Photos verify wild tale of Hudson River ice rescue after family drove car on frozen surface
While this winter has been tough, it hasn't been as tough as the winter of 1917.
It was 109 years ago when the Hudson River became frozen solid for 40 days. Ferries couldn't run, so adventurous souls drove their cars - and even raced - between New York's Westchester and Rockland counties.
The accident happened near the landing at Nyack. The car ended up submerged under 10 feet of water.
"The whole story is just unbelievable"
On Feb. 12, 1917, the ice opened, and nearly swallowed the car that carried Bob Klebe's grandfather, uncle and mother, who was just 12 years old at the time.
"Hockey players came and saved my mother by wrapping one of their hockey sticks around her scarf and pulled her out of the Hudson River. The whole story is just unbelievable all the way around," Klebe said.
Klebe, a Yonkers native who now lives in St. Louis, is downsizing, and his mother's desk ended up at a vintage boutique. A customer discovered it had a secret compartment, holding an envelope with photos of that icy drama.
"A lot of people would say 'no way'"
"The whole family knew the story but we hadn't seen the pictures of the car going through the ice," Klebe said.
There were no photos in the 1917 newspaper accounts, and Klebe said some may have doubted his mother when she told the tale of the car in the river.
"I think it's a great story, but a lot of people would say 'no way,'" Klebe said.
He said he's not sure why his mother never pulled out the pictures that were hidden in her desk, but he's happy to have them now. It's history frozen in a photo that was captured on the frozen Hudson River.
