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Random Facts about Ice
SUSTAINING POWER OF ICE. The sustaining power of ice at
various degrees of thickness is given in the following
paragraphs: At a thickness of two inches, will support a
man. At a thickness of four inches, will support man on
horseback. At a thickness of six inches, will support teams
with moderate loads. At a thickness of eight inches, will
support heavy loads. At a thickness of ten inches, will
support 1,000 pounds to the square foot.
A STOPPAGE OF THE FALLS OF NIAGARA.
The following remarkable account of the stoppage of Niagara
Falls, appeared in the Niagara Mail at the time of the
occurrence: "That mysterious personage, the oldest
inhabitant, has no recollection of so singular an occurrence
as took place at the Falls on the 30th of March, 1847. The
'six hundred and twenty thousand tons of water each minute'
nearly ceased to flow, and dwindled away into the appearance
of a mere milldam. The rapids above the falls disappeared,
leaving scarcely enough on the American side to turn a
grindstone. Ladies and gentlemen rode in carriages one-third
of the way across the river towards the Canada shore, over
solid rock as smooth as a kitchen floor. The 'Iris' says:
'Table Rock, with some two hundred yards more, was left dry;
islands and places where the foot of man never dared to
tread have been visited, flags placed upon come, and
mementoes brought away. This unexpected event is attempted
to be accounted for by an accumulation of ice at the lower
extremity of Fort Erie, which formed a sort of dam between
Fort Erie and Buffalo.'"
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