Man uses tractor to save horse stuck in Oswegatchie River

HEUVELTON — Two horses hauling logs slid down a steep slope and into the Oswegatchie River on Wednesday morning. One got out of the river on its own, and the other was rescued by the property owner using a tractor.

Harvey Miller and his brother were logging pine trees about 10 a.m. when the horses slipped 15 to 20 feet down an embankment and into the river, property owner Lynn C. Thompson said.

Mr. Miller ran more than a half-mile to the Thompson home, 4492 Route 812, for help, Heuvelton firefighters said. Beverly Thompson then called 911 while her husband grabbed a front-loader from the garage and went to the site.

When he arrived, Mr. Thompson said, he found one of the horses, which was blind, had been able to get back onto the shore. The second horse was body-deep in the rushing water surrounded by a thin layer of ice.

Mr. Thompson, 75, drove his tractor near the edge of the slope, and with the help of the men who were logging, was able to put a chain around the horse's stomach and pull him to safety.

"It's a really good feeling to save the horse," Mr. Thompson said. "It was a stubborn horse, though."

When Heuvelton firefighters arrived, the horses were already rescued, firefighters said. Mr. Thompson also used his tractor to free a Heuvelton fire rescue truck that was stuck in the deep snow on a dirt road leading to the logging site.

The men and their horses returned to work shortly after the incident, firefighters said. No injuries were reported.