Niagara Falls Scow Moves a Century after Running Aground

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November 2, 2019

An iron boat that ran aground near Niagara Falls has finally moved, 101 years later.

The 80-foot-long dumping scow on a dredging mission broke loose from a tugboat just above Horseshoe Falls on the afternoon of Aug. 6, 1918, and ran aground 600 feet from shore. The U.S. Coast Guard and local authorities rescued the two men onboard, who opened dumping doors before they left, which slowed the boat so it wouldn't be borne away by the current. The rescue involved running a lifeline from an adjacent powerhouse to the stranded men. The rescue operation hit a few snags, and the men weren't safe until the following morning. At the time, authorities chose to leave the boat where it was because a salvage operation was deemed difficult and unnecessary.

On Halloween 2019, however, heavy weather and heavy current combined in moving the boat from its century-old moorings, flipping it on its side and moving it more than 160 feet downriver, closer to the edge of the falls.

Officials weren't sure whether the scow would move again, saying that the boat certainly seemed to be grounded anew. Officials also installed a security camera to monitor the scow's position and said that they would give plenty of warning to tourist operators in the area if the boat moved even a tiny amount.