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Les diagrammes sulvants illustrent la mAthode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 PECKS' TOURIST'S COMPiNION TO NIAGARA FALLS, SARATOGA SPRINGS, THE LAKES, CANADA, ETC. CONTAINING, IN ADDITION TO FULL DIRECTIONS FOR VISITING THE CATARACT AND VICINITY, THE SPRINGS, ETC., FULL TABLES OF ROUTES AND DISTANCES PROM NIAGAKA FALLS TO THE PRINCIPAL PLACES IN THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA. ILLUSTRATED BY NUMEROUS ENGRAVINGS, MAPS AND CHARTS, From original Designs and Surveys. BUFFALO: WILLIAM B. & CHARLES E. PECK. ^ 1845 .» , .if r F'.W'^l I-iitered acconling to Act of Congress, by W. B. & C. E. PECK , in the Clerk's Oflicc of the Northern District of New- York, in the year 1?4.'». t ■ , .; ■ ' 1 A, • 'X K . > riiESS OI<' G. F. S. THOMAS. 3 PECRS' TOURIST'S COMPANION. DIRECTIONS TO VISITERS. A V 1 N G arrived at the Falls, and chosen your hotel, enter you name on the register, ! secure your room, and procure a copy ofi Pecks' Tourist's Companion, which con- j tains many views of the cataract, and ' other ohjects of interest, in its vicinity, and full directions for finding all the best points of view, so as to employ your time to the most advantage, and proceed at once, to Prospect Point, from which you have the best view of the Falls, on the American side. Feast your eyes on the splendid scenery of river, banks, rapids, and cascades, as long as you desire; and then pass up the stream and along the shore to the bridge. Cross that to Bath Island, register your nam3, p:iy tvventy.five cents toll, and then continue on Iris I^hiiil. Hiving ascended the bank, turn to the rig!it, and fjllow the path to the lower end of the Island. QvAe there as long as you list, at the Cen- tral and American Fail-', urjd the magnificent vista of river and cliff below, and then cross the bridge to Pros- pect Island, and enjoy a most magnificent view of the American Falls, I- 1 J !,!( i I; I ■I ;:! til. I ! I ■ra^ J DIRECTIONS TO VISITERS. Returning to Iris Island, pass on round it, till you reach the great Fall. DesceRd the bank to the Terrapin Bridge, and from the rocks ttT its extremity, behold majesty, immensity, power, grandeur, and beauty! Next ascend the Terrapin Tower, and gaze around, above, below. Now retrace your steps to the Biddle Stair^case, and descend the shaft to the base of the precipice. From the foot of the Stair-case, pass up to the British Fall, and bend your wondering gaze on the floods that come tumb- ling down the cliff, far, far above you, and fall in foam and thunder at your feet. Pass behind the sheet aa far as you can or dare ; and returning, make your way back to the Stair-case, pass it by, and continue on to the Cen- tral Fall, and the Cave of the Winds. Returning, ascend the Biddle steps, and then complete the circuit of Iris Island, and re-crossing the bridge, rest and refresh your- self for a brief season, at your hotel, or elsewhere. That done, proceed to the Ferry Stairs, descend, take a view of the American Fall from its foot, pass behind the sheet, if you like, and then cross the river. From the centre of the stream, you have a view of the Falls beyond conception grand. On landing, pay your ferriage, eighteen and three-fourths cents, and ascend by a smooth carriage road, to the top of the bank, where another glorious view of the Falls is presented. Proceed along the brow of the bank to Table Rock, and if the subime and beautiful have any charms for you, or the awful and terrible any power to thrill, you cannot there remain unmoved. At the building just below Table Rock, procure a changeof dress, and a guide, and then descend the wind- ing stairs, and pass up to the foot of the Horse-shoe Fall. DIRECTIONS TO VISITERS. Give to the grandeur of this scene a few moments obser- vation, and then follow your guide through the driving spray, to Termination Rock, one hundred and fifty feet behind ths hanging tapestry of floods. That scenewill never fade from your memory — it is grand, impressive, and even awful. Emerging from this home of the mist- throned thunder, ascend the stairs, change your dress and register your name, receive a certificate, pay the charge, and return along the bank to the Museum. A short visit to this fine collection of natural and artificial curiosities, will not be regretted. From the piazza, you can enjoy a glorious view of the whole crescent of cataracts, the rapids above and the abyss below. Leaving the Museum, return to the ferry, cross the river, and regain your hotel. You have seen enough for once, now rest and refresh yourself, reflect upon what you have beheld, examine your guide book, and decide what points you are next to visit. In the body of this work, more particular directions are given for such a round of observation, as that sketched above, which is designed only for a kind of general index or chart, to guide the visiter in his first impatient movements. Take the book with you, refer to it as occasion suggests, or requires, and you will not only be guided right, but will overlook nothing. If you arrive at the Falls on the Canada side, the order of your examination will be so farreversed, that you will first visit the several points and obtain the views men- tioned as on the shore, and then, crossing the ferry, be guided by the direction given above. I ii f ! i !f \' ::M /Mi K f. ) I t I I tB I r. TABLE OF CONTENTS. Page. Directions to Viaiters. 3 Hotels at Euflalo, the American, Mansion, Western. • - - 8,9,10 1 Hotels at Niagara Falls, Places of Resort, &c. Hi Hotels, and places of Resort on the Canada side. - - - - 15 1 Chapter!. The Cataract, River, St. Lawrence, Supply of waters, Situ- j ution of the Falls, Origin and meaning of the name. Climate, Animate and ! inanimate life, Geneml aspect, Natural idigion. Inducements to visiters, ! Routes of approach, - - - - - 17 ! Chapter 2. Euflalo, its situation, harbor, light-house, history, the City, I its prospects, steam and other bouts, (Joveinment Works, Ejicursions, rail- j roads, conveyance to the Falls. 25 | Chapter 3. FoitErie, situation and architecture, surrender, siege, ruins, I Waterloo, Black Rock, Rivalry', General Porter, Tonawanda, village and | creek, catfish and agues, Schlosser Landing, Chippewa, Creek, Battle Ground , Fort Schlosser. 30 Chapter 4. Villageof Niagara Falls, Mountain plain, Lewiston, Queeiiston, Youngstown, Niagara Village, Fort George, Fort Massasauga, FortNiagaia, Traditions, Indian incursions, Surprisal, Repairs, Additions and Armament. 37 * Chapter 5. Niagara Strait, breadth, depth, rapids, general appearance, navigation. Steam Boats, Islands, Grand Island, Boston Timber Company, Village, Mills, Vessels destroyed. Buck-horn Island, Navy Island, Military occupation. - - - 47 Chapter 6 Niagara River, course an J velocity, lovdiiress, tli\'i8ion:s <*nftt characteristics, height of banks, depth, breadth, descent of the stream, Retrocession of the Falls, Concluding remarks. 52 Chapter?. The Cataract and other objects of curiosity. - - - - 57 Chapters. Preliminary Remarks, Directions, Prospect Point, View on the Canada side, Views on the American side. Prospect Place, American j Fall, Ware's Observatory, Bridge to Bath Island, Toll House, Mr. Jacobs, i Mastodon Tooth, Ship and Brig Islands, Lover's Retreat, Popping the Question. ....(59, Chapter 9. Iris Island, Names, Initials andDates on the Trees, the Hog's I Back, Central Fall, Prospect Island, View of the American Fall, other ' Islands, Profiles on the rock. Rainbow, Terrapin Bridge and Rocks, Horse- shoe Fall, Prospect Tower. 77 Chapter 10. Biditle Stair-case, Angling, Sam Patch, Fancied Danger, British Fall, Lower Fishing-Rock, Cave of the Winds, Foot of Prospect Island, Passing under the American Fall, Circuit of the Island, Encroach- mentof the River, Moss Island, Three Sisters, Head of Iris Island, Mounds and Skeletons. - - 84 Chapter 11. Ferry Stairs, Catlin'sCave, Giant Cave, View from the River, Road up the Bank , Grand view of the Falls, View from Table Rock, Dis- ruptions, Varied appearance of the Fall, Barnett's Rooms, Staircase, View from below, Termination Rock, Museum, Camera Obscnra, Iris Island at night. Di^ I TABLE OP CONTENTS. Page Chapter 1-2. Ilemnrks ami Advice, Good Counsel, Public Garden, Road down the Uauk, Indian Ladder, Point View, Mineral Spring, View of the .y7;''-- *^ -e- 'Sk -..^ S"#- • V ' '1 iii, I I; :>. rW~^. \-i-^.^v ;-„m ,,-;■:**'• ;H ."HAr . -A' jpt- J'".- lis ?" '\ ■ V. "l . >s$ ', ^' ^ i' ' . \ t" » ^ 1n H ! ■% '1 'f . ; ' i \ 1,y 1 I:: r-ll 1 . .. ,,.?'-', I^AUK Ovryyr/Mf* I. . I />■ /■! /: II I n 'y M«"n.jn.>.. f^ '■o;»v rti'.rnT i^fflcMrni KngravoA frr I"pr>l■■ CANADA SIDE. 15 SE^ iSi^-r : iff #ir ill di: ill ill ^^""'''''^^■Wi nil ill 1 1 ill ■In. 'rnm . I ■■ ■■ ■■ ■^ i;i-1T,;^iri(:>mi!'... CLIFTON HOUSE. I Oil the Canada side, the Cufton House, a large, ele- gant, commodious, vvell-fiiiishcd, and well-furnished ho- tel, stands on the brow of the bank, near the ferry, and comniiinda a splendid view of the Falls, in which all \ their majesty and f|:lory are revealed. It is a noble struc- ture, with triple colonnades of ample length and area, and |an interior that leaves nothing to be regretted. Mr. Cor- nelius Grtffin, a veteran host, is landlord of this estab- lishment, which is conducted, under his personal superin- tendance, in a manner that speaks for itself, and needs no eulogy. Since the accompanying view was ninde, an I addition of u wing nearly 100 feet in extent, and corres- ponding in height with the main building, has been ad. ided, making an establishment equal in extent to the larg. ' est class of Hotels. f i ::l r ■/»' I i ■iUl 'il !l _^__ I ;tS^ "^- III i ¥ '. I 16 CANADA SIDE — CHICAGO. The Pavillion Hotel occupies a very elevated and conspicuous portion on the upper bank, overlooking Ta. ble Rock and the Horse Shoe Fall. This house is now open, and well kept. MR. BARNETT»S MUSEUM AND GARDEN. This establishment has been alluded to in the body of this work, and forms one of the most attractive places of resort on the Canada side. No visiter should omit visit- ing it. The museum contains a large number of interest, ing curiosities, collected from the vicinity of the Falls, and also from different quarters of the globe. The collection of living Birds and Quadrupeds is quite large, and affords an interesting study to all. The Garden attached is extensive, and well stocked with choice native and exotic plants, and embellished beautiful summer houses, rustic arbors, seats, &c.; and a sweet fountain is now in the course of erection, forming a beautiful feature in the garden. Mr. Barnett, the proprietor, is a man of science and taste, and takes pleasure in pointing out to visiters the principal objects of interest. ^ . m *?i' ■i'^'^i;^ %.lIx^: LAKE HOUSE AT CHICAGO. This establish- ment is conducted by Mr. William Rickords, and is one of the best establishments in the Western country. To those who recollect the faithful and efficient *» William" who for so many yeard, officiated as superintendent of the American at Buffalo, no farther eulogism is neces- (sary. i Milll PECKS' TOURIST'S GOHPANION. NIAGARA FALLS. CHAPTER I. THE CATARACT — HOW PORMEO — RIVER — ST. LAWRENCE — SUPPLY OF WATERS — KITUATION OF THE FALLS — ORIGIN AND MEANING OF THE NAME^-CLIMATE — ANIMATE AND INANIMATE LIFE — GENERAL ASPECT — NATURAL RELIGION — INDUCEMENTS TO VISITERS — ROUTES OF APPROACH. NIAGARA. Shrine of Omnipotence! How vast, how grand, How awful, yet how beautiful art thou! PillarM aiound by everlasting hills, Bobed in the drapery of descending floods, > Crowned by the rainbow, canopied by clouds That roll in incense up from thy dread base, Hid by their mantling o'er the vast abyss, Upon whose verge thou standest, whence ascends The mighty anthem of thy Maker's praise, Hymn'd in eternal thunders ! :.- ' A T U R E has many waterfalls, a few cata- racts— one Niagara ! That stands alone, vast, grand, indescribaWe ! — the mighty alembic in which the world of waters is re. fined and etherealized! — the august throne upon which Nature sits, clothed in the glorious attributes of power and beauty! — -the everlasting altar, at whose cloud-wrapt base the elements pay homage to Omnipo- tence ! — The floods that pour down its tremendous heights, seem gushing from the opened heavens, and plunging into the depths of the unfathomable abyss ! — Air groans, earth trembles, deep calleth unto deep, and ' 1 m n ( ' ■)' I \ ' , . ■• ■ • i - Making that beautiful which else were hideous. This cataract, the most wonderful and amazing curi. osiiy in the natural world, is formed by the precipitous descent of the river Niagara down a ledge of rocks of more than one hundred and sixty feet perpendicular height, into an abyss or basin below, of unknown, but probably much greater depth. The river Niagara is that portion of the St. Lawrence, by which the lakes Erie and Ontario* are united. It is the outlet by which the vast volume of eurplus waters of those great inland seas, Erie, Huron, Michigan, Superior, and of the St. Clair and other smaller lakes and streams, is poured into lake Ontario, from whence, by the river and gulf of St. Lawrence, it finds its way to the Atlantic ocean. The St. Lawrence is one of the largest and longest rivers on the globe, hav- ing its source in the rocky mountains, many hundred feet above the level of the sea, and distant from the ocean into which it flows, more than two thousand miles. * This lake was formerly called Lake Frontenac, after a French Count of that name, who was first Governor of Canada. a( bi TO NIAGARA FALLS. 19 Volume of Water — River Niagara. Some idea of the immense quantity of water forced over the falls of Niagara, may be formed from the fact, that the lakes and tributaries which supply the river Nia- gara, cover a surface of not less than one hundred and fifty thousand square miles ; and contain, as nearly as can be estimated, about one half of all the fresh water on the globe. The land surface drained by this vast ex- tent of lakes and rivers, measures scarcely less than half a million of square miles. While the earth and the ope- tions of nature continue without material change, Niaga. ra must ever exhibit a scene of undiminished grandeur and sublimity. This stupendous cataract is situate in latitude 43 deg. 6 min. north, and longitude 2 deg. 6 min. west from Washington. It is twenty-two miles north from the ef- flux of the river, at Lake Erie; and fourteen miles south, from the introgression of the stream into Lake Ontario. The whole length of the river is, therefore, thirty-six miles — its general course is a few points to the west of north. Though commonly called a river, this portion of the St. Lawrence is, more properly speaking, a strait, connect- ing as above mentioned, the lakes Erie and Ontario, and conducting the superfluous waters of the great seas and streams above, through a broad and divided, and after- wards compressed, devious and irregular channel, to the latter lake, into which it empties — the point of union be- ing about forty miles from the western extremity of the lake. ,, ,i . -- , - Niagara is a word of Indian origin — the orthography, accentuation, and meaning of which are variously given by diflferent authors. It is highly probable that this di- 'T 11 If '^ V i lu •1^ W. % V %A. 20 tourist's companion Origin of Name — Climate. versity might be accounted for and explained, by tracing the appellation through the dialects of the several tribes of aborigines, who formerly inhabited the neighboring country. Such an investigation, however interesting to the philologist, would present but little attraction to the general reader, and is therefore quite foreign to our pre- sent purpose. There is reason to believe that the ety. mon belongs to the lanofuage of the Iroquois, and signi- fies the Thunder of Waters, The word Niagara has also been defined " a large neck (or strait) of water," — ''^across the neck (or strait) of water, ^^'^'•^ a fall of water," — ** broken water," — " running water," — " the voice of water,** etc. That this name was applied by the natives to the river (or strait) as well as to the cataract itself, is certain : — adjectively, it has been retained by both — substantively, it should belong to the latter. The climate of the Niagara is in highest degree health, ful and invigorating. The atmosphere, constantly acted upon by the rushing water, the noise and the spray, is kept pure, refreshing, and salutary. There are no stag, nant pools or marches near, to send abroad their foetid exhalations, and noxious miasmas, poisoning the air and producing disease. The face of the country for miles around, though nearly level, or but slightly undulating, is yet so elevated, as to be neither damp, disagreeable, nor unwholesome. No pestilential or epidemic complaints ever inlest this spot;— it is sacred from their approach. Even the cholera kept aloof frcm its raging waters. Sweet-breathing herbs, and beautiful wild flowers, spring up spontaneously even on the sides, and in the crevices of the giant rocks ; and luxuriant clusters of firs ri of % TO NIAGARA FALLS. 21 Flowers — Herbs — Insects. and other fine forest trees, cover the islands, crown the clifTs, and overhang the banks of Niagara, where their emerald foliage wantons with the feather-footed spray to the music of its roar, and they grow and gladden in the bounty of its breath aud the joy of its presence. Here are no moschetoes to annoy, no reptiles to alarm, and no wild animals to intimidate ; — yet there is life and vivacity. The many.hued butterfly sips ambrosia from the fresh-opened honey.cup — birds carol their lays of love among the spray-starred branches — and the lively squirrel skips chattering from tree to tree. Varieties of water.fowl sport among the rapids, the sea.gull plays around the precipice, and the Eagle — the banner.bird of freedom — hovers above the cataract, plumes his grey pinions in its curling mists, and makes his home among the giant firs of its inaccessible islands. Around the Falls all is soft, yet exciting — the cataract itself, terrible yet attractive. It has a fearful yet fascina. ting beauty, a dreadful but alluring greatness. Apt em- blem of Divinity ! it awes while it invites — and while it commands reverence, it secures aflection. Nature, as if by a revelation of her beauty and majesty, to teach us a religion in which justice is softened by mercy, and autho- rity sweetened by love, has here concentrated her powers of thrilling and exciting, and gathered round one holy spot of earth all that can awe and terrify, with all that inspires and delights. The great features of Niagara are ever the same, but their individual expression is constantly changing. With every season, with every sunbeam, with every shade they > i i i-( m ik 1 1 22 TOURIST'S COMPANION Features of Niagara. assume a different appearance, inspire a fresh interest, and exact a new admiration. Serener skies and a more salubrious atmosphere are nowhere to be found. Add to this the ocean-formed, rock-pillared, cloud-mantled cataract, and the marvels and glories by which this most sublime and stupendous of all natural wonders is surrounded, and what man or woman possessing leisure and means, would not desire to visit Niagara, if but to pay the homage of a day*s admi. ration at this altar and type of the Eternal. An hour at the foot of Niagara would amply reward a pilgrimage from Timbuctoo or Pekin ; and yet one can scarcely be- gin to realize its grandeur, immensity, sublimity, and beauty, in less than the lapse of days. No place on the civilized earth offers such attractions and inducements to visiters as Niagara, and they can never be fully known except to those who see them, from the utter impossibility of describing such a scene as this wonderful cataract presents : — when motion can be expressed by colour, there will be some hope of impart- ing a faint idea of it — but until that can be done, Niaga. ra must remain undescribed. The invalid may here find rest, refreshment, healthful exercise, and pure air, and that gentle exhiliration of mental and bodily spirits, so desirable in all cases, and often so necessary to a speedy recovery. The convales- cent will here be relieved from the languor of weakness, and much of the danger of relapse, by the pleasurable excitement scenes of such extreme majesty must ever produce. The business man, desirous of escaping for a w^n TO NIAGARA FALLS. 23 Inducements to Visiters. time the troublous round of toil and care in which he commonly moves, can here enjoy his leisure, and dignify his relaxation. The merchant or planter, flying for a season from the fev«:r.smitten cities and fields of the south, will here find the safety he covets, and the happi. ness he cannot but desire. The man of science can nowhere else find such an ample field for research, nor a subject which would so much honor investigation ; for, destined to be the wonder of all time, Niagara is yet almost entirely unknown, though the world is full of its fame. What chronicles of past ages may there not be niched in these eternal walls ? — what monuments of mighty changes sculptured on these hoary rocks? This mountain.rent chasm is an un- sealed volume of the past ! Who has the skill to divine its mystic lore — to decipher its time-traced pages ? — Let him come ! The lover of nature can here gratify his longing, and hold sweet communion with the object of his adoration ; nay, more, he will find here the temple of his divinity, and may stand beneath the very arches of its altar ! — Every one who has an eye to perceive, a heart to feel, and a soul to realize the grandest exhibitions of creative energy, and the mightiest manifestations of Omnipotent power, will here find on answer to his highest aspira. tions, a favorable response to his desire for the spirit, kindling ccstacy of emotion. There are various routes by which travellers from dis- tant parts of the country approach the Falls. The prin- cipal ones, however, terminate at Buffalo, the com- mencement of steam-navigation on lake Erie ; or at Lew- ■' I: I f !^ . i*;; i ■ I i( i ! m p 7 * frai.lf m I )) 24 TOURIST S COMPANION Routes to the Falls. iston, (or Queenston, opposite,) the landing place of the lake Ontario, and St. Lawrence steamers. From either of these places, it is a short ride to the Falls, and there are different modes of conveyance. The traveller will of course, suit his own inclination by choosing that which pleases him best. BUI T M r : J L cor tioi coi sin ser am it pre in^ La en thr- by ^^ TO NIAGARA FALLS. 25 CHAPTERII. BUFFALO — ITi SITUATION — HARBOR — CIOHT HOUSE — HISTORY — THE CITY — ITS PROSPECTS — STEAM AND OTHER BOATS — GOVERN- MENT WORKS — EXCURSIONS — RAIL-ROADS — CONVEYANCE TO THE FALLS. " Queen or the Lakes, whose tributary seas Stretch from the froxen regions of the North To Southern climates, where the wanton breexe O'er field and forest goes rejoicing forth : — '' '• Thou arttlie sovereign City of the Lakes, Crowned and acknowledged — may thy fortunes be Vast as the domain which thine empire takes, And onward, as thy waters to the sea." H E several towns, villagfes, and other im. portant places bordering on the Niagara [Strait, claim our first attention, and will be noticed in the order of succession suggested by their relative situation, beginning at the commencement of the stream, and ending at its termina. tion at lake Ontario. This arrangement, following the course of the river, is sufficiently recommended by its simplicity, and natural harmony of parts. They form a series of links of which the strait is the connecting chain; and starting at the lake from which it depends, we trace it down to that which it sustains. Buffalo is then the proper point of departure, and from that city we accord, ingly set forth. Buffalo, the Queen of the Lakes, lies at the foot of Lake Erie, at the mouth of Buffalo Creek, at the efHu. ence of the Niagara River, or Strait, and at the head of the Erie Canal. It has an excellant harbor, protected by a massy stone pier, at the extremity of which, there is u II lit f i I i /(•Hi' !*; i t ; ( : \ i ■!i i! .1. Al ; 1: m w \ III 26 tourist's companion Buftlilo City — Public Buildings — Population. a substantial stone light.house, constructed of the best materials, and in the most durable manner — a perfect model of that kind of architecture. BUFFALO FROM ABOVE FORT ERIE, U. C. It was laid out in 1801, became a military post in 1812,was burnt by the British in 1813,wa8 incorporated as a village in 1823, and chartered as a city in 1832, It is di- vided into five wards, and contains about three thousand houses, and nearly thirty thousand it habitants. Most of the buildings are good, many of them large, nnd quite a number uncommonly spacious and elccant. There are numerc s churches, two large markets, a :'plendid theatre, a fine court-house, and several other public edifices of creditable size and architecture. Bufl'alo is admirably situated for a commercial place of great importance ; its growth has been rapid beyond r TO NIAGARA FALLS. 27 Steamboats on Lake Erie — Pmnsett Barracks. all precedent, and it is destined to take a high rank among the great cities of the Union. It is principally built upon an elevated sandy plain; its streets are broad, straight and dry, and some of its noblest avenues radiate from a central point on Main-street. An air of bustle and business prevades it, especially in the summer season , by which is likened to many a city of much older date, and of far greater pretensions. The climate is highly salubrious, the atmosphere fresh and invigorating, and it has few if any local sources of disease. About sixty steamboats — some of them literally float- ing places — a large number of propellers, ships, brigs, schooners, and sloops, and canal boats almost innumer. able, arrive at and depart from Buffalo, making regular trips, and generally freighted with produce, merchandise and passengers io the utmost extent of their capacity and accommodations. Between this city, there is a con- tinuous and unbroken line of Rail Road reaching from Boston to Buflalo. Poinsett Barracks, an extensive and commodious cantonment for troops, occupy a conspicuous and com- manding position near the upper or northern limit of the city. Several companies of infantry are stationed there, who are paraded weekly for manoeuvre and review ; on field days, citizens and strangers in considerable num- bers attend, and seemingly take great interest in these materials display. Government is now erecting a strong fortification on the high lands, at the northwest corner of the city, for the protection of Buffalo and Black Rock, and the harbors of both, and also to secure the command of the river. 1 1 '\ w M \l Hf :,li!^m;l ^H TO NIAGARA FALLS. 29 River Route to the Falls. conveyance and the cars. Both routes are pleasant, and it may be advisable to go by one, and return by the other. By adopting this plan, every part of the beautiful river and forest scenery above the Falls will be seen ; nor will Chippewa, Navy -Island, or Schlosser — now memorable places — be overlooked; or a splendid view from the river, of the rapids, and islands, be lost. ^ 'J:%J-: .1'! a ¥'l it I ( /. I' il' i > ':'. 31 * r \ 4 •i ■' i : t ■i ' i 1 .' 1 I • i) 30 TOURIST S COMPANION CHAPTERIM. FORT ERIE — SITUATION AND ARCHITECTURE — SURRENDER — SIEGE — RUINS — WATERLOO — BLACK ROCK — RIVALRY — GENERAL PORTER — TONAWANDA — VILLAGE AND CREEK — CATFISH AND AGUES — SCHLOSSEU LANDING — CHIPPEWA — CREEK — BATTLE-GROUND — FORT SCHLOSSER. " In crumbling ruins on the lake-laved shore, Its shatterred walls and bastions ivied o'er, Stands a stern iurtress that has oft withstood The fiery brunt of battle, blushing blood ; Its curtains, parapets, and ramparts gray, War-wasted and corroded bj' decay. On frowning battlement and salient stone. Has time the unfinished work of foemen done ; And creeping plants, and blooming wild-flowers wave, Where floated proudly once the banner brave." PPOSITE to Buffalo, at the efflux of the river, and on the Canada side, stand the ruins of Fort Erie. This fortification, originally built by the French about a cen- tury ago, was a small but extremely well planned and constructed post, and must have been con. sidered of no little importance by those who were at the trouble of its erection. All its defences were laid out and arranged in the exactest style of art; and the ma- sonry bears witness, even at this distant date, to the soli- dity with which it was put together. The curtains and other walls were grouted with a cement of water-lime, evincing the greatest care for durability, and none for expense. The bastions were all flanked with this admi- rable stone work, and the whole surrounded by a deep ditch, further strengthened by pointed stakes, firmly and thickly planted in the fosse, incHning outward, and rising >> TO NIAGARA FALLS. 31 Fort Erie — Historical Account. just above the water, with which it was nearly filled. The fort was evidently designed by an able engineer, and might have been regarded as a miniature model of mili- tary architecture. Every avenue of approach, was enfil. aded or exposed to a cross fire, and nothing seems to have been omitted that could contribute to the annoyance of a besieging foe, or the protection of its little garrison. By the Indians, it must have been deemed impregnable. RUINS OF FORT ERIE U. C. P'ort Erie was, during the late war. the scene of some of the most memorable exploits of the Republican army. It was surrendered on the third of July, at the first sum- mons, to General Brown, who, with a force of five thou, sand men, invaded Canada in 1814, by Major Buck, the officer in command ; and the British garrison, consisting of one hundred and thirty-seven men of the Eighth, or King's Regiment, became prisoners of war. The troops under General Brown, after advancing upon Fort George, and fighting the celebrated battles of Chippewa and Niagara, fell back upon this point, and sustained a siege, remarkable for the gallantry with which it was pressed and repelled. Subsequently, the British forces having ,i f\- L r. 1.1 1' fi. I. ^ 11 1. t '!( 'I I) 32 TOURIST S COMPANION Waterloo— Black Rock. retired to winter quarters, the fort was abandoned and demolished, the campaign ended, and the American army having gained nothing but glory by the invasion, returned to their own country. The fortification is now entirely in ruins, deserted and desolate ; but its ancient defences may still be traced out, ^and the little hillocks that dot the plain below, each mark- ing a soldier's grave, attest the obstinacy with which the attack was urged, and the assault repulsed. Waterloo is a pleasant little village on the bank of the river a mile and a half below Fort Erie, and opposite to Black Rock, with which it is connected by the ferry. It has probably sixty or seventy houses, and four or five hundred inhabitants. From this place to the Falls, the road runs along the bank of the river, and the scenery is extremely picturesque. Horses and carriages may be had for excursions to Fort Erie or the Falls, on livery, at reasonable rates. The village of Black Rock on the American side of the strait, and two miles below Buffalo, comprises some two hundred houses, and contains about two thousand inhabitants, it is composed of two divisions or hamlets, separated by the distance of one mile. The lower vil- lage is therefore three miles from Buflalo, and is com. monly called ** The Dam," from its vicinity to a structure of that kind, erected to raise the water for the benefit of the harbor and canal. The pier is two miles long, and commencing at Squaw Island, terminates at a small island or reef called Bird Island, opposite Buffalo. By means of the pier and dam, the water in the harbor is raised several feet above the river, thus creating water-power to 1 TO NIAGARA FALLS. 33 Harbor at Black Rock. an extent almost unlimited. There are a number of fine mills in constant operation. Black Rock was formerly the rival of Buffalo, and maintained for several years a sort of doubtful ascendan- cy. In those days, the harbor at Black Rock was thought by many people to be far superior to that of its competitor; and large appropriations were obtained for it, almost before any attempts were made at improving the port of Buffalo. But the current of the river, and the dangers of the channel from large sunken rocks, difficulties that could not be entirely overcome, gave its rival a decided advantage, and prevented its becoming a place of much business. It is, however, destined to no inconsiderable I ? importance as a manufacturing town. It was founded about the same time with Buffalo, and was burnt by the enemy in 1813. The principal ferry over the river is at the upper village, and is connected with Buffalo by rail- road. The Niagara Falls Rail-Road runs through both divisions of the place. The village of Tonawanda is nine miles below Black Rock, and lies on both sides of the creek of the same name, at its confluence with the strait. At this place, B « ' 4 )\ t 1: t H ■■'! iSl fl 34 TOURIST'S COMPANION Village of Tonawanda — White-Haven — Schlosser. the Erie Canal, leaving the river, enters the creek, which it follows to Pendleton, twelve miles distant. Tonawan- da is a pleasant thriving village, and contains about twelve hundred inhabitants. White-Haven, mills and hamlet, occupying the site of the proposed Jewish city of Arrarat, founded by the soi disant Grand High Priest, M. M. Noah, then a Judge of Israel, but now a judge of the Court of Sessions, New- York, is on Grand-Island, directly opposite. Tonawanda, the aboriginal name of the creek, is an Indian word, signifying " stoift running water." There was doubtless a touch of native irony in this appellation, for the creek is a deep sluggish stream. It has been dammed over for the benefit of the canal, by which a beautiful cascade is formed. It is about eighty yards in width, is crossed by a long wooden bridge, on which the rail-road passes, and is the boundary between the coun. ties of Erie and Niagara. The place is somewhat cele. brated for its cat-fish and agues, both of which are said to be caught here in great abundance. We are by no means satisfied that this dignity is quite deserved ; if true, however, it enjoys a monopoly of the honor and profit. ScHLOSSER Landing is nine miles below Tonawanda, and two miles above the Falls. An old store-house and a tavern are the only buildings at this point. It is the landing place for steam-boats from Buflfalo, and visiters to the Falls are conveyed thence in carriages. This place is celebrated as being the spot where the Caroline lay at the time of her destri^ction. Navy-Island is opposite, and Grand-Island, the Canada Shore, Chippewa, the TO NIAGARA FALLS. 35 Chippewa — termination of river navigation. head of the rapids, and Iris-Island are all within view. — The rail.road runs along the river but a few rods from the shore. SCHLOSSER LANDINC. Chippewa lies on the bank of the river, at the mouth of Chippewa Creek, two and a half miles above the Falls. With the single exception of Waterloo, it is the only village on the Canada side above the cataract. It is a flourishing place — a port of entry — and has a very tolerable harbor. The stream is spanned by a wooden draw-bridge one hundred yards long, and is navigable about twenty miles up, for vessels of two or three hun- dred tons burthen. Steamboats from Buffalo land here, and the journey to the Falls is continued in carriages, or by rail-road. The population of the village is estimated at two thousand persons. The view of the rapids, and scenery above the Falls, is very fine. The battle-ground is two miles above, on the Buffalo road. Chippewa is the lowest point to which the upper por- tion of the Niagara strait is navigable. From Queenston to this place, goods are carried by land, and the road has i V I ' I ii i' » II •;* i^i. ai" f:'i- ; . . *% ;% •■,0 !%y:VJ'*. :i, foi ■:■%'- ''^'■^■^ I ' f ; i ,■ i" ]\ ^\ ti M ■1 1 \ : I,! ;-*»'■ * ; r* -fl. I 1. -I IJ I 'ti i^ II f ■ O !■ T n I n HBH^HBMH! TO NIAGARA FALLS. 37 CHAPTER IV. VILLAGE OF NIAGARA FALLS — MOUNTAIN PLAIN — LEWISTON— QUEENS- TON — YOUNOSTOWN — NIAGARA VILLAGE — FORT GEORGE — FORT MAS8ASAUGA — FORT NIAGARA — TRADITIONS — INDIAN INCURSIONS — SURPRISAL — REPAIRS — ADDITIONS AND ARMAMENT. " High -seated on the crests of clifts sublime. Like eaglets on the mountain tops of time, In unawakened energy repose Cities in embryo — between which flows, Bown the dread cataract, and through the chasm. With ever-angry rush and many a spasm, A mighty torrent — ocean like in size, Bounded by frowning walls that shake with dread At each vibration of its earthquake tread 1*^ H E village of Niagara Falls lies just above, and adjacent to, the Cataract, on the Ame- rican side. It was laid out in 1805 by Judge Porter, who is principal proprietor of the place, and of the Islands at and near the precipice. The village of the Niagara Falls has several hotels, also two saw.millSf a grist-mill, a woolen.factory, two machine shops, araii-road.car manufactory, and shops for almost every variety of the mechanic arts. There is also a Bowling Alley, where visitors can mingle exercise with amusement; and a Public Garden laid out in good taste, containing a variety of flowers and shrubbery, and a place for the exhibition of fire-works, which are frequent- ly displayed on proper and public occasions. The streets are broad and regular, but unpaved, and therefore damp and disagreeable after heavy rains; but as the soil is of a sandy kind, a abort interval generally suffices to render them dry and pleasant. • i ('.•>)'! ( ; I : M '! ^ \ ^MT I I il -ti 11 • 1 1. I 1) 38 tourist's companion Canada side — Barnett's Museum — Troops. No place on the broad platform of God's footstool can be more healthy and inviting than this, and it is a most desirable location for a permanent or summer residence. Fine groves of the native forest trees are scattered about ; and the Islands, on which not a stick is allowed to be cut, affords the most delightful retreats that can be imagined or wished. Nature seems to have bestowed every advan- tage and every attraction upon the vicinity of her master- work, as if to allure mankind to a contemplation of her beauty and power. On the Canada side are the City of the Falls, and vil- lage of the Clifton. The Museum of Mr. Barnett, is a short distance above. This gentleman has prepared and collected a very great variety of valuable and rare specimens in na- tural history, and has, after devoting years to this object, succeded in bringing his museum to a high degree of per- fection. It is admiriably arranged, contains almost innumerable unique and curious articles, both native and foreign, and would do credit to any place. A large white building, with colonnades in front, about one fourth of a mile uhove the Falls, formerly kept as a hotel, when it was called the Ontario House, is now oc- cupied as barracks by the Sixty.Seventh Regiment of In- fantry, which is stationed here, under the immediate com. mandof Major Brooke. The troops are paraded for re- view once a week, on which occasions the showy uniform and high military discipline of this veteran corps, manou. vering to the excellent music of its fine regimental band, present a scene of combined attractions that few care to TO NIAGARA FALLS. 39 City of the Falls— Clifton. neglect. The band is often allowed, and especially on clear moonlight evenings, to assemble on the bank of the river near the cataract, and blend the stirring tones of martial harmonies with the grand diapason of Niagara's thunder-breathed hymn. The effect is indescribable, and visiters gather round and listen with an interest seldom if ever so deeply awakened in their bosoms, — but when be- fore did they hear a human accompaniment to the sublime anthems of Nature ! " The City of the Falls, and Clifton are both as yet small places, and have probably an aggregate population of three hundred souls. Our remarks upon the salubrity of Niagara Falls village, and its desirability for permanent and summer residences, apply, with equal force to these places. In fact the whole vicinity of the cataract on both sides of the river is pleasant and healthful in the highest degree, and must in a few years attract men of wealth and standing to become its constant or occasional inhabi. tants. •• • '.)"• '« ( , " . . ". Ml" I!! \\f ' V'i " Here ends the plain — opposing heights look down On river, valley, forest, lake and town : — Bright river glancing on in silver sheen, Through valley mantled o'er with emerald green ; Forest, in whose embowered and sylvan shade. The Indian huntei wooed the dark-haired maid, Neai the fair lake on which his light canoe. O'er foam-crowned waves in arrow swiftness flew, Ere from afar the invading pale-face came, And hardly left the red-man grave or name." :assing off to the left, loses itself at last in the distant hills and valleys of the west. Under the quiet shelter of these great heights — the mountains of Father Hennepin — and on opposite sides of the river, which seems now to smile and gladden at its escape from the dark rock-bound channel, through which it writhed and struggled like a wounded snake, re- pose the peaceful villages of Lewiston and Queenston, shaking hands across the deep water like twin brothers, by the ferry that connects them. These are the landing places of the Ontario and St. Lawrence steamers ; and this the highest point of river navigation below the cata- ract of Niagara. Both villages are connected with the Falls by rail-road. Lewiston presents the pleasing and lovely appearance which characterises so many American villages, and is the subject of such common remark by native and foreign I TO NIAGARA FALLS. 41 Lewiston Landing — Queenston. tourists. An air of subdued softness and religious-like repose seems to hover upon and hallow them all. The village was named in honor of Governor Lewis, in 1805, and was destroyed by the British forces in 1813. At the LEWISTON LANDING. close of the war it was rebuilt, and has since gradually increased to its present size; but its growth has been extremely languid, and it numbers only about eighty dwellings, and six or seven hundred inhabitants. It is, however, a pretty and flourishing place, and has a fine academy, one or two churches, and a very excellent ho. tel, called the Frontier House. The site of Fort Green, and the Five-mile Meadows, interesting from their con- nection with reminiscences of border strife, are both near the village, and within the township of Lewiston. QuEENSTON, opposite, is a small quaint-looking and ir- regular village. It contains forty or fifty dwellings, two taverns, and about four hundred inhabitants. The moun- •( i n Tiff TB! yi r Ur r r I ii \m ^ i:| m »' ■ 111 1' i^-' 42 tourist's companion Youngstown — Niagara. tain ridge portage commenced here, and terminated at Chippewa. The two places are now connected, as be- fore observed, by a rail-road, via the Falls. Thirteen miles from the Falls, and six from Lewiston, on the American shore, stands the village of Youngs, town, a pleasantly situated, quiet little place, remarkable for nothing but its vicinity to the forts George and Nia- gara ; and for having been the first village burnt by the enemy, in retahation for the destruction of Newark. It has about forty houses, and perhaps three hundred inhab. itants. On the opposite bank of the stream, the town of Nia- gara, — formerly Newark, and erst Ontario — and Fort George are situate. Niagara is the oldest, and, if we except Buffalo, the largest place on the river. It con- tains many fine dwellings, and has a population of about three thousand persons. Ship building is carried on here to some extent, and there is a chartered Dry Dock Com- pany, with banking privileges, whose works are both im- portant and valuable. Formerly, a good deal of the commerce of the interior, centred in this place, but the principal trade has since been diverted to Hamilton and other more enterprising, or better situated villages. New*. ark, as it was then called, was burnt by the retreating American forces under General McClure, in 1813, and was revenged immediately after, by the destruction oi every settlement on the United States* Niagara frontier. Fort George, an earth-built fortress, lies just above the village. It was considered of consequence as a military poet during the war, and following the fluctuation of the I: .1 I. TO NIAGARA FALLS. 43 Forts at mouth of the river. contest, was alternately in the possesion of both belliger- ent armies. It is now deserted and dismantled, and is fast crumbling to ruins. •; • r n? . Fort Massasauga stands on the extreme point of the peninsula, at the junction of the river Niagara with Lake Ontario; and is one and a half miles below Fort George, on the same side of the Strait. It is construct- ed of earth, with a large stone block house of a septagon- al form, in the centre, which at present mounts a single cannon of twenty.four lbs. calibre. This fort is manned and garisoned , is kept in good repair, and is said to be a very strung post. "2*^si-55g^-,^fe_l~; -> FORT MASSASAUQA. Fort Niagara on the American shore, occupies a sim- ilar position, and its defences are washed by the river on one side, and by the lake on the other. The French, English, and American flags have successively floated over its ramparts, and has probably experienced a greater variety of fortunes, and been a silent witness of more striking and diversified events, than any other place in North America, unless perhaps, Quebec. It was original. -W^-^WPW j(H, I . ifwi J ! 'i 1 ; 1 . {' « j: r ! ji| '. i 111 ■k' it'' I' . i 44 tourist's companion Fort Niagara — Ancient Buildings. \y settled in 1678 by a French officer, M. de La Salle, who obtained permission of the Indians to build a store, house, seduced them to join in a hunt, and in their ab- sense, erected a fortress. On their return, they were en- raged at the deception, but he found means to soften their anger while he stengthened his position, and ultimately to pacify their resentment. From this point the savages were thence accustomed to sally forth upon the English '-jiW'-f-'iflt-r, '/-;•■: rORT NIAGARA. settlements, and hither they returned after completing the work of slaughter and spoliation, to receive the wa- ges of murder and robbery. In 1725 the most ancient of the present buildings were erected, and massive piles of masonry attest the impor- tance which the French attached to the place. There are many traditions concerning the history of the fort, some of which point to crimes of the blackest character, and acts of the most brutal ferocity. If true, they should be suffered to sleep in oblivion — if false, it were idle to re- peat them. At this distance of time, the true could not ik I "T^ TO NIAGARA FALLS. 45 Sir William Johnson — Historical Sketch. K> stinguished from the false, nor the false be divested •I psi obability. It was an age of excess and venality, of cfvf y.ission and endurance. The despotism in which ♦«wi& revolting outrages were bom, — if indeed they had Wf*?.j, has passed away ; let the memory of the errors ill: )ffences it produced, share its tomb. Sis! William Johnson obtained possession of the fort ,a .rf59, it is said, by fraud ; but the treachery has never ht'^vii proved. In that year, the magazine was built, and (.>!iif!* defences erected. During the revolutionary war, it 1. me again the scene of savage preparation and of sav- a^ oy. Here the murdering band of Brandt, Butler.and I', son, equipped and painted themselves for the work ./ * itchery and blood, and set out in their inhuman ex. v« ions against the American settlements. The mas- A'&i; js, of Cherry- Valley and Wyoming tell the story ol •':f. : t make incursions against the defenceless, to kill, ^xjfvt, and destroy ; and here they found sheher and pro- <(?' on from the ^nger of the indignant, and the ven- [!yf'uif.ce of the injured. When there were none to oppose, \\h setoff to assassinate ; and when they were pressed I h; le foe, they sneaked back to be defended. Malig- ftuf.^, but not manly — vindictive, but not open — cruel, ?>r lot bold, their alliance added nothing to the glory ol !i' sh arms, while their acknowledged employments fas- il> .( «!.• At if • \ \ tt M-i 1/ .(i >l' tii H (f .^. [«'*[ •>u ►i!i« i; ' I ;; " i)4 iOll 'OlM .'t ."ii NIA A B he me this cat pec i wh ' mit uni a d rig \ 1 its i TO NIAGARA FALLS. 47 C H A PT E R V. NIAGARA STRAIT— BREADTH — DEPTH — RAPIDS — GENERAL APPEAR- ANCE — NAVIGATION — STEAMBOATS — ISLANDS — GRAND ISLAND- BOSTON TIMBER-COMPANY — VILLAGE— MILLS — VESSELS DESTROYED — BUCK-HOKN ISLAND— NAVY ISLAND— MILITARY OCCUPATION. " The sails of commerce whiten o'er the seas, " ' And wing their way when favored b}' the breeze ; But when opposing tides and tempests rise, The yielding barque the unequal contest flies, j And fate-ward driven, is wrecked upon the shore. Or forced to shun the track she sought before. Not ao with thy creations, Lord of steam I They breast the raging storm, ascend the stream — • Contending currents and advancing gales, ' " - ' ' But show thy triumph over seas and sails." A V 1 N G briefly noticed the principal places on th Niagara frontier, a short ac- 30unt of the river itself, its islands, cur- ents, etc., is further necessary to our pur- pose of giving the reader the information he must necessarily desire to obtain, of every thing im- mediately connected with the Falls. Every portion of this strait, from its intimate relation to the wonderful cataract, which yearly attracts such vast numbers of people from even the remote parts of the earth, and which is in itself so immeasurably superior in its subli- mity and grandeur to every natural work of the material universe, of which we have any knowledge, must possess a degree of interest to the traveller which we have no right, if even we had the inclination, to overlook. ' '^ The Niagara river or strait, is about two miles wide at its efflux, opposite Buffalo. At Black Rock, it is nearly U '-t ■ 1'^ 'i' if '< 1 1* ' ^' 11 'r 48 tourist's companion Width of Niagara river — Distinctive features. a mile in breadth, and is here deep and rapid, having a current of six or eight miles an hour. Below this point, its breadth is variable, and it expands and contracts seve. ral times before reaching Grand Island, at the head of which it is again two miles wide. It here divides — a branch of from one fourth of a mile to a mile broad, passing round either side of the island. The whole width of the river, measuring across the centre of Grand Island, is more than eight miles. . . Below Grand Island, and opposite to Schtosser, it is nearly three miles across, and has the appearance of a beautiful glassy lake, such as one might fancy in an Ital- ian landscape. Lower down, it narrows to less than a mile, and soon after spreads again to a mile and a half. At the Falls, it is about three fourths of a mile wide ; a short distance below, it is contracted to fifty-six rods, and at the Whirlpool, is but a stone's throw, or one hundred and fifty yards across This is the aarro west port of the strait. ■ '^ Its depth is also very unequal, measuring in some places not over fifteen or twenty, and in others nearly three hundred feet. For this great unequality, it is ex. tremely difficult, if not altogether impossible, satisfacto- rily to account. As may be supposed, from these strik. ing irregularities in the breadth and depth of the stream, the velocity of the current is also very variable, averog. ing from four to five miles an hour to the commence, rnent of the rapids, where it is greatly increased. .^ ,, At this point, the bed of the river declines, the chan- nel contracts, numerous large rocks heave up the rolling surges, and dispute the passage of the now i aging and TO NIAGARA FALLS. 49 Islands in the Niagara River. foaming floods. The mighty torrent leaping down suc- cessive ledges, dashing over opposing elevations, hurled back by ridges, and repelled from shores and islands, plunging, boiling, roaring, seems a mad wilderness of waters, striving against its better fate, and hurried on to destruction by its own blind and reckles impetuosity. Were there no cataract, these rapids would yet make Niagara the wonder of the world. Most rivers proper, are subject to great changes in the quantity of water which is carried down at different sea- sons, sometimes overflowing their banks, and inundating the flat country through which they pass ; and at other periods being comparatively low and diminutive. Such is not the case with the Niagara strait. It constantly presents the same uniform appearance, and is at all times a deep, powerful, rapid, majestic stream, pouring its ceaseless floods forever on to the mighty cataract, over which they dash ; and scarcely affected by the snows of winter, the heat of summer, the rain, the drought, the calm, or the storm. This peculiarity, is of course owing to the great superficial extent of the lake in which it has its origin, and of the vast seas and rivers above, from which its supplies are drawn. The close observer would however, perceive, that, operated upon by local causes, it rises and falls occasionally, though not to an extent sufficient to alter its general aspect. There are about forty islands in the Niagara strait, above the cataract. Most of them are small, insignifi. cant, and scarcely worthy of enumeration. Of those immediately at the Falls, wc shall have occasion to speak Hi M ■WWW^^'^.W***." , ) k> ' =< !ii 50 TOURIST'S COMPANION Grand Island — Boston Timber Company. in another place. Saving these, Grand and Navy Islands are the only two to which any peculiar interest is at- tached. Grand Island is about twelve miles long and six broad ; its upper extremity is about seven miles from the lake, its lowest point three milea above the Falls. It contains over seventeen thousand acres of excellent land, heavily timbered, and plentifully stocked with game. It is a fa vorite resort for Indian hunters, and sportsmen from Buf- falo and other places. This Island, with most others in the strait, belongs to the United States, the main channel of the river being on the west or Canada side. The vanity and folly of an ambitious Israelite, first gave it no- tority, — it has since attained a celebrity of a different kind. In 1833, the Boston Timber Company purchased the major part of Grand Island of the State of New-York, and commenced the erection of large mills for the pur- pose of supplying the eastern market with shipping tim- ber ready fitted for use, the fine forest of towering oaks and firs on the Island furnishing abundant material of the best kind, and of easy access. These mills cover an area of one hundred and fifty feet square. They are (or rather were, for their operations are now suspended) driven by steam, and contained fifteen separate gangs or sets of saws, and cut logs from ten to seventy feet in length. Connected with these mills, there was a large steam flouhng.mill, and a pmall, but pleasant little village, called White. Haven, from the name of the principal pro. prietor. The village is directly opposite Tonawanda, on the side of the never.built city of Ararat, and the mills TO NIAGARA FALLS. 51 Burnt-Ship Bay — Navy Island. are a short distance below. The Island is well worth a visit, which is easily made, as the steamboats that ply be- tween Buffalo and the Falls, usually land there to pro- cure the necessary article for fuel. In 1759, upon the conquest of the Canadas by the Eng- lish, two large French vessels were burnt at the lower end of Grand Island, to prevent them falling into the hands of the enemy. Part of their charred remains are said to be still visible, and not long since, several tons of iron were recovered from the rivr r, by raking its bed at the point where they were destroyed, which portion of the stream, is, from that circumstance, called Burnt-Ship Bay, and is included between Grand and the north west extremity of Buck-horn Islands. This latter, is long, low, and marshy, and contains one hundred and forty.six acres. It is unimportant in any respect. NAvy Island, belonging to the British dominions, lies near the foot of Grand Island, between that and the Can- ada shore : — the principal channel of the strait is between these two Islands. It is a mile long, half a mile wide, and contains three hundred and four acres of land. The soil is rich, and covered with a heavy growth of timber. It derives its name from having been a French naval de- pot, where the two vessels mentioned above, and other smaller ones were constructed. This island has become celebrated in connequence of having been occupied by McKenzie, Van Rensselaer, Sutherland, and others, refugees and * sublime* patriots, as a military station, during the border excitement of 1837 and '38, an account of which, and of the destruction of the Caroline is reserved for a subsequent page. ':'. V ■> ! ■' .. ♦'; ill < i J ' m 1 I }y\- i • >: I ■BPWBi! ■BUM IfM m Ml '' i 52 TOURIST'S COMPANION CHAPTER VI. NIAGARA RIVER — COURSE AND VELOCITY — LOVELINESS — DIVISIONS AND CHARACTERISTICS — HEIGHT OF BANKS — DEPTH — BREADTH — DESCENT OF THE STREAM — RETROCESSION OF THE FALLS — CONCLUDING REMARKS. " Majestic stream ! what river rivals thee, Thou child of many lakes and sire of one- Lakes that claim kindred with the all-circling sea — Large at thy l)irth as when thy race is nin I Against what jjreat obstructions hast thou won Thine august way — the rock-lbrmed mountain-plain Has opened at thy bid(hng, and the steep Bars not thy passage, for the ledge in vain Stretches across the channel, — thou dost leap Sublimely down the height, and urge again Thy rock-embattlod courseon to the distant main." I A G A H A river is, in its whole course, quite in keeping with the stupendous cata- ract from which its principal interest is deriv- ed. There is nothing insignificant, nothing paltry, nothing eommon,place about it, from the lake in which its vast floods have birth, to that which they supply. It is every wheio grand, mighty, and majestic. "When spread to the dimensions of a little sea, it has no resemblance to a shoal ; and when contracted to the breadth of a creek, it seems to possess the power of an ocean. The very interruptions it meets within its way, seem placed there only to exhibit the immensity of its force. The basin which receives its prodigious far. falling volume, resembles an abyss without bounds to its capacity ; and the compressed channel through which it then flows, seems to have opened its rook.bound banks TO NIAGARA FALLS. 53 Course of the Niagara. to.an imprisoned sea, that would have burst a passage, had escape been denied. Making a sharp angle at the Falls, it rolls on through beautiful curves, in an almost straight direction for about two miles; then winds gracefully off to the left, and pass- ing through a succession of noble bends, rushes, wild, impetuous and uncontrollable, into the Whirlpool, where like a baffled Titan struggling with his bonds, it rages and plunges round the impenetrable barriers that hem it in ; and at last, having gathered anew its mighty energies, rushes headlong on in a fresh direction, and bounds away, free, fearless, and triumphant. Continuing in its new course — having turned less than a right.angle — but a short distance, it rolls away gradu- ally to the west, and having gained its former direction, hurries on, inclining now to the right, and again bending to the left, here maddened by restraint, and there sooth- ed by expansion, to the end of the mountain-plain, from the gasping jaws of which it rushes angrily forth, but soon recovering the serenity of its native seas, and no longer chafed or enranged, it flows quietly and smoothly on, through gentle curves and wooing banks, to the sweet lake whose soft embrace it has come so far, and encountered so much, to meet, and in whose peaceful bosom it finally sinks to repose. From the foot of the mountain ridge to lake Ontario, nothing can be more lovely than this river. It is a rap- ture to look upon its bright and tranquil course. It glides along so silently and almost imperceptibly, its surface is so calm and glassy, its breadth so uniform and expansive, its waters so clear and deep, its banks so smooth and re- ^'t\'' i*: ,? 1 1^1 I 1 • II { Jl h ■ \A III k : 54 tourist's companion Height or the Banks or the liver. gular, its curvatures SO gradual and alternate, its whole as- pect so pleasing and harmonious, that a delicious languor steals over the mind, the spirit yields itself unconciously to a sweet oblivion of turbulence and strife, and its con- templations are of sunny skies, shining streams, and shady groves. The eye lingers with delight upon the blended hues, the graceful turnp, and emerald shores of the no longer agitated, but now beautiful Niagara ; and the soul, at peace with itself, with nature, and with all things, in- dulges in a dreamy delirium of joy, unshadowed by care, untinged with gloom, and unbroken by tumult. Each of the four great divisions of the strait has its pe- culiar and distinguishing characteristics. Those are from Lake Erie to the rapids, majesty, extent, variety ; from the rapids to the ferry, immensity, energy, sublimity ; from the ferry to Lewiaton, restraint, activity, vigour ; from Lewiston, to Lake Ontario, placidity, beauty, repose. The banks of the river partake of the different feautures of the stream. Above the Falls they are of variable height, shape, and consistency, now low, grassy, and lawn- like, and now high, dark, and frowning ; at the Falls they are bold, grand, impending ; from the ferry to Lewiston, they are lofty, rugged, uneven ; and from thence to the lake, they are smooth, sloping and regular. From the efflux oi the river, to the cataract, they are from five to one hundred feet high ; from the Falls to the end of the mountain ridge, they are from one hundred and seventy, to three hundred and seventy feet prependicular height; at Lewiston they are one hundred feet high, and from thence to the lake, they have a gradual and unbroken de- scent. At Schlosser the banks ore thirteen feet higher TO NIAGARA FALLS. 55 River below tbe Falls. than the level of Lake Erie ; at the Falls they are one hundred and nine feet, and at the heights near Lewiston, thirty-eight feet above the same level. The river below the Falls and near the ferry, is two hundred and fifty feet deep, as ascertained by actual measurement, — in other places, no bottom has ever been found. Its width at the ferry, is about seventy -six rods ; a short distance below, it is contracted to fifty-six rods ; from thence to Lewiston, it varies from twenty.five to one hundred rods, and from Lewiston to the lake, from one half to three fourths of a mile in breadth. The narrow- est point is at the Whirpool, where it is but twenty.five rods across. The descent of the river from ils efflux, to Black Rock is six feet; from thence to the rapids, ten feet; from the head of the rapids to the cataract, fifty-eight feet ; the cataract itself, one hundred and fifty -four feet ; from the Falls to Lewiston, one hundred and four feet ; and from Lewiston to Lake Ontario, about two feet. The whole declivity of the strait from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario, is therefore three hundred and thirty.four feet I It has been a subject of much dispute, whether or not the Falls has receded from the heights at Lewiston to their present place, and the question yet remains unde- cided. The author's opinion may be of small importance, but it is proper that it should be expressed. From a care- ful observation of all their phenomena, and of the whole extent of the chasm, he is satisfied that they have, but that their retrocession has been extrernely slow. The nature of the rocks, the appearance of the channel, the 1 I! ', > I nwi' I? ^'r: 56 tourist's companion. Recession of the Falls. known history of the cataract, all seems to confirm the supposition. If it be true that they have so far receded, to what august speculation does it not give rise ? What a time must have elapsed, what a prodigious power must have been exerted, ere the floods of this mighty river could have rent a passage three hundred feet deep, through the living rocks, for a distance of seven miles ! When did this great work commence ? What progress, and what pauses were made ? How long was its course delayed in hollowing out that vast basin the Whirlpool ? When was the first crag torn from the rugged brow of Iris Island? How long has the cataract been digging at the dread abyss upon whose verge it labours ? Imagination recoils in terror from the task of tracing this stupendous movement. Untold ages must have watched with awe the ** sublime march of Niagara to the music of its own deep thunders ! " Having thus sketched with a rapid but timorous hand, the main features of the strait in which the Falls resound, and given a brief, but accurate account of the several towns, villages, and other places on its borders, we come now to the great cataract itself, and the many remarkable scenes in its vicinity; and if we fail to describe that which is far too grand for description, we shall at least endeavor to direct the attention of the reader to all the different points and views which he ought to visit and examine, relate so much of them as may be t«)ld, and thus guide him to a right obs^^rvation and a proper judgment of this most sublime anji magnificent object of wonder and curi- osity in the known material universe. I ■ i,-;-^(;-t'^^;»^*:n^WO!».i«^.-t. '»>'.' ^f ^^;' ■■? 5 ^ I ■ i ■ f 1 1 , f i • l.il V 1 •>; H s , ( ,11 1 ! ■''I p in ^ 11 .1 ■ 1 ;::i|l ■ i J ! -,. ■.'' ■ : ;( ;, r. i : ' 1 I 1 -i 1 -i ( ■■■: !l ! i I; U II I! '3 ■'. \ 57 THE CATARACT, AMD OTHSB OBJECTS OF CURIOSITY. CHAPTER VII. ♦* Flow on forever in thy glorious rcbe Of terror and of beauty. God hath aet His rainbow on thy forehead, and the cloud Mantles around thy feet!" F T E R having become more familiarized vviih the general aspect of Niagara, and xamined it more in delail, we find that it s in every part entitled to unbouded admi. cation. Every time it is looked upon, some new beauty, or some fresh sublimity is perceived, and we begin gradually to realize what a grand combination of separate and distinct objects ot interest are blended into one overpowering and perfect whole, the tout ensemble of which leaves nothing to be desired, and can by nothing be paralleled. It may tire the eye by its vastness, and fatigue the ear by its rush, but can never pall upon the mind, and when the senses are refreshed by rest, they return to it with delight. The soul clings to it with a likeness of religious faith, for awe becomes softened into love, and affection is elevated to reverence. All things really great or beautiful grow upon our esteem at each ■ihh iU I. 'i i ^1 ii 1 ; J '('. 1 ■m :..^.i^.JlALi.'^A.i 1 i r\ \ V 'i.'i i ■ j'ttj ■ ( WJ {I 1 \ ll i i:-; 1 t ii .; KJ§ |8 58 tourist's companion General Uemarks. succeeding interview or communion ; as on the other hand, all things insignificant or ugly lessen in our respect every time they are encountered. A mighty river pours down a tremendous height, and falls into a vast ahyss : — this is a grand cataract — Nia- gara is something more. Irs sea of rapids, its clouds of spray, its lake of foam, its projecting cliffs, its piled-up rocks, its gorgeous colours, its fine cascades, its lovely islands, its giant caves, its deafening roar, — these, and a host of other marvels and beauties, combine to make up that wonderful thing, Niagara ! and each of these claims especial attention, and is worthy of particular praise. The river Niagara, after a course of twenty-one miles, has a rapid declination, and rushing down with inconcei- vable fury, is impeded by rocks and ledges, dashing around and over wiiich it is thrown into terrible confusion, and, leaping here, plunging there, raging, tumbling, whirling, foaming on, boiling in one place, billowing in another, and maddening every where, is so convulsed and tossed about that it resembles literally a *' hell of waters." Such are the rapids — more particularly that part of them nearest the American shore. On the opposite side, the bed of the river has a greater declivity, the water is much deeper, and the intumescence less apparent. There, however, they are immensely grand, and the prodigious volume of water rushing down from ledg*^ *'> '"H" with an impetuosity beyond conception vi«»|e' scene less turbulent, but if possible, ev( ,ji ,'ni nt. At the head of the rapids the i er is oifurcated by Goat or Iris Island, which separates it ' Uo two unequal parts — that on the Canada side being much the broadest . t ■^ t TO NIAGARA FALLS. 59 Islands near the Falls — Form of the Cataract. — which are not again united until it has passed the cata. ract, the Island extending to, and forming part of the precipice, and thus dividing the fall into several and dis. tinct cascades. Hence the plural Falls. An inconsider. able portion of the lesser of these cascades is cut off on the side next Iris Island, by Luna or Prospect Island, and is called the Central Fall. The water consequently de- scends in three distinct sheets ; and we have the Ameri- can or Schlosser Fall between the American shore and Prospect Island ; the Central or Crescent Fall between Prospect and Iris Islands, and the British or Horse-shoe Fall between Iris Island and the Canada shore — these form the Cataract of Niagara. The form of the cataract is an irregular indented curve, measuring — Iris and Prospect Islands inclusive — some. thing more than fourteen hundred yards, or above three fourths of a mile — the periphery of the Horse-shoe Fall being about seven hundred yards, of the Central Fall about twenty yards, and of the American Fall three hun- dred and thirty yards. The perpendicular visible descent, on the American side, is one hundred and sixty.four feet — of the Horse-shoe Fall, one hundred and fifty. eight feet. By far the largest portion of the river, is carried over the Horse-shoe Fall, where the water is so deep as to flow almost smoothly over, and pass down in one vast unbroken sheet. The spray from this part of the Falls rises in such dense masses, as sometimes to obscure nearly the whole view from below, and hovers in such vast clouds above the cataract as to be visible forty or fifty miles. It is often seen by the distant observer, when the sky is clear and fl ';■. , A ,i ■ r -ii ml I 60 TOURIST'S COMPANION Mist of the Falls — Appearance. there is no wind, to float up and undulate gently above the Falls, like an immense milk-white plume, fringed with gold, and tinted with the most delicate and beautiful colours. When the wind is strong down the river, the spray fills the whole chasm with a thick foggy mist, and renders the ferry-crossing not a little uncomfortable, from the drenching showers that fall around. At sunrise on a clear morning, other circumstances being favorable, the rising mist^, or spray, present a variety of beautiful and interesting phenomena ; now rolling up in huge fantastic and curling volumes, glowing in richest purple, crimson, gold, and a thousand other bright and blended hues ; and now sparkling in the light like a shower of precious stones, or as if the prismatic rays were frolicking among the falling drops. The foot of the Falls is never seen from these dense clouds of mist and spray, that are forever rolling up ; and the great body _of watei in the basin below is violently agitated and tossed, panting and throbbing as if it had an imprisoned earthquake struggling to get free, within its heaving bosom, or was convulsed by the tortme of inter- nal fires. The whole surface is covered with a thick white foam, and resembles a tempestuous sea of milk, surging, boiling, whirling, and billowing as it rolls away, and at last, rippling, and dissolving in the distance, or nestling in little patches among the rocks and eddies of the shore. Seen from above, the abyss appears like a vast seething cauldron, bubbling, foaming, and steaming up, without relaxation, and without repose. Tliis confused turbulence, is undoubtedly occasioned by the action and reaction of the prodigious body of water falling from so ^fm. 1 TO NIAGARA FALLS. 61 Quantity of Water — Winter aftpect of the Falls. great a height, and forced to such an immense depth. The buried volumes crowding each other on, and pushing and displacing the incumbent mass, with an energy and power proportioned to their quantity and impulsion, must of necessity produce a tremendous agitation, and keep the whole accumulating and shifting flood in constant commotion and turmoil. The quantity of water precipitated over the cataract has been variously estimated by difierent persons. Dr. Dwight, supposing a current of six miles per hour, com- putes it at 1,225,125,000 tons per day ; 102,093,750 tons per hour ; 170,156 tons per minute ; and 28,359 tons per second ; and this, incredibly great as the quantity must appear, is probably a close approximation to the truth. Of course, it is not always the same. A strong wind down the lake has the effect of raising the river abiove the Falls one or two feet, and inversely in a less proportion. A rise of eighrecn inches above the cataract, causes the water to rise in the basin beneath, above fifteen feet. This phenomenon is owing to the contraction of the channel below. The banks of the river at the Falls, average nearly two hundred and fifty feet in heiglit, and present a most imposing appearance. In several places they project over to a considerable distance ; — at Table Rock, in particular, this feature is strikingly apparent, and cna- bles the visiter to pass some distance under the great sheet itself, where one of the most grand and impressive scenes is presented to the awe-struck beholder, of which it is possible to conceive. Along the whole end of Iris ti i'^ ■\ 1 p! ! X M JM: i m '\ H I ) f : ^1 Il >':! Ij ■{ h m III 62 tourist's companion Roar of the Cataract — it« efl'ect neartlie Falls. Island the vast rock of which it is composed, is also im- pending, and has a dangerous and fearful aspect, which produces upon some nerves, a terrific and quite overpow- ering effect. The noise, or roar of the cataract, is not so astound, ingas the lover of thunder might desire; but it is in keep- ing with the scene, and may be heard twenty or thirty miles. Ordinarily, it falls upon the ear with a ceaseless rushing sound, like that of a strong wind through a forest of trees, for which it is sometimes mistaken by persons approaching the Falb. But it is deep, solemn, and con- tinuous, and though it does not burst upon the tympanum like the startling crash of worlds, is yet inconceivably im- pressive. Soiie whose auricular organs are more deli- catcly attuned than those of the many, find it almost in- supportable. People in the vicinity of the Falls, from constantly hearing it, become so familiarized with the sound, that it is scarcely perceived — like the air they breathe, it is a part of the world in which they live and move, and hence, too common to be remarked. It has been said, that its effect upon the inhabitants near, is in time, to make them deaf; but this, if it be so, is a fact yet to be established. In the village, its sweeter and sub. limer sounds are hardly perceptible; and even on the Is- lands, or at Table Rock, are, so to speak, nearly drowned in the rush and roar of the tumbling floods ; but stop and listen — on the Terrapin Bridge for instance — and above, and as it were breaking through the general roar, you will hear its sonorous tones rolling up like subdued thunder, peal following peal, rising, falling, swelling, and diminishing, in soft end musical cadences, and hymning by sta re I In th( wii mil wil T ^ 1 TO NIAGARA FALLS. 63 State of the atmosphere — Vibration of tlie earth. an eternal anthem of sweet and solemn praise to its Al- mighty Maker. Not to hear this, is to lose one of the most delectable pleasures of Niagara. The state of the atmosphere, of course, affects the roar of the Falls ; and the distance to which it may be heard is consequently dependent upon the rarity or den- sity ol the air. Generally, it may be distinguished four or five leagues off but has frequently been observed at Buffalo, and once, it is said, even at Toronto, forty.five miles distant. In the region of country near the cata- ract, the noise affords to the inhabitants barometrical in- dications of the most unfailing and accurate character. When the sound is uncommonly loud and distinct, how- ever clear the sky, or pleasant the season, it precurses a change of weather, and a coming storm. An opposite predication based upon the reverse of this phenomenon, is also infallibly verified by the event. And ■ thus even the hidden decrees of destiny are in part revealed to man, by the prophet-voiced roar of the thunder-tongued cata. ract. The solid earth vibrates in unison with the concussions of the cataract, and is affected sensibly by the shock of the contending floods. You do not indeed feel the ground shaking beneaih your feet, but in the most sub- stantial buildings, a tremulous motion is at times appa- rent, which can arise from nothing but the jar of the Falls. In the stillness of night, this sympathy of the shores with the cataract, is most apparent; the shutters creak, the windows ratlle, and strangers sometimes awoke in the midst of a fancied tempest, to find the sky serene, the winds hushed, and the bright moon and stars shedding !■■' V }\ M 'I 1\ T I^H' J if ''(i n m i ^■>l i 64 TOURIST S COMPANION General app«ar.ince of the sheet. their silver r ys upon the beautiful earth and the shining stream. Almost every imaginable tint in nature may be seen at the Falls, in the gorfjcous and shifting rainbows that meet you at almost every turn — now sleeping quietly below, now arching the chasm, anon resting on the brink, and then stretching up from the frothing abyss to the diz- zy verge of the cataract, here shooting up from the edge of the precipice, there floating self-poised in the mid-mist of the vapoury exhalations, now belting the sheet as with a zone of beauty, and often circling the spray with a ccstus more bewitching than that of the fabled Venus — in the rich and diversified colouring of the rapids, cas- cades, and basin ; and in that of the rocks, trees, and foliage, the mists and spray, that surround, cover, and beautify the most grand, lovely, and august of all earthly manifestations of creative energy. The sheet as it pours down the precipice is variegated with many exquisite tints, the majority of which are so delicate as to be indescribable — here wreathed in spark, ling diiunonds, there robed in purest white, and elsewhere shining in blue, amber, chrystal, brown, yellow, grey, and emerald lines, melting and blending together, as if in emulation of the Iris which hovers ever around them. The foam in the broad basin below is generally of a milky white, but is said by Irgrahani to present sometimes the appearaiu'c of a ' bed of roses in a field of snow," The usual colour of the stream is a deep green, but it is also tinted with various shades of beauty. The grass, flowers, and foliage on the banks and islands, gemmed and starred A"|lW ^ TO NIAGARA FALLS. 65 Scenery about the Falls — Shrubs — Floweis. t'> with spray and glistening and flashing in the sunlight, may neither be imagined nor described. The scenery about the Falls in summer, may be imaged by the lovely reaching to the sublime ; and in winter by the sublime stooping to the lovely. At the latter season it is magnificent, in the former, beautiful. In autumn too — how glorious, how varied, how exquisite it is in autumn ! In summer, the earth, the trees, the shores, the islands, and parts of the very rocks, are clothed with a living emerald of luxurious growth. Watered by the spray, the rich earth teems with vegetation, and sends up a thousand forms of life and loveliness. Shrubs, flowers, and foJivnge cover and almost encumber the ground, which clad in verdure, and breathed upon by the wind, seems a rippling sea of greenness. Vines and ivy climb thv'? tall tree?, twine their tendril-fingers around the twigs and branv^hes, and meet and mingle their leaves together : — beauty em- bracing strength, — weakness cherished by vigour. The humble moss freshens and fattens on the logs, roots, and even rocks ; interlaces and extends its tiny fibres; and derives health and nourishment from the pure air, and the sweet spray of Niagara. Bushes, and even large trees, stoop to look over the banks and down upon the stream ; and the more lowly plants creep between them to the verge, and hang over the abyss, seemingly to enjoy the same splendid prospect. The trees, and the air too, are populous with animal and insect life. Birds, squirrels, butterflies, bees, grasshoppers, — these, and many other beautiful but harmless creatures, fill the air with their glad rejoicings, and wanton among the leaves and flow. D I in ■' [ :P i 1 h it 1 ft 1 : 1 I i^ r 66 TOURIST 8 COMPANION . n^. Forest — Scenery — Appearance in winter. ers. There is everything to interest, amuse, and delight ; but nothing to vex, annoy, or alarm ; and such is summer at Niagara. In autumn, the scene is changed indeed, and addresses itself to the eye and understanding, rather than to the heart and the afTeciions. The scenery is indescribably beautiful, variegated, v/ith every imaginable shade of colouring; and, like the death-bed of a christian, seems designed to banish the fear of dissolution, by showing that the end of life may be even better than the begin, ning or the fullness, invested as it is with such a surpass, ing glory. The exceeding richness of forest scenery in a North American autumn, has been often said and sung ; and the effect of that season upon Niagara bids defiance to the tongue or pen. Suffice then to say, that new and grand combinations of beauty are there displayed, which charm the eye, chain the attention, and fasten upon the mind; and which will remain fixed in the memory long after the lapse of years has erased many and later impres- sions of other and different objects. Niagara in autumn, is a grand subject for a great painter ; but unfortunately, — hf:yond hid art ! In winter, how different still, and, O, how magnificent ! The grass is turned to pearl, the forest to coral, and the foliage to chrystal, by tlie falling and freezing spray. Rocks of glass, columns of alabaster, trees of coral, and the rainbows resting upon the chrystal branches, and nestling among the diamond twigs and tendrils ! A writer upon the Falls, long a resident there, and familiar with the scenery at all seasons, well observes, that it is '» worth a journey of thousands of miles" to obtain a t s| TO NIAGARA FALLS. 67 Winter aspect of the Falls. sight of Nias^ara in winter. Groves of spar bending beneath a weight of brilliants, in all the blazonry of splen- dor, allure and dazzle the eye ; and, stirred by the wind, rain down upon the alabaster earth showers of emerald, amethyst, topaz, and other precious stones, glistening in the sunlight, and still shining where they fall. The stream, a sporting sea of silver, springs in bright, sparkling fleecy masses, d^ vvn a porcelain precipice, and falling upon rocks of translucent chalcedony, carved into strange and curious shapes, covered with ingenious and quaint devices, and fringed around with pointed pendants of chrystal, dashes glittering up, filling the air with starry, lustrous, rainbow-wreaths of beauty. Chrystalline sta- lactites of ono''* 30U3 size and immeasurable length, over, laying and clustering round each other in many a fanciful and fantastic shape, forming colonnades, pilasters, capi. tals, and cornices, ornamented and enriched by a beauti- ful fretwork of glassy texture and delicate tracery — hang down the banks and mock the sun with their lustre, making of the chasm and cataract, a glorious and gor- geous temple and altar of the Eternal, from which a snowy incense rolls up in graceful convolutions, cloud, like, to Heaven ! Ir is indeed, a fairy scene : — but like the heartless splendor of courts — chilling ! A fairy scene indeed, for it is not real : — a cloud passing over the sun will destroy all its blazonry, and leave only — ice ! Still it is initnitfibly beautiful, and worth a pilgrimage to witness, if only for a moment. Below the cataract, the spray congealing as it falls, and constantly aecrcting, forms mountains of ice that nearly overtop the precipice, and seem like vast colmuns •:*' I' f I Ml n i '.'t I i' Ml 'W' \ 1' ill 68 TOUKIST S COMPANION Winter aspect of the FrIIs. of transparent sun.bright chrystal, supporting the silvery sheet, and lending it a thousand hues. The nver never freezes over, but large masses of ice are sometimes col- lected and blocked in, so as to form a natural bridge, extendingly nearly up to the foot of the Falls, and for two miles down the stream,* Magnificent views of the cataract are then obtained from this frozen platform, and splendors surpassing those of the Polar Seas are beheld. Such is Niagara in winter, only the half is not, and could not be told. Having thus briefly glanced over the principal fea- tures of the cataract, and of the scenery that surrounds if, we come next to perform our office of " guide," and point out the diflTerent localities and object/? that could be visited and observed, and in their proper order of succes- sion. * A bridge of this kind was formed below the Falls during the past winter, of uncommon dimensions. The ice was not less than one hundred feet thick, and rose above the water from thirty to forty feet. People ciossetl on it for some days, from the foot of the Biddle Stiiir-case to the Canada side. At the ferry the river was thus passable for several months ; and a small house was built near the centre for the sale of liquors and otlier refreshments. a*«ff»¥^^% ,*^£.r?5i£_-^l^ RH ■^W 1 I TO NIAGARA FALLS. 69 CHAPTER VIII. PRELIMINARY REMARKS — DIRECTIONS — PROSPECT POINT — VIEW ON CANADA SIDE — VIEWS ON THE AMERICAN SIDE — PROSPECT PLACE — AMERICAN FALL — WARE'S OBSERVATORY — BRIDGE TO BATH ISLAND — TOLL HOUSE — MR. JACOBS — MASTODON TOOTH — SHIP AND BRIO ISLANDS QUESTION. lovers' RETREAT — POPPING THE " I saw its waters plunge to yawning caves, Where danced the floating Iris on their waves; Then, further off, on the green moss divide In streamlets foaming still, the sheeted tide, Shrowding the flowery sod with network frail, Spread and contract by turns its waving veil, And filling all the glade with voice and »pray, Sweep in its tides of quivering light away I I saw them mount, and roll, and downward glide. And loved to dream bewildered by their side!" E WILL suppose that the traveller has reached the village of Niagara Falls, se- lected his temporary home, secured his room, attended to the safe deposite of his luggage ; and is now anxious and impatient to visit the grand cataract, and see the wonderful scenes, about which so much has been said and written, but which he is now, for the first time, about to behold. Is it so, reader? — Well, we are ready to conduct you. On leaving your hotel, turn to the left, and continue down Main.8treet, till, passing the massive foundation of the Niagara Falls Hotel, and turning around it to the left, the depot of the Buffalo and Niagara Falls Railroad is be. fore you. Proceed directly on by the depot, and diagon. ally through the grove of trees beyond it, inclining to the right, and keeping along the brow of the upper bank or ■I J ) vl ii i'< i ■;! k I 'ji? il 70 tourist's companion Front view of the Falla — Best point of view ridge, to the river. Having reached this spot, you are now at Prospect Point, and the object of your eager curiosity is at hand. You stand upon the brow of the precipice, and the cataract is before you. Heavens, what a scene! The river rolls by in the sunlight like a ruffled sea of silver, two hundred feet beneath the cliff from which you look down, bounded on either side by huge frowning walls of limestone, crested by smiling villages, fair-fields, and clustering forest trees, stretching away in the distance. The agitated and heavy abyss, the clouds of rising spray, the flashing snowy sheets hanging between sea and sky, the dark clifl's and islands that bound and divide them, the ocean of tumbling waters that seem sporting above and beyond the precipice, and come dancing over the cataract to the music of its everlasting roar, together form a scene, compared to which the ruins of Balbec or Palmyra, the Pyramids of Egypt, or the temples of Greece and Rome, are but the toys and foot-ball of time. - The best view of the Falls, on the American side, is from this point. Table Rock, the Horse-shoe Fall, Iris Island, the Central Fall, the American Fall, the rapids and Islands above, and the abyss and river below, are all within sight ; but of the Horse-shoe Fall the view is distant and partial. In fact, there is no complete view of the cataract on the American . sideFrom the opposite shore only, can Niagara be seen, in all its parts, and in all its sublime majesty, at a single glance. But that one view, grand and overwhelming as it confessedly is, is almost the only one on the Canada shore. There are, it is true, many modifications of it, dependant upon the mm TO NIAGARA FALLS. 71 Prospect Point — American Fall. points from which it is observed; but it is still the same in all its leading features, and has a strange oneness about it, that awes even more than its interests. The eye and the mind, pained by its trancendant vastness and sublimi. ity, can scarcely dwell long upon it, without some interval of repose. On the American side, on the contrary, while there is no one view of the cataract so grand and perfect, there are many of different parts, each exceedingly beautiful and impressive; and such a variety of river and forest scenery, that the attention is diverted from one object to another, — something new and fresh is presented at every turn, the eye is delighted, and the mind excited by a constant succession of pleasing and august appearances, — and thus a delicious interest is kept up, which seems to wile away the hours; and while lovely and striking images are fast crowding upon the eye and mind, they are both, as it were, refreshed and renovated by novelty and change. From Prospect point, having looked at the glorious scene as long as you choose, advance to the very brink of the cataract, at Prospect Place. Here, standing on a projecting crag, and holding by the dwarf cedars that fringe it, you can look directly down at the awful depth, the huge blocks of stone, the rock-dashed spray and foam, the shivering sheet, and the heavy abyss, and up at the Falls, and particularly the American cascade, of which you have a capital view, though not the best. The American Fall is characterized by an irregularity that gives it a wild and singular beauty. The outline is H ' «. 1 I i I r ;■'( hii It Xli^! ,: 72 tourist's companion. American Fall. far projecting and deeply indented, yet with no very abrupt transitions, and certainly no monotonous parallels. The water flows over it in a broad billowy stream, and is thrown out by craggy points in a hundred places, so that it passes down in a glorious snow-white drapery, wreath, ing into gracef 1 fleecy folds, and possessing so much variety with so complete a unity, that it not only awes but delights, and you almost forget its immensity in the contemplation of its beauty. Near the shores, where the water is shallow, the stream ripples along pure and clear as chrystal, and falls from the brink in a shower of spark. Ung brilliancy. Large rocks lay piled up at the foot of the precipice, where it is evident they have fallen from the dizzy height, and the descending torrent dashing against them, flashes up in foam and spray. The river below rolls awoy to the right, like an emerald sea cares, sing the sunbeams, till it is lost to the view in its deep and devious course ; and the bold bank rises opposite, black, ragged and impending, with the Clifton House sitting in swan.like whiteness on its fearful summit, like Hesper on the gloomy brow of night. Mr. Ware, a very clever and intelligent man, has an observatory on the ferry house, scarce a dozen steps from Prospect Place, where you have a fine view of the same scenes, from a more elevated position. He has also canes, refreshments, and many other articles for sale, and is entitled to a generous share of patronage. Having looked at the Falls as long as you desire, from these places, pass up the river along its shore, feasting your eyes upon the wild waters, and the splendid scenery m 1 ' ! j ?■ ■ :■; 1 ■1 i-' ! ■'■ ! ^ :s I ■? • iS^ 1 ; ^ 1 1(1',* i. I i^ 1 ? '. 1 1 ,(■ »■• ''fl '. ■ I ]'■'. f III et at a( "'vT^ ^''^^^ 1 '^- H ^^ Hn *M i H ijii < E TO 1 \'\' 'O BKI \ TO NIAGARA FALLS. 73 Bath Island — Bridges. of banks and islands, till you reach the bridge leading from the American shore to Bath Island — from which you have a magnificent view of the rapids, dashing and foaming beneath and around you. The water drives along with such immense velocity and force, that one can scarcely conceive how this bridge could have been built. Only sixty-four rods above the cataract, and in the very rush and whirl of the mad torrent, it is no wonder that strangers inquire with an eager curiosity how it was possible to construct it in so dangerous and difficult a place. The modus operandi was this; — An abutment of proper size and solidity was first made; then two large and long timbers were projected far over it, the hinder ends of which were firmly secured by piling on tons of weight. Upon these timbers planks were then laid, and a temporary bridge thus formed, from the extremity of which large stones were let down into the stream, till the pile rose above the water, when a firm pier was built around it, by framing timber together, sinking them, and filling up with stone. Tliis pier and the abutment were then joined hy a section of the per- inanent bridge, firmly and strongly built. The lon^^ timbers were then again thrust forward, and a second pier made, and united to the first, by another section of the bridjifc. Proceeding in this manner from pier to pier, (he whole bridge was finally constructed, and a safe and easy comniuniciition established to Bath Island. By the same process, Bath Island was connected with Iris Island, by a similar bridge, and the object accomplisht'd — Iris Island being now united to the main land, and rendered accessible to all. 4 11 «'l! liij n 1 B 5t4 M 1 8| m , 1' i ■. ► $ 1 \ f 1 ^' ' 1 ! 1 i ! 1 !l 74 TOURIST 8 COMPANION Jacobs' MusRum — Curiosities. The first bridge to Iris Island was built by General Whitney, in 1817. It was some distance farther up the stream, and was carried away by the ice, in the spring of the following year. The present one was erected the ensuing summer, by the brothers Porter, who are entitled to great credit for their enterprise and ingenuity in design, ing and executing a work of such magnitude and utility. The whole exfent of bridge is forty.four rods, — twenty- eight rods to Bath Island, and thence sixteen rods to Iris Island, — the cost about sixteen hundred dollars. In 1839 the whole bridge was thoroughly examined and rr^paired, and is now in a most secure, substantial, and perfect condition. At Bnfh Island register your name, and pay the toll, tvventy.five cents, which will give you a right to pass and repass as often as you choose during the year, with' ur | further charge. The toll. house is kept by the worthy and accommodating Mr. Jacobs, who has collected quite a little museum of curiosities of different kinds, and disposes of canes, specimens, bead-work, etc., of which, with refreshments, he keeps a large assortment for sale. Among the curiosities to be seen here, is a molar tooth of the mastodon, which was found near the rail. road, thirteen and a half feet below the surface of the earth. It is in good preservation — the enamel nearly perfect — and but little worn. How it came in the place where it was discovered, is a mystery. It must have been there many ages, as evinced by the depth from which it was exhumed, and the firm texture of the strata in which it was embedded. The huge animal to whom it once '^m TO NIAGARA FALLS. 75 Ifllands at. the FaHs. belonged, was doubtless young, and probably died while on a visit to the cataract ; — but this is a mere speculation. We do not know that any similar fossil remains, have ever before been found in this vicinity. Ship and Brig Islands, — so called, because their shape, and the inclination of several trees, gave them a fancied resemblance to such vessels, — lie just above Bath Island, with which the former is connected by a foot-bridge, which though slight, and seemingly frail, is perfectly safe. A gate adjoining the toll-house, opens upon the path leadi g directly to it. These beautiful islands are among the most lovely retreats of earth. Sleeping quietly in the midst of the wild mad rapids, of which they command most excellent views ; covered with a luxuriant forest growth of vines and trees, forming dehghtful arbours, carpeted with grass, moss, and flowers, canopied by the thickly clustering foliage, and provided with comfortable, thougii rustic seats, they seem sacred to innocence, nfTcction, and friendship; — like ti»e love-spots of life, looking raptu- rously through a sea of care and trouble. Pity that the bridge uniting these two sweet little islands, was des. froyed, — it should be rebuilt without delay. Ship Island has sometimes been called the*'Lorer's Retreat," and certainly a more appropriate name could not be found, as any one will confess v/ho pays a visit to its endearing seclusions. Of all pinrrs in the world, it seems the best for that delicate and difiicult task — " rorriNo THE QUESTION," — for a lady could hardly say •* no " with the rapids rolling and roaring around her, and the very it' \ I I if' il I' li; I.' i I ■ i ■ i Jj ': 7 I' I 76 TOURIST'S COMPANION Islands at the Falls. genius of the place seeming to whisper ** it is not good to be alone." But the reader is perchance no lover, and as he is impatient, we hasten on to Iris Island. J If!. I V: TO NIAGARA FALLS. 77 CHAPTER IX. IRIS ISLAND — NAMES, INITIALS AND DATES ON THE TREES — THE HOO'S BACK — CENTRAL FALL — PROSPECT ISLAND — VIEW OF THE AMERICAN FALL — OTHER ISLANDS — PROFILES ON THE ROCK — RAINBOW — TERRAPIN BRIDGE AND ROCKS — IIORSE-SHOE FALL — PROSPECT TOWER. " Bright Isle! to the waves that are danhing around, To the mad -leaping torrents tliat wildly resound, Thy fame and tiiy beauty, thy costume and crown, Thy gem npangled robe, and thy name of renown. Thou dost owe — and the glory tliat hallows thy foim, Thus born of the rock, wave, and air buttie-storm, Exalts thee above all the isles of the sea, By the terrible splendors reflected on thee; Yet the grandeur it gives is allied to decay, Agd 'tis gnawing tliy life with its foam-teeth away." RIS ISLAND, commencing at the lead of the rapids, extends to the precipice, of which, as before slated, it forms a part, [t is about half a mile in length, eighty rods: wide, and contains over sixty acres of arable land. It is sometimes called "Goat Island," and obtained that appellation from the following circumstance. A Mr. Sfedman, then resident at Schlosser, in 1770 placed a variety of animals upon if, and among others a number of goats. Of these, a bearded patriarch was the only one who survived the severity of winter, and he remained for a long time its sole occupant. Its more appropriate name of " iris Island " is derived from the beautiful rainbows always to be seen from it in sunny weather. A portion of the Island has been cleared off, and a garden enclosed, in which they are some excellent fruit trees, a variety ot ».^ I A .' n i n I i i 'i^ >^l ll 78 tourist's companion Iris Island — Early Dates— Hog's Back. I plants and flowers, and a fish pond. The major part is still, however, covered with a fine forest growth, which is held sacred from the stroke of the spoiler — and through the dense foliage of which, the rays of the sun find it in many places, almost impossible to penetrate. It is cool, shady, and pleasant; and is the object of unceasing admi- ration. Comfortable scats are placed at the most import- ant points, where ihe visiter can sit at ease, and luxuriate in the beautitul and sublime scenes presented to his view. The trunks, and even high branches of the trees, are covered with names, initials, and dates; some fresh to appearance, and others almost obliterated by time, decay, and the growing bark. Most people desire to leave some memorial of their visit, as a souvenance to others, in return perhaps, for the pleasure they have derived from a like reincmbrancc. Tiie earliest date to any name yet found upon the trees, which may be considered authentic, is said to be 17G9. There are some professedly earlier, l)ut they are supposed to have been dated back from an impulse of puerile vanity. Xear the cataract, on the American side, there are names chiselled upon the rocks, blearing date 1711, 17;2G, 1715, and later, which are believed to be genuine. Upon leaving the bridge from Batli Island, turn to the right, aiid pass along the bank of Iris Island to the Hog's Hack, — a narrow ridge so named from its shape — at its lowest cxiremity. From this point, you have a fine view of the Ci ntral Fall, the American Fall, the river below, and tbe i)ic!uref^(iue scen(>ry through which it Hows. At the farthest poi/)l of the stream you see a small white spot f! "^ TO NIAGARA FALLS. 79 Hog's Back — Central Fall. like a speck of foam : it is the commencemeni of the Whirlpool rapids, and is nearly two miles distant. The. Central Fall is formed by a small portion of the river — cut off by Prospect Island from the American branch, — which rolls in a clear, beautiful and sparkling volume to the precipice, where it bounds away, like a gladsome atid fearless thing, in a smooth and almost unbroken sheet. You gaze upon it with delight, and des- cending to the verge of the abyss, if your limbs be steady and your nerves firm, you maysee itschrystal and snowy vii:w FROM no(i's back. column full far down, till it loses itself in the misis that curl up from its base. It is bcJiind this cascade, nnd under the rock upon which you stand, liiat the Cave of the Winds, of which an account will be presently given, is situated. The Central Fall — called also from its shape, I ' !!( . <' h -H. ^1 I I: ' I r > I i m 'i I 80 tourist's companion Luna Islanii — Singular Phenomenon. the Crescent Fall, — is about twenty yards in width, and the descent is greater than at any other part of the cataract. Prospect — or Luna ^Island, is a lovely sequestered spot, embowered with trees, where the eagles were wont to build their nests, ere the foot of man had profaned its holiness. A commodious bridge conducts you to this pretty little island, where the American Fall is seen to better advantage than from any other elevated point. The view is indeed magnificent. The broad stream plunges down the precipice at your very feet, and the mighty cascade in all its majesty and glory stretches out before you. See its varied outline, its leaping voluted columns, in colour white as an angel's robe ; its whole snowy front flashing down, and hiding, as if too bright and pure for earth, in the foam and spray of the abyss beneath. You will not soon forget the grandeur and beauty of that scene. There are several other islands near, which might easily be renden d accessible, and which the pilgrim of curiosity would be delighted to visit. But now he can only admire them at a distance, and retrace his steps to Iris Island. From the Hog's Back, a singular phenomenon was for- merly presented. It was that of three profile figures of the human face, upon the rock under the edge of the Ameri. can Fall, so fully and clearly defined, that one could hardly believe them to be the work of chance, and not of the sculptor's art. They were of gigantic size, but well-pro- portioned, and were situated as shown in the engrav- ing. The first, or upper one represented a negro ; the THF. THUFF, rPOFTT.KS. Pa/:^ W hi HS^M H A fi 1^ i f t I' ti M % 1 i'. ■ y. 1 '■ 1 H li^ 1 )[ * ,■ ^m nT TO NIAGARA FALLS. 81 View from Tenapin Bridge. next, a young and well-favored man, of the European race, and the lowest, an elderly and spectacled personage of the same descent. They appeared to be of the male sex, and the features of each were singularly well defined. These singular appearances were first noted about three years since, and have been seen by numbers. Within the past two years, however, the action of the water and frost, has gradually destroyed all vestiges of the profiles. Having concluded your observation of the views and curiosities seen from this point, pass up along the bank to the British Fall. If it is yet early in the day, and the wind should happen to be up the river, the beautiful rainbow that smiled upon your gaze from the American Fall, now walks by your side, measuring its march by your own pace. Pursuing your way along the bank with the rainbow for a companion, you have a noble view of the basin, the Horse-shoe Fall, and the rapids above. The vast- ness, the majesty of the cascade almost fatigue the mind, in its efiort to grasp that which seems to defy calculation. You hasten to Terrapin Bridge, * to its rocks at its extremity, and stand, with the fall, the thunder, the spray, and the abyss at your feet. And what are you ? — an atom in the midst of immensity ; a breath of time on the brow of Eternity. How awful is the scene ! You look up, and tempest. tortured flood seems gushing from the far-off skies, rolling * horizon, and coming with a lightning-like speed, and ; whirlwind-hko roar down the steep declivity, and then leaping atone fearful plunge * This bridge was built by Gen. "Whitney In 1897. It needs repairing sadly. La ? i II H IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 ^^ tii 1.25 ■12 1^ L£ 12.0 75 >* '/ Photograpiiic Sciences Corporation 33 WIST MAIN STRUT WnSTU.N.Y. MSM (71«)«72-4»03 ^P^ ^\ WrS mm fl 82 tourist's companion Curve of the main Fall. from the bright world of the upper air, to the unimagined depths of the cloud-concealed profundity. There is no relaxation of the force, no depletion of the volume. Billow urges billow, torrent presses torrent, column crowds on column, and the vast mass that has fallen leaves not the less to descend, nor seems the more to fill up the chasm. The rapids, the cascade, the abyss, the foam, the spray, and the thunder ; and also the velocity, the intumescence, and the agitation, are all objects of separate and combined wonder and admiration. The curve of the British Fall has now little resem- blance to a horse.shoe, but something the shape of a figure 5, — with the horizontal dash at the top, — the point or lower extremity, resting on the Table Rock. Near the Canada shore, the water falls in fleecy, snow- like masses, white, feathery, and shifting. But from thence to the Terrapin Rocks, — over three-fourths of the whole disto»^ce — itiolls down in one deep unbroken volume, grand, solemn, and appalling. The immense breadth of this Fall, the vast quantity of water poured down the precipice, the ocean of rapids above, the foam- ing sea below, the eternal-curling clouds of spray, and the deep hoarse thunder pealling ever up, produce by their conjoined effect, such an impression of power, energy, and majesty, that the mind recoils from its con- templation, and the soul, filled with awe, bows itself in reverent hu i.ility, feeling the Omnipotent presence. God is here made so manifest, by the wonderful display of His Almighty power, that disbelief vanishes, pride sinks abashed, and the conviction of the heart and soul is — How great is God ! how insignificant am I ! ~- Ho is TO NIAGARA FALLS. 83 Prospect Towei — Remarks omnipotent ; I am nothing ! The cataract seems a con- secrated place, surrounded and filled with the majesty, and glory, and power of the Eternal ; and the spot on which you stand sacred to his service. Fear, awe, and reverence are emotions which this sublime scene never fails to inspire. The God of the Universe is felt to be almost visible present; and the haughties of Earth's haughty ones, here tremble and adore. From the Prospect Tower, — a round stone building, forty.five feet high, ascending by winding stairs, which was erected in 1833 by Judge Porter, — you have a mag- nificient view of the great Fall, the chasm, the rapids, Table Rock, and the surrounding scenery, You can look down into the very hollow and midst of the vast cascade, and almost see the elemental chaos, where the mist, the spray, the foam and thunder of the cataract, have birth. Majesty, grandeur, sablimity, and beauty, — the glorious garnitare of God, — are here spread out before you. When you have wandered and admired as long as you choose from these places, ascend the bank, rest a while, and return back to the Biddle Stair-case, which you passed on your way hither from the Hog's Back. jt« 5 \ 1 'i |M 84 TOURIST S COMPANION CHAPTER X. BIDDLE STAIR-CASE — ANGLING — SAM PATCH— HIS DEATH — FAN- CIED DANGER — BRITISH FALL — LOWER FISHING ROCK — CAVE OF THE WINDS — FOOT OF PROSPECT ISLAND — PASSING UNDER THE AMERICAN FALL — CIRCUIT OF THE ISLAND — ENCROACH- MENT OF THE RIVER — MOSS ISLAND — THREE SISTERS — HEAD OF IRIS ISLAND — MOUNDS AND SKELTONS. "What august scenes salute the womiering ej'e! Floods that seem gushing through the unriven sky. Plunge mf! aly down from glory into gloom — Flash up in spray, and thunder from the tomb — And with a fail decendmg wall of waves, Bar the broad stream, and viel its misty caves ; While radiant splendors beautify the fall, And Echo, answering to the cataract's call, Leaps like a hving thought from rock to rock — Shadow of sound, and daughter of the shock !" T W A S long a desirable but difRcult mat- ter to reach the sloping bank, below the precipice, at the lower end of Iris Island, which prior to the year 1829, could only be attained by coming up in boats from the lerry. In the summer of that year, a convenient stair- case was erected, at an expense of three hundred dollars, by the munificence of Nicholas Biddle, Esq., the cele- brated financier ; by which a safe and speedy, though somewhat tiresome passage is nflforded to the various scenes of interest at the foot of the Island, which are among the most grand and curious in this region of wonder. A steep declivity of about forty feet, rendered practi. cable by a rude, but strong flight of common stops. TO NIAGARA FALLS. 85 Btddle Staircase — British Fall. leads down to the head of the Biddle Stair-case — as it is very properly called — which is in a form of a hexagon,! enclosing traingular steps that wind spirally around a | large and solid oak shaft, resting firmly on a durable foundation, and securely fastened to the rock on top. The steps are ninety in number, aud the Stair-case about j eighty feet high — from its base to the river, the descent is eighty feet, or from the top of the bank, one hundred and eighty.five feet. One of the finest places in the country for angling, is at this point of the river, where many varieties of fish are often caught in great abundance. It was here, that the celebrated Sam Patch made two successful leaps from a platform ninety-seven feet high, in the fall of 1829, shortly after the Stair-case was com- pleted. This daring, but unfortunate individual, subse- quently made two leaps at the Genesee Falls, from a still greater elevation ; the last of which, from a height of one hundred and twenty.five feet, proved fatally disas- trous. He was seen no more. From the foot of the stair-case, well-worn paths lead up to the British Fall, where a most beautiful and awe- inspiring scene is witnessed ; and down to the Central Fall, and the Cave of the Winds, where views, if possi- ble, even more grand are beheld. Properly equipped, you descend the stairs, from the head of which you have a noble view of the Horse-shoe Fall; and pass up the stream to the grand cascade. This course is advised, because, usually, a person gets so thor. oughly drenched in the Cave of the Winds, that dry clothing is an object of immediate desire, and it is there, fore best to visit that place the last, before a change of i i 0-f II III ! . I '' h' II I ■ I '^1 ^ ^ i i lilir '■■ i, ■ - ' ■ i 1 & ll 86 tourist's companion Overhanging Rocks — foot of the Cataract. apparel. As you advance along the pathway at the foot of the cliff, with the vast mass of ragged rocks impending above your head, and, apparently, threatening instant destruction, it will be strange if you do not feel a deep sense of danger. Innumerable pieces of stone seem as if on the very point of tumbling down ; and all around you lie the broken fragments that at different times have fallen. But there is 'little fear: — among the thousands and tens of thousands of persons who have sauntered along the path you are treading, not one has been injured. Only a single accident of the kind is known ever to have occurred, and that happened near the Central Fall. 1 1 VIEW FROM BIDDLE STAIRS. You approach the fool of the cataract, and look up at the high ovcr-hanging cliff, the Terrapin Rocks, almost poised upon the dizzy brink, and the fur-falJin^ torrent, that comes plunging down, dashed to foam and spray on the huge masses of lime-stone, that lie heaped around, having evidently been torn from the verge of the preci- pice, far above you. A splendid, though but partial view TO NIAGARA FALLS. 87 Reflections — Beamy of the scene. of the British Fall may be obtained from the rocks at the river-margin below. About three-fourths of that sublime cascade, is then directly before you, stretching from Table Rock, across the heaving and foaming sea of agitation, which it walls with a flashing flood, in its huge and gigan- tic proportions. From the point just above you, the water falls in white, fleecy, incoherent columns, like tumbling masses of fresh-formed snow ; light, feathery, and fanciful in its changing shapes, and lovely in its fleeting descent, as a fairy dream of delight. If the wind is favorable, you can pass some distance behind the sheet, and feel the sublimity of a scene, that sets description at defiance, and fills the soul with emotion. From these displays of beauty and wonder, retrace your steps to the Biddle Stair-case, and, leaving that behind you, pass on to the Central Fall. If not in too much haste, descend the sloping bank to the Lower Fish- ing.Rock — as a limestone mass, at the lowest point of the island-shore, is called, — from whence the best view of the American Fall is presented, that can be any where obtained, unless, perhaps, from the river directly in front of it. The whole beautiful cascade hangs like a flashing curtain of shifting snow-wreaths before you, waving in fleecy folds, and pillared by downy columns of the softest, clearest white; around and over all of which, a genial glory seems to float, bright and pure as the hope and faith of an angel-choir. The scene is lovely beyond all con- ception. Nothing on earth can compare in that respect with the American Fall, as seen from this spot. Vast as it is, you do not observe its size ; lofty as it is, you take no note of its height ; august as it is, you scarcely perceive • ! 1 \v.]' Ill Ui .' :!A 'I ■ ■■ t ,'. 11 li _:] ■I 1 , F 88 tourist's companion Entrance tu the Care of the Winds. its grandeur ; — its surpassing loveliness, and transcendant beauty, alone seem to engage your attention. Finally, however, all these become blended together, and you begin to realize the majesty, as well as the loveliness ; the sublimity, as well as the beauty of this incomparable cascade, and to feel that the power as well as the good- ness of the Divine Architect, has here its lasting and visible impress. Long will that glorious scene live in your memory, hallowed by the recollection of a holy rapture, and an earnest worship. Reascend the sloping bank to the Central Fall, and the Cave of the Winds is before you. At the entrance, you pause to look up at the projecting cliff, and the sparkling torrent that shoots off far above, falling far over, and far below you ; and down at the piles of rock heaped up around, and the foam and the spray springing to light and loveliness from the rock-wave concussion. The mighti. est throes give birth to the most beautiful things ; and thus the rainbow was born of the deluge. You are on the steps descending into the cavern. The majesty, the sublimity of the scene cannot escape your notice, and you will feel what I find it impossible to express. A wall of rock rises frowning on one side ; the falling sheet arches the other. You see it leap from the chff far above, and lash the rocks far below. You seem between two eternities, with a great mystery before you, whose secrets are about to be revealed. What a moment is this ! From the vast cavern in to which you are pas. sing, comes the sound of a thousand storm >«. You hear the mad winds raging around the walls of their imprison, ment, and mingling their fearful roar with the reverbera- ENTRANCE TO CAVE OF THE WIND?. Vnpe 8R :.irr :"r I III .1 t. ■i ■ ■ • 1 . jii;; 1 1 ,|h| ' * ''UK IM hi l> il II II «ir TO NIAGARA FALLS. 89 Cave of the Winds — Interior. ting thunders of the cataract ! The spray falls thick around you, and, almost overpowered with intense emo- tion, you hasten on, descend the steps, reach the bottom, instinctively retire from the rushing waters, and, having gained the centre and back of the cave, pause to look around. You seem all eyes, all ears, all soul I You are in the sublime sanctuary of Nature ; her wonderful and fearful mysteries are above, beneath, and around you. God is Infinite, you are nothing ! this is His temple, you are His worshipper I It is impossible in such a place to be irreverent. The proudest, here is meek; the haughti. est, humble ; and the loftiest, lowly. The sights and sounds that crowd upon your gaze, and fill your ears, will be remembered to the latest day of your life ; nor will the emotions that swell your bosom, and thrill your very soul, be ever forgotten. The Cave of the Winds has long been known, and by that name, than which none can can be more appropri- ate. In 1834 it was first entered by Messrs. White and Sims, residents of the village, who landed from a boat at the foot of Prospect Island, and from thence eflfected an entrance, though with much difl[iculty. Since that time, it has been occasionally penetrated by the same approach. This cave is about one hundred feet wide, thirty feet deep, and over one hundred and thirty feet high. The bottom is composed of loose stones or shale, which have fallen from above, and slopes gradually down to the front, where it terminates in a precipice thirty-four feet high, from the water's edge. The sheet of water on one side, and the projecting rock on the other, form a natural and noble arch, combining every element of sublimity. The ,111 'i i\ i ..{ ., ill- i i ^ 1 Jj ^^ " f i' •] ,' » 90 tourist's companion. Foot of the Crescent Falls. thick spray rolls along the floor, curls up the arching wall, and flies across the ceiling in ceaseless revolutions, keep- ing the air in constant agitation, and adding the roar of many winds to the echoing thunders of the cataract. It is a sublime, an awful place — fit temple of Jehovah ! No language can describe, no tongue express, and no pen record the solemnity, the grandeur, the sublimity of the scene, or the emotions which it excites. Between the Central and American Falls, and at the foot of Prospect Island, there is a narrow vacant splice, bounded and over-arched by the tumbling torrent, from which grand views are presented of these two cas- cades — that of the latter, is particularly fine. Here you may rest yourself, or ramble over the huge rocks, in the pure air, with the bright river and blessed sky before you, and the dark rock above ; and then pass under the American sheet as far as you desire, or dare. It is a frightful place, overwhelming in its gloom, grandeur, and sublimity ; and there be few who have ventured far, though it is supposed possible to pass quite through and under the whole cascade. Returning hence, ascend the Biddle Stair-case, to the bank above, and resume your ordinary dress. Rest yourself a short time, a id then, proceed up the river, make the circuit of the Island. Feast your eyes again as you pass the Horse- shoe Fall, upon its wondrous majesty, and beauty; take another look, if you desire it, from the Terrapin Rocks, Tower, and Bridge ; and, re-ascending the banks, con- tinue your walk along the wave-washed shore. A short distance above the cataract you will see where the Island has been much worn away by the "*T^ TO NIAGARA FALLS. 91 Encroachments of the River — Wreck of the Detroit. action and encroachment of the river. The road once passed some rods to the right of it where it now is, and has been cut off, as you will perceive, by the ever-wast- ing flood. Large trees, which grew not long since upon the firm earth of the Island, lie prostrate, with their branching tops in the deep stream, and their roots high upon the sloping shore. From the bank, here you have a splendid view of the rapids, and will observe the mighty torrent rolling down immense ledges, leaping and surging up high in the air, and wildly rushing and testing about — a mad sea of commotion ! You will also observe part of the wreck of a large vessel lying in the stream nearly opposite this point. It is all that is now left of the Detroit, the flag ship of Capt. Barclay, which with other vessels, was captured in the naval victory achieved by Commodore Perry, on the 10th of September, 1813. It was brought down from BuflTalo in the fall of 1841, to be sent over the Falls, but in pass- ing the ledge above, was dismasted, and broken, and, disappointing the vast crowds collected to see it take the final plunge down the cataract, rested not far from where it now lies. Piece after piece has been torn off and carried away by the impetuous torrent; and in a short time there will not be a fragment left of the noble vessel, that once sent its booming death-laden thunders over the trembling waves of lake Erie, in a glorious strife for conquest and renown. A few rods further, and you come to a cluster of islands situated in the midst of the rapids which rage above, between, and around them. There are four of these Islande, though to appearance, but three. The ^ » i :i 1 if I u} •■■J. ,(' ■' % i ':{ l\r H'i V ii 92 tourist's companion leltinds'— Battling PIrcm — Head of Grand Island. nearest one is called Moss Island, from the quantities of moss that completely cover it, to a depth of from ten to fifteen inches. Between this and Iris Island, there is a beautiful cascade — a cataract in miniature — which affords one of the finest bathing places that could be wished. The outer islands are called the ** Three Sisters," and are, as yet, inaccessible, though they might be, at a small expense, connected with each other, and with Iris Island, and would be desirable places of resort, from their seclusion, and the magnificent views they would present of the rapids, in which they lie. At the head of Iris Island, you see the broad river spread out before you, like a shining sea; with Schlosser on the left, Chippewa far off to the right, and Grand, Navy, and other Islands in the dim distance above. It was here, and near the old log upon which you are probably now sitting, that visiters to Iris Island were landed from boats, before the bridge was built. Such was the only mode of reaching it, apd the passage requir. ed great care, skill and exertion, and was of course ex. pensive. The Islands was therefore, at that time, a terra incognita to most persons — an unattainable object of intense desire. They could see that it was beautiful, that it presented grand views of the sublime cataract they had come from afar to behold ; but alas ! they could not set foot upon its velvet surface, repose beneath its shady groves, nor witness from its banks the marvellous glories that clustered around it, and in the midst of which it so sweetly slumbered. Continuing your walk around the Island, you mark the commencement, progress, and wild violence of the TO NIAGARA FALLS* 93 Cottage of Francis Abbott. American rapids, and accord them the meed of wonder and praise. At length you reach an old log house, with a low stone addition to the rear, now lone, dreary, and deserted. It was here that Francis Abbot, the Hermit of the Falls, for a long time resided :—> of this singular and unfortunate individual, we shall elsewhere relate all that is certainly known. COTTAGE OF FRANCIS ABBOTT. On an elevated sandy part of the bank, about midway of the garden, there were formerly a number of small mounds, into which excavations were made, some years since, and human remains discovered. They had been buried in a sitting posture, and each individual had a seperate grave. None of the skelions were found per- fect, and most of the bones crumbled to dust, on being exposed to the air, or coming in contact with the touch. No rehcs of weapons or ornaments were observed, and probably none had ever been deposited. ^ The memory of the age in which these people lived or perished, has passed away, and tradition is silent concern, ing their history or fate. That Niagara was held in a great degree sacred by the Aborigines is certain ; and m I, :fe '' I I ^ I I III r !i i) 94 tourist's companion Iris Island — Aborigines. that some of them believed the home of the Great Spirit to be here, is unquestioned. Probably, Iris Island was, from these circumstances, a consecrated spot, where great and good men, who were loved and honoured while living, were permitted to repose when dead ; and where also, the fair and innocent, who were cut down in the greenness of youth, and the bloom of beauty, were allowed to bear them company. But this is mere suppo- position, for nothing h or can be known of the persons here buried, or the time of their interment, except that it must have been ages ago. This is proved, by the condi- tion of the bones, and the ignorance of all the neighbor, ing Indian tribes upon the subject. Having made the circuit of the Island, return to your hotel, dine, rest, and then pay a visit to the neighbouring dominions of the British Queen. J TO NIAGARA FALLS. 95 CHAPTER XI. FERRY STAIRS — CATLIN's CAVE — OIANT CAVE — VIEW FROM THE RIVER — ROAD UP THE BANK — GRAND VIEW OF THE FALLS — VIEW FROM TABLE ROCK — TABLE ROCK — DISMUPTIONS — VARIED APPEARANCE OF THE FALL -^ BARNETt'S ROOMS — STAIRCASE — VIEW FROM BELOW— TERMINATION ROCK MUSEUM CAM. OBSCU. — IRIS ISLAND AT NIOHT. " Not in the pomp of temples made with hands, Nor where in pride the sculptured marble stands — Where pillared aisles their laboured lines display, And painted casements mock the imprisoned day, Or the broad column swells — we worship Thee, Spirit Almighty! — but in this vast shrine. Where Nature bids her elder glories shine. Fit emblems of thine own eternity. Lonely, and wild, and vast! O, is not hers A temple meet for worship ? " HAVING refreshed yourself by rest and food, you set out on a visit to Canada, to see the magnificent and sublime views of the Falls, which that side alone presents. At Prospect Point again delight your eyes with the glorious scene that first met your gaze, and then pass on to the Ferry Rail Road, or stair case, which you descend. It would seem to have been almost impossible to get down this precipice, previous to the Ferry Stairs being built, but the feat has been accomplished in several instances, by both gentlemen and ladies. The passage, was, however, extremely difficult, and the public is much indebted to Judge Porter for the present safe and commo- dious means of descent. The stairs, which were first erected in 1825, having become unsafe, from old age and I ■ r m I it,,;- I i ! P nil f I ; i 1 i I 96 TOURIST'S COMPANION Railroad to the bank of the river. incessant wear, the present season (1845) Judge Porter, projected the novel idea of constructing a rail road from the upper surface of the table land down to the very water's edge! This work, now nearly finished, was accomplished by first blasting out a deep chasm in the primeval rocks on the bank of the river about 25 feet wide, extending back about one hundred feet in the solid rock. Down this chasm at an angle of about 35 degress, is constructed an incline plane, reaching from the upper surface to the river's edge, a distance of 320 feet: on the superstructure is a double track for rail cars, which are to be moved up and down by the agency of the mighty cat- aract itself, it being intended to divert a small stream from the American Fall upon an overshot wheel, for the pur- pose of supplying motive power to this novel rail-way ; — it is now worked by horse power. A commodious and strong stair.case runs parallel witli the railroad, so that those who do not choose to make use of the one can use the other. No additional charge is intended to be made to those who pass down the road for the purpose of cros- sing the ferry. About half way down the railroad, a flight of steps turns abrublly to the right, making a more easy descent to the river ; from this point a beautiful view of the American Fall together with a partial one of the Horse-Shoe Fall and Table Rock is obtained. From the bottom of the stairs, or rail.road pass up along the sloping bank, to the American Fall, of which you have an excel- lent view ; and where, if the wind is up the river, you may creep down the rocks, and pass some distance under the sheet, without being much incommoded by the spray. I Ig TO NIAGARA FALLS. 97 Recently discovered caves. Two caves were discovered in 1825, by a Mr. Catlin of Lockport, one of which bears his name, and is unique. They are about three-fourths of a mile below the ferry, at the base of the cliff. The passage to them is from the foot of the ferry stair-case, and along the top of the sloping bank at the bottom of the precipice ; and, though not very dangerous, is quite rough and fatiguing. You can go by water with less exertion but at some expense. The principal cave, and that which is by far the most curious, is a round hollow in the centre of a large and nearly spherical rock, formed by a deposit of calcareous tufa, from the drippings of lime-water springs, which gush out of the rocks in several places at and near the cave- The cavity is about six feet in diameter, and may be entered by a circular aperture, scarcely large enough to admit a medium sized man ; — this opening is about four feet from the bottom of the rock. When first discovered, the cave was lined with stalactites, many of them very beautiful ; but they have all been long since removed. A fine spring sparkles along the bottom of the cavity. The other cave, sometimes called the Giant Care, is beyond, though near Catlin's, and some distance above it in the rocks ; by the disruption of large masses of which it is supposed to have been formed. It is somewhat difficult of access, but will repay the toil of climing. A large niche in the precipice shelters the entrance to it, and a lovely spring ripples over its limestone floor. Mineral specimens, some very fine, may be picked up in the vicinity of these caves, and among others, moss in every stage of petrefaction, which presents an extremely curious and interesting appearance, even to the unlearned in the I 1^ ' \ Hi It H?: hy m J u vl 98 tourist's companion Catlin'a Cave — Ferrj'. science of stones and fossils. A visit to these caves, will amply reward the trouble of getting to them ; but they should not be examined to the exclusion of any view of the cataract, or of other and more remarkable scenes and objects hereafter to be noted, as they are of comparatively small importance. They are mentioned in this connection, because the route to them commences from the ferry stairs ; and now, whenever you choose to go and see them, you will know whence to start, and what direction to pursue. Returning from the American Fall to the stairs, and winding down the sloping bank, you are soon at the Landing. The ferry on this side is kept by Mr. S. L. Ware, who takes every pains to oblige and accommodate visiters, and whose observatory at the head of the stairs, we have before had occasion to notice. The boats used for ferriage are large, staunch, and commodious, and are propelled by the sinewy arms of a single person. Not the slightest danger is to be apprehended, and the passage is effected from four to seven minutes, — the distance across being seventy-six rods. The charge is reasonable: only eighteen and three-fourths cents from May to November, or twenty.five cents from November to May. Taking your seat in the stern of the boat, the ferry-man pushes ofl', and you are afloat on the bosom of the abyss. The eddies curl around you, and the currents are swift ; but the strong limbs o4 the sturdy rower force the bark along with rapidity, and almost before you are aware ot it, you find yourself in the middle of the stream, and the boat riding gracefully over the heavy swells. What a scene now courts your eager gaze ! The mighty cataract TO NIAGARA FALLS. 99 View from the River below the Falls. in all its sublimity and immensity is above and before you! You are in the nave of a vast temple, whose walls are the eternal hills, corniced with crags, ornamented with a fret-work of trees, shrubs, flowers, and foliage ; whose dome is the blue heaven; and whose altar is the mighty cataract, draped with hangings of green and snow ; from the unseen base of which clouds of incense are ascending to the skies, and bearing up the solemn peal of its mist, hidden thunder-toned organ. The floor is of emerald and alabaster; elements are the ministers, and you a wor- shipper. This temple was the work of nature, and to the God of Nature erected. Human hands co'ild not lift even a corner of its veil ; human art could not equal the smallest of its marvels ; human eyes could not penetrate the least of its mysteries ! A vast semicircle of cataracts stretches around you, forming a scene of surpassing splendor and sublimity. Huge and massy walls of rock are on either side, and the shivering skiff in vvliioh you sit, floats upon the surface of a sea, fathomless, convulsed, and immeasurable. Endless torrents, bursting as it were from the opened heavens, leap from the brow of the tremendous precipice, plunge head- long down the terrific height, and lash the deep profound, in to which they are hurled, to foam and madness. The sonorous breathings of the tortured abyss roll up and reverberate in thunder pe^ls ; and air and earth tremble at the shock of the contending floods. Dense clouds of spray, rolling and curling up in shapeless and ever-varying forms, conceal the meeting of the waters, and majestically soar aloft, heaven-borne on the wings of the wind. The ]'■ hi I i ■I I \ , !i s 100 tourist's companion Canada side — Carriage-way. sun, shedding refulgent splendors upon the glorious scene, seems girdled with a radiant halo by the rising mists ; and rainbows, broken into fragments by the shifting vapours, appear and vanish, dazzle and dissolve, on every side, in quick and magic succession. Lost in the contemplation of such sublimity and mag- nificence, the moments fly unnoted, and the Landing is before you, where the red-vestured sentinels of Queen Victoria are seen pacing back and forth their accustomed promenade. If an American, you will probably endeavor to convey by your appearance and looks, a very definite idea of your Nation's independence, — if a Briton, your stature will no doubt increase a full inch. At all events, you Will pass on up the bank, by a fine carriage-road, which was constructed, at a cost of about five thousand dollars, by Messrs. Street and Clarke, and completed in the year 1827. In return for the expense incurred, by the formation of this road, the government of Canada West gave those gentlemen the sole right of ferry for twenty- one years. It is a very smooth and pleasant way, and the ascent is quite gradual. From the top of the bank, and along it toward Table Rock, but at no one particular point, the best and grandest of all upper views of the Falls is presented. The eye here, grasps at a glance, the whole mighty measure of the cataract; and Niagara in all its beauty and glory, in all its majesty and immensity, is spanned by a single look. It is before you, revealed in all its grandeur and extent, in all its splendor and sublimity. You stand entranced and spell-bound. Amazement and admiration are in your gaze ; awe and reverence in your soul. It is a scene to r TO NIAGARA FALLS. 101 View from Table Rock. linger on, and long you linger, turning often away to rest the eye, and relieve the mind, and as often recurring to it with increased wonder and interest. But at length, you pass on, with it still in your eye and mind, to Table Rock; which passing the Camera Obscura, and the Museum, at length you reach. The view of the Horse-shoe Fall from this point, is indeed magnificent. No wonder that the scene from Table Rock has been lauded and extolled. No wonder that it has been the ultima thule of many a long and weary pilgrimage. It is all that has been said of it, and infinitely more: — words cannot convey an idea of its unearthly sublimity and grandeur. The sea of rapids leaping ane tossing above ; the vast breadth and depth of the raging stream ; the impetuous rush of the ocean-torrent ; the awful plunge of the prodigious volume ; the tremendous concussion, heard and felt, but not seen from the covering mists, that envel- ope and hide the crushing appulsion of the meeting masses; the pointed spear-shaped jets that shoot far up from the convulsed bosom of the heaving and surging abyss ; the multitudinous whirling, shifting, convolving clouds of spray and vapour, that roll heavily up and load the unres- ting air; the dark, threatening cliffs, that shut in the vexed and foam-covered accumulation of floods, in the angry gulf below ; the resplendent glories shed over all by the burning sun, tinting with gorgeous colours the sheet, the stream, and the spray, wreathing with rainbow.hues the fleecy and emerald robes of the grand cascade, and arch, ing the fearful chasm with a zone of brightness and beauty; the wild hoarse roar of the mad rapids, and the deep booming thunders of the cloud-compelling cataract — 1 )( \ ] m ff 1MI u ; I 102 tourist's companion View from Table Rock — Fall of Rocks* these, and a thousand other collateral and subordinate features, combine to form a scene which appals and con. founds the observer, while it attracts and rivets his wrapt and eager gaze. God of Omnipotence ! this wonder is Thy work ; the very ground is holy with Thy presence I This you feel — must feel — though, perhaps, you do not speak it. Crowding emotions swell the bosom ; thoughts that defy utterance, fill the mind. The power and pres. ence of the Almighty seem fearfully manifest. You gaze, and tremble as you gaze I Table Rock is on the same level with the Fall, and is a continuation of the ledge or strata from which the torrent, flood is precipitated. It projects over the bank, and beyond the curve of the cascade to a considerable dis- tance, and from this circumstance, derives its name ; having, in some respects, a tabular aspect. Creep to the edge and look down, — the sensation is awful. There is nothing but the invisible and imponderable air between the thin leaf>like crag which supports you, and the massy blocks of limestone that lay coacervated more than one hundred feet beneath, where they have fallen from the dizzy elevation whence you look, and been rent and scat- tered by the shock. There is a strange and indefinable fascination in the terrible depth that confronts you, "Charming tlie eye with dread;" and it requires an effort to withdraw from that horrible verge of danger and death. Table Rock was formerly of much greater extent than it is at present ; large portions of the cliff* having at diff*. erent times been broken oflf, and dashed to pieces by the fall. In 1818, an immense mass, — one hundred and ■m ^ m iMl :i AP. IP • i 1 K If 1 \ n j'W *- id. ! 1 ''9 ■ * ■■■' M iiL 1 1 ; ' It- I' r 1- 1.1 ' ■' V. i -I Ti p u C3 O TO NIAGARA FALLS. 103 British Fall — changeof form. sixty feet in length, and from thirty to forty feet broad, — was torn from the brow of the bank, hurled down the steep, and shattered to fragments at the foot of the preci- pice. The disruption took place about midnight, and the shock of its fall startled and awoke the inhabitants lor miles around, by whom it was mistaken for that of an earthquake. In the years 1828 and *29, other smaljer portions of the rock fell ; and a deep fissure, which cannot but be observed, embracing within its circumference an enormous mass of rock, shows that at no very distant date a similar catastrophe may be expected. The old building and machinery upon Table Rock, were erected for the purpose of forcing water up the high bank to the City of the Falls, for domestic and other uses. The project was found to be impracticable , and was therefore abandoned. The shape or outline of the British Fall, is undergoing almost constant change, from the disruptions of large portions of the ledge or cliff, by which it is produced.* In 1678 it was nearly straight across. Since that time, it has become deeply indented, and has at different periods, taken different forms of curvature, from one of which it derived the name of Horse-shoe. It is worthy of note that the outline of this cascade assumes a different shape to the eye, at every point from which it is seen.t Consequently, it is presented in a new and striking aspect at every change of place ; and as many fine views are obtained as there are separate stations from which to observe. From the Clifton House, the *In 1828 several large pieces fell, one of them nearly half an acre in extent. f The same is true, though in a less degree, of the American Fall. I t m I ' ! ml 'h ' P'l tr' ' n ' ft 104 tourist's companion Passage behind the sheet of water. Pavilion Hotel, and the Barracks, it appears under forms having but slight similitude to each other, — varying from which to observe. From the Clifton House, the concave to square, and from square to triangular, — but all extremely interesting ; — ^the view from the former is, however, immeasurably the most grand and superb. After having sufficiently examined and admired the scene from Table Rock, you return along the plank path- way to the rooms of Mr. Barnett, where there is a Stair- case down the bank, and where you will procure proper apparel and a guide to Termination Rock, which is behind the great sheet. Provided with these essential requisites, you descend a long flight of spiral stairs, erected some years since by Mr. Forsyth, from the foot of which, taking the path to the right, you soon arrive at the misty, spray- washed entrance to the cavern, which it is your purpose to explore. Here you pause, to enjoy a most sublime view of the cataract, and particularly of the Horse-shoe Fall, which comes thundering down, above and before you^ stretching far away to the left in its huge and awful pro- portions. Another, and, in some respects, a better view of the same grand spectacle, is seen from the river-margin, to which you descend. From this point, more than any other, you appear to realize the vast height, of the precipice, and the prodigious weight and impulsion of the torrent. It seems a god. hurled flood, and you an insect-atom, scarce beyond its rush. Tremendous in its force, immense in its extent, appalling in its subHmity, the vast cascade confounds and terrifies you, while it hugs your gaze with a charm > ou can neither comprehend or break. A dread indefinable divinity ^:ZT ' jW TABLE HOCK F1U)\1 liELOW. I'fi''n 1'>1 ill ■** W' ) 'ii*i^ii Hmt wmmmm TO NIAGARA FALLS. 105 Emotiona while behind the ^heet. is in and upon it, which compels your adoration of Him who piled the rock, and heaved the flood that made Niagara, and made it speak of Him, through every sense of power and beauty, to mind and soul. There is a god- ness in the scene, that is felt in every fibre, but cannot be expressed, — that infinitely expands the soul, which is yet too small to grasp its dim outline even, — that crowds the mind with august thoughts and emotions, which struggle for utterance, but which the heart only can tell to its Creator in the silent eloquence of worship. Of all views of Niagara, this is the most impressive ; and, were there no other, it would seem inexplicable from whence these unintermitted and immeasurable floods could proceed, which appear literally to fall from the he'ivens. From this scene, tearing yourself away, you regain the top of the sloping bank, and, impatient to attain the penetralia of Nature*3 hidden mysteries, essay the passage behind the sheet. The winds howl around you ; — the spray dashes in your face with blinding and almost suffocating force. You can scarcely see, scarcely breathe ; but the supporting hand of the guide, and his encouraging voice, sustain and re-assure you. With hasty but careful steps you press on, and are in a moment more, at your journey's end, and can see and breathe more freely. The spray still showers upon you, but with diminished force and density; and you look around, above, below. What a fearful place ! what an imposing scene ! Unutterable awe is the first, and for some seconds, the only emotion. You stand upon a narrow ledge, scarce three feet wide, and gaze with intense interest up ninety feet at the meet- 'lii I. <. 9' i I %n 106 TOURIST S COMPANION Termination Rock — Cavern. ing arches of rock and water ; and down twenty feet at a steep precipice, and a flashing sheet, which are lost to view in the rising mists. You see the mighty torrent roll off the cliff above your head, and plunge with a lightning rapidity, down the dark profound. You can- not see the strife between fall and flood — the mad melee of many waters ; — but you hear the sound of battling elements, and you feel that the struggle is terrific. Such sights ! such sounds I — The eye aches; the ear is pained. But there is a dreadful fascination in the place : — the eye looks eagerly, though it aches ; and the ear is pleased with that which pains it. An inviting extent of cavern, dim, misty, and indefina- ble, is before you. You long to explore it, and advance a step, when the guide, catching your arm, assures you that you stand upon the extremity of Termination Rock, and that, though it is possible to make your way a few feet farther, the attempt would be at the hazard of your life. Reluctantly you abandon the hope of diving still deeper into the shadowy recesses of that terribly attrac- tive cavern ; and survey with a closer scrutiny the vaulted hall, in which you stand. Ragged, impending, and seamed with fissures, the arching rock above you appears to be on the point of crumbling beneath the weight of the superincumbent flood. Massy fragments, held by no visible support, seem almost in the act of falling ; and you can hardly persuade yourself, that danger is not imminent, and destruction at hand, fiut the reflection, that thousands and thousands of persons have passed under them, back and forth, with impunity, inspires you with courage; and you scan, but with throbbing pulse h •smm TO NIAGARA PALLS. 107 Egress from behind the sheet. and a heaving bosom, the wonders and glories by which you are surrounded. The living deluge that bursts from the trembling crag far above you, and, flashing by, is scarcely seen, ere it thunders up from the gulf below, seems to make an eternal present of both past and future, by its lightning rush and ceaseless flow. Omnipotence mingling infini- ties, dashing down the flood, lifting the spray, and swell- ing the sound, pervades the place with His i>resence, and deepens the awe it inspires. But any attempt to des- cribe the sights, sounds, or sensations, produced by this transcendant scene, must be vain, and worse than vain ; and I leave you " amid these vast and eternal workings of gigantic nature," to commune with Him, " whom Nature's self obeys," aud remain or emerge at will. Drenched or dripping, you at last come forth, bearing upon your mind and memory, an impression that no time or change can ever erase ; and with solemn step and thoughtful mien, ascend the stairs, and resume your ordinary dress Register your name, receive a certificate that you have been to Termination Rock, pay the custom, ary charge, and then if you choose, rest yourself, and partake of some refreshments. Mr. Barnett, who keeps this establishment, is attentive to the wishes of his guests, and has a fine cabinet of minerals and other curiosities, which is worthy of notice. Returning to the ferry, stop at the Museum as you pass, and examine Mr. Barnett*s admirable collection of natural and artificial curiosities. A splendid view of the Falls may be enjoyed from the piazza of the Museum ; and Mr. Barnett, who is both intelligent and polite, will m '] i 1i* )t:^ ft*: }•< lit l^v::M Ik m • 103 TOURIST'S COMPANION Earnett's Museum — Camera Obacura. do all in his power to render your visit agreeable. At the Camera Obscura, make a short pause, to see the miniature and moving Niagara, animated and life-like, which that instrument presents] From thence, return to the ferry, — which, on the Canada side, is kept by Mr. Shulterburgh, a civil and obliging man, careful and attentive to his business, and experienced in all that relates to his vocation, — and, while crossing the river, enjoy again the glorious view of basin, cliff, and cataract, in that solemn temple, which seems, filled with the Eternal presence, its liquid floor quaking beneath His Omnipotent tread. From this sublime sanctuary, having offered up the incense of an awe-awakened praise to Him whose habitation if ou earth, is here, — return to your hotel, recruit your physi- cal energies with rest and food, and ponder upon the mighty and magnificent scenes you have beheld. In the evening, make another visit to Iris Island, which you will find even more interesting and agreeable in the sweet moonlight, than in the broad glare of day, — and catch, if you can, a glimpse of the lunar bow. There is a witching loveliness about this island in the soft obscur- ity of evening, that cannot fail to please ; and a solemn grandeur in the cataract at night, that commands rever- ence. Then, too, imagination holds her undisputed sway; — but the half-concealment that shrouds every object, confines her to the task of filling up the shadowy outline of the vast indistinct, that is everywhere around. It ^eems a spirit-land, and gigantic forms of inessential ,'■: ci) and beauty float before the vision, upon the atmos- i ) ', re of fancy. Hushed is the voice of mirth, silent the 1^ TO NIAGARA FALLS. 109 Return to the American side. tongue of conviviality. The Actual blends with the Ideal; contemplation rules the hour, and the place ; and a subdued, but not dismal, melancholy pervades every brow and bosom. No sound is heard, but the choral chaunt of the elements ; no sentiment breathed, but such as be- fits the spot, and the season. The Genius of Niagara, hovering near, spreads his misty pinions over all things ; and the whole scene is hallowed by the invisible presence of Deity. End the day by reflecting upon what you have seen and felt ; and looking over your guide-book, to determine where you will go next. And so, good night; — 1 know your slumber will be sweet. i :l!' i:l, lit iMJ' J; !1 If' S I I ■ '■■ ' -liv i * J, ;; !|.' 110 tourist's companion. CHAPTER XI i. REMARKS AND ADVICE — GOOD COUNSEL — PUBLIC GARDEN — ROAD DOWN THE BANK — INDIAN LADDER — POINT VIEW — MINERAL SPRING — VIEW OF THE CATARACT — WHIRLPOOL RAPIDS — WHIRL- POOL LODGE — WHIRLPOOL — BODIES — DESCENT — VARIED ASPECT — RAFT IN THE WHIRLPOOL— DEVIL'S HOLE — HEWLETT'S CELLAR — LEWISTON HEIGHTS. " It seemed some mountain, rentand riven, A channel for the stream had given ; So high the cHffs of limestone gray, Hung beetling o'er the torrent's waj', Yielding, along their rugged base, A flinty footpath's niggard space, Wheiehe who winds 'twist rock and wave. May hear the headlong torrent rave , And chafe, in madness and in pride, 'Gainst rocks that wall its prisoned tide." O U HAVE now seen the Falls from the principal point of observation, and the beau- tiful scenery immediately around them. If you remain any time, and you should for several days at least ; you will view them again and again, and find them grow in your estimation at every succeeding visit. People who come to the Falls, run hurriedly around them for a few hours, and then away, can form little idea of their real magnitude and subUmity. Those who remain longest, invariably admire them most. It requires time to reahze their wonderful beauty and grandeur. There is so much to observe, that the mind comes confused, and cannot, but upon repeated examination form a correct judgment. Besides the cataract itself, there are various objects in the vicinity, which you will desire to see, and which few TO NIAGARA FALLS. Ill Lewiaton — Public Garden. are content to forego the pleasure of beholding. To these I shall now direct your attention. I should advise you to pass down on the American side to Lewiston, and return on the Canada shore. You can, in this way, visit all the points of interest, with most economy of time and trouble. Conveyances are to be had on either side, upon reasonable terms j and a line of Omnibuses run hourly from the village of Niagara Falls, to the Mineral Spring, Whirlpool, and Devil's Hole. But the walk along the bank of the river is most delightful, and views of beauti- ful romantic scenery present themselves at almost every step. For females and invalids, it would perhaps be too fatiguing ; but many ladies walk to the Whirlpool, and all who can, are advised to do so. The scenery along the river bank is every way grand and picturesque, and no part of it should be lost, if it can be avoided. A few rods below the American Fall is the Public Gar- den of which we have before spoken ; where a beautiful summer-house, almost on the brow of the precipice, and commanding a noble view of the cataract, occupies the precise spot where Abbott, the Hermit of the Falls, for a long time lived, in a hut by himself. About eighty rods further, and you come to an excava- tion, where a good deal of earth and stone has been re- moved. It is the commencement of a carriage-road down the bank, which was began tome fourteen or fifteen years ago, but soon after discontinued. In 1836, it was again commenced by Mr. Rathbun, and would probably have been soon completed, but for the unfortunate issue of his affairs. ii < li 1^ ■ ! » , i I ''':U 112 toueist's companion Point View — Mineral Spring. Just below, there is a notch in the bank, near a fine spring, at which the Indian Ladder, as it was called, stood. This ladder, which was merely a large cedar tree, resting against the rock, was the most ancient means of descending to the base of the cliff, and thence attaining the foot of the cascade. The limbs, and a few notches cut into the trunk itself, were all there was to cling to ; and the last person known to have descended it, — a dar. ing hunter, by the name of Brooks, who ventured down in pursuit of game, — fell before he reached the bottom, and suffered severe contusion. Point View, so called from the splendid view of the chasm, river, and cataract, which it affords, is about three- fourths of a mile below the ferry. Standing here, you can look directly down two hundred feet at the broad stream, flowing smoothly by, and at the towering banks by which it is environed. The view of the cataract, though distant is most magnificent, and one that you will not be likely soon to forget. MINERAL SPRINGS. The Mineral Spring is about one and a fourth miles beyond Point View, a few rods from the river, and is shel- tered and shaded by a pretty and graceful open building TO NIAOAEA FALLS. 113 Mineral Spring — the Whirlpool. of Grecian Architecture, erected by Mr. Rathbun. The water wells up between the rocks, and is collected in a stone basin; — it is strongly impregnated wich sulphur, contains also lime and magnesia, and is said to be quite similar to that of Harrowgate, England. From the road, a short distance beyond this spring, the first view of the Falls is obtained by persons coming from the direction of Lockport or Lewiston. It is extremely beautiful, and is that with which Capt. Hall was so much pleased. Some eighty or one hundred rods below the Mineral Spring, commence the Whirlpool rapids ; and from this point, to that singular phenemenon, every foot of the way possesses a strong and exciting interest. Walled in by those giant banks, from which it makes one dizzy to look down, the river, as if angered to fury by the restraint they impose upon it, rushes along wild, impetuous, and uncontrollable ; and pours its raging floods into the mad sea of agitation, the Maelstroom of Niagara. The Whirlpool is three miles from the Falls, and about one hundred rods from the main road, where a house of entertainment, called the Whirlpool Lodge, has been erected by Mr. Wheeler, who is also proprietor of the grounds in rear, through which the visiter must pass. A small fee is paid here, for the privilege of entering these embowered walks, and for the use of the steps down the bank. Having reached the American Cliff*, upon whose lofty brow a beautiful summer-house stands-another proof of the enterprise and taste of Mr. Rathbun — pause and behold: — the Whirlpool is before and far below you, spread out like a little sea, tossed and agitated, and shut in on every G Tl |V ^i ^ ■ i i .■' III •1- 'i ■ 1'.'^ V." ■ r. V ; ■■>; 1 ■ 1 i ,.4 J fl t.\ ! , V ' ... i * It ' •i.'i lli- '^■' 1i '. ;» ! li II f i 114 TOURIST'S COMPANION The Whirlpool -- Its current. side by towering and tree-crowned banks. This vast basin is in form nearly circular, and has, beyond doubt, been hollowed out by the action of the water ; probably, when the cataract in its upward progress from Lewiston heights, had reached this point, and for a time halted in its amazing march. The river here, makes an acute angle in its course, turning abruptly off to the right, behind the cliff upon which you stand. The furious torrent comes thundering and foaming in this great basin ; and its currents, kept away from the place of egress by the mighty rocks upon which the cliff rest^s, are forced, by their prodigious impulsion, quite across the mouth of the outlet ; and, meeting the opposite bank, are again diverted from their course; and curving inward, are carried round and round the basin, till they are drawn down in the centre, driven eubterraneously far forward, and finally ejected at the opening below, where they boil up, and bound away in frightful and tremendous plunges. Nothing that has life, floats upon this chaos of convul- sions ; but huge timbers, and sometimes dead bodies, are drawn into its vortex, and are carried round in ceaseless gyrations for days, and even weeks, before they escape from its convolving currents, and whirling eddies. Two British soldiers, in attempting to desert, by swimming the river, were in the year of 1841 drowned, and hurried into the Whirlpool, where their swollen disfigured bodies remained for a number of days, objects of loathing and disgust, — ^now floating motionless along, and anon, with a horrible seeming animation, diving, emerging, leaping, ■^ TO NIAGARA FALLS. 115 Descent to the Whirlpool. and as it were, playing with the foaming surges, and con- flicting waves. From the height whereon you stand, but h'ttle of the terrible agitation, and wild intumescence of the Whirl- pool, can be perceived by the unassisted eye. The little sticks — as they appear to be — which you observe whirl, ing and tossing about, are in reality, large pieces of timber ; as by the aid of an object glass, you will become convinced; and be also enabled to realize something more of the grandeur and commotion of this strange and fear- ful sea of imprisoned, but rebellious and etill raging floods. . By a long and tortuous declivity of rude steps, you descend to the base of the cliff, and from the level rocks below, observe the wild rush and whirl of the mad wa- ters. The rapids above, and at the entrance of the Whirlpool, are terribly grand and striking. The huge surges leap and plunge with prodigious force and velocity; and their impulsion is so great, that the whole mass is heaved up at the centre of this mighty malestroom, to an elevation of not less than twelve feet above its outer surface. Passing round to the right, you come to the outlet of this tumultuous sea, and behold a scene of surpassing grandeur. Two black and frowning cliflTs, scarcely thirty rods apart, rear their huge and giant forms to a height of nearly three hundred feet ; and there stand, terrible and impending — the mountain-sized, rock-armed guardians of this maelstroom-portal. The escaping torrents, crow- ding through the narrow passage, and hurrying down the slope, rush forward with such inconceivable rapidity and ' <. t * ■. ' uH 't V i! hi! 116 tourist's companion View from below— force of the current. force, that the middle of the gushing volume is raised much higher than the side next you, which is smooth and glassy, but incredibly swift; and the bounding surges leap away in sublime plunges of eight to ten feet high. These rapids are seen to much better advantage from the opposite side, as they are nearest to that shore, and indeed dash along the huge rocks by which it is lined, in their curvetting and uncontrollable course. Nothing that comes down the river, can escape being drawn into the Whirlpool, as the current is carried quite across the outlet, and turned up by the opposing bank. Wave urges wave, current accelerates current, billow chases billow, and there they revolve round and round, till, swallowed in one place, ejected in another, conten. ding here, and separating there, parting, reposing, meet, ing, mingling, eddying, plunging, they are at last engorged in the deep bowels of the abyss, forced far under the superincumbent mass, and finally vomited iorth at the narrow outlet, whence they hasten away in the mad rap- ture of new-found freedom, to seek repose in the quiet bosom of the distant lake. It is utterly impossible to describe the Whirlpool, so as to give any adequate idea of its grandeur and sublimity. Beauty it has none, — it is fearful — terrible ! There is not a winning featme about it. It is solemn, awful, impressive ; and, as a great natural curiosity, second only to the mighty cataract of Niagara. A visit to the Whirlpool should never be omitted. It is in all respects, totally different from every thing about the Falls. A vast unity of factious and warring energies, shut in and imprisoned by massy and cloud .reaching bar. L TH TO NIAGARA FALLS. 117 Rise of waters below the Falls. 'fS, having no relation or likeness to aught else in the terial world ; it is alone in its solemn strangeness, and 3hes no cord of human sympathy. The only emo- H IS it excites, are unmitigated astonishment, and inex- r :able awe; — such, at least, was its eifect upon the V. ter. The same cause that makes the waters in the basin ow the Falls, rise sometimes so quickly, and to such a 2fht, — contraction of the channel — produces a similar !Ct in this. A heavy wind down the lake, raising the }r one or two feet, causes it to rise there, from fifteen twenty feet, and in the Whirlpool to nearly the same ght. At such a time, when it has received the tribute destruction ; and planks, timbers, trees, and it may be ats, and dead bodies, are caught and enveloped in its mendous toils, it is seen in its most sublime and awful >ect, and seems, in its wild delight, a living but impris- »d desolation, sporting with, while it rends its prey, and . wearing a savage solemnity of countenance, in the ;hest degree hideous and appalling. At a lower stage water, its currents, cavities, eddies, and gyrations, are >re distinctly marked, and the view though less striking, perhaps more impressive. Seen at any time, and seen ght, it cannot fail to excite astonishment, and fill the il with awe. Al large raft of timber escaped a few years since, from fastenings above the Falls, and was precipitated over 1 cataract. The disjoined logs were speedily hurried the Whirlpool, in which they remained for a number week?. It then presented a scene, as those who beheld relate, of intense and startling interest. Scattered '? "' \ rv> i-JTSirrr" i '■ \ ■■ Hi liiir 118 TOURIST'S COMPANION Historical Anecdote. about in every direction, they were to be seen in all atti- tudes, and from listless inanity, to a wonderful life-like- ness. Some were floating on the glassy surface, others riding the gentle swells, some careering over the rolling billows, and again others leaping, wrestling, crashing, plunging, flying, following, retreating, pursuing, shooting up high in the air, diving far down in the deep, hiding here, starting up there, as if a mad forest of trees, riding these infernal surges, held here a wild inebriate revel ; — or rather, as if the mob of waters, seizing these immense weapons, waged intestine war, and fought one another, — flood threshing flood, and surge goading surge with these Titanic war-clubs, now mingling in the horrid melee of strife, now thrown far apart, and again rushing together, implacable, vindictive, and unrelenting. It must have been a strange and fearful scene ! Enormous blocks of limestone lie scattered and coa- cervated at the foot of those two tremendous clifls, showing that a wilder warfare than that of contending currents, has been here at some time waged — a war of elements, a contest between rock and flood, — the mighty cataract and the eternal hills being parties in the strife. The strait is much narrower at this point, than at any other of its whole course ; and the place seems, from this circumstance, the best adapted for the construction of a suspension bridge. Who will give himself to wealth and fame by the erection of so desirable a work ? Half a mile below the Whirlpool, there is a deep, dark cove, or chasm, in the rocky bank, called the Devil's Hole, which, from its own gloomy grandeur, and the his. torical associations connected with it, is an object of no 1" "t TO NIAGARA FALLS. 119 Bloody Run — View from Devil's Hole. inconsiderable interest, and of much resort. One of the most wild, rugged, high, and massy cliffs in the world, rises above ir, bleak, bare and projecting, from which a noble viow^ of the river and gulf is presented. A stream, devil's hole from below. called Bloody Run, usually small, and often dry, in the summer, but swoln to a torrent size in the fall and spring, pours its dark waters down this fearful chasm, and over the vast rocks that form its bed, to the river below. The road passes close by this cove, or hole, and an old saw- mill stands upon the brink of the precipice. ' !i ;iii Ik (f I :■• It '? ill II :! !:i 120 TOURIST 8 COMPANION Passage down the rock. By a long, tedious, difficult, but not dangerous route, starting from the top of the bank, about twenty rods be- low the Devil's Hole,* winding your way down and around the precipice, you descend into this frightful gulf, clamber down and over huge moss-covered rocks, fallen trees, and accumulated rubbish, that almost bar the pas. sage, and toil on to the river side. Unless you do this, you can form but a very faint and imperfect conception of the wild and savage grandeur of the place, into whose dark rock-shut, forest-hidden recesses not a ray of sun. light has ever forced its way. An air of sullen sublimi. ty pervades its gloom ; and when in its shadowy depths, you seem cut off from the world, and confined in the pri. son.house of terror. It is akin to the cataract and the whirlpool, in the awe it inspires ; but has not a single fea- ture in common with the one or the other. It is a wild, dark, savage, gloomy cavern; and its exploration should not be omitted To appearance, it is a fit place for a demon-dwelling; and hence, probably, derives its name. It is memorable as the scene of a tragic event, elsewhere to be narrated, which occurred during the old French war, and was of a strange and bloody character. From a hill, not far hence, an extensive and splendid prospect opens to the view. You can see Queenston Heights, Brock's Monument, the plains and villages be. low, the whole remaining course of the river, the Ameri- can and English forts, the spreading lake, and the far off hills and furests fading away in the distance beyond. — There is hardly in the world, a more beautiful and pic- * The remains of an okt flight of steps are still at the Devil's Hole, but so much broken and decayed as to be unserviceable. ]■ ; TO NIAGARA FALLS. 121 Hewlett's Cellar — Arrival at Lewiston. turesque landscape, than is here presented to your obser- vation ; nor one which exhibits a greater variety of inter- esting and pleasing objects. About two and a half, or perhaps, three miles from the Devil's Hole, there is a singular cavity in the rock, some ten or fifteen feet below the top of the bank, which is worth examination, and is known by the name of Hew- lett's Cellar. Ii is of a triangular shape, as regards both its level and attitude — pointed at the top and back. The walls and floor are of solid limestone, and it appears to have been formed by the breaking out of two immense pieces of rock : — how this could have been done, seems from the shape and situation of the cave, almost inex- plicable. Less than a mile from this cave, terminates abruptly the mountain-plain, through which Niagara has cut its deep and devious channel, for more than two leagues ; and the gorge from which the river here emerges, presents a grand and striking aspect. Rising on either side, to a height of nearly four hundred feet, the steep banks stand like huge and solemn sentinels, guarding the narrow gateway — their tree-crowned summits nodding defiance to all below. The view from the heights is very compre- hensive in its extent, embracing plains, villages, river, forte, and lake; and a broad prospect still beyond, bounded only by, and blending with the distant horizon Des- cending the heights, you are soon at Lewiston, which lies in the valley just below. If you have taken our advice, and walked from the Falls, along the bank of the river to this place, you will probably spend the night here, and pass up, on the h i li |l: I' H M :| .1 H, ' » > H^ Hilll 122 tourist's companion Arrival at Lewiston. opposite side, in the morning. If, on the contrary, you come by the carriage conveyance, you will have time to dine, and return to the Falls on the other shore ; or to visit Fort Niagara, and get back before dark. In any event, you will patronize * mine host* of the Frontier House — a portly rosy-looking, good-humored scion of the ' fast-anchored isle,* who is especially recommended, and who will take every pains to recommend himself, to your favour. I leave you to your good cheer, and a sweet repose. Bon soir . :i i TO NIAGARA FALLS. 123 CHAPTER XMI. QUEENSTON HEIGHTS — BROCK'S MONUMKNT — BLOWN UP — COVE OR CHASM — WHIRLPOOL — DENCACKIE POINT — VIEW FROM — MUDDY RUN— CASCADE — BANK OPPOSITE -^ BENDER 'S CAVE — IMPROVEMENTS — CHANNEL — LUNDY'S LANE — STREET'S POINT — BURNING SPRING — BRIDGEWATER — CHIPPEWA — THE BATTLE- GROUND — CONCLUDING REMARKS. •• The bale-fires flash on high, from rock to rock — Death ritles upon the sulphury Sivoc — 1 :J Battle stamps hie foot, and Nations feel the shock." " Thy glories are sought till the life- throb iso'er — Thy laurels pursued though they blossom in gore. 'Mill the ruins of columns, and temples sublime, The arch of the hero doth grapple with time : The Muse o'er thy form throws her tissue divine, And History her annal emblazons with thine." t'!^ SAVING Lewiston, and crossing the ihe river in a boat, propelled by horse power, you land in her Britannic Majesty's domin- ions, at the village of Queenston, and as- cend the heights, so memorable for one of the most desperately-contested battles of the late war, in which the American forces, finally lost a thrice-won victory, and were compelled to lay down their arms, and surrender at discretion ; and the English sustained an [irreparable loss in the death of General Brock, which no victory could compensate. He was killed by a musket jball, in the early part of the action, while cheering on the .brave troops under his command. When struck, he was standing by a cherry-tree, still pointed out, in an orchard i to the right, at the foot of the mountain-plain. . '^ i'ft m I m -A I $ , 1 ■ . E i 1 ! 1 11 ' 'J : f 124 tourist's companion View from Queenston Heights. From the heights of Queenston, a similar but less obstructed, and therefore, more extensive view of the country, river, and lake, is presented, to that of the opposite elevation. Fom the top of the monument, nearly five hundred feet above the river-level, it vi^as still more grand and comprehensive ; but, considered z.^ an observatory, that towering structure is among the things that were, having been nearly demolished by an explo- sion of gunpowder. FERRY AT LEWISTON. This monument, standing upon the most lofty point of Queenston Heights, was erected by the Provincial LegivS- laturc, to the memory of General Brock, whose remains were moved from Fort George, and deposited in its vault, with those of his Aid, Colonel McDonald, who was mortally vvoundeJ in the same action, and died the fol- lowing day. In addition to its value as a work of art, it had other and stronger claims to respect. It was erected t less f the )i' the ment, s still ^d an hings ?xpIo. r^' It of ig'ia. ains lult, was fol. •t, it 3ted M 1" ill I 2 l! h^ '(»< IK r-;ESENr atpearance of brock's monument. Pa«re 12ft ^ TO NIAGARA FALLS. 126 Destruction of Brock's Monument. re 125 in honour of a good and gallant man, whose name and deeds form a part of the history of the times ; and whose uniformly kind treatment of American prisoners — so very different from that of too many of his contemporaries — will ever be held in grateful remembrance by the Ame- rican people. Wantonly to destroy such a monument, raised in commemoration of such a man, would be base indeed; but there was not wanting some wretch, in- famous and despicable enough to be guilty of the outrage. On the night of the seventeenth of April, 1840, the monument was blown up by some villain, or villains, unknown, and completely ruined. The stairs were thrown down, the shaft rent in several places nearly from top to bottom, the inscription.tablet fractured quite across, the key.stone forced out, and the whole structure, in short, irremediably injured. The damage was at first supposed to be much less than the event proves it to have sustained. In February of the following year, a large portion of the top fell ; and now, the dome is entirely gone, the balustrade almost destroyed, and scarcely a single part unbroken. The interior is a literal heap of ruins, and the ground for many yards aroui.d, covered with the fallen fragments. This execrable transaction, has been attributed to the notorious Benjamin Lett, — who was sent to the peniten- tiary, for an attempt to blow up the steamer Great Britain, but with what justice, we are unable to say. Whoever did it, richly deserves a short shrift and a long halter ; and this we believe to be the sentiment of every gener. ous mind. Any wretch, so depraved, as to war against i i V ? I ! ! i; .1 I jfil / •■ " ; '> . 126 TOURIST^S COMPANION The Whirlpool — Descent to the bank». the ashes and honours of the dead, is unfit to associate with the living. From the heights of Queenston, passing along up the river bank, you come, when a short distance below, and nearly opposite the Devil's Hole, to a cove or gulf, some- thing similar to that gloomy chasm, but of much less magnitude. It is however, dark and romantic, and quite secluded, and may be worth exploring to the river ; a feat we have not yet, but intend soon, to accomplish. OUTLET OP WHIRLPOOL, CANADA SIDE. About half a mile further, and you come again to the Whirlpool, of which, from the summit of the Canada Cliff, a capital view is afforded. The rapids entering this imprisoned sea, are almost directly in front; and those at the outlet, immediately below you. The view, is in many respects, better than that from the height op- positc. irH TO NIAGARA FALLS. 127 Upper view of the Whirlpool. J , Descending a long and tortuous, but neither difficult nor dangerous succession of steps and slopes, to the foot of the precipice, you find yourself on the ledge of rocks, with the Whirlpool on your right, and the mad rapids plunging impetuously past you, through the narrow opening. The scene, from this point, is inconceivably grand and impressive, and one you should not fail to witness. Turning to the right, and carefully picking your way along the margin of this mighty basin, you n.ay make the circuit of the Whirlpool, and get a better idea of its wild and terrible sublimity, than can otherwise be obtained. It is a long, and somewhat fatiguing walk, but the toil will be richly rewarded. Of the entering rapids, — surpassing in grandeur, in proportion to the breadth of the stream, even those abo -e the cataract — you will thus get a near and most splendid prospcc^ Hiving re-ascended the bank, follow it lound the Whirlpool, crossing large ravines, and passing deep and thickly-wooded dells, till you reach Bencackie Point, at the entrance to this maelstrooni-wonder. Of all upper views of this vast sea of imprisoned waters, that present, ed to your look from this spot, is the the most imposing and unique. The high-rolling rapids, rush along in savage grandeur, almost beneath your feet, but far, far below you ; and the whole measure of the monster abyss, heav- ing, surging, and circling in its wild agitation, confronts your eager yet half recoiling gaze. Opposite, rises the gigantic, cloud-soaring cliff, from which you first saw the Whirlpool, with the sweet summer-house resting like a snow-wreath on its emerald summit ; and parted from it by the narrow outlet, through which the escaping floods , !' ;f ill hi :':■ •l! i V •: I 128 tourist's companion Description of the currenti. are bounding away, in the joy of release, from the dark valley of their confinement, stands the huge form of its twin-born companion, rearing its mountain brow to an equal elevation, inviting, as it were, the tempests* shock, and defying the storm of time and fate. You can watch the circling currents, the plunging sur- ges, the gorging and disgorgijig floods, see the entering and emerging torrents, and all the varied features of this strange, wild prison.place of raging waves; and if' it does not impress you with a solemn awe, you must be less susceptible to strong emotions, than the many who behold and wonder at the scene, as we have often done. The sullen stillness, that seems to hover, pall-like, above this broad, deep basin; the black banks, that close darkly round, w^alling it in with massive, impenetrable, high, reaching barriers ; the towering mountain-formed, dark- browed warders that guard its narrow portal ; the wild floods rushing in, and maddening at the toils by which they are enveloped ; the prisoned volumes, winding round and round the sombre slopes by which they are enclosed, and thus weaving coils by which still-coming currents ore ensnared; the mad contention that the struggling, jostling, angry mosses meeting and battling, ever make ; the raging torrents, crowdmg and driving through the lean and slender gateway, that leads to freedom, — these and many other strange and august appearances, conspire to fill the mind with astonishment, and the soul with awe. I do not envy the man, who can look upon such a scene unmoved ; nor admire the apathy of his stoic gaze, who sees no dread in this sublime display, and feels no rever- ence for the Power that made its walls and waves. i TO NIAGARA FALLS. 129 Muddy Run — Bank opposite. A short distance above the Whirlpool, a small stream, called Muddy Run, a mere rivulet in its summer size, but increasing to a torrent force, when swoln by the falling rains and melting snows of autumn and spring, leaps down the lofty bank, and mingles its tiny volume with the here- mad Niagara; which, like a wilderness of raging floods, dashes along in a wild career of rapids, on to its mael- stroom-prison. The cascade formed by this little stream, is beautiful and unique. The water falls in a brilliant, sparkling shower of silver spangles, and, flashing oflTfrom the rocks below, sends up its mimic clouds of spray, and the sheen of its twinkling specks of ioam ; and then, eliding down the black bank, like a beamy serpentine strip of sunlight, it is caught, swallowed up, and whirled away in the mighty rush of the rolling, roaring river, to which a thousand such diminutive creeks could add no perceptible increase. l^he bank opposite this point, is precipitous from the water's edge to the top, and presents no spot where the foot of man could find a resting place. It is bare and almost perpendicular, showing its various strata, and offering to the geologist a rare opportunity for scientific investigation, if not a rich field of research. Its naked aspect is slightly relieved by the diversified colouring of its component parts ; and still more by the trickhng rills that slip down its rocky surface, and ooze from between its leafy layers of changing consistency and alternate hue. About one and a half miles above this, you come to Bender's Cave, — sometimes called the Devil's Den, — which is quite n curiosity and must not be overlooked. H \f ji * ■ I 11 T 1 i ! j ri'. \ ]' ' ,1 ! f' t 130 TOURIST S COMPANION Devil's Den — Interior of the Cave. It is about twenfy feet below the top of the bank, and seems to be a natural hollow in the rock, in shape some- thing like a large oven, and measuring about forty feet in breadth and depth. On the rocks, at the back of the cave, small quantities of sparry accretion have been formed ; and in spots, an appearance of shining silver specks is presenled, which, caused by minute particles of water, may be brushed away in its glistening beauty, by a touch. The floor of the cave is not of *' pure white sand," but is covered with a mixture of argillaceous and calcarious earth. Above and below the cave, the rock is perpendicular ; from its mouth, a noble view of the river and banks is afforded ; and from the top of the bank, at the entrance to it, a beautiful, though distant and partial, view of the Falls may bo seen. The cavern is dry, and sequestered ; and, situated as it is, offers strong inducements to any anchorite who may desire such an abode. Hermits are invited to call and examine its accommodations; audit is hoped some one will make it his permanent residence, as such an inhabitant might add something to the romance of this wonderful region. Having completed your examination of Bender's Cave, follow up the bank of the river, admiring as you pass, the exquisite taste of the Canadian authorities, who, con- structing a road along the bank to the Whirlpool, are cut- ting off all the timber and underbrush, and leaving the bare cliff' without a shrub to fringe its margin, and relieve or soften its naked grandeur. Strange ideas some peo- ple have of improvement : — they would spoil a star to 1^ TO NIAGARA PALLS. 131 Lundy's Lane. make a spangle. O, that Morris might come and sing to the in — " Woodman, spare that tree, Touch not a single bough," and thus arrest the unhallowed work of destruction. Arrived at the Clifton House, congratulate yourself on having seen every foot of that astonishing channel, cut to such an amazing depth and through such a surprising dis- tance, by the ever toiling cataract of Niagara, and which is in itself, one of the greatest natural wonders of the material world. The works of Man are the playthings of Time ; but these vast walls are the enduring pages of its history, and every stone in the chasm is a bead in the wampum of Ages ! Lundy*s Lane and that " Meteor Hill," where the cel- ebrated Battle of Niagara — miscalled by some. Bridge, water — was fought, are at Drummondville, — so named in honour of General Drummond, commander of the British forces, — and about three-fourths of a mile north- west of the Falls. Most travellers desire to visit a place so memorable, and it is presumed the reader is not an exception. The road up the bank, in front of the Clifton House, leads directly to the battle-ground. A church, a tavern, and several other buildings, are on the hill, the possession of which was so obstinately contested ; and one or two are yet standing, which were there at the dale of the conflict. A walk through the buryirg.ground, on the left side of the ascent, will show where rest the remains of many a gallant soldier, who lost his hfe by the sad chance of war. Returning from Lundy's Lane, follow the upper bank to the Pavillion Hotel, from whence you have a fine view , i |hi:||ji'| ! 1. It 132 TOURIST S COMPANION Return from Lundy's Lane — Burning Spring. of the Falls. Observe the curious shape of the Horse- shoe curve, as seen from this point; and again, from the Barracks ; and then continue your walk to Street's Point, from which the most admired and magnificent view of the Canada rapids is presented. The mighty volume of water rolls by in all forms of commotion ; plunging down immense and steep ledges, dashing against obstructing rocks, and springing high in the air ; swelling here in huge billov^s, tumbling there in broken surges, raging and rushing on with inconceivable force and velocity towards the awful precipice, from which it is so soon to be hurled. No art of language can do justice to this scene — it must be witnessed i A small fragment of the river, bending deeply in just above this point, separates a round island, called Cynthia Island, from the main land, and another small one at its upper extremity. Opposite Cynthia Island, on the south shore of the stream, is the Burning Spring. The water wells up in a barrel, and is kept in constant ebullition by the rising gass ; which, on the application of a lighted candle, instantly ignites, and burns with a I'^ar steady flame. On this spot, formerly stood the village and milte of Bridge water, which, in the ravages of war did not escape destruction, and have left nothing but a name and a few deserted buildings, to show where once they flourished. Chippewa is one mile above. It is a fine growing place, but was the head-quarters of McNab, in the Navy Island war, and suffered not a little from the stagnation of busi. ness, during the rebellion. It is also memorable for the battle fought near it, which resulted in the triumph of the nm ^^ TO NIAGARA FALLS. 133 Chippewa. American arms. The plain on which this celebrated contest took place, lies about two miles above, or south of the village, and is now covered with cultivated fields, and verdant meadows. It is however regarded with deep interest by the people of both countries, and resorted to by many visiters to the Falls. Extend your ramble to this plain, hallowed in the remembrance of two nations, return thence to the ferry, feast your eyes again upon the splendor and glories of Niagara, which you cannot too often behold ; and then cross the river and rest from your labours of curiosity. rv. i. ^j. i! 1 I I ' ! m < 111 ('! the Jews, and the self-created Judge of IsrocI, in the : flowing robes and rich vestments * of his assumed functions — ''pride in his port, exultancc in his eye," ' himself headed the vast procession, composed of more than three hundred men, women, children, idlers, loafers, j and ragamuffins. The inaugural address dehvercd, and i i " An old triuJgody dresi, Itorrowed from Uie Park Tlieatre. 's*Sl 1 ^ TO NIAGARA FALLS. 161 Laying of the Corner Stone. the exercises over, the numerous assemblage, the Gover- nor, Judge, and Corner Stone retired in the same order of procession, with the same pomp, decorum, and dignity. The corner-stone was soon after planted on Grand Island, but never took root, and grew up to a Synagogue; and the only memorials of these great and wonderful events, and the great and wonderful city which was to be, but was not, are to be found in the Books of the Chronicles of the times, and the monument, erected on the Island by the Governor, Judge, and Ruler of the Jews, which is composed of brick, mortar, and wood, which is yet stanJin^-, and bears on it3 eastern front, a stone tablet, on which are engraved the following words, figures and characters. ARRAR A T, A CITY OF REFUGE FOR THE JEWS. Founded by Mordecai M. Noah ; in tiie month Tizri, 5i>80, Sniitember, 1825, in the 5iitli year of AnR'riiaa Independence. The foreign Priests, and Rabbis of the Jews, could not, and would not — at all events, did not, recognize or ratify the self-assuined powers of Mordecai Manuel Noah, Rabbi Ben Humhug, and the whole scheme, the city, the synagogue, and the offices of Governor and Judge vanished into thin air. Here endcth the history of Mordecai the Jew. ' r D '. ' I T 162 PECKS' TOURIST'S COMPANION. SARATOGA SPRINGS. CHAPTER XXI. The traveller can have a choice of conveyances from Albany to the Springs at Saratoga or Ballston Spa, viz. 1st. From Albany via Schenectady, on the Mohawk and Hudson Railroad., and the Saratoga and Schenectady Railroad, terminates at the village of Saratoga Springs. Total distance, 37 miles. 2d. Fi om Troy, on the Schenectady and Troy Railroad, 20 miles; thence by railroad to Saratoga Springs, a fur- ther distance of 21 miles. 3. From Troy, on the Rensselaer and Saratoga Rail- road, terminating at Ballston Spa, a distance of 24 miles, there rniting with the railroad extending from Schenec- tady to Saratoga Spri:;gs. Saratoga Springs, is probably the most celebrated w^atering place on the Globe ; strangoris from about every part of the world annually congregate here during the; Summer months, and as a large proportion of them come I for the purp')S0 of seeking health and invjgoration, their stay hero is necessarily much longer than at other cele- brated resorts, wliere the palisfaction of curiosity is the oi:ly object ; — 'bus giving tiie otherwise quiet village all 1 s. from! a, viz. ohawk ectady piings. iilroad^\ I, a fur- a Mail- 4 miles,' chcncc- lebratcd Lit every ing the ■m come :)Uj their ler cclc- t)' is tliej iUage all I >i SARATOGA SPRINGS. 163 Early history of the Springs. the appearance, as far as population is concerned, of a large city. The village of Saratoga Springs, pleasantly situated on a plain, surrounded in part by a beautiful grove of pine trees, is the most noted watering place in the Union, the mineral springs, possessing great medicinal properties, vary somewhat in their analyses. It is built chiefly on one broad street, and the numerous large hotels and houses for the acconmiodation of visiters, give it an impo- sing appearance. It was incorporated in 1816, and now contains about 3,000 inhabitants, upwards of 300 dwell, ing houses, Presbyterian, Episcopal, Baptist, Methodist, Universalist and Roman Catholic Churches ; an incorpa. ted academy, a female seminary and several select schools; the Young Men's Association, stores of different kinds, iron foundries, machine shops, an extensive carriage manufactory, 3 printing cfiiccs, &c., &.c. The hotels and boarding houses are numerous, and many of them are equal in splendor and extent to the best establishments in the United States. The price of board per week is from ^10 to ^12, and from ^1,50 to ^2 per day at the best houses. Board and lodging can be had in tlic village at the private boarding houses from $\ to ^\2 per week. After having selected your quar- ters, the first object of interest is the Springs. At what particular period these springs were first dis- covered, is still a matter of conjecture. As early as 1773, a settlement was made here, a little west of the High Hock Spring, for the double purpose of trading with the Indians, and accommodating invalids. The High Rock and Flat Rock were the only springs at that time i i !' I VH i^ 164 tourist's companion Analysis of Congress Spring. known. The Congress Spring was first discovered in 1792. There are now within the distance of abovat half a mile, some ten or twelve important mineral fountains, flowing to the surface, and most of them located near the margin of a brook which runs through the village on the east. Congress Spring, Washington Spring, Putnam's Spring, Pavillion Springs, Iodine Spring, Hamilton Spring, and the Flat Rock and High Rock Springs, may be named as the most valuable for their medicinal properties, and as objects of curiosity. A cluster of mineral springs known as \he *' Ten Springs," are situated about one mile cast of the village. The most celebrated of these springs is known as the Union Spring. The following are analyses of some of some of the principal Springs of Saratoga. Congress Spring — From experiments and deductions of Dr. Steel, one gallon, or 231 cubic inches of the water of the Congress Spring, is found to contain the following substances, viz. Chloride of Sodium, (sea salt) Hydriodatc of Soda, Bi-carbonate of ** - " of Magnesia, Carbonate of Lime, - - - " of Iron, Silex, Hydro-bromate of Potash, a trace. Total grainSj Carbonic acid gas, cubic inches^ - Atmospheric air, - - - Gaseous contents, Grains. 38,'5,000 3,500 8,982 95,788 98,098 5,075 1,500 597,943 311 7 318 SARATOGA SPRINGS. 165 Putnam's Congress Spring. Putnam's Congress Spring, is located a few rods east of iho United States Hotel. The following is un analysis taken by James R. Chilton, M. D. of New. York city. One gallon of water contains the following ingredients, viz. Grains. Chloride of Sodium, - - - m 214,00 Carbonate of Sodii, .... 14,32 " of Lime, m 68,80 Iodide of Sodium, with a trace of Bromid e of Potasoium, . . . - - 2,00 Phosphate of Lime, . . . - ,21 Sulphate of Soda, . . . - . 1,68 Carbonate «.( Miignesin, - . - 51,60 ** of Iron, - - - - - 7,00 Silicia, .--..- ,84 Alumina, • ,56 Total, - . . . - 361,01 Carbonic acid, cithic inches^ . 341,88 Atmospheric ai,-, 6,04 Total, 347,92 The gases were obtained and analyzed at the Spring, I the temperature of the water being 51*^ Fahrenheit, in 'July. Pavillion Fountain. — This celebrated medicinal foun- tain rises in a valley near the Pavillion Hotel, [destroyed by fire in 1843,] and was tubed up from a depth of forty 'feet, in May, 1840, after incredible labor and expense. iThe great curiosity it excited, and the crowds which it • attracted, induced the proprietors to have the same anal- h u I I i f <♦-? I ■ ■ » r i ■ill' if't H 166 TOURIST 8 COMPANION Pavillion and Union Springs. yzed in August I'ollowmg, when one gallon of water was found to contain these constituents, viz. Chloride of Sodium, Carbonate of Magnesia, ** of Lime, - Carbonate of Soda, Oxide of Iron, Iodide ot Sjdium, ) Bromide of Potassinm, J Silica, - . . Alumina, ... Total, Carbonic acid gas. Atmospheric air, Grains. 226,58 62,50 60,24 4,70 3,10 2,75 ,62 ,25 361,74 480,01 8,09 Cubic inches^ . . , 488,10 The quantity of gas which envolves from the Pavillion Fountain is double its volume of water; which fact ren- ders it an object of great curiosity, and increases its me- dicinal properties. Union Spring, one of the most celebrated of the *'Tcn Springs," analyzed in 1841, by James R, Chilton, M. D. One gallon of this water contains the following ingre- dients : Grains. Chloride of Sodium, • • . 243,620 Carbonate of Magnesia, • . 84,265 ** Lime, . . 41,600 " Soda, — . . 12,800 ** Iron, . . . 5,452 Iodide of Sodium, . . 3,600 A trace of Bromide of Potassium, Silica and Alumina, . - . m 1,570 Total, 392,907 ■! was .0 SARATOGA SPRINGS. 167 Iodine and Washington Springs. Carbonic acid gas, (from water bottled four weeks,) ------ 314,16 Atmospheric air, ----- 4,62 Cubic inches. 318,78 Iodine Spring, is a new fountain, located a few rods north of the celebrated High Rock Spring. According to an analysis of Professor Emmons, of the Medical College in Albany, one gallon of this water contains the following ingredients : Grains. Muriate of Soda, 187 Carbonate of Lime, - - - - 26 Iron, -.--.] Magnesia, . - . - 75 Soda, 2 Hydriodate of Soda or Iodine, - - - 3^ It u tt Total, 294i Carbonic acid gas (water bottled three weeks,) 330 Atmospheric air, ----- 4 Cubic incheSf - - - - 334 The freedom of this water from iron is truly remarka- ble, and as Professor E. remarks, "supplies a desideratum which has been long wanting, viz. a water which may be drank by a certain class of invalids lo vn lom iron proves a decided injury. WASHiNaTON Spring, is situated in a southwest direc- tion from Congress Spring. It is a sparkli » acidulous . «, -i 0% ^ V2 /. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 12.8 no Ui I.I ■^ Uii 12.2 £f 1^ 12.0 ■It I Photographic Sdaices Corporation // ^ .^A |||l.25 1.4 III 1.6 ^ 6" ». ^^^' 23 WIST MAIN STRUT WIUTIR.N.Y. MStO (716) •73-4903 '^ aHSSBBS 168 TOURIST'S COMPANION Medicinal Use of the Waters. water; its temperature is 50 degrees, and one gallon of it affords the following articles, viz. Grains. - 281,50 - 16,50 . 40,92 92,60 3,25 1,50 2,75 phloride of Sodium, Bi.carbonate of Soda, - - . ** of Magnesia, Carbonate of Lime, - - . ** of Iron, - - - Silex, Hydriodate of Soda, Solid contents in a gallon. Carbonic acid gag, cubic inches. Atmospheric air, - . - 439,02 262,50 6,80 Gaseous contents in a gallon, - 269,30 The bottling and exportation of these waters has become a trade of no mean amount, affording employ- ment to a large number of persons, and a handsome reve- nue to those engaged. No charge is made to visiters for the use of the waters, except a trifling fee to the "dipper" and even this is at the option of the visiter. Medicinal use of the Saratoga Waters. — The use of these waters either as a drink or for bathing, has become so general for certain classes of diseases that it would be deemed almost supererogatory to give any thing like directions here ; still a few remarks are appen- ded which may be of use to the valetudinarian. Those seriously nffrcted with disease will of course take the advice of a regular and scientific physician as to the proper course in relation to the use of the waters. Those who desire the waters to operate as a cathartic, are recommended to rise early and repair to the spring SARATOGA SPRINGS. Effects of Bathing. 169 which they prefer, and take two tumblers of the water ; then a little exercise — a walk, after which one more glass may be taken. In most cases this will be sufficient but some persons require more, and a glass may be taken at Putnam's Congress, the Pavilion, the Monroe, Flat Rock and Walton Springs, in oil about four pints. This is the utmost limit, and seems to be too large a quantity ; but even six pints have been allowed ; but more should in no case be taken. Some however, have imprudently taken much larger quantities. As a daily drink, from four to eight glasses is a suita- ble quantity ; ordinarily it is not advisable to exceed this per diem. When the water lies heavy on the stomach, causing unpleasant sensation, its use should be discon- tinued. The use of the waters as a bath have been productive of the most salutary effects. Indeed the effects of bathing upon the system, whether in health or in certain diseased states is so apparent, that the only wonder is that this agreeable, cleanly and invigorating restorative is not more generally used than is the case. As to the effects of bathing upon the human system, the cold bath is generally allowed to be sedative, yet it refreshes. The tepid and warm baths have not only often the same effects, but they are also at times stimu- lating. The hot bath is held to be highly stimulating. In the use of all the baths much depends upon the condition and state of health of the bather ; and if in ill health, the disease, and the peculiar stage of the disease. The use of the mineral waters of Saratoga for the purposes of the bath, is a subject of much importance. ill i^ » ,* I I 170 TOITRIST S COMPANION Directions for Bathing. but on one which experience seems not as yet to have shed any great degree of light. Bathing in sulphurous water has long been advantageously used for many cutaneous diseases ; and the warm sulphurous bath has often proved most happy in its effect in relieving many distressing cases of rheumatism, but always after a long and persevering course. Of the other waters of Saratoga, and indeed those for which the place is most celebrated, they have been recommended in general to be used externally in the bath, at the same time that they are taken internally. It is said by those who have had an experimental knowledge of these waters, that they are decidedly superior to any others for this purpose. They are used in the ordinary manner, in the cold, tepid, warm or hot bath. The best time for bathing is allowed to be an hour before dinner, or after the digestion of the morning meal, next to this is the morning, or short time before break- fast. If after the bath the body is cold, moderate exer- cise should be used to raise it to its proper temperature. Bathe when the stomach is empty, and not after taking food until the degestion is over. After leaving the water wipe the body briskly, and immediately dress with suffi. cient clothing to preserve the healthful temperature. Places of resort near Saratoga. — The most prom- inent places of resort are mentioned below : Barbyl's fish pond two miles east. It produces trout and affords the disciples of old Izaak, fine sport. The Lake House, on Saratoga Lake, 4 miles distant, is celebrated for its recherche dinners. During the pres- ent season, (1845) a beautiful steamboat has been put to have Dhurous many ath has • many r a long tiose for 5 been 10 bath, , It is w I edge r to any )rdinary n hour ^ meal, break- te exer- erature. ■ taking 3 water fh suffi. •e. t prom- s trout distant, e pres- en put SARATOGA SPRINGS. 171 Places of Resort. upon this lake, and makes several trips per day around the whole circumference, forming a beautiful trip of about eighteen miles. To Glen's Falls, about 20 miles. To lake George, 28 miles. To these places stages go daily. Niskayuna, the shaker settlement, on the Mohawk river, is 16 miles. Schuylersville, where Burgoynelaid down his arms, is 12 miles. Route from the Springs to Montreal. Should the traveller prefer to continue on this route to Montreal, he can proceed by the way of Glenn's Falls, 18 miles from Saratoga to Lake George, 9 miles, and soon to Whitehall, fro m whence he passes by various modes of conveyance through Burlington, Plattsburgh and numerous small villages to Montreal, about 192 miles distant from Whitehall. Should the traveller wish to proceed from the Springs to Niagara Falls direct, he will take the Rail-Road to Schenectady, and from thence proceed by rail-road or Canal Packet Boat, directly through to B:iffalo, or he can stop at Syracuse, and take the Canal packet boat to Oswego, and from thence go by steamboat across Lake Ontario to Lewiston, 7 miles above the mouth of the Niagara River, from whence he is conveyed by Rail-Road to Niagara Falls. 1 -15 .f it' I: III • " P:?i 172 TOURIST^S COMPANION ROUTES AND DISTANCES FROM NIAGARA FALLS CHAPTER XXM, The traveller abont leaving Niagara Falls, has general- ly two grand tours in view, the one through the Canadas, to Montreal and Quebec, and from thence to return to the sea-board, and the other, the grand tour of the Western Lakes, and from thence to return on the same route or proceed to St. Louis, and so on down to New Orleans. We shall give first the tour FROM NIAGARA FALLS THROUGH CANADA. In leaving the Falls the traveller has two routes pres- ented, the one called for distinction, the American route, proceeding from Lewiston, across Lake Ontario to Oswe- go, from thence to Sacketts Harbor, and thence down the St. Lawrence river, touching at Ogdensburgh, and other places on the river to Coteaude Lac from whence a stage conveys passengers to the Cascades, 16 miles ; thence by steamboat to Lachine, 22 miles through Lake St. Louis. From the latter place passengers are conveyed to Mon- treal in stages, distance of only 9 miles. On the enlarge- ment of the Laclune Canal, however, passage boats of the lagest class, will be able to pass directly to Montreal, as ROUTES AND DISTANCES. 173 Distances between Kingston and Montreal. do now a small class of steamboats, in descending the St. ' Lawrence. By the other route the traveller takes the same starting point and proceeds by steamboat across Lake Ontario, stopping at Toronto, Kingston and most of the places of note on the Canada side of the Lake ; from King- ston down the River St. Lawrence to Brockville, Pres- cott (opposite Ogdensburg) and so on the same route to Montreal. The distance from Niagara Falls to To- ronto is about 52 miles by steamboat ; from thence to Kingston, 180 miles; below is the table of distances from Kingston to Montreal, and from Montreal to Quebec. Table of distances between Kingston & Montreal. Place Places. to Place. Kingston, Gananoqui, - - . - 20 Brockville, 40 Maitland, - - - - 4 Prescott or Ogdenshurgh, 8 Galop Rapids, - - - 7 Matilda, 9 Williamsburgh, - - - 7 Dickinson's Landing, - 15 Cornwall^ by Canal, pass- ing theLongSaultRapids, 12 St. Regis, 4 Lake St. Francis, - . 2 Lancaster, 15 Coteau du Lac, - - - 20 Cascades, by stage, pass- ing the Cedar Rapids, 16 La CAi?7c, passing through Lake Sj. Louis, - - 24 Montreal, by stage, - 9 From Kingston. 20 60 64 72 79 88 95 110 122 126 128 143 163 179 203 212 From Montreal. 212 192 152 148 140 133 124 117 102 90 86 84 69 49 33 9 ii ^ M miii ffW , ,! -■(" l! ill-l! tl iil Hi ! If ' mi ill 174 TOURIST'S COMPANION Tour of the Great Western Lakea. Table of distances from Montreal to Quebec, by Water. To Verennes, William Henry^ Lake St. Peter, ... Sl Francis^ - . - Three Hirers, ... St. Anne, - - - - Richelieu Rapids, Cape Sante, . - - Cape Rouge, Quebec, ... - 15 Miles 30 45 (< - 8 53 t( 30 83 (( - 7 90 (( 25 155 (t - 20 135 tt 15 150 <( - 22 178 t( 8 180 t( TOUR OF THE GREAT WESTERN LAKES. Leaving Niagara Falls the traveller proceeds by Rail- rsad to Buffalo, from whence he can have the choice of the most splendid Steamboats in the Union, to proceed through the Lakes Erie, St. Clair, Huron, into Lake Mich- igan, traversing about the entire length of each Lake, to Chicago at the Southern extremity of Lake Michigan. The whole distance from the Falls of Niagara to Chicago, extends over one thousand miles and is well calculated to give the traveller a good conception of our great inland seas, the important tov/ns and cities bordering upon them, &c., &,c. If to this tour is added a trip to the Sault de Ste. Marie, in the outlet of Lake Superior, and connecting it with Lake Huron — to the Manitoulin Islands in the northern quarter of Lake Huron, their very name imply, ing scenery fitted to excite sublime emotions and sug- TOUR OP THE LAKES. 175 Description of Lake Eiie. gesting the strong sentiments of religious awe which characterised the primitive redman, and to the Islands of Mackinac, (pronounced Mackinaw,) and its sister islands in the straits of the same name, abounding with the finest trout and white fish, and connecting the lakes of Michigan and Huron — if these be added to the tour, no excursion of equal extent can be found, that presents a greater variety of picturesque and magnificent scenery. As this excursion begins on Lake Erie, we begin our guidance with a brief description of that noble and most useful body of water. Lake Erie, washing the shores oi four of these Uni- jted States — New- York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Michi- Igan — and spreading between them and a large segment ! of the British province of Canada West, with the line of 1 division as settled by treaty, running through the middle I of the lake, is 240 miles lon^f by 40 to 60 miles wide. Its J surface, as ascertained by the engineers of the Erie I canal, is 555 feet above the Hudson river at Albany, and ■334 feet above Lake Ontario. The greatest depth of the ilake yet observed, is 270 feet. This is comparatively ■shallow; and the relative depths of the great series of lakes may bo illustrated by saying that the surplus waters poured from the vast basins of Superior, Huron, and I Michigan, flaw across the plate of F^nQ into the deep howl of Ontario. Lake Erie is reputed to be the only one of the series in which any current is perceptible. The ftict, if it is one, is usually ascribed to its shallowness; but the vast volume of its outlet — the Niagara river — with its strong current, is a much more favorable cause than the small depths of I t Vi i 11, Itii; I m 'M iifli 176 tourist's companion Towns and Villages on Lake Erie. its water, which may be far more appropriately adduced as the reason why the navigation is obstructed by icfi much more than either of the other great lakes. The New- York shore of Lake Erie extends about 60 miles in the course of which the lake receives a number of streams, the most considerable of which are the Buffalo and Cattaraugus creeks ; and present several harbors, the most important of which at present, are Buffalo creek and Dunkirk. As connected with trade and navigation, this lake is far the most important of all the great chain, not only because it is bordered by older settlements than any of them except Ontario, but still more because, from its position, it concentrates the trade of the vast west. When we consider the extent not only of this lake, but of Huron, nearly 250 miles long, of Michigan, 300 miles long, of Superior, the largest body of fresh water on the } globe, we may quote with emphasis, the words of an \ English writer : "How little are they aware, in Europe,] of the extent of commerce upon these island seas, whose j coasts are now lined with flourishing towns and cities ; whose waters are ploughed with magnificent steamboats, : and hundreds of vessels crowded with merchandise. ; Even the Americans themselves are not fully aware of I the rising importance of these lakes, as connected with i the west." i Dunkirk, 45 miles from Buffalo. Here it is intended to terminate the New-York and Erie Railroad. Barcelona, ,52 miles southwest from Buffalo, is the westernmost village in the state of New. York. It is a port of entry and contains about 400 inhabitants. A '■• GREAT WESTERN LAKES. 179 Porta OD Lake Erie. Steamboat runs from Buffalo to this place, stopping at the intermediate ports. Here, is a lighthouse, lighted with inflammable gas, which escapes from the bed of the creek, about a mile distant, and is carried in pipes to the shore. Erie, Pa., 90 miles from Buffalo, is beautifully situated on Presque Isle bay, affording one of the best harbors on the lake. It contains about 4,000 inhabitants; it is a place of much trade and growing importance, CoNNEAUT, 28 miles further west, in the northeast corner of Ohio, stands on a creek of the same name, at its entrance into the lake. Ashtabula, Ohio, 13 miles from Conneaut, stands on a stream of the same name, near its entrance into the lake . Fairport, Ohio, stands on the east side of Grand river, 161 miles from Buffalo. Its harbor for lake vessels is good, and is connected with Painesville by a rail-road of 3 miles long. The CiTy of Cleveland, the emporium of northern Ohio, is 191 miles from Buffalo, 211 from Detroit, and 916 from Chicago. It is a port of entry, and next to Cincinnati, is the most important town in the state. It stands at the mouth of the Cuyahoga river, and the northern termination of the Ohio canal, 307 miles from Portsmouth, on the Ohio river. Packet boats for passen- gers run daily on this canal, reaching Portsmouth in about three and a half days; where steamboats are taken for Cincinnati, a further distance of 113 miles. It has also a connection with Pittsburg, by means of the Ohio and Pennsylvania canals. K M fl 11 in ,J , I 180 TOURIST S COMPANION PoTtH on Lake Erie. The population in 1840, was 6,071, and is rapidly increasing." Black River, 28 miles from Cleveland. Vermilion, 10 miles further, situated at the mouth of a river of the same name. Huron, 20 miles further, also stands at the mouth of a river of the same name, with a good harbor. Sandusky, 10 miles further, and 259 miles from Buffalo, is a port of entry, and the capital of Erie county, Ohio. It stands on the shore of Sandusky bay, fronting the lake. The entire town is based on a quarry of the finest build- ing stone, which has beenextensively used in its edifices. It contains about 1,500 inhabitants. Toledo, 50 miles from Sandu&ky, and 309 miles from BufTalu, stands on the west bank of Maumee river, near its entrance into Maumee bay, at the south end of Lake Erie. It contains a population of about 1,500, Steamboats run direct from BufTalo to this place, and Perrysburg, at the head of steamboat navigation on the Maumee river, 18 miles from the light-house on the lake shore. ** A railroad is finished from Toledo to Adrian, 33 miles ; and the Wabash and Erie canal is now completed from Lake Erie to La Fayette, a point on the Wabash, to which steamboats ascend from the Ohio river. As boats cannot, however, ascend to Ln Fayette, except in comparatively high water, the canal is to be continued down the Wabash 81 miles to Terre Haute, where the National road crosses the river. Much is already done on the canal south of La Fayette. l\ 3 rapidly outh of a outh of a n Buffalo, ity, Ohio, the lake, est build- s edifice?. nilcs from iver, near I of Lake lace, and on on the the lake drian, 33 ompleted Wabash, iver. As pxcept in continued vhere the ady done GREAT WESTERN LAKES. 181 Route to St. Louis — Detroit City ■l' *' A traveller wishing to go from Buffalo to St. Louis, can do so by the above route in six days, after the lake and canal shall be in a navisjabie condition. It will re- quire 39 hours to reach Toledo, 83 hours to Tcrre Haute, and 33 hours by stage from thence to St. Louis across the beau^''' prairies of Southern Illinois, making in all 143 hours, or six days. We trust that the packet boat companies on the Wabash and Erie canal will put down the fare, as the saying is, * to suit the times,' and all rea- sonable effjrts will be made to induce a large share of the travel from Missouri, and the southern country, to New- York and Boston, to take this route." Monroe, Michigan, 28 miles northwest of Toledo, stands on the River Raisin, 2^ miles from its mouth. A canal 103 feet wide, and 12 feet deep, extends from the city to the lake, through which steamboats and other vessels continually ply. Mjnroe contains a population of about 2,000. Amherstburgh, Can. West, stands at the mouth of the Detroit river, about half way between Monroe and Detroit. It was known during the last war by the name of Maiden. The City of Detroit, on Detroit river, 372 miles from Buffalo, and 675 miles from Chicago, by steamboat route, is unsurpassed for beauiy and advantages of local- ity, standing 30 feet above the water, with a fine view of the surrounding country. It is admirably situated for trade, and is fast rising in commercial importance. The navigation of the river and lake is open 6 or 8 months in the year, during which time steamboats and other vessels *:■ ?! ii'-'j wmmmt mmm i: T 1 ill li! ! 182 TOURIST'S COMPANION Lake St. Clair— Fort Gratiot. are continually ariving and departing for the different ports on lake Erie, Huron, and Michigan. Detroit was first settled by the French in 1683 ; and now contains a population of about 10,000 inhabitants; a state house of brick, this being the capital of the state of Michigan ; a city hall ; 10 churches ; 4 banking houses ; a United States land office ; a theatre and museum ; 3 markets; a state penitentiary ; a government magazine, and a mechanic's hall ; various charitable and other in. stitutions, besides 12 public schools. The Central Rail Road of Michigan, is now finished for 80 miles ; and when completed will extend to St. Joseph, on lake Michigan, 194 miles from Detroit. There is now a line of public conveyances on this route to Chi- cago, running through in about 40 hours ; 80 miles being by railroad cars, 120 by stage ; and 69 by steamboat, across lake Michigan. The Detroit and Pontiac Rail, road is 25 miles long. Windsor, on.the opposite side of the river, in Canada, is the western termination of the stage route extending to Hamilton and Queenston. This is a favorite route while navigation is closed. Lake St. Clair, 30 miles long and 24 wide, com- mences 7 miles above Detroit ; it is 90 miles in circum- fereiice and 20 feet deep. Its banks are alluvial, and elevated and 20 feet above the water. Clinton river enters from Michigan, and the Thames and other streams from the Canada side. From thence the river St. Clair, 40 miles long, extends northerly to. Fort Gratiot, 70 miles from Detroit, and at the foot of Lake Huron, on the west side of St. Clair river. It different B3; and itants; a I state of houses ; seum ; 3 agazine, other in. finished id to St. t. There 5 to Chi- les being 3amboat, »c Bail. Canada, xtending ite route le, com- 1 circum- /ial, and rer enters ims from Clair, 40 t the foot iriver. It GREAT WESTERN LAKES. 183 Lake Huron — Thunder Bay — Mackinac. i was built in 1814, and consists of a stockade, enclosing a I magazine, barracks, and other accommodations for a i garrison of one battalion. I Lake Huron, through which runs the boundary be- itween the United States and Canada, is about 218 miles jtong and 180 broad, though its irregular form renders it I difficult to determine this with much precision. It re- 1 ceives the waters of Lake Superior through the straits of I St. Mary, and of Lake Michigan, through the straits of jMichilimackinac, and discharges its over surplus into Lake Erie, through the St. Clair and Detroit rivers. On the north part of this are the Manitoulin Islands, the larg- est of which is 80 miles long. I Point aux Barques, 130 miles from Detroit, is at the south entrance of Saginaw bay. I Thunder Bay, 75 miles further, contains a great number of Islands, on one of which is a light.house. It is sometimes called Thousand Island Bay. Presque Isle, 30 miles, is situated on the northeast ' point of the peninsula of Michigan, where the lake in- clines towards the west. Mackinac, 295 miles from Detroit, and 380 from Chicago, is delightfully situated on the southeast extremi- ty of an island of the same name in the straits of Mich, ilimackinac. It contains a court-house and jail, 2 church- es, 10 stores and several public houses. Fort Mackinac stands on a rocky eminence, 150 feet immediately above the village, which, together with the harbor, it commands. This is a delightful residence during the warm weather, the air being freshened and cooled by the water and by gentle winds, rendering the place a favorite resort for rr 'WfY^ ' ■ 1 U J 184 TOURIST'S COMPANION Manitou Islands — Lake Michigan — Mitwaiikie. invalids. Here also is a great fishery ; over 5,3000 bar I rels of trout and white fish being annually exported ; and it is the mart of an extensive fur trade, being for ages a favorite resort of Indians. A steamboat runs from Mackinac to Green Bay, at the head of which, in Wis- consin, is an important settlement. Afterleaving Mackin- ac, and entering Like Michigan, several islands are passed in succession, the largest of which is Beaver Island. The Manitou Islands, 80 miles from Mackinac, lie on the cast side of Lake Michigan, opposite the mouth of Greep Bay a large and important body of water. Lake MicHiGAff, the la-gest lake which lies, wholly in j I the United Sates, is about 330 miles long and 60 broad. I I Its waters are deep, and it affords excellent fish, which 1 are annually taken in large quantities and constitute an! 'important item in the trade of that region. i I ' I I MiLWAUKFE, in Wisconsin, 300 miles from Mackinac; ! i ; is on the west side of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of I the Milwaukie river. It contains a court-house and jail, i a United States land office, 3 churches, and about 3,0001 inhabitants. Steamboats and sail vessels ply between! jthis place and Buffalo, and from its rich and extensive' back country, it is likely to grow rapidly and become a! I place of much importance. I Racine, 20 miles south of Milwaukie, and at the mouth I of Root river, contains a court.house and jail, 10 or 12 I stores and about 500 inhabitants. SouTHroRT, 12 miles further, on the west side of the lake, contains about 500 inhabitants and several stores. I Tagaii-atiiii nnm ■ . - I' 00 bar- id ; and • ages a g from in Wi3- Vlackin- ids are Beaver lac, lie iiouth of rholly in | broad, ! I, which I itute an ; I I I ickinac; j noulh of I md jail,; lit 3,000 1 between j xtensive ' ecome a \ le mouth 10 or 12 side of several GREAT WESTERN LAKES. 185 City of Chicago — Michigan City. The CiTV OF CnrcAGO, in Illinois, 48 miles still further souUi, is beautifully situated on level ground, on both sides of the river Chicago. It extends along the lake shore for a mile. An artificial harbor has been formed by the constructions of piers on each side of the entrance of the river, for some distance into the lake. This is a rapidly growing and important place, with numerous steamboats and other vessels employed in active and profitable trade with Buffalo, and the various intermedi- ate ports on the Upper Lakes. It contains 5 or 6,000 inhabitants; the public building for Cook county; a United S-atcs land office ; 8 churches, and several well kept public houses. No place in the Union has probably exceeded Chicago in its rapid growth and the increase of its trade. It is the central mart of the rich agricultural section of northern Illinois, and a part of Wisconsin. The Michigan and Illinois Canal^ now constructing from this place to the navigable waters of the lilinois river, will add much to its importance and give a new and powerful impulse to its growth. Michigan City, Indiana, standing at the head of Lake ^Michigan, and at the mouth of Trail Creek, was laid out in 1835. It now contains about 800 inhabitants, and is no doubt destined to become a place of very considerable importance. St. Joseph, Michigan, opposite Chicago, stands at the mouth of the St. Joseph river, and is the proposed termi- nation of the Central Railroad^ running through Michi- gan from Detroit, a distance of about 200 miles. A line of steamboats, stages, and railroad cars, now run over this route, from Chicago to Detroit, afTo.ding a choice of I m ■iBWlU!lLJ[=-lJ_J. ^i 186 tourist's companion Green Bay — Sauit de St. Marie. conveyances, and great facilities for travel and corres- pondence. Green Bay is in the Territory of Wisconsin. Connec- ting with Lake Michigan at the northwestern bend of the latter, by a wide opening, or straits, the Bay stretches southward about 100 miles, with a breadth varying from 15 to 30 miles, and lying nearly parallel with the north segment of the lake. Its broad entrance, for some 30 miles, is traversed by a succession of islands, called, from their position. Traverse Islands. The Bay is navigable by vessels of 200 tons burden, to its southern extremity, or head, where it receives the waters of Fox river, at the mouth of which is a flourishing town, with a population of nearly 2,000, surrounded by a fertile and beautiful j region, and where the United States have a land Office. I The head waters of the Fox river interlock with those of j the Wisconsin, a very short distance apart, and in very I high freshets boats have often passed from one to the : other. A short canal would make the connection perfect at all times, and would thus give an unbroken navigation from the great lakes through Green Bay, Fox river and the Wisconsin, to the Misssissippi at Prairie du Chien, 300 miles below the Falls of St. Anthony, and 600 miles above St. Louis. Green Bay contains several islands about midway its length, and at its northwestern curve it receives the Menominee river, which flows in from the northwest, and forms the boundary between the Wiscon- sin Territory and that portion of Michigan which lies between it and Lake Superior. Sault de St. Marie, or St. Mary's Falls, is the name of the settlement on the American shore of the St. Mary's n :. GREAT WESTERN LAKES. 187 Village of St. Mary — Fort Brady. River, about 15 miles below Lake Superior, at the rapids, which are three-fourths of a mile long, with a descent of some 23 feet. The entire fall of the river, which is 60 miles long, from Lake Superior to its entrance into Lake Huron, is about 50 feet. It is contemplated to cut a ship canal round the falls, or sault. the river being navigable in all the rest of its course. Such a canal, by enabling steamers and all other lake vessels to pass into Lake Superior, and thus opening the navigation of that great island sea, would serve most efficiently to promote the settlement of Upper Michigan, and the regions bordering on Lake Superior, would enhance the value of the national domains, particularly of the copper and lead districts, and would be the pioneer of incalcuable benefits to the whole Union, as well as to a vast but secluded country, not yet accommodated with the means of constant and permanent intercourse and traffic with the great lake states, and the great markets of the sea.board. The settlement, or village of St. Mary, is on the site of an old French fort, and is an elevated and pleasant position. It contains a court-house, 3 churches, a trading house of the American Fur Company and several other stores. A post belonging to the United States, called Fort Brady, is also established here, and has a garrison of United States troops. The population, made up of Americans, Frenchmen, Indians and half-breeds, amounts usually to about 1,000, and occasionally a much greater number, when the Indians and other trappers and hun- ters come in with their peltry, for the purposes of trade, and to receive their annuities. t .! m iii: ■t'S .it" is I; i I «, «l sTir- I / 188 tourist's companion Lake Supeiior — I'ictuied Rocks. Lake Superior, supposed to be the largest body of fresh water in the world, is about 380 miles long and 130 wide, and about 1,400 miles in circumference. It is sur- rounded mostly by a rocky and uneven coast, and con- tains many considerable islands, one of the largest of which, Isle Royal, is about 100 miles long and 40 miles broad. Its waters abound with fi&h, particularly trout, sturgeon, and white-fish, which are caught at all seasons and in large quantities. Of these the trout, weighing from 12 to 50 pounds, and the white fish, weighing often over 20 pounds, are perhaps the most important. The storms on this lake are almost equal to those on the Atlantic — its waves run as high, and its navigation is probably more dangerous. Its surface is elevated 625 feet above the level of the sea, and its mean deplh is 900 feet. Its waters are remarkably clear and transparent. It receives more than thirty rivers, and discharges its surplus into lake Huron, by the straits, or river of St. Mary. The boundary lines between the United States and the British Possessions pass through the middle of this, as of the other great lakes, from its outlet, the St. Mary, most of the distance, but towards the westerly segment of the Isle Royal, giving that island to the United States, and then inclining southwesterly to the the mouth of Pigeon river. The Pictured Rocks^ on its south shore, toward the east end of the lake, are a great curiosity, forming an immense perpendicular wall 300 feet high and extending about 12 miles, with frequent and vast caverns along their base, into which waters roll, especially in storms, with a tremendous roar. At one place a considerable --. I ■PHH ■Hi CHICAGO TO NEW-ORLEANS. 189 Route to St. Louis and N. Orleans. Stream is thrown from them into the lake, by a single burst, from the height of 70 feet, and boats can pass be- tween it and the rocks; at another place four enormous piers of rocks support a vast stratum, or entablature of stone, covered with soil, on which stand trees of spruce and pine, some of which are 50 or 60 feet high. This is called the Doric Rock, or Arch, and it appears like an achievement of Art, though it is the work of Nature. ROUTE FROxM CHICAGO TO ST. LOUIS AND N EW-O RLEANS. We have before mentioned a new route to St. Louis, by taking the Wabash Canal to Terre Haute, and by stage to the Mississippi River. There are three other routes one via. Canal from Erie Pa. to Pittsburgh, and so down the Ohio river; another by the Ohio canal at Cleveland to Portsmouth. In consequence of the low state of the Ohio river, during the summer months, travel- lers wishing to reach either New Orleans or any of the points on the Mississippi or Illinois may take the Lake route, previously described, and at Chicago, either take the stage route to Galena, on the upper Mississippi river, aud thence down to St. Louis ; or another route still presents, (which is the most travelled) by stage, from Chicago to Juliet 40 miles, Juliet to Ottawa 45 miles, 4 I \:T ;i ''4 190 TOURIST S COMPANION Route to St. Louis and N. Orleans. Ottawa to Peru 16 miles, Peru to Peoria 69 miles, here is the head of steamboat navigation at present, and boats ply between this place and St. Louis : from Peoria to Bardstown, 90 miles, Bardstown to Alton, 118 miles, Alton to Sf. Louis 22, making 400 miles by stage and I steamboat to St. Louis, and from thence to New-Orleans, 1287 miles further; so that a traveller can now make a tour as follows : From New- York to Buffalo, via Niagara Falls, about 500 miles, in 38 hours. From Buffalo to Chicago, »» 1100 •* 105 From Chicago to St. Louis, 400 " 56 From Sr. Louis to New-Orleans 1287 " 120 ti 3287 miles 409 hours. In the pages which follow, will be found the distances on most of the important routes not otherwise laid down iin this work. ] ices I )wn TABLES OF DISTANCES. 191 From the mouih of the Mis- souri to New 'Orleans, St. Louis, 16^ Cahokia, 3| Herculapeum, 35| Fort Chartres, 19 St. Genevieve 4 Kaskaskidf 13 Bainbridge, 58 Cape Girardeau, 9^ Month of Ohio, 41 Columbia, 22 Mills's Point, 18 New Madrid, 44 Fulton or Hick, 103 Randolph, 10 Memphis, 67 Helena, 93 White River orMLSO Arkansas River, 48 P.C.orVillemont,65 Old R. or L. L. 20 G. LakeorL.W. 20 Princeton, 3^ N.Mexico or L.P.3li Vicksburg, 42i Warrenton, 26 Palmyra or G. G. 30 Bruinsburgh. 10 Rodney, 10 Natchez, 40 E. Cliffs or H.L. 21 1004^ Fort Adams, 33^ 1038 Red River, 20 St. Francisville or 47 Raton Rouge, 36 Donaldsonville, 57 New Orleans, 82.^ Woodville, 45 Fort St.Phillippe, 22 1347^ Gulf of Mexico, 57 1404^ 16i 20 55i 74i 78i 9U I49i 159 200 222 240 284 387 397 464 557 637 685 750 770 790 793i 825 867i 893i 923i 933i 943.i 983^ 1058 1105 1141 1198 1280i 1325i| Rail-road Boute from Alba- ny to Boston. Kinderhook, Chatham FourCorn's, 7 State Line, Richmond, PiTTSFIELD, Mass. Dalton, Hinsdale, Washington, Becket, Chester Factory, Chester Village, Westfield, Springfield, Palmer, Warren, South Brookfield, Spencer, Charlton, Worcester, Framingham, Boston, 15 3 8 5 3 5 3 9 7 11 10 15 10 6 5 5 13 23 21 16 23 38 41 49 54 57 62 65 74 81 92 102 117 127 133 138 143 156 179 200 Stage and Rail-road Route from Rochester to Niaga- ra FallSf via Lockport. Greece, by stage, 6 Parma, 5 11 Clarkson, ^ 18 Sandy Creek, 7 25 Gaines, 9 34 Oak Orchard, 7 41 Ridgeway, 3 44 i Johnson's Creek, 7 51 Hartland, 3 54 New Fane, 6 60 LocKPORT, 4 64 Pekin, by railroad, 12 72 Niagara Falls, do. 8 80 ^ i ■*:^* :U 111 I !i liiii m 192 tourist's companion. On the Hudson River, from Albany, 3 145 New- York to Albany. Troy, 6 151 New- York, V- ^^^ Bull's Ferry, N. J. 6 6 NOTE.— Flares in Italic, Stetimboat landings. are the usual Manhatlanville, 2 8 Fort Lee, N. J. 2 10 Rail-road Route from Alba- Spuyten Duval cr. 3 13 ny to Buffalo. Yonkers, 4 17 Schenectady, 15 Hastings, 3 20 Amsterdam, 15 30 Dobb's Ferry, 2 22 Fonda, 11 41 Piermont, 2 24 Palatine Bridge, 12 53 Tarry town. 3 27 St. Johnsville, 9 62 Sing Sing, 6 33 Litile Falls, 10 72 Teller's Point, 2 35 Elerkimer, 7 79 Grassy Point, 4 39 Utica, 14 93 Verplanck's Point, 2 41 Whitesboro, 3 96 CaldwilVs Landing, 3 44 Oriskany, 4 100 West Pointy 8 52 Rome, 7 107 Coldspring, 2 54 Oneida Depot, 13 120 Cornwall, 3 57 Cnnastota, 6 126 New.Windsor, 2 59 C bitten a ngo. 6 132 Newhurgh, 2 61 Syracuse, 14 146 New-Hamburgh , 6 67 Camillus, 8 154 Milton, 3 70 Elbridge, 8 162 Foughkeepsie, 4 74 Auburn, 10 1.72 Hyde Park, 6 80 Cayuga Bric'ge, 10 182 Pelham, 4 84 Seneca Falls, 5 187 Ekinebeck, 6 90 Waterloo, 4 191 Redhook, Lower, 7 97 Geneva, 8 199 RedJiook, Upper, 3 100 Vienna, 9 208 Saugerlies, 1 101 Canandaigua, 14 222 Bristol or Maiden 1 102 Pittsford, 21 243 Catskill, 9 111 Rochester, 8 251 Hudson, 5 116 Churchville, 14 265 Coxsackie, 8 124 Batavia, 18 283 Kinderhook Land, 3 127 Alexander, 8 291 New-Baltimore, 4 131 Attica, 3 294 Coeyman'*s, 2 l33.Diirien, 6 300 Schodack Landin"^, 2 135 Alden, 5 305 CastlcloT., 2 137|Lanca8ter, 10 315 i Overslaugh, i 5 142| Buffalo, 10 325 TABLES OP DISTANCES. 193 15 30 41 53 62 n 79 93 96 100 107 120 126 1321 146 154 162 172 1821 187 191 199 208 222 243 251 265 283 291 294 300 305 315 325! Rail-road Route from the Rail'road Roulc from NeW' 30 27 28 26 36 34 1 31 city of Nsiv- York to the city of IVashington, Jersey City, New. Brunswick, Trentox, Philadelphia, Wilmini^ton, Del. Havre de Grace, Baltimore, WaSHIKGTOiV, York 10 Philadelphia^ via N. Brunswick and Tren- ton. Jersey City, 58 Newark, 86Elizabethtown, 112 Rah way, 148|Metuchin, 182 New-Brunswick 38 220,Kingston, Princeton, Trenton, Morrisviile, Pa. Bristol, Andalusia, S. B. and R. R. Route from New -York to Philadel- phia^ via South Amhoy and B'jrdentown. Elizabethtown.byS.B. 12 Depot, Perth Arnboy, '* 13 25 Philadelphia, South Aniboy, " 1 26 Spottswood, by R. R. 10 36 Hightstown, t( BORDENTOWN, Bristol, Pa. by Burlington, Philadelphia, It II 47 14 61 S. B. t( ii 8 1 18 69 70 88 1 8 9 5 14 5 19 8 27 4 31 13 44 4 48 10 58 1 59 8 67 6 73 11 84 2 86 194 TOURIST S COMPANION TABLE OF DISTANCES, FROM PLACE TO PLACE ON THE ERIE CANAL. NAMES. Albany Port-Schuyler.. . . West-Troy Junction Cham. c. Cohoes Lower Aquednct. . Willow springs.. . Upper Aqueduct. . Schenectady . . . Rotterdam Amsterdam Schoharie Creek. . Smithtown FULTONVILLE. . . . Spraker's Basin.... CanHJoharie Fort-Plain St. Johnsville.. . . East Canada cr... . Indian Castle.. . . Little Falls . . . Herkimer L. Br.. . Herkimer U. Br.. . Frankfort Utica York Mills Whitesboro Oriskany Rome Wood Creek .... Hawley's Basin.. . New-London .... Higgins' Loomis' Oneida Creek.. . . Canantota New*Boston .... Chittenango .... Kirkville* Manlius Lodi Syracuse Geddefi Belitle 5'^ 6 1 2 1 3 6 7 4 9 8 5 2 3 9 3 3 5 4 2 5 7 1 5 9 3 1 3 8 2 2 3 4 2 3 5 4 3 1 2 4 2 « r -fi 6 7 9 10 13 19 26 30 39 47 52 54 57 66 69 72 77 81 83 88 95 96 101 110 113 114 117 125 127 129 132 136 138 141 M6 150 1.53 5 1 1.58 4 162 8i 170 171 173 177 364 353 357 355 354 351 345 338 334 325 317 312 310 307 298 295 292 287 283 281 276 269 268 263 254 251 250 247 239 2.37 235 232 228 226 222 218 214 211 206 2C2 194 193 191 187 Camillus Canton Peru Jordan •. , Cold Spring Weedsport C/entreport Port-Byron Montezuma Lockpit Clyde • X • • Lock-Berlin Lyons Lockville Newark Port Gilison Palmyra Macedonville Wayneport Perrinton Perrinton Centre.. Fairport Fullam's Basin. . . Bushnell's Basin.. Pittsford Billinghasts Basin Rochester Brockway's Spencer's Basin.. . Adam's Basin.. . . Cooley's Basin. . . Brockport Holiey Hulberton Albion Gaines' Basin. . . . Eagle Harbor.. . . KnuwlesviPe .... Medina Shelby Basin Middleport Reynold's Basin.. . Gasport LOCKPORT Pendleton Tonawanda Lower Black Rock Black Rock Buffalo 2 5 2 4 1 5 1 2 6 6 5 5 4 6 1 3 5 4 3 2 2 1 1 3 3 4 6 10 2 3 3 2 5 4 6 2 1 si 4 3 3 3 2 7 7 12 8 1 3 178 1 185 184 160 18« 178 190 174 191 173 196 163 197 167 199 165 205 159 211 153 216 148 221 143 225 139 231 133 232 132 235 129 240 m 244 120 247 117 249 115 251 113 252 112 253 111 2;j6 108 259 105 263 101 '269 95 279 85 281 83 284 80 287 77 289 75 294 70 298 60 304 60 306 58 307 57 311 .53 315 49 318 46 321 43 324 40 326 38 333 31 340 24 352 12 360 4 361 3 364 17) 9 185 ► 18. 1 180 m 5 178 m ) 174 19] I 173 19< i 168 m r 167 m ) 165 20f i 159 211 i 153 21C ; 148 221 143 225 > 139 231 133 232 132 23.1 129 240 124 244 120 247 117 249 115 251 113 252 112 253 111 256 108 259 105 263 101 '269 95 279 85 281 83 284 80 287 77 289 75 294 70 298 6G 304 60 306 58 307 57 311 53 315 49 318 46 321 43 324 40 326 38 333 31 340 24 352 12 300 4 )61 3 m