The Niagara Falls Ice Bridge Disaster | A Short Documentary | Fascinating Horror
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- čas přidán 7. 06. 2024
- "On the 4th of February, 1912, at the Niagara Falls on the border between America and Canada, three innocent people were swept to their deaths in the raging waters..."
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CHAPTERS:
00:00 - Intro
00:36 - About The Niagra Falls
03:22 - The Ice Bridge Disaster
05:42 - Rescue Efforts
08:17 - The Niagara Falls Today
MUSIC:
► "Glass Pond" by Public Memory
CORRECTIONS:
► At one point in this video I give the date of this incident as the 4th of August. I should, in fact, have said the 4th of February.
#Documentary #History #TrueStories
A quick correction: at one point in this video I give the date of this incident as the 4th of *August*. I should have said the 4th of *February*. I can't quite believe I let this one slip by me - it'd be a pretty exceptional year if there was an ice bridge in the middle of summer!
Thanks, thought that was a pretty long time for ice to remain
Thanks for the correction. When I heard that I thought to myself wow, it must have been a really cold year for ice to remain that long
I was like, it snows on the 4th of July here in the Northwoods so it seems legit.
Have you check out what just happened in italy with a cable car?
As I heard that, I was wondering myself lol. Kinda figured it was just a snafu, and you ment February.
Just 17 years old. Such a selfless and brave young man.
I’m
U will not find people like him thesea days, they would all pull out there phones in hope of going viral.
@@cwhitaker6966 ok boomer
@@Gunners_Mate_Guns so you’re saying with generations progressively get more emotionless? No. Any normal person would try to save those people, regardless of age.
@@natinthehat7700 WRONG
And then just two months later the Titanic would hit an ice berg and sink. Not a good year to mess with with ice.
Humans will unintentionally outlaw natural ice soon enough.
Global Warning®️™️ - it’s the only way.
Scrap all electric cars and subsidise V8 engines.
and World War and the Spanish Flu. The 19-teens seem like a bad time to live. Maybe it's partly their film always looks like a horror movie.
@@dangerousandy Who doesn't love the roar of a V8 in the morning?
Right? I was thinking the same thing!
"The Stantons knelt down on the ice, kissed, and held one another as they entered the rapids...
They had been married for six years...they died together, and in a place they clearly loved."
However long it has been since someone cried for them, I'm making up for that time now.
Hang in there, Inkadinkadoodle!
Yes, this story got me too.
Same here. For Mr. Hecock, too.
if I'm going to die that's how I want to go - calling back a would-be survivor to die with me.
Me too. The details are so heartbreaking. The desperation to save his wife rather than himself. I hope their bones rest together, serene at the bottom of the river.
Imagine losing your son that way. You feel so proud yet utterly devastated at the same time.
Those who god loves the most he takes the earliest
@@derstoffausdemderjoghurtis4346 thats fucked up
@@derstoffausdemderjoghurtis4346 what kind of god does that...
@@I_am_a_cat_ I can smell your rotting brain, unable to understand the simplest of things.
A God that doesn't value this world over eternity
17 years old and still wanted to save others despite that situation being very scary. That is a true hero right there.
Back then, 17 year olds were adults...
People don't give teens enough credit. We have so many young activists trying to help the environment and reduce gun violence here in the US. It is really inspiring to see people care about each other like that.
@@Kitty-mb4hy what about it?
@@Kitty-mb4hy don’t kid yourself. Back then. Most 17 year olds wouldn’t risk their lives for others. Neither would most adults or Anybody else. Same as today or any other time period
@@amuroray9115
WTF. I said nothing about bravery.
Back then 17 years old were thought of as adults. Yes, young but adults who had full time jobs and started a family and maybe had a child already... see?
Its so sad and kinda heartwarming when those two folks waved goodbye at each other, and especially when the two couple kissed before falling :(
That's the point that I started crying. And then it just kept getting more sad as the story went on.
Yes it was. Good job bud 👍
1912, yellow journalism....I sometimes find these eyewitness accounts hard to believe. Heartwarming nonetheless.
@@Heterandria4mosa people lied before 1912, and will do so until approximately the end of sentient life.
@@Heterandria4mosa Found the bitter divorcee who doesn't believe in love
I’m a grown ass man, fighting back tears, I can’t quite put it to words.. a very good video. He was just a boy, and he did the best he could. I’m so proud of him. And cheers to the couple, holding true to the saying, “Until death due us part,” yet here they looked at each other and knew.. “I will never let you go.” Again fighting back tears just wow, thank you for this video.
You cried, hah! Wate a secndo, I cannot see my keybaord...damn onions...
Who’s cutting onions in here? 🙏 may they Rest In Peace. 🙏
No need to emphasize that you're a grown man, it's totally normal for men or anyone to cry.
Winston Smiths sorry , I was cutting the onions .
@@SvobodovaEva Society still emphasizes the idea that "men shouldn't cry". I believe that kind of thinking can change with time but we're still in it at the moment.
Man. I've seen videos on this channel about stampedes and fires that killed hundreds of children, but there's something so uniquely devastating about this story. This man ran _away_ from safety in order to help a total stranger and he ended up dying literal seconds before being rescued. This story gives you so much hope only to yank it away at the last second.
I've given up on hope. Only leads to disappointment. I'll just expect "meh" as much as possible... then the bad things aren't as bad.
Prob just as well. WW1 was a few years away and old, er, young Hecock would have prob fought. He could have had a miserable life after that war like many of his peers. RIP Hecock
Much like the heroes of 911
@@chrisakaschulbus4903as someone who did that for many years that's a pretty terrible way to live. Closing yourself off because of fear of pain and disappointment will only mean you miss out on the joy of expectancy and surprise.
You may have heard the saying that it's not the end goal that is satisfying but the journey. You miss out on the satisfaction of the journey by expecting the end to be terrible.
When the world is gray through your eyes you will never get to enjoy all the color.
He didn't know he was going to die. He didn't smell the danger unfortunately.
It's very profound that people often risk their lives to save strangers. It's one of the great things about humanity.
Very disappointing though that many wouldn't do the same for acquaintances that they mildly dislike
@@heavensdevil6943 I wouldn't risk my life for anyone but my family and friends and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that.
@@AJ-xv7oh indeed, not everyone has the selflessness to risk their lives for absolute strangers. And as you stated there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. A cheers to those who have stood the test of selflessness and came out of it alive.
They were friends 3:53
But I agree taking a risk to help a stranger or friend is laudable and brave. I wouldn't think less of someone who didn't choose to risk himself, but I would think more of one that did.
This was oddly touching, in that the boy died trying to save others, and the married couple died in a place they loved.
And that the husband made no attempt to get rescued without his wife
@@UmatsuObossa
"The species man and marmoset are intimately linked;
The marmoset survives as yet, but men are all extinct." -- Hilaire Belloc
They were not yet extinct in 1912.
@@UmatsuObossa yesss! I was just going to say that! ♥️
Hopefully I'll die in a bowl of icecream 😁
Died in a place they loved makes it so much worse, erases all the good memories in the blink of an eye. It only becomes a death-site. Sad.
And this is why you should NEVER get on ice that has moving water underneath.
Any water underneath. It's just as easy to drown in a small lake.
that's why the thought of ice fishing on a river freaks me out. you go under you're never gonna come up in the same spot with the current.
@@Dirka13 my dad goes ice fishing. One time he took a friend who couldn't swim. Of course the friend fell through. Fortunately he stayed calm and my dad got down on his belly, held out a stick and pulled him out.
So he still goes ice fishing like 🤷♂️ why?
I wish I had known that when I went for valentine's day. We wandered out onto the ice about a mile downstream from the falls. I think we were lucky nothing happened.
@@stevieme8642 I really don't get how you people do this.
All three of them were beautiful people. May they rest in peace.
How do you know?
How do you know this? May have been assclowns.
Makes me wonder would they have been so beautiful and kind to me back then??? I for sure know that I would have tried to save them no doubt, but if the tables were turned, would they have wanted to save me, a little black girl?
So much negativity in the comment box. The teen risked his own life to save strangers. The husband priotized his wife and was a gentleman even under stress. The couple calmly accepted their fate and still had a caring attitude toward each other, despite the situation they were in. This is just a glimpse of these three people during their last moments. Others would reveal their selfish side during such a moment
@Maxx B. Because Sophine is in her own words 'black'. In her eyes everybody's racist.
It’s heartbreaking when someone dies in a tragedy but even worse when a rescue effort fails, just when they think they have saved them from
Oblivion 😢 😢
Stop, I can only get so excited
Saved them from Oblivion? I did that quite a few times in the Elder Scrolls IV.
I was in a high speed collision when I was fifteen. My father and I were injured but we got out of our car to try to help the other driver who was involved, being guided by 911 operators on what we could do before emergency response arrived. It was disgusting, but it was essential, yet the trauma of the collision itself was *nothing* compared to the trauma of trying and then failing to save someone's life.
This is why Rule #1 in rescuing is: "You, the rescuer, must value your life and safety above that of the victim!"
"Do NOT rescue someone, unless you can garantee that youre not going to need rescue yourself!
If you aren't safe, you can't help! And you will put other people, those that come rescue you, in danger!"
Its cruel. Its harsh, egotistical, and it goes against everything you want to do as a rescuer.
But it reduces potentual losses.
As heroic and well meaning as Hecock's actions were, they increased the number of dead from the disaster by 1.
While, if he had ignored the cry for help, and all would have went the same, only 2 people would have died.
By human standarts, he did the right thing. And he is a hero for it.
But by rules for rescuers, he broke the one rule and did the one thing you should never do as a rescuer:
Value the victim's life and safety higher then your own.
CLOSE SHUT THE JAWS
What a heartbreaking story man! Hecock was a hero! I'm glad they made a memorial
after consideration, I think that hecock's decision to move back was rather dumb 😐
@@the_rover1 He was trying to save the lives of two other people.
Fancy seeing you here
@@theghostinthemirror8158 Indeed. He heard the scream of a lady. Even at 17, his Manly Genes (Or just Lawfully Good Genes) kicked in & said HELP THOSE PEOPLE!
He tried. He was the only one around to try. & his 'dip into the water' while he was being hauled up to the bridge was heartbreaking.
I've been on Sub-Zero campouts where our BOILING HOT WATER (for dishes) froze in less then 10 minutes & then our Propane Big Boy Tanks froze. It was so cold, you were in risk of frostbite if you tried to take off your gloves to unzip & pee.
Imagine, how cold he must have been while being hauled up onto that HUGE bridge. Absolutely *HORRIFIC!*
(I shed a few tears. He died a Would-Be Hero. The Man _TRIED!_ The outcome does not matter. Rescues Fail sometimes, but if no one tried then it would have been MORE Devastating. )
@@Claymann71 this was so well said and I literally shed tears as well hearing this story & seeing the memorial 😢 what a brave young man
This tragedy really brings home the things that in this day and age we sometimes take for granted..rescue helicopters and the brave, highly trained men and women who pilot them or perform the rescues, and the ability to winch people to safety, all things yet to be brought into existence in 1912, yet these are the kind of tragedies that inspired innovation.
Here's footage of brave rescuers who plucked a despondent man from the brink of going over Niagara Falls if not for the rock he was standing on and the awesome efforts of the first responders. ⭐🏆👍👍 czcams.com/video/7MZocbMfElc/video.html
If you say so
Aptly and very eloquently stated. Food for thought...thank you!
It's still kinda a dick move because *you* don't have to be on that ice, diving, spelunking or whatever. But someone will/has to risk their life because you made the concious decision to put yourself in danger. Rescue workers like to see their families too...
Once ... in 1975, I was on my summer vacation alone at the age of 18. It was a Baltic Sea cost with beautiful sandy beach. That day a very strong wind was blowing from the coast to the direction of the open sea. A little boy 8-10 years old was swimming close to the shore on the top of the pumped float without anybody watching for him. With every strong blow of the wind he was pushed so quickly away from the shore. Situation was very critical. Beach was without any Life Guard supervision. Even if the beach was full of the people, nobody did anything to save the boy on the float.
One older University student and I we decided quuickly to approach the owner of the little pumped dinghy with the little paddles, which we had put on your palms. Using the dinghy, and with the support of the wind blowing from the coast, we get the boy on the float pretty fast in a couple of minutes.
The worst just started after that.
With the big waves and the wind blowing against us and with the boy anchored to our dinghy .... we had to return to the shore. It took us almost a full hour to get there, fighting with the strong wind and huge waves against our direction to the shore.
The older University student and I ... we were also scared, because even if we were paddling with all our powers it looked like we are not moving an inch closer to the shore. We were feeling at the end of our muscles possible strength. Honestly, I have no idea of how we finally came closer to the shore. Somehow, some strong men voluntarily jumped together to the waves forming a kinda chain of the people ... so, finally they grabbed the dinghy and float with three of us, and they delivered us to the shore. People had to remove us from the dinghy and put us flat on the sand, because we were physically so exhausted, and couldn't do it on our own. Student and I ... we had to recover, laying down on the sand for about one hour, before we could slowly stand up again on our own. One more a very young human soul was saved that day !! *> Amen.*
That particular day, the most happy person on that beach that time, was the crazy mother of that young boy !!!
I am not so sure, if I would do something like that again ..... Oh boy !!!! :o(
But that day, that time at that place ... somebody had to act quickly. The GOD choose me to do it - so I did it.
What a very scary story. You and the U student could have easily died trying to save that poor little boy. You are true heroes for saving his life for as long as you live now and you can be sure that little boy knows this and he'll never forget your acts of bravery. It must be a beautiful part of the world along the Baltic Sea. Thank you for saving a little boy's life.💜💜💓🌺
Horrific and I'm sure scarred you for life.
Hero's don't look for a pat on the back.
Wow, that's amazing. What a selfless act. Even though you don't know the boy, everything he does in his life is thanks to you. The achievements, the gifts he brings to the world, are yours in part.
Thank you for sharing this
@@Dynamatrix1973 if that shit happened to me, I’d be telling that story forever
I can only hope to face my death with the courage of Burrell Hecock and the grace and dignity of the Stantons.
That’s a profound idea to take away from this and I hope the same myself. Vincent Coleman’s last moments in the Halifax explosion made me reflect in a similar way
Because people had dignity and honor, somthing you will find ZERO of these days.
I have never feared death, I just dont wanna be there when it happens- Woody Allen.
@@cwhitaker6966 ok boomer
There have been many beautiful comments on this video, but yours just captured the entire situation so completely, with true justice paid to the three victims, well done.
I live in Niagara falls Canada and it always blows my mind that people felt safe enough to be on that ice. Then again, we still have tourists that climb over the fences to take pics and fall in. RIP to those poor souls.
Let alone in august been all summer long!
Heartbreaking simply heartbreaking 😢💔🙏May these souls R.I.P.
“Don’t tell my mother” hit me hard. Loss of a child it’s biggest pain in life.
The fact that there was an eyewitness to corroborate that Hecock tried to hang on with his teeth at the very end? Chilling.
Oh it was chilling alright, there was ice all over.
I see what you did there
That comment was cold blooded. 🤣
@@osdreadlord3205 Not as cold as they were at the bottom of the rapids.
He must of been so close to his rescuers, so tragic.
This is why I love this channel, not only have I learnt a fascinating piece of history, but truly heroic people are now forever remembered as they should be. RIP Burrell Hecock, Eldridge Stanton and Clara Stanton.
Amen.
I know I almost teared up while I was drinking my coffee...
My God this was so depressing. Very courageous and selfless of the man trying to save the couple.
He wasn't even a man though. He was just a 17 year old kid :(
Hecock was from my city! Cleveland, our boy 😭 I've visited Niagara many times and I'm rarely emotionally affected by disaster cases. This one hit hard and as silly as it sounds made me cry. Everyone tried so hard and I admire Hecock so much for risking his life, and how the two lovers accepted their fates so peacefully. I'd like to think they're out there, timeless spirits watching over the majestic falls.
Hecock is the man!!
I think this channel has the best, most respectful presentation and truly puts the "fascinating" in "Fascinating Horror" because every event is presented with such thorough research and care. Keep up the great work!
I think so too! All the videos have been respectful, not at all sensationalist, yet very interesting and enjoyable to watch.
It's one of my favorite channels for that reason!
The respect he shows for the victims of every tragedy is commendable, and I love how he always shows how from that tragedy we as a society learn and change so it never happens again.
Shy yep. It's why...this is just about my favorite channel for such sad...events. You can tell there's respect and care...with each narration. A lot of channels...seem to forget those things.
Couldn't agree more, considering the morbid nature of most of the videos on this channel the tone is perfect, remaining sombre and respectful the whole time rather than any move towards sensationalism,and clearly all well researched.
Burrell Hecock, Ignacious Roth, and Eldridge Stanton are the most old-timey names I’ve ever heard.
Yes, yes they are.
*Roth
@@drno62 thx
Need to be used in present. Theyre nice names
"Old-timey"??? 🙄😣
Awesome documentary! Very well done. Watched the entire thing. Nice job!
I always like your hopeful, positive spin you put on these dark, disturbing stories of disaster and tragedy. You're not just some creepy ghoulish death-hag. Have you done a story on the Le Man's tragedy of the 1950s where a destroyed race car engine sliced into the crowd, killing many onlookers? If not, it's a good suggestion, I think.
He did, in fact!
czcams.com/video/AZB-sx_yI9M/video.html
Psst! FH covered Le Mans the week before last! czcams.com/video/DoUbcrK0KkY/video.html
This is heartbreaking:
"When Clara Stanton fell, her husband called out for help. Hecock, who had been headed in the other direction, stopped and then ran to their assistance. Roth called out to his friend, "Can't you make it?" to which Hecock replied, "No. Goodbye. Don't tell my mother.""
He definitely told his mother
It makes you wonder what you would do in that situation.
@@The1nvisibleJeevas Ikr? What a snitch
@@lisagd22 -In panic mode You never know until it happens.
"oh shit don't tell mom"
It's actually kind of a relief to hear about a disaster that doesn't leave you exasperated and angry with penny pinchers and corrupt safety inspections. This wasn't a borderline malicious act of negligence, it's just a tragedy.
I find it interesting that even in those days, no one understood how ice forms over flowing water, the gaps it creates between the two.
I have to wonder if dollar signs were seen, and caution was left to the wind.
It is absolutely a tragedy three lives were lost, very sad indeed.
A sad tragedy indeed and summed up beautifully not only in the upload but also in your comment.
I don't blame the victims at all, but the feeble "rescuers" kinda ticked me off. Between police, firefighters and rail workers nobody thought to tie a big loop on the end of the rope before they lowered it down? Incompetent.
@@stevebone88 rescues weren't assessed endeavours. It was do what you could think of.
No emergency plans for this, no trained rescuers.
Just alot of people trying thier best with anything to hand.
@@stevebone88 absolutely right
I love the falls, but there is something so intimidating about them that they actually scare me. While that won't stop me from visiting, I'd never challenge them in any way.
In the crazy thing is the water going over is only get like 30%? American Niagara Falls at full capacity water going over I used to think about contraptions I could build to go over the falls and survive I'm very intrigued by the falls I always have
It made me so sad when Hecock didn’t have the strength to hold on. As an aerialist it seems so clear to me to just put your foot in a foot wrap climb position and stand up on the rope without having to hold on with your arm strength. Climbing a rope is a niche skill and there are so few real world ways to utilise it. Still, it’s really tragic that such an easy maneuver might have saved his life.
The fact the Stantons resided themselves to their fate, kneeling together and kissing one last time, is gutwrenching as much as Hecock being only 17 when he died trying to save them.
@Jace The Man bruh
@Jace The Man Talk about being a Debby downer and downplaying someone trying to do a heroic act
@Jace The Man I think I’m gonna put myself in YOUR parents shoes. If ya know what I mean.
@Jace The Man "hOw WoUlD tHe pArEnTs FeEl" is a really shitty way to justify your statement. Of course the parents don't want their child to die, but he died making an effort out of compassion for other human life
@Jace The Man Yeah and I bet his parents are happy that their son had compassion and cared. It's real easy to say what you're saying when you're just some person watching a youtube video over 100 years later. I know I'd rather die trying to help than to live watching someone else die.
Worked near the falls, was a licensed tour guide, and personally visited that plaque so many times. No matter how often, I always choke up a little thinking of the bravery of that kid trying to save someone. Scary to think just a few years later he'd have been a soldier in WWI.
now if you put it like that maybe it's better for him to go like this. (easy for me to say)
He just said it happened on August 4th it was February
@@adamwiggins9865 That has absolutely nothing to do with the comment.
@@adamwiggins9865 You are correct, however did correct himself in the comment at the top.
WW1 was delegated to the poor i doubt with portraits they would have been poor + americans joined the war late as europes problem
What a heartbreaking, yet tragically beautiful story. From Hecock's bravery to the Stanton's love for each other almost seems like something from a movie. Next time I visit Niagara Falls, I'll have to look for that memorial and give my respects to those three.
What a brave young boy! And thanks for wrapping up the Stanton's story with such a nice bow. Im sure many of us will go much more peacefully, but I'm not sure many of us will be as AT peace as those 2.
hecock is absolutely a hero, but can we also discuss how mr. stanton put saving his wife first at every attempt?
sweet but foolish.
@@hollystiener16 Not "sweet", and certainly not "foolish". Many would do the same under identical circumstances. If you believe that you can live with the idea you saved yourself and let your wife perish without trying to help her... well. I couldn't.
@@hollystiener16 Better to die with the comfort of knowing you saved your wife than to live with the guilt of knowing you left her to die.
@@hollystiener16 it’s honorable.
Anyone who has ever seen the whirlpool rapids up close knows how truly scary that violent water is. I can only imagine the hopelessness they must've felt at that moment. 6 million cubic feet of water per minute is a hard number to understand even tho I've been to the falls many times.
And for them to be freezing as well.
The power of those rapids is incredible when you walk alongside them... Even in the best conditions, it would be challenging even for experienced white water rapids riders to handle... Let alone at the peak of winter
I've been held under by a 3' lowhead dam tubing here in Texas. I couldn't imagine. But the Trinity river i grew up fishing was more dangerous. Every year we get new Hispanics that aren't familiar and they drown.
@Gi Gi last I checked they cancelled those rapids rides.
@Gi Gi my wife and I did that on the US side 3 years ago when we went. So totally worth it and a lot of fun. Whirlpool Jet Boat Tours I believe is the business. I hope they’re still open.
Once again, I appreciate the bits of happiness or positivity that can be salvaged from a tragedy. Hecock died a hero and can be remembered lovingly for his efforts. The Stantons died together, able to be with the one they loved in a place they loved.
It’s so very sad, but it’s nice to be able to remember something good about these lives lost. May they rest in peace.
I'm shocked by how many of these I've never heard of. You have a new subscriber, I just discovered this channel and have addictively been watching several of these reports in a row today. Well done. The right tone, excellently written.
So heartbreaking! It brought me to tears that Mr. Stanton tried to save his wife and not himself, and Hecock was so brave. It’s a tragically romantic ending for that couple. I’m glad that there’s a memorial. :(
more details here czcams.com/video/h006-5wn_gI/video.html
I live near Niagara. The amount of people that intentionally jump in or commit suicide yearly is crazy. It’s so frequent that officials purposely do not report these events to public in order to try and prevent it becoming a macabre suicide destination.
I heard the same thing about the Westgate Bridge in Melbourne. It was popular with jumpers and some guy threw his daughter off it to spite his ex wife, so they built a really tall fence along it.
@@emusaurus I watched a documentary on the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco and was astonished how many people had jumped from it. I can't recall a single one of them being on the news, quite possibly for the same reason.
Then you have Aokigahara Forest in Japan, which has become such a popular and romanticize suicide spot that they actually have volunteers on staff to help talk people down if they think they're there to kill themselves.
Edit: also, I can't imagine someone killing their own child just to get back at an ex. That just blows my mind.
True, I lived there for a few years and still live close by. Very sad. As a kid growing up around there we sure know to stay well behind the guard rails.
@@Stellra52 I watched one where a guy jumped and survived because a sea lion helped him stay on the surface after he hit the water. He said he immediately regretted his decision to 'jump' the moment his hands left the rail. Crazy.
@@Stellra52 yes that documentary is called THE BRIDGE, and it is totally heart breaking, though there is some redemption in it when they had the segment on people who survived the fall. I am glad they have netting and cameras and more guards there now.
Just found this channel lastnight and have been binging since then, this might be the first channel I ever "finish" and have to wait for more.... I'm excited to see!
Awesome job FH this channel is amazing!👏🏽
This popped up in my recommended while I was at Niagara Falls. Needless to say, I clicked and enjoyed the video.
This one hit really hard for somehow. Hecock for succumbing to exhaustion really underlines the physical limits of our bodies. He wanted to live, but his body just said no more and that was it. The Stantons for their dignified deaths, accepting the inevitable and going out together with love in their hearts. I can't imagine the sense of hopelessness they felt when Mr. Stanton gave up on tying the rope, but I bet the sense of calm they felt upon accepting what was going to happen made it less intense.
Poor people.
Too bad Hecock didn't think to tie the rope so he didn't have to hold it, or maybe that he didn't have time to tie it.
@@laiika511 I imagine the ice float was moving quite fast.
I imagine it was a lot like the end of Rogue 1. They kiss and disappear into oblivion together.
Their story reminds me of the Air Florida crash in DC in 1982. The plane stalled because of ice on its wings, hit several cars as it grazed a bridge, and landed in the frozen Potomac River. Some people ran to the shore and were able to throw ropes to some of the passengers and crew in the water, but only a handful of people were able to be rescued. About 30 minutes later, a Metro car crashed, killing more people. Oh, and this all took place in the middle of a near blizzard. It was a terrible day for people in the area, one of those days I'll always remember.
If you search CZcams for "When Weather Changed History - Florida Air Potomac Crash" there's a good documentary about it. The dramatic rescue footage runs from around 26:00 to 34:30. It'll give you chills.
@@TheNewRobotMaster Floe. Ice floe. That's what they're called, but you're right they are like floats
Mr Stanton trying to save his wife before himself, sounds like he was an honorable man. Respect.
Tourists that take chances die all the time. Best to play it safe.
@@randymillhouse791 Totally irrelevant comment.
@@profd65 Very relevant. Google "Jet Ski Deaths."
@Jake Stockton Oh well, that is one person's opinion I suppose.
Chores were even worse back in those days 🤣
Beautifully done! Thank you for sharing this video!
A pleasure to watch your videos which are without distracting 'music/noise' or superfluous fillers. Thanks!
For all the terrible things humans are capable of, it's good to remember how selfless and courageous we can also be.
I’ve been watching these terrible things for the last 15 months world wide!
The humility our society is capable of to where they want no glory only to help us the main reason I believe we don’t see or hear about the most heartwarming and selfless stories all the time
One of my favorite examples is Vince Coleman during the Halifax explosion he could have tried to run and save his own life like his colleagues but instead he remembered that there was an oncoming train with a bunch of passengers and decide to go back and telegraph to them. He saved that train as well as who knows how many as that message was then passed along and there was a rescue brigade being formed before it even really took place in word spread of what exactly happened
@@eastdalecrt Yes, I've heard of Mr. Coleman. And, you're right - he truly was a self-sacrificing and courageous man.
I wonder if they might have survived had the rescuers been smart enough to tie some nooses into the ropes beforehand. People always overestimate the human ability to cling to a rope
I guess they either didn’t have time and/or the ropes weren’t strong enough to tie knots: when Stanton tied a knot around his wife’s waist the rope snapped. They weren’t prepared for this event to happen so likely didn’t have any sufficient ropes nearby
A Noose?!!!!! That's RaCiST!!!
@@Arizona_Skin_Walker 😕😕😕
@@TahtahmesDiary You are clearly out of touch with recent US politics.
@@Arizona_Skin_Walker ????
Thanks for making this. I've watched several of your videos in this series, and this is the best one to me. So far at least.
Thank you for always making such high-quality videos that honor and respect the victims to such a high degree.
Born and raised in NF, NY... I cannot imagine ever walking across an ice bridge at the base of the Falls. That thundering water is so powerful and terrifying.
And this is waaaaaaaayyy b4 the water intakes were built so its at 100% all year long as opposed to the 50 to 75% its allowed to operate at these days.
Totally understand from the Niagara falls , Ontario side and new York side. No way.
I came here to say just that! I've never heard this story before.
I lived in NF all my life and never heard this story. Or if I had it was when I was young and had forgotten. Sad story.
If I recall correct, in the corridor leading to the restrooms in the Wegman's grocery store in NF, NY they have several framed vintage photos of people on these ice bridges at the base of the falls. Made me think about what a carefree lifestyle people had then... sleeping in a cabin on the ice bridge - just to do it... riding a horse on the ice bridge - just to do it... setting up food concessions on the ice bridge - just to do it. But I never knew about this tragedy until watching this video.
A hero can appear when least expected and in the guise of someone you might never expect. Honoring Burrell Hecock for his unselfish sacrifice.
You have presented a number of stories which have included tales of ordinary people becoming instant heroes. Thank you for that. They deserve to be remembered.
Burrell is a good name for a boy to be given today.
I’m used to watching awful and heartbreaking stories, and this one was the only video that made me cry on your channel. RIP Hecock and the Stantons
I am an avid fan and a subscriber and I want to thank you for your style of narrating.
I have watched through all your videos at least once, and have learned a lot, especially on how to be aware of the fire hazard and scan my exits in any public venue I go to.
Other than that I really love your soothing voice and I often use your videos to help me fall asleep. My mind is often racing before sleep, and I am unable to get a good night's sleep, but listening to your videos that I've watched before helps me fall asleep fast. I love them. I am also grateful that you don't put ads every 2 minutes (like some) and in this way, I can really use the video to catch some sleep.
Thank you.
Please continue what you're doing, I love your channel.
I answered here because this one is the one I am hearing for the at least the 5th time as it's a tragic but a beautiful story in itself.
The “the fourth of August” statement threw me for a loop saying, ‘No wonder the ice bridge broke, it was SUMMER!’
I was trying to figure out how it lasted so long.
@@souporcoolguy it was February 4th 0:09 9:30
Right!!!
Must be a mistake
@@FUXYOOBONERZ Is a mistake
That was so moving. All three faced their death with such bravery it breaks my heart.
I really feel as though it reflects a different set of cultural values about what makes a person a good or admirable person. Not a normative statement, just an observation.
yeah people were so different from today.
i would probably bat shit freak out
How do you know all three were brave?
@@SteRDLK idk about the wife, but the kid ran back knowing he might die just to save two strangers and the husband desperately tried to save his wife and didn't care if he died. it's terrifying to know you might die, but to be brave enough to push past that fear to save someone else is honorable.
Literally the only documentary type video on youtube i watched more than once. Something about it just gets me right in the heart
Can we acknowledge the fact that Mr. Stanton prioritized saving his wife first before his own self? Like him failing the second time to get the rope tied around her he just gives up and doesn’t even attempt to try and save himself(which probably would’ve been easier to do since I can only imagine it’s more difficult tying a rope around someone else in the conditions there were in then it is for yourself), like he had the mentality of “if I can’t save my wife then I’m not gonna save myself because I don’t wanna live without her!”.
Like I genuinely wonder what was going trough Mrs. Stanton’s mind after he gave up the second time, was it worry for his safety? Fear that they’re not gonna make it? Did she have a moment of joy knowing that she married someone who cared so much about her that he was willing to give up a chance to save himself when he couldn’t save her first? I really do hope that she at least died knowing just how much her husband loves her, and that he died knowing she loved him just as much.
Sorry I got a bit emotional there for a second.
You can tell this wasn't the result of a commercial accident, as they placed a marker. Rarely do we get to see a marker when the entity owning the land (eg. amusement parks) wants to pretend nothing bad ever happened.
I find it amusing the marker is on the Canadian side. I grew up with the Falls practically in my backyard and visit it at least once a year and never knew this tragic accident took place because the American side doesn't say anything about it, as far as I am aware
@@HitomiMudo there is stuff about it at the Niagara Power Authority where they have stuff about the ice bridge.
@Femboy Friday Frankly, the only person who’s said ‘America bad’ here is you. Hitomi was commenting that there was no plaque on the American side, and hence he never knew about the incident. Lo and behold, the victims are Canadian: of course it’s on the Canadian side.
@Femboy Friday What an exceptionally ridiculous reach to make from one person's innocent comment. Talk about projecting.
@@TinkSalsa oops. In my defense, it's been YEARS since I have visited the power authority.
The fact they were seen kissing at the end is really very romantic in a gloomy, Gothic sort of way.
It would have been medieval back then lol.
I dont think you understand what gothic means
@@nishcheta885 gothic in the old fashioned sense of "gothic romance" is what he means, it works.
@@nishcheta885 @John Mc, I mean if they sacked the Western Roman Empire at some point on that ice floe that could be both technically Gothic and, arguably, very early Medieval. But i'm sure someone would have probably noticed.
It reminds me of the Strausses on the Titanic. She refused to leave without him, and they died together.
Excellent production as always, it's always uplifting when the noblest traits of mankind emerge in the worst of circumstances!!!🙏🙏🙏
I really enjoy your channel ! You're doing an excellent job of telling these stories direct and to the point but while keeping them interesting and exciting , however tragic they may be ! Dude was truly a heroic young man to risk his life at 17 !!
109 years on May we remember them. I hope they know that on some strange technology to them that people across the world are hearing their story and thinking of them
What an interesting story. Makes me sad to think such a heroic man and lovely couple lost their lives in such a horrific way.
not even a man. He was 17, a boy really, and so brave.
Easy movie abd book material!
He was just a kid..and incredibly brave.
love your videos :) can listen to your videos all night
Thanks for the video ! 🤗👍
I like your calm and clear voice 😊
This one was more touching than I expected. It was incredibly tragic, but it showed the best of what humans can be for one another. That ability to be truly selfless is our strength.
RIP Burrell Hecock, Eldridge Stanton, and Clara Stanton
In NY's slate and shale rapids, bodies often get caught in "the keeper" - that place between the falling water and the base of the jump or falls it plunges over. Beneath the surface it's a death-trap washing machine from which nothing escapes except by erosion.
Same with Niagara Falls, when they stopped the falls in the '69 they found 2 intact bodies
@Jayo Delaware Those 2 were snatched by the US government, the rest by erosion
Yeah. Um. F that. Lol
You mean at the base of a waterfall?
Just discovered your channel ,love it ,subscribed,thats a sad story
I love the spooky background music... Top content, thanks!
one of the most underrated youtube channels.
@Xander Cain i agree but he still deserves way more
He deserves a million!!!!! 🐩🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧
@Xander Cain compared to all the youtubers with 15mil+ yes this channel is severely underrated
If only one of the rescuer had thought to tie a loop in the end of the ropes. It could've saved all of them. Everyone should know how to tie a bowline.
The rabbit comes out of the hole, goes around the tree and then back into the hole.
@COOKIE GOODNESS or sit in it. Very useful knot to know.
I was shocked when I realized no one tied a loop in the rope. Or even just a knot you can put between your legs.
I understand the rescuers were probably panicking, but such a simple idea would have saved them all.
Video tutorial
czcams.com/video/h006-5wn_gI/video.html
It's also possible that, since it was winter time, their fingers might have been too cold and stiff to try to make knots in the rope. If they were too tired and cold even to just cling to the rope, I can only imagine how difficult it would have been trying to form a knot!
This one hit me the hardest. That brave young boy. And the connection that he made with the couple he tried to save. I am so moved.
Grabbing tissues while listening to “My Heart Will Go On”…
Omg
So sad. I had never heard of this. The Titanic sinking probably took over the news soon after.
Titanic wasn't until April, two months later. This event, if it made news at all (only three deaths), would have been long forgotten by the news media by the Titanic's sinking.
It was over 100 years ago... there are probably house fires which resulted in greater loss of life two WEEKS ago that you'll never hear of.
It's kind of like three people dying in a freak accident today. People aren't going to obsess over it for that long.
Oh my God. I have lived by The Falls my entire life and I can't even fathom going down to walk on the ice in the winter. It's a beautiful sight, everything around it frozen from the mist... very surreal... but I'd NEVER go down there. Not even if I was paid to! Lol!
Same!! I’ve lived near Niagara Falls for my entire 24 years of life and even going on the maid of the mist freaks me tf out I could NEVER go on ice down there 🤯 (I still refuse to call it the hornblower LOL) I plan to look for this dudes memorial next time I go to the tourist area though
Have you seen this rescue of this poor man who was situated precariously on a rock near the lip of Niagara Falls? It's harrowing to watch but luckily had a happy outcome. czcams.com/video/7MZocbMfElc/video.html The Niagara region is very beautiful.🌊🍁😊
What a tragic yet totally beautiful story.
A great video thank you ♥️🦋♥️
Great video, thank you.
This story is both more heroic and more horrific than I was expecting.
"Greater love hath no man than this, that he give up his life for another.
Only a mental spastic would give up his life for a complete stranger.
@@sunnyjim1355 who are u helping by writing that comment
@@sunnyjim1355 thats why you will.never be called a hero and wont be remembered
I've watched the majority of your videos, and I can safely say this one broke my heart more than the others. Just the little details like how he and his friend were having a snowball fight moments before the bridge collapsed or how he and the couple waved goodbye to each other as the ice broke apart. I can't believe how selfless and compassionate that young man was. I hope somehow Burrell and the Stantons know we haven't forgotten them
Thank You for this Info.
Having grown up and lived on the Great Lakes, and in snow country, I was taught that one should never, not ever, trust that the ice is stable enough to hold even a lightweight person, and most certainly not to trust it enough to risk getting more than a few feet from shore. I'm 68 now, and even though I moved to mid MO four years ago to get away from those winter storms and snow, I still never trust that ice, even here, is strong enough or stable enough, to hold me. I live nowhere near water, but those many years of all the adults around me teaching us kids about winter everything---safety, driving, walking, etc.---sticks with me!
I cried a little. May they rest in peace.
Me too..
It's a pity that we'll never get to see what the falls looked like to 19th century tourists. Most of the water is now diverted for power generation before it gets to the falls. An idea was floated to let all the water go over the falls for one day, but then it was realized that that much water would rip out and flood everything downstream.
I'm sure the spot is still gorgeous
This one hits harder than the others. I think it's because this had only 3 victims, so we got to hear the details of each, as though they were main characters in a story. Which reminds me of that famous quote "The death is one man is a tragedy. The death of millions is a statistic." It pains me to say it, but there's some truth to that.
It's nice (albeit sad for the losses) to hear a story that isn't an unbelievable string of neglect from "professionals" and workmen trying to cut corners.
I agree, of course it's still a tragedy but less frustrating when it's just that, and not something that could have been prevented, but wasn't due to corporate greed
While I agree 100% since there was no malice, it seems there was one critical form of professional negligence when the rescue team threw the rope. If only they had tied a noose or even a knot all 3 could have survived.
I so enjoy your straightforward reporting, with a genuine care for the victims and the truth, utterly lacking in our so called media today.
This unbearable masterpiece came up in the feed and I just had to see it again. You're tops!
I absolutely love your content & have learned of so many tragedies & disasters that I normally would be totally unaware of had I not found your channel. Your presentation is never based on opinion, assumption or speculation, just purely factual. You never exaggerate or sensationalize. And in the You Tube world that's a rarity, if its not already extinct at this point!!😀. Ive seen video titles with comparable content inferring something totally different has happened in well documented & publicized events only to find it was intentionally worded that way for higher view counts. While that may accomplish their initial goal, it will only be temporary as I have no toleration for those who mislead or waste others time purely for their own benefit. I never have to worry about that here.
It takes a real talent to take any of these events in history & tell their factual story (before, during & the aftermath or theories if still unknown) in less than 20 mins. I know I could of summed up my comment with just a "thank you" for doing what you do, but felt your work here deserved so much more than that. 🌷
I lived in Lewiston and Niagara Falls until I left for the military in 1979. The river and falls are fraught with death.
Lucky you, to have lived there, I would love to see it, but I live to far away, and have four dogs!!!! God bless from coventry England. 🐩🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧
How often? Is it consistently several a year? More than a dozen? And are most suicide, or death by misadventure, etc.?
@@Syclone0044 You could have Googled the answers to your questions in less time than it took to type them out.
keyw.com/youll-be-shocked-how-many-people-get-killed-by-niagara-falls/
Not very common to hear the word 'fraught' anymore.
@@deborahhanna9126 True, it always makes me happy to notice people using words that don't get enough love. Thanks for pointing it out.
I can't even imagine how terrifying it would have been to be floating on that chunk of ice for an hour knowing there was a good chance I wouldn't make it. They were all so brave.
The detail of them waving goodbye to each other when they were separated makes me feel like they bonded over that hour. All they could do was wait and talk to each other. So many details in this one are just incredibly *human* that you can't think about it in abstract terms of just the number of dead, you're really aware of them as people.
Nice video, thanks.
Such a sad story, R.I.P. Mr. HECOCK. 🙏😇
That boy's courage gained him immortality a way that most of us will never achieve. A tragic way to do so, but he will be remembered long after most of us are forgotten. In the normal course of things, it's doubtful that anyone, even his decendants would even remember his name today.
He was so immortal that you can't even be bothered to type his name.
@@SteRDLK Go away.
@@matbroomfield Is that what the Stanton's said to him when their ice flows split?
I am good, I will pass on a memorial. I do have much respect for his actions though. I did help rescue a man back in 1992 in the White Mountains of NH. I never seen or heard from the man again. I am fine just knowing he is ok.
@@mtadams2009 Odd post. "I am fine just knowing he is ok." and telling strangers about it. This wasn't about you, but ok.
So sweet. Like the elderly couple who chose to die together on Titanic, rather than be parted. Could you do a video on the wreck of the Sultana? Thanks and keep up the great work!
I believe those were the Strausses on the Titanic. They were reported to have given up their places on a lifeboat and never seen on deck afterwards. In the 1996 film, they're shown waiting for the inevitable in their first-class suite.
Yes! The Sultana needs to be done. People have no idea and it was so horrible.
@@happyfacefries It really was horrible and so few know about it. I'm from Memphis so I know and have seen the Memorial for it. The Mississippi River is absolutely treacherous, it is impossible to swim in it, even now, the undertow is so strong. None of my family will boat on it. The poor soldiers who thought they were going home and the civilians! Greed. They knew they were overloading it they just wanted the money. I don't think anyone was ever properly punished either.
You realize that was a movie, right?
@@tifKh You realize it was based on reality, right? Ever hear of Macy's? Isidor Straus the husband of Ida, was half owner. They were the elderly couple who were depicted dying together in the film because they died together on the Titanic, in real life.
I remember so well my one and only trip to Niagara Falls as a boy. I remember the feeling cold dread yet wonder as I looked upon the Horseshoe side of the mighty falling water when riding The Maid of the Mist. It was such an experience for me as a child, seeing something so beautiful yet so monumentally dangerous and from then on my respect for the power of the falls was solidified. Which makes hearing this story so heartbreaking. The next time I visit the wondrous site again I'll be sure to think of those who lost their lives in this event.
I rented an old mansion with a bunch of friends right on the river above the Falls. It’s a beautiful area. I love the white noise that it provided at night.