Fallen Arch

In the days when tradition made it obligatory for U. S. honeymooners to go to Niagara Falls, they did their most effective mooning at the local Wonder of the World from 1,248-ft. Falls View Bridge. Closest to the falls of the three bridges that span the Niagara River in that area, it was something of a wonder itself. It trembled in the wind, shook under heavy loads, but for 39 years managed to keep from crashing into the 200-ft. canyon below.

When the Falls View Bridge finally fell last week, it did not blow down like its predecessor or collapse--its piers were knocked out from under it. Ice, blown by gales out of Lake Erie and over the falls, piled up 90 ft. high in the river, ground into the bridge's unprotected piers set near water level. After 30 hours it simply pushed the base of the big 840-ft. arch at the U. S. end from its pier and the bridge fell. Useful chiefly for sightseeing, the collapse caused only a minor traffic problem between Niagara Falls, N. Y. and Niagara Falls, Ont. Three separate plans for new bridges were under way within a few hours of the crash.

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