board that thing, and it broke away from its tug. It got stuck there, and for almost 24 hours, they were stuck on it and there was a nice co-operation between Canadians and Americans to eventually rescue those guys. Even some dramatic heroics that helped untangle the rescue lines and save those two men from going over the falls or from being stuck out there. 

"That's sort of the story that I think we hold on to. The poor old scow got stuck there, but all the people involved walked away from it, so that's the good thing. Long after the scow disappeared, the story of the rescue, I think, will stay at Niagara Falls and people will still talk about the time that the guys were rescued from the brink, basically," Hill said.

On its website, Niagara Parks said Hill courageously swung himself out to the wreckage in the upper Niagara River, clinging from a tangled breeches buoy by his legs while straightening the lines for the stranded passengers to disembark.

Prior to this heroic deed, Hill served in the First World War and had recently returned home after having been wounded and gassed in France. Hill was awarded a Carnegie Life Saving Medal for his part in the harrowing iron scow rescue.

Near disaster and spectacular rescue

The shipwreck serves as a reminder of the past, said Janice Thomson, president and chief executive officer of Niagara Falls Tourism. 

"It's a reminder of a very near disaster that nearly took place there and a spectacular rescue as well," Thomson told CBC Hamilton.

"People who live here, they see it all the time and it's something they're aware of as it's changed over the years. It's certainly a curiosity for people when they see it."

As the scow falls apart, Thomson said, people will miss it when it's no longer there, but they know that time is coming. 

"It's certainly been there, it's always been present and it would be a loss, I think, for us just to see it go. But it's a matter of time. It's been there over 104 years now."