Ceremony marks century since scow rescue
One of the most dramatic — and overlooked — events in Niagara Falls history finally got its due Monday.
A century after two men were rescued from a stranded scow just 600 metres from the brink of the Horseshoe Falls, Niagara Parks Commission unveiled new plaques and interpretive panels in front of where the rusted iron vessel still sits.
“It is an aging reminder of a near tragedy, a spectacular rescue and the rigours of time,” said Niagara Parks Commission chairwoman Janice Thomson, adding its final resting place has made it “entrenched in the folklore of Niagara.”
On Aug. 6, 1918, a dumping scow broke loose from a towing tug about 1.6 kilometres up river. As it drifted towards the edge of the falls, the two men on board — Gustav F. Lofberg and James H. Harris, both from Buffalo — opened the bottom dumping doors to let water in before their inevitable deaths. It worked, as the scow got wedged in the shallow rapids.
But their ordeal was just beginning. As Niagara Falls official historian Sherman Zavitz recounted, the combined efforts of Niagara Parks Police, Niagara Falls fire and police departments, and U.S. Coast Guard struggled to get a lifeline to the scow as Lofberg and Harris hastily built a makeshift winch device. When a breeches buoy was successfully shot over from the roof of the nearby power plant, it became entangled with a rope line.
Early the next morning, Red Hill, Sr. — who would go on to become a legendary Niagara riverman — arrived on the scene. Hill had recently returned from the First World War, where he was wounded and gassed in France.
Hill went out along the rope by hand, making two attempts to successfully untangle the lines. A buoy was slowly sent, and the exhausted, terrified men were brought over to the Canadian side, where they were met with cheers from a large crowd.
“The following morning, after a solid night’s sleep, the two men were back at work,” said Zavitz.
“And now, a century later, the scow remains. Although considerable deterioration has taken place, it is still a mute reminder of one of Niagara’s most memorable, remarkable and dramatic events.”
As part of the ceremony, the Niagara Parks High Angle River Team and Niagara Helicopters provided a demonstration on how the scow rescue would be performed today. The rescue tactic has been used three times — twice in the Niagara Glen, and once when a New York State Parks Police boat became lodged above the falls after completing a rescue in 2011.
Two years after the rescue, Hill Sr. was presented with a bravery medal, which was subsequently lost through the years. Near the end of the ceremony, Thomson presented a replacement medal to Hill’s grandson Dan Hill and great-grandson Kip Finn.
“Hopefully with this plaque and the panels and stuff, people will have the knowledge of what happened,” said Finn.