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The to th The posi of tt filmi Orig begi thai sion othfl first sion Drill The shal TIN! whii Map diffc antii begi righ raqi met 10X 14X 18X 22X 26X 30X ^ 12X 16X 20X 24X 28X 32X The copy filmed here has been reproduced thanks to the generosity of: Brock University St. Catharines L'exemplaire film^ fut reproduit grdce ^ la g^n^rositd de: Brock University St. Catharines The images appearing here are the best quality possible considering the condition and legibility of the original copy and in keeping with the filming contract specifications. Les images suivantas ont 6xi reproduites avec le plus grand soin, compte tenu de la condition et de la nettet^ de l'exemplaire filmd, et en conformity avec les conditions du contrat de filmage. Original copies in printed paper covers are filmed beginning with the front cover and ending on the last page with a printed or illustrated impres- sion, or the back cover when appropriate. 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Those too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: Un des symboles suivants apparaitra sur la derniAre image de cheque microfiche, seion le cas: le symbols — »• signifie "A SUIVRE", le symbole V signifie "FIN". Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent dtre film^s i des taux de reduction diff6rents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un seul cliche, il est filmd d partir de Tangle supArieur gauche, de gauche it droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images nAcessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrant la mithode. 1 2 3 32X t 2 S 4 i 6 h! ^ 1 I « X BOOK OP NIAGARA FALLS. Flow on forever, in thy glorious robe Of terror and of beauty ! God hath set His rainbow on thy forehead, and the cloud Mantled around thy fec-t. And he doth give The voice of thunder power to speak of Him Eternally — bidding the lip of man Keep silence, and upon thy rocky altar pour Incense of awe-struck praise. (See page 84 ) 4 GUIDE TO TRA\ EliEK* VISITING THE FALLS OF NIAGARA, f CONTAIIVING MUCH INTERESTING AND IMPORTANT INFORMATION RESPECTING THE FALLS AND VICINITY, ACCOMPA- NIED BY MAPS. lit BY HORATIO A. PARSONS, A. M. Soeoiid Edition Oreatly Kiilargedt jb 4 '. BUFFALO: pt:rltsiied by Oliver g. Steele. (HVRI.KS FAXON. PRINTER. 1835. 1/-^.:?^^^^;^^ 5^ ¥ t fe- I mRECTIONS TO TRAVELERS AFTER THEY ARRIVE AT THE FALLS. •»»♦►© ® ®4<«— A FEW directions may be necessary to enable you to save time and see the Falls to the best ad- vantage. Arriving on either side, it is recom- mended to ladies to nut on leather or other stout shoesr and to gentlemen to take with them an um- brella to guard against the mist. If you arrive on the American side, turn to the right around either of the Hotels, and proceed a few rods to the bridge that leads across the rapids to Bath and Goat Islands ; you will stop at the toll-house on Bath Island when you pass over, record your name in the register and pay twenty-five cents ; which entitles you to visit all the islands with their appendages as often as you please during your visit or for a year, without any additional charge. And if you choose to cross in a carriage, you pay no more. If you cross the second or the hundredth time the record of your name in the register is sufHcicnt evidence f bw ^ I 10 that your toll has been paid. Proceed next to Goat Island, where you will find guide-boards di- recting you to all the most interesting places and objects around the island. Follow the gravel walk at the right, down to the cascade or centre fall and cross a narrow bridge to Luna Island, from the farther corner of which you will have the best and most splendid view of the Falls on the Ameri- can side. Retracing your steps to the gravel walk, proceed next to the Biddle Staircase ; de- scend that without fail, as you will there have a magnificent and much admired view of the two entire Falls, standing between them, and an op- portunity, if the wind be favorable, of passing a considerable distance behind either sheet, with the tremendous flood pouring over you from a height of 150 feet. From the foot of the staircase, turn first to the right and go to the Cave of the Winds under the centre fall, and in returning, follow the path to the great Cresent fall. Reaching the top of the island again, proceed to the farther corner, where you will find the Stone Tower forty^five feet high with winding steps to the top, and also the Terrapin Bridge, from both which places you will have decidedly the best and most impressive views of the Falls, that can be ^ t 11 % the 'V' had from any position. Here you will realize power, grandeur, sublimity, immensity, — no pen or tongue can describe it. Pursuing your way with a view to go entirely round the island, — as you ought without fail to do, inasmuch as you will thus get a much better view of the rapids and surrounding scenery than can be obtained any where else, — you will proceed up to a beautiful cascade, where, under the shelter in part of a projecting rock, you can have an oppor- tunity to bathe in the sparkling foam of Niagara. ** This is the purest exercise of health, ' The kind refresher of the summer heats." A rustic bridge here gives you access to the Moss islands, which are well worthy a visit. Just above these islands you have the very best view of the rapids, that is presented from any place about the Falls. Proceeding round the head of the island, you cross the place, nearly opposite the saw mill, where a number of human skeletons have been dug up, — supposed to be the former site of an Indian burying ground. If your visit is protracted at the Falls, you ought to pass around and through Goat Island by the different paths in order t^^ observe its picturesque beauty and realize its thousand attractions. You 12 !l n ought also, if time permit, to visit the site of old Fort Schlosser, the mineral spring, the whirlpool, the Devil's Hole, &c. to all which places the coach-drivers will conduct you, and give such in- formation and directions as you may need. In order to cross the river, proceed from the bridge to the staircase near the edge of the Falls, at the foot of which you will have a very near view of the highest fall and a most charming prospect of the entire Falls. Take a look from the window of the Staircase and you will realize the truth of Shakspeare's description, * * How fearful And dizzy 'tis to cast one's eyes so low ! - '' >^% I'll look no more, -^ Lest my brain turn and the deficient sight Topple down headlong." , ,. . ,, .• ; In crossing the river, not the least danger need be apprehended ; it is a perfectly safe and most delightful excursion, and persons sometimes swim across and find it a real luxury. The time occu- pied in crossing is ordinarily about eight minutes, and the ferriage is 18| cents from May to No- vember and 25 cents from November to May. If you have trunks or other luggage to be transported from either side to the other, the ferrymen will m It 'I i 13 i convey them safely at a reasonable charge. The river is here 76 rods wide and 250 feet deep. Having crossed the river, proceed up the bank by a carriage road, to Fido's elegant and inviting confectionary establishment, where, if you choose, you can refresh yourself with ice cream and other luxuries, — and thence to Table Rock, where you will find a spiral staircase, from the foot of which you can pass 153 feet behind the sheet of water. This staircase is under the care of Mr. Slarkey, who furnishes dresses and a guide for visiters, who wish to go behind the sheet; he also keeps a reading room and a neat and inviting shop of refreshments. From Tabic Rock you have one broad an^ im» posing view of the whole Falls, and much of the scenery of the rapids and islands. Many visiters prefer this view to any other ; but it is generally conceded that the view from the Terrapin bridge is superior, — it combines more of the beautiful and sublime. In ascending the bank from Table Rock to the Hotels, you will have a fine and extensive view of the surrounding country, and can visit the burning spring, Chippewa, Lundy's Lane, Brock's Monu- 2* :^}>.b ^ l" ? 14 i j ! I i ment, the Welland Canal, &c. as you may have leisure or inclination. If you arrive first on the Canada side, proceed directly to Table Rock, and when satisfied with looking at the amazing scene there, both from above and below, follow the path to the Ferry and cross to the other side, and then visit Goat Island as directed above. To those who wish the services of a living guide in their rambles and excursions, Mr. S. Hooker, on the American side, offers himself; his office is near the Eajjle Hotel. From a residence of twenty years at the Falls, he is enabled to con- duct visiters to all the objects of interest in the vicinity, and to give them much valuable informa- tion. .^. 1% I AGAR A RIVER, ITS SOIJRCESj ISIiAXBS, &€. Niagara River, upon which the Falls are situ- ated, receives the waters of all the upper lakes, as Erie, St. Clair, Huron, Michigan, Superior, and a number of smaller ones. The most distant soince of the Niagara is probably the river St. 15 have oceed I with 1 from ry and Island living In S. If; his dence con- in the orma- JR^, situ- akes, erior, istant jr St. Louis, which rises 1250 miles north west of the Falls and 155 miles west of Lake Superior ; it is 1200 feet above the level of the ocean, and falls 551 feet before it reaches the lake. Lake Superior is 459 miles long by 109 wide, and 900 feet deep : it is discharged in^o Lake Huron by the Strait St. Mary, 60 miles in length, making a descent of 45 feet. This lake receives the waters of about forty rivers. Lake Michigan is 300 miles by 50 and about 900 feet deep, and empties into Huron through the straits of Macki- nac 40 miles in length. Connected with Michi- gan, on the south-west side, is Green Bay, 100 miles in length by about 20 in width. Lake Hu- ron is 218 miles by 180, and 900 feet deep, and is discharged into Lake Erie through the rivers St. Clair and Detroit, 90 miles, making a descent of 31 feet. Lake Erie is 290 miles by 63, and 120 feet deep, and 564 feet above the level of the sea. It empties itself through Niagara river, 35 miles in length, into Lake Ontario, making a de- scent of 334 feet, viz : from the lake to Schlosser, 12 feet; thence down the rapids, 52 feet; the perpendicular Falls, 164 feet; from the Falls to Lewiston, 104 feet ; and thence to Lake Ontario, two feet. . , 16 i\ Lake Ontario is 180 miles by 31, and 600 feet deep, and discharges itself through the river St. Lawrence into the Atlantic Ocean, 710 miles distant. The four inland seas above the Falls — as the great Lakes may properly be called — with the hundreds of rivers, great and small, that flow into them, cover a surface of 150,000 square miles, and contain nearly half the fresh w^ater on the surface of the globe. From these sources of the Niagara, some idea may be formed of the im- mense quantity of water that is constantly pouring over the Falls. Niagara River, as it flows from Lake Erie, is about three-fourths of a mile in width, and from twenty to forty feet deep ; for three miles it has a rapid current, and then it becomes calm and smooth till within one mile of the Falls. * "So calm *, — the waters scarcely seem to stray, And yet they glide like happiness away." Five miles from the lake the river begins to ex- pand till it becomes more than eight miles in width, and embraces before it reaches the Falls, about forty islands. Of these the largest arc Grand and Navy. The latter, belonging to Ca- nada, contains 304 acres of good land, and termi- fa m ^'. "% 17 im ■4 nates near Chippewa Point. Grand Island coni- mences five miles from the lake, is twelve miles in length, measured round its edge, and from three to six in width, and terminates three miles above the Falls, containing 17,384 acres. The land is well timbered, rich, and productive. As the deepest channel of the river, forming the boundary line, runs on the west side, this island, until re- cently, has belonged to the state of New- York ; but in the year 1833, a company from Boston purchased nearly the whole of the island, and have recently erected upon it, near the site of the famous Jewish city, Ararat, projected in 1825 by MajorNoah of New- York, a istean^^vist mill, and a saw mill 150 feet square, containing 15 sett of saws. This mill is intended to saw ship stuff of every description, from 20 to 70 feet in length and W'ill probably be one of the most extentuve establishments of its kind in America. The name of their village is " White Haven," situated nearly opposite Tonawanta, where the Erie Canal locks into the Niagara river. It is approached by a ferry across the river, here 100 rods wide, and has increased, since Nov. 1833, from one solitary family to more than fifty ; it has also many work- shops, a store, a school house, a commodious '(^'.i , that they have small diurnal tides. This, however, may reason- ably be doubted. - : > It. ./^ ^ ■ , iK.- .!*_. ■ ' t .::.:.,"' TUB RAPIIJi^^ "■'".". ■'■■ ■:■ ^"n'■• • ^i^--'r-:^:'ri'^y I must here apprise the reader, that it were vain to attempt a graphic description of the Falls and surrounding scenery ; for they so immeasu* rably exceed every thing of the kind elsewhere seen or even imagined, that no power of language can give any adequate idea of them to those who have not been present to hear and see for them- selves. Capt. Basil Hall remarks, " All parts of the Niagara are on a scale which baffles every attempt of the imagination, and it were ridiculous therefore to think of describing it ; the ordinary means of description, I mean analogy, and direct comparison, with things which are more acces- sible, fail entirely in the case of that amazing cataract, which is altogether unique." The scenes which are sketched in the follow- ing pages, may be considered, therefore, only as a very faint outline, or shadow, of the reality. m i v 21 d re* have !a3on- X were 3 Falls [iieasu- B where nguage se who thein- arts of every iculous rdinary direct acces- mazing follow- jonly as ity. I m Below the termiiuitioii of Grand and Navy isl- ands, the river is compressed to the width of tw"o and a half miles ; arul, pressing forward with •accelerated motion, it commences about three- fourths of a mile above the Fulls a rapid descent, miking within tbat distance a slope or succession oW'hutes^ amounting to fifty -two feet on the Ame- rican side, and fit^tv-seven on the other. The tremendous and beautiful rapids thus formed, constitute a very important part of the grand and unparalleled curiosities of this river. Were they in any other place, they would of themselves be considered as a scene of great beauty and sub- limity, equalled only by the ocean when lashed into foam and fury by the angry tempest. Many visiters express themselves more delighted, and unexpectedly filled with wonder, at seeing the Rapids, than the Falls themselves. *' Through sparkling spray in thundering clash, The lightnings of the water flash, In awful whiteness o*er the shore. That shines and shakes beneath the roar." — Byron. Two miles above the Falls, in approaching from Buffalo, you come in sight of the white-crested breakers more than a mile in width, dashing, foaming, and tossing from ten to thirty feet above 3 '«**^>**herei I it is miles alls, it s: like 3 into stance ce de- height wind. asses, a very iosity, e. It llumi- s. The reeling birds — and the careering breeze — The tottering hills, unsteadied in thy roar; Niagara! as thy dark watei-s pour, One everlasting earthquake rocks thy lofty shore.** From Table Rock, you have an extensive and picturesque view of the rapids ; but they are seen to much better advantage from the shore half a mile above, and especially from the different sides of Goat Island. From the south-west corner of this island, just above the Moss islands, you have by far the best view that can be taken from any place. There is, too, an amazing rush of water between the Moss islands, the force and sublimity of which may be conceived but not described. Reader, go there, and you will bo fixed for a time in mute astonishment. . GOAT^ OR IRIS ISIiAIVD. Goat Island is so called from the circumstance, that about the year 1770, Mr. Steadman, resident at Schlosser, contrived by some means to put a few goats upon the island ; but its more appropri- 8^te and adopted name is Iris Island. It commen- ces near the head of the rapids almost in the mid- ,4tm»''f'>^"ffr^^f^. «• •*»-•*•* r. i — -feV . -'^'y.'V* "" 24 ^1 '•I 'f * i die of the river, and extends to the precipice, di- viding the Falls into two sheets. It is half a mile in length, and one-fourth of a mile in width, and contains seventy-five acres of rich and heavy tim- bered land. Situated in the midst of the rapids and surrounded by them on three sides, this isl- and is one of the most beautiful, fascinating and romantic places in the world ; it affords a delight- ful retreat for " the lunatic, the lover, and the poet," to indulge in their meditations. Fanned by gentle breezes, thickly and delightfully shaded, free from noisome insects, encircled by a neat gravel walk, and presenting to the visiter a great variety of views of the Falls and rapids, he feels a reluctance on leaving it, and is wont to exclaim with Montgomery, " Tf God hath made this world so fair, Where sin and death abound ; How beautiful, beyond compare, Will Paradise be found!*' or with Eve in the lancjuaore of Milton, " Must I thus leave thee, Paradise ? These happy walks and shades, Fit haunt of gods?'* &c. Abou^two thirds of^his island are still covered with tall trees, many of which are clothed with a "^5a 25 e, di- imile , and r tiltl- apids s isl- g and ilight- id the anned laded, a neat , great 5 feels tclaim i fvered with a tnagnificent drapery of ivy and other creeping plants, and many have been killed by reason of the countless names that have been cut into their bark. So strong is the desire of man for immor- tality, that few can resist the temptation to leave some memorial of their visit to the Falls. The earliest genuine date of any name yet found, is in the year 1769, though names have been cut with- in a few years and dated back as early as 1745 ; but on the rochs near the Falls on the American side, there are names chiseled out and dated 1711, 1726, 1745, &c. On Goat Island, a number of human skeletons have, within a ^e\y years, been dug up ; supposed to be the remains of Indians buried in a former age, and many more are doubt- less now resting there in undisturbed repose. — There may they rest, in nature's solitude, till the Great Spirit calls them hence. On this island is found a very great variety of wild plants, shrubs and flowers ; nearly two hundred different species, some of them very rare, have already been disco- vered. Of the Tillium Grandijlora, sixteen va- rieties are found here. The seeds of plants and flowers, from the shores of all the upper lakes and rivers, have probably been washed upon thie isl- and. Some years since, n numl)er of deer were 3* «1 ...^■■iMm. B^i=;^K- 26 I r i M put upon this island, which soon became quite tame ; but visiters, in order to see them jump, would occasionally frighten them,when they would immediately betake themselves to the rapids, and thus were carried over the Falls, until all were fi- nally destroyed. When the present proprietor shall have comple- ted the spacious garden recently laid out, in which he designs te cultivate all the fruits that will grow in this mild and genial climate, and shall have finished the many other improvements which he has projected, no other place, perhaps, in the world, will present attractions equal to those of Goat Island. The approach to it is from the American side by means of a bridge of the most difficult and hazardous construction, which ex- tends from the shore 28 rods to Bath Island, and thence 16 rods farther to Goat Island. There are many other beautiful islands situ- ated among the rapids of this river, a num- ber of which, as Bath, Ship, Brig, Moss, Luna, &c. are connected with Goat Island by bridges, and afford the most charming and impressive views of the surrounding scenery. On Bath Isl- and, which is 24 rods in length, containing about two acres, is the Toll House, kept by Mr. A. B. 27 quite ump, ^ould , and re fi- mple- kvhich grow have ch he in the Dse of m the e most ch ex- id, and 3 situ- num- , Luna, bridges, ^ressive ath Isl- g about .A. B. 4,:. Jacobs, who furnishes visiters uith warm and cold Baths at any hour, and at all seasons of the year. Let it be remembered, that •* Even from the body's purity, the mind Receives a secret, sympathetic aid." j> He also keeps for sale a variety of elegant ar- ticles of Indian manufacture, choice specimens of the minerals found in the vicinity, and a plenti- ful supply of refreshments. He is withal very accommodating to visiters, and ready to accom- pany them to the various objects of interest, or to give them any information they may need in re- gard to the Falls or Islands. On this island is situated Porter & Clark's ex- tensive Paper Mill, three stories high, in which they manufacture yearly 10,000 reams of paper of various qualities and descriptions. Luna Island, about 30 yards in width, stands directly on the precipice near Goat Island, and di- vides the stream, a part of which forms the most splendid cascade, perhaps in the world. This is about twenty-two yards in width, and is sometimes called the "Centre Fall," to distinguish it from the other two mam sheets. Approaching this isl- and from the foot of what is called, from the shape of the path, the " Hog's Back," visiters have, ' f Bih«i.«ffef ij^rriintii'iiir— i'i^"r' •• m 28 from the north-west corner, a much better view of the American Fall than can be taken from any other place. This fall, like the other, has evident- ly changed its shape within a few years, and has now nearly as much of a resemblance to a horse- shoe as the other. There are ten other islands in the rapids besides those above mentioned, containing perhaps from one-fourth to an acre each, to all or any of which probably, bridges might be constructed. THE FAIiliS — TERRAPIIV BRIDGE AIVD TO^\ ER. The broad river, as it comes thundering* and foaming down the declivity of the rapids, at length leaps the cataract, three-fourths of a mile in width, and falls, as it were, to the central caves of the earth. The mind, filled with amazement, recoils at the spectacle, and loses for a moment its equi- librium. The trembhng of the earth, the mighty rush and conflict and deafening roar of the waters, the clouds of mist sparkling with rainbows, produce an effect upon the beholder often quite overpower- ir T ; and it is only after the scene has become 29 iew of n any ^ident- nd has horse- resides s from whic h DGE dZ and length width, of the recoils 3 eqni- nighty vaters, reduce :)Owei' ecome somewhat familiar to the eye, the ear, and the imagination, that its real grandeur and sublimity is properly realized and felt. The water on the American side, as ascertained by frequent measurement, falls 164 feet, and on the Canada side 158 feet. The fall on the Cana- ' da side, embracing much the largest channel of the river, is called, from the shape of the precipice, the " Crescent or Horse-Shoe Fall," and near to this a bridge, called the Terrapin bridge, has been constructed 300 feet in length from Goat Island, and projecting ten feet over the Falls. Near the termination of this bridge, in the water and on the very verge of the precipice, a stone tower, forty- five feet high, with winding steps to the top, was reected in the year 1833, from which, or from the end of the bridge, the effect of the Falls upon the beholder is most awfully sublime and utterly inde- scribable. The sublime arising from obscurity is here experienced in its greatest force. The eye, unable to discover the mysterious phenomena at the bottom of the Falls, or even to penetrate the mist that seems to hang as a veil over the ama- zing and terrific scene, gives place to the imagina- tion, and the mind is instictively elevated and filled with majestic dread. Here is f t i i ^ ;t ■ a ii ::r I 30 ** All that expands the spirit, yet appals." — Byron. " It seems to be the good pleasure of God, that men shall learn his Omnipotence by evidence ad- dressed to the senses as well as the understan- ding, and that there shall be on earth continual il- lustrations of his mighty power ; of creation we are ascertained by faith, not by sight ; the heavenly bodies, though vast, arc distant, and roll silently in their courses. But the earth by its quakings, the volcano by its fires, the ocean by its mountain waves, and the floods of Niagara by the majesty of their power and ceaseless thunderings, proclaim to the eye, and to the ear, and to the heart, the omnipotence of God. From these far distant sources and multitudinous dispersions, he called them into the capacious reservoirs of the North, and bid them hasten their accumulating tide to this scene of wonders, and for ages the obedient waters have rolled and thundered his praise. . In beholding this deluge of created omnipo- tence, the thought, how irresistible is the displea- sure of God, rushes upon the soul. It requires but a little aid of the imagination to behold in this ceaseless flow of waters, the stream of his indig- nation, which shall beat upon the wicked in the gulf below the eternal pit ; and in the cloud of ex- 31 tron. »d, that ice ad- erstan- nual 11- we are javenly silently akings, )untain najesty •oclairn art, the distant called North, tide to )edient I. . mnipo- isplea- jquires in this 1 indig- in the of ex- halation, the smoke of their torment, which as- cendeth up for ever and ever. And nothing ' 'it the wailing of unearthly voices seems necessary to make one feel that hell and destruction are unco- vered before him. With these associations, all is dark, terrific and dreadful, till from the midst of this darkness and these mighty thunderings, the bow, brilliant type of mercy, arises, and spreads its broad arch over the agitated waters, proclaiming that the Omnipotence which rolls the stream is as- sociated with mercy as well as with justice."* "And such was that rainbow, that beautiful one, . Whose arch was refraction, its key-stone— the sun; A pavilion it seemed with a Deity graced. And justice and mercy met there and embraced." Campbell. The solar and lunar bows, the river above and below, and indeed the whole scenery of the Falls and lapids, appear to better advantage from this point than from any other ; and no visiter on ei- ther side should presume to leave the Falls with- out visiting this tower and bridge. From the top of the tower especially, he will realize the force and beauty of the following description, which, with the change of a single word, applies admira- bly to this matchless scene : * Christian Spectator for 1331. I« . j u mv i ' » '^':' > 32 fi Mi **The roar of waters ! From the headlong height JViagara cleaves the wave-worn precipice ; The fall of waters ! rapid as the light, The flashing mass foams shaking the abyss ; The hell of waters! where thev howl and hiss, And boil in endless torture ; while the sweat . Of their great agony, wrung out from this Their Phlegethon, curls round the rocks of jet That gird the gulf around, in pitiless horror set, And mounts in spray the skies, and thence again Returns in an unceasing sho\yer, which round With its unemptied cloud of gentle rain, Is an eternal April to the ground. Making it all one emerald ; — how profound * The gulf ! — and how the giant element a -^ •< From rock to rock leaps with delirious bound , • Crushing the cliffs, which downward worn and rent, With his fierce footsteps, yield in chasms a feaifnl vent. "... • ! , - i!. V. - ,■' - ■■, - ■ ^ ■ : ♦ ♦ . * * . . >l».s.. * * * * ♦ Lookback! Lo! where it comes like an eternity. As if to sweep down all things in its track. Charming the eye with dread, — a matchless cataract. Horribly beautiful ! but on the verge, From side to side, beneath the glittering morn, An Iris sits, amidst the infernal surge, Like Hope upon a death-bed, and, unworn Its steady dies, while all around is torn By the distracted waters, bears serene * ^'\ Its brilliant hues with all their beams unshorn, AM i; t 33 it a [ rent, j1 vent. * aract, Resembling, 'mid the torture of the scene, Love watching Madness with unalterable mien." " Byron. The lunar bow, seen at night in the time of full moon, appears like a brightly illuminated arch reaching from side to side, and is an object of great attraction, — especially as the world presents only a few other places where such a bow is ever seen, **Hung on the curling mist, the moonlight bow Arches the perilous river." — Longfellow. Goat Island, in a moonlight night, is the resort of great multitudes, where they find themselves in- troduced to a scene of unrivalled beauty and mag- nificence. The rapids at such a time sparkle with phosphoric splendor and nature around wears an irresistible charm of loveliness. There is **A silver light, which hallowing tree and tower, - Sheds beauty and deep softness o*er the whole." Byron. The writer once had the pleasure of joining a lovely couple in marriage about 11 o'clock on one of the brightest nights he has ever known, in full view of this enchanting scene, and then of taking a romantic excursion with the party around the island. This was poetry indeed ; it wa'^- one of those bright and verdant oases sometimes met 4 riiMH 'm\i:- i* ^^ . 34 with ill the journey of life. May all their days be equally bright and their rambles equally pleasant. I-, * ( :;- ■ ' t'. I lb BIBDIiE STAIRCASE— ^OliUS* CAVEj &C. At the lower end of Goat Island, about one* third across it, a staircase, erected in the year 1829, at the expense of Nicholas Biddle, Esq. of Philadelphia, gives visiters an opportunity of de- scending below the bank and of passing a consi- derable distance behind the two main sheets of water. The descent from the top of the island to the margin of the river is 185 ieei. A common flight of steps leads down 40 feet to the perpendi- cular spiral steps, 90 in number, which are enclo- sed in a building in the shape of a hexagon resting on a firm foundation at the bottom. From the foot of the building there are three paths leading to the most important points of observation, one of which leads to the river below, 80 feet, where visiters will find one of the finest fishing places in this part of the world. All the varieties of fish existing in Lake Ontario are found here, among which are sturgeon, pike, pickerel, black and white bass. v^i ys be Lsant. one- I year 3q. of )f de- consi- lets of ind to mmon )endi- enclo- esting le foot to the which rs will art of ting in ;h are bass, 35 herrings, cat-fish, eels, &c. Here was Sam Patch's jumping place. The path at the left of the staircase leads to the great Crescent Fall, where, when the wind blows up the river, a safe and delightful passage is opened behind the sheet of water. The path at the right leads to a magnificent Cave, appropriately named when it was first dis- covered, some twenty-five years since, -Siolus' Cave, or Cave of the Winds. This cave is about 120 feet across, 60 feet wide and 100 feet high ; it is situated directly behind the Centre Fall, which at the bottom is more than 100 feet wide, and vi- siters can safely pass into and entirely through the cave behind the sheet of water. Beyond this cave at the foot of Luna Island, there is an open space where persons may amuse themselves at leisure upon the rocks, over which the floods are pouring, and then venture in as far as they please behind the whole American Fall. The writer of these pages first conceived the idea of effecting an entrance into this cave, July 14, 1834, while passing in front of the American Fall in a boat, and the next day it was effected for the first time by passing round the outside of the fall and descending from the foot of Luna Island ; f'»/? ? i m ne I -. I-^ ff at his special request. Judge Porter, the proprie- tor, has engaged to have the rocks excavated, and a flight ot" steps constructed so as to admit a safe descent and entrance from the end of the path. — Accompanying the above idea, was a project of passing behind the whole American Fall 56 rods, and coming out near the ferry. This passage, though not yet effected, is believed to be possible ; for the opening between the sheet of water as it falls, and the rock behind is from 15 to 50 feet wide, and there are rocks to walk upon through the whole distance. If there be any insurmounta- ble obstacle, it will probably be found in the tre- mendous wind and spray occasioned by the falling flood. A passage into the cave was at first con- sidered a great exploit, but a passage behind the whole sheet would be inconceivably greater. The cave itself is the ne plus ultra of wonders, a visit to which no person ought to omit. Visiters who wish to paf^s through the cave and behind the im- mense sheet of water, can be furnished with suita- ble dresses by calling on Mr. Jacobs, at the Toll House on Bath Island. But ladies and gentle- men can very often, when the wind blows down the river, pass a considerable distance behind the sheet of water within the cave without getting wet I 37 3prie- 1, and 1 safe ith. — ict of rods, 3sage, sible ; • as it Ofeet rough Dunta- e tre- falling t con- id the The 1 visit s who le iin- suita- bToll entle- down d the g wet at all. The view presented to a person while in the cave, in connexion with the tremendous and astounding roar of waters, which, owing to the echoes or reverberations, is apparently an hun- dred times greater here than any where else, will enable him to appreciate the following beautiful and graphic lines of Brainerd, — especially as there is always in the afternoon when the sun shines, a bright rain-bow visible directly within the cave and behind the sheet of water. "The thoughts are strange that crowd into my brain, While I look upwards to thee. It would seem, As if God poured thee from his hollow hand. And hung his bow upon thy awful front, And spoke in that loud voice, which seemed to him Who dwelt in Patmos for his Saviour's sake, *The sound of many waters;' and had bade Thy flood to chronicle the ages back, And notch His centuries in the eternal rocks. Deep calleth unto deep. And what are we, That hear the question of that voice sublime? Oh! what are all the notes that ever rung From war's vain trumpet by thy thundering side ? Yea, what is all the riot man can make In his short life, to thy unceasing roar! And yet, bold babbler, what art thoU to Him Who drowned a world, and heaped the wateriJ far Above its loftiest mountains? — a light wave, That brealcs and whispers of its Maker's might.*' 4* w i •I H 38 How little and iiisi^^nificant do the efforts of man appear, when measured by this exhibition of Omnipotence ! The earthquake, the volcano, the wide-spread conflagration, the shock of contending armies are sublime and terrific spectacles, though short ia their continuance and limited in their ef- fects ; but here, ever since the flood probably, the deafening and incessant roar of the mightiest ca- taract on the globe has called upon the children of men to fall down and adore their Maker. m THE FEBKY. There is another stair-case leading down the bank about six rods below the Falls, where visit- ers will find a safe ferry to the Canada side, and have an opportunity of viewing a scene of sur- passing grandeur. The deep-green glassy river beneath, the awful precipice of rocks, and the mighty floods rolling and tumbling from the heights above, and the singularly wild, romantic, and variegated scenery around, fill the mind of the beholder with sensations not to be described Here one may perceive the propriety and beauty of the figure representing Him, who is the ** Rock 39 of ages," as " the shadow of a great rock in a weary land," to those who fly to him for refuge. ** While viewing thee I think how grand and beautiful is God, When man has not intruded on his works, But left his bright creation unimpaired. Blessed scenes ! * * * it is no mortal touch That sharpened thy rough brow, or fringed thy skirts With coarse luxuriance; — 'twas the lightning's force ' Dashed its s-trong flash across thee, and did point The crag; or, with his stormy thunderbolt, The Almighty Architect himself disjoined Yon rock; then flung it down where now" it hangs, And said, do thou lie there." — C. Wolfe. The Ferrymen, S. L. Ware, Esq. on the American, and Mr. J. Shultersburgh, on the Ca- nada side, are both very civil and accommodating, well acquainted with their business, and able to give much information to visiters. Whenever required, they take parties out on pleasure or fishing excursions, and thus enable them to take a more extensive view of the gorgeous river scenery. The construction of a carriage road is now in progress down these perpendicular banks, so as to have u ferry for teams and carriages ; and 'fri f jK r H 40 >vhen this is completed, it must become a great and important thoroughfare for travelers* H CANADA VIEWS. Directly opposite the Falls on the Canada side, an enterprising Company, having purchased the grounds formerly owned by Mr. Forsyth, have projected and laid out what they call ** The City of the Falls," and are now making very conside- rable improvements. They hope soon to have schools, churches, libraries, ball and promenade rooms, baths, public gardens, and^ indeed, every thing considered necessary to an elegant and fashionable city. The lots and streets are laid out with much judgment and taste and are to be distributed by lottery. The city has an imposing and attractive appearance on paper, but how it will appear when actually built upon the solid earth, other generations must tell* The table land on the river's bank below the Falls and opposite the Ferry, owned by Captain Creighton, has also been surveyed into lots for a village, to be called "Clifton ;" and here, directly at the top of the ferry road, Mr. Crysler is build- 41 ing a splendid Hotel for the accommodation of visiters, to be completed by the first of June 1835. It will contain upwards of sixty rooms, and accom- modate from sixty to one hundred guests. This is a delightful site for a village, and will in a few years, probably, be the most central place of re- sort on that side of the river. The following stanza of Byron is beautifully descriptive of this place. " From thy shady brow, Thou small, but favored spot of holy ground! Where'er we gaze, around, above, below, What rainbow tints, what magic charms are found! Rock, river, forest, mountain, all abound. And bluest skies that harmonize the whole; Beneath, the distant torrent's rushing sound Tells where the volumed cataract doth roll [soul." Between those hanging rocks, that shock yet please the In ascending the high bank, the visiter is pre- sented with some delightful views of the Falls and rapids and of the surrounding country. Two spacious Hotels stand prominent on the bank, one of which, the Pavilion, is much frequented, and can accommodate nearly an hundred guests. — It has an imposing appearance, and from the observatory on its roof, visiters have an extensive view of the country around. Strangers who have i'fli if ■n : ' ! '4 42 never visited the Falls, have an idea that the surrounding country must be mountainous, Hke that in the vicinity of most other falls ; but the general aspect of the country here for a great ex- tent on both sides of the river, above and below, is that of an almost perfect level, and nothing indicates the existence of the river or the Falls except the constantly ascending and floating mist, and a kind of subterranean thundering roar. Be- low the Falls the earth and rocks appear as though they had been suddenly rent asunder and sepa- rated one-fourth of a mile apart, in order, by the perpendicular chasm thus made, to form a chan- nel for the river. The corresponding portions of rock are as regular in the succession of their strata, as would be the leaves and cover of a book if they were bisected and placed opposite to each other. The whole country in Canada be- tween the two lakes, except a narrow strip border- ing upon Lake Ontario, is generally level, rich, and productive, and is becoming quite populous. In visiting the Canada side, you can cross the river at Black Rock, Lewiston, or at the Falls ; and can always have carriages on that side to trans- port you whither you choose. No one ought to fail of visiting the Canada side, as this grand aqd n 43 Unparalleled scene of nature's wonders, the fame whereof is spread over the world, ought to be viewed and contemplated from every position. The views from that side are by many considered the best; but let every one decide for himself from personal observation. :i m WEIiliAiVD CANAli. Eight miles west from the Falls is the Welland Canal, connecting the waters of Lake Erie with Lake Ontario, and affording a passage for sloops and schooners of 125 tons burthen. This Canal commences at Port Maitland near the mouth of Grand River on Lake Erie, forty-eight miles west of Buffalo, runs in a straight line across Main- fleet Marsh, crosses the Chippewa river by means of an aqueduct, and enters Lake Ontario at the mouth of the twelve mile creek. It is 42 miles in lengthy 56 feet in width, and varies from 8 1-2 to 16 feet in depth. The whole descent from one lake to the other, 334 feet, is accomplished by means of 37 locks. At the deep-cut, on what ili' ■:i , 44 is called the mountain ridge, the excavation is 45 feet in depth; and 1,477,700 cubic feet of earth, and 1,890,000 cubic feet of rock were removed. The locks here are 22 by 100 feet, and west of this ridge they are 45 by 125 feet. The Canal was commenced in the year 1824, and completed in five years, and cost over $1,000,000. A large part of the stock is owned by individuals in tho state of New-York. The Company own all the land along the line of the Canal, including the hydraulic privileges ; and another tract, contain- ing about 16,000 acres, has been granted to them by the British Government. BROCK'S 3rOj\UMEJVT. Jr fi Six miles and a half north from the Falls, upon Queenston heights, is General Brock's Monu- ment, constructed of free stone 126 feet high, and admitting an ascent to the top by a flight of 170 winding steps. From this eminence, the country around, including the picturesque lake scenery, may be seen for fifty miles. 45 One mile south from the Falls^ near the rapids^ is the Burning Spring. TLs is in a state of constant ebullition, and from it issues a stream of sulphuretted hydrogen gas^ which quickly ignites on the touch of a candle, and burns with a brilliant iiame. The Spring is enclosed in a barrel, which collects the gas and lets it out through a tube in- serted at the top. This gas might, without doubt, be communicated by pipes to neighboring build- ings, and substituted for candles and lamps. The keeper of the Spring, Mr. J. Conklin, expects a small fee from visiters for his trouble. There are strong indications at this Spring of a bed of coal near, but no effort has yet been made to procure it* M STAIR CASE. At the Falls, near Table Rock, is a spiral Stair Case, constructed for the purpose of letting peo- ple descend and pass behind the sheet of water. ^,!i! m"-vi'''^fV^^ ■|l,' m 46 Mr. Starkey, who keeps a house of refreshmetit and a cabinet of minerals here, is very accommo- dating to visiters, and when desired, furnishes them with a dress and guide to facilitate theif passage behind the Falls. MtJSEUM* y «i I I :' A few rods from this Staircase is Mr. Barnett'si Museum of natural and artificial curiosities ; — art establishment well worthy of patronage. The rooms are arranged very tastefully so as to repre- sent a forest scene, and contain upwards of 700 stuffed animals of various kinds and descriptions. There are bipeds and quadrupeds ; birds, fishes, insects, shells and minerals ; all calculated to delight the eye, improve the understanding, and mend the heart. Of the birds, beasts, fishes^ and insects, several hundred species were caught in the vicinity of the Falls. The noblest eagles of the land delight to hover around the Falls ; and here they are frequently killed, stuffed, and offered for sale. 47 SUMMER AND WINTER SCENERY. The surrounding scenery on both sides of the river is in good keeping with the unrivalled mag- nificence of the Falls. It is just what it should be, — grand, striking and unique. By most visi- ters it is seen only in summer. But in the winter it is also inimitably and indescribably beautiful. — The trees and shrubbery on Goat and other isl- ands and on the banks of the river near the Falls, are covered with transparent sleet, presenting an appearance of " icy brilliants," or rather of mil- lions of glittering chandeliers of all sizes and de- scriptions, and giving one a most vivid idea of fai- ry land, "For every shrub and every blade of grass. And every pointed thorn seems^vvrought in glass, The frighted birds the rattling bi-anches shun. Which wave and glitter in the distant sun." Phillips. The scene presents a splendid counterpart to Goldsmith's description of the subterranean grot- tos of Paros and Antiparos. The mist from the Falls freezes upon the trees so gradually and to such thickness, that it often bears a most exact re- semblance to Alabaster ; and this, set off by the dazzling colors of the rainbows that arch the ri- ■I 1 ■ ' .1 48 i! ver from twenty different points, seems, by natu- ral association, to raise the imagination to that world, where the streets are of pure gold, the gates of pearl, and night is unknown. "Look, the massy trunks Are cased in the pure crystal ; branch and twig Shine in the lucid covering ; each light rod. Nodding and twinkling in the stirring breeze. Is studded with its trembling water-drops, Still streaming, as they move, with colored light. But round the parent stem, the long, low boughs Bend in a glittering ring, and arbors hide The glassy floor. ! you might deem the spot The spacious cavern of some virgin mine, Deep in the womb of earth, where the gems grow ; And diamonds put forth radiant rods, and bud With amethyst and topaz, and the place Lit up most royally with the pure beam That dwells in then* ; or, haply the vast hall Of fairy p:.Iace, that outlasts the night, And fades not in the glory of the sun ; Where crystal columns send forth slender shafts. And crossing arches, and fantastic aisles Wind from the sight in brightness, and are lost Among the crowied Pinal's.'* The winter scenery about the Falls is peculiar, a sight of which is worth a journey of one thou- sand miles. Myriads of wild ducks and geese spend the day in and above the rapids, and regu- .x' 49 larly take their departi re for Lake Ontario every night before dark; though some are often found in the morning with a broken leg or wing, and some- times dead, in the river below the Falls. This generally happens after a very dark or foggy night ; and it is supposed that, as they always have their heads up stream, while in the water, they are car- ried down insensibly by the rapids till they find themselves going over the precipice, and then, in attempting to fly, they dive into the sheet of water, and are buried for a time under the Falls or upon the rocks. • Dead fish, too, of almost all sizes and descrip- tions, weighing from one to seventy pounds, are found floating in the eddies below the Falls, form- ing a dainty repast for gulls, loons, hawks, and eagles. The splendid gyrations of the gulls, and their fearless approaches, enveloped in clouds of mist, up to the boiling cauldron directly under the Falls, attract much attention. But the eagle, fierce, daring, contemplative, and tyrannical, takes his stand upon the point of some projecting rock, or the dry limb of a gigantic tree, and watches with excited interest the movements of the whole feathered tribe below. Standing there in lordly pride and dignity, in.an instant his eye kindles and 5* I! M •Ml 60 his ardor rises as he sees the fish-hawk emerge from the deep, screaming with exultation at his success. He darts forth like lightning and gives furious chase. The hawk, perceiving his danger, utters a scream of despair and drops his fish ; and the eagle instantly seizes the fish in the air, and bears his ill-gotten booty .to his lofty eyry. Sometimes during a part of the winter, the ice is driven by the wind from Lake Erie and poured over the Falk in such immense quantities, as to fill and block up the river between the banks, for a mile or more, tg the depth of from thirty to fifty feet, so that people cross the ice to Canada on foot for w eeks together. The river itself is never frozen over, either above or below the Falls, but it affords an outlet for vast quantities of ice from the upper lakes. RIVEH BELiO^V THE FAIiliS. ^1 . l4) The river at the Falls is a little over three- fourths of a mile in width, but below it is imme- diately compressed into a narrow channel of less than one-fourth of a mile in width, and its depth, as ascertained by sounding, is about 250 feet. Its 61 color is deep-green, and sometimes blue ; occa- sioned, no doubt, by reflection from tbe sky. This channel being between perpendicular banks from 170 to 370 feet high, is comparatively smooth for two miles, and then runs with ama- zing velocity to Lewiston ; and, what is some- what remarkable, while the river makes a constant descent, the banks have a gradual ascent for six miles ; so that from the top of the bank to the water, at Brock's Monument near Queenston, is 370 feet; and the heights there are 38 feet higher than Lake Erie, and 25 feet higher than the land at Schlosser. Whether the bed of the river here was once a natural ravine, or was formed by an earthquake, or worn away by the continued and violent action of the water falling upon the rocks — thus carrying the Falls back from Queenston to their present situation, it would be difficult to de- termine with certainty. From descriptions of the Falls written nearly two hundred years ago, we learn that, though theii shape has been somewhat altered since they then occupied the place which they hold now, and exhibited the same wonderful phenomena. When and by whom among the whites they were first discovered, the writer has never yet been able to I ;--y^ti 52 •^ f' \^ ?^ ascertain. Tradition ascribes their discovery to two missionaries, who were on an exploring tour to this part of the country in an age anterior to any written account extant. Father Hennepin,* who visited this place in December 1678, thus describes the Falls: — "Betwixt the Lake Ontario and Erie, there is a vast and prodigious cadence of water which falls down after a surprising and astonishing manner, insomuch that the universe does not afford its parallel. 'Tis true, Italy and Suedeland boast of some such things, but we may "well say that they are but sorry patterns, when compared with this of which we now speak. At the foot of this horrible precipice, we meet with the river Niagara, which is not above a quarter of a league broad, but is wonderfully deep in some places. It is so rapid above this descent, that it * The following is the title of his book : " A new discovery of a vast country in America, extending above four thousand miles between New France and New Mexico, with a description of the great Lakes, Cata* racts, Rivers, Plants and Animals; also, the manners, customs and lan- guages of the several native Indians, and tlic advantages of commerce with those different nations, with a continuation, giving an account of the attempts of the Sieur De la Salle upon the mines of the St. Barbe, 8ic. The taking of Quebec by the English; with the advantages of a shorter cut to China and Jap n. Both parts illustrate*! with maps and figures and dedicated to his Majesty K. William. By L. Hennepin, now resi- dent in Holland. To which is added, several new discoveries in North America, not published in the French edition. London, 1699." 53 violently hurries down the wild beasts while en- deavoring to pass it to feed on the other side, they not being able to withstand the force of its cur- rent, which inevitably casts them headlong above six hundred foot high. "This wonderful downfal is compounded of two great cross-streams of water, and two falls, with an isle sloping along the middle of it. The wa- ters which fall from this horrible precipice, do foam and boil after the most hideous manner imaginable, making an outrageous noise, more terrible than that of thunder; for when the wind blows out iS the south, their dismal roaring may be heard n- ^ than fifteen leagues off. " The river Niagara having thrown itself down this incredible precipice, continues its impetuous course for two leagues together, to the Great Rock above mentioned, with an inexpressible rapidity; but having past that, its impetuosity relents, gliding along more gently for other two leagues, till it arrives at the Lake Ontario or Frontenac." ** From the great Fall unto this Rock, which is to tlie west of the river, the two brinks of it arc so prodigious high, that it would make one trem- ble to look steadily upon the water, rolling along 54 !■;■ with a rapidity not to be imagined. Were it not for this vast Cataract, which interrupts navigation, they might sail with barks or greater vessels more than 450 leagues, crossing the Lake of Hurons, and reaching even to the further end of Lake Illinois ; which two lakes we may easily say are little seas of fresh water." " After these waters have thus discharged them- selves into this dreadful gulf they" continue their course " as far as the three Mountains which are on the East of the River, and the Great Rock which is on the West, and lifts itself three fathoms above the waters or thereabouts." The writer, after considerable inquiry and per- sonal examination, is unable to determine what Father Hennepin means by the Three Mountains and the Great Rock ; and he cannot believe that the Falls were ever six hundred feet high, as is repeatedly stated in the book. But Father Hen- nepin's description which is too long to be insert- ed entire is, in the main, remarkably correct; and establishes the fact, that in 1678, there were three distinct falls as there are now, and that the fall on the Canada side exhibited then somewhat of the appearance of a horse-shoe. His description too of the islands, shores, &c. corresponds with their present appearance. In a work written by the Chevalier de Tonti,^ who was of the party with Father Hennepin, there is a description of the Falls and of Niagara River, corresponding with and corroborating Hennepin's, but with the addition of no important facts. Bai'on La Hontan,| who visited this Cataract in Mav 1688, thus describes it : " As for the water- fall of Niagara, 'tis seven or eight hundred foot high, and a half a league broad. Towards the middle of it we descry an Island that leans towards the Precipice, as if it were ready, to fall* All the Beasts that cross the water within half a quarter of a league above this unfortunate Island, are sucked in by the force of the stream. And the Beasts and Fish that are thus killed by the prodi- gious Fall, serve for food to fifty Iroquese, who are settled about two leagues ofi*, and take 'em out of the water with their Canows. Between the surface of the water that shelves off prodigiously, and the Foot of the Precipice, three men may ' t] ♦Entitled, "Relations de la Louisiana ct du Fleuve ^lississippi Sic. 1720, Amsterdam, Par Le Chevalier de Tonti, Gouverneur du Fort Saint Lou- is aux Illinois." fHis book is entitled, "New Voyages to North America, Stc. &c. Writ- ten in French by the Baron La Houtan, Lord Lieutenant of the French Colony at Placentia in New Foundland, at that time in England. Done into English, tlic second edition— London 1735.'' Im I 66 Cross in abreast without any other damage, thati a sprinkling of some few drops of water," &c. In the philosophical transactions for 1722 there is a description of the Falls given by Monsieur Borassau^ who had visited them at se^ en different times. He says that the Governor of Canada had, on the previous year, " ordered his own son with three other officers to survey Niagara, and take the exact height of the Cataract, which they ac- cordingly did with a stone of half a hundred weight, and a large cod-line, and found it upon a perpendicular 26 fathoms" or 156 feet. These extracts may not be considered of much value except by those, who have a curiosity to learn something about the Falls as they appeared in a former age. There are at least five places between the Falls and Lewiston, where persons can descend from the top of the bank to the water ; viz: from the end of Mr. Childs' and also Mr. Graves' farm, at the Whirlpool, at the Devil's Hole, and from the end of Mr. Colt's farm. There are also, on the Canada side, a number of places where visiters can descend safely to the water's edge. From these places under the bank the river scenery appears transcendantly beautiful and sublime, and the rap- I}) 67 ids strike the beholder with more amazement, if possible, than the Falls themselves. The top of the bank on either side near Brock's monument, affords a delightful and almost bound- less prospect of the country and lake below. The unrivalled Niagara is traced to its outlet, guarded by two opposite F- rt and bearing ^'^^ops and steamboats into the glassy Lake ; while tne mighty expanse of plains and waters presents a scene so picturesque and enchanting, that the traveler leaves his position with great reluctance. From Lewiston to Lake Ontario seven miles, the river is deep, smooth, and navigable for vessels of every description ; and Lewiston, being the head of nav- igation, is the principal landing place for the American steam-boats that run on Lake Ontario. At the mouth of the river on the American side stand the village of Youngstown and Fort Niaga- ra ; and on the Canada side, the village of Niag- ara and Fort George. The quantity of water constantly pouring over the Falls and passing into the Lake, is computed from probable data at 670,250 tons per minute ; but Dr. Dwight computes it, from the depth, width, and velocity of the current, at more than eighty- five milhons of tons per hour ; and by another 6 i# h It < V ' ,1 I iM U bs Calculation, supposing a swifter current, at 102,- 093,750 tons per hour. Darby computes it at 1,672,704,000 cubic feet per hour. These re- sults are somewhat different, but the first is prob- ably nearest the truth. Dr. Dwight supposes in one calculation a current of five, and in the other, of six miles per hour, the least of which is un- doubtedly too much. OBJECTS OF SPE€IAIi liVTEREST, CURIOSITIES. &C. A number of these, as the islands, the bridges, the staircases, the burning spring, Brock's monu- ment, the Welland Canal, &c. have already been described. One mile above the Falls on the American side, is the site of old Fort Schlosser ; a place somewhat distinguished in the early histo- ry of this region, and commanding a most beauti- ful prospect of the river and rapids, of Grand and Navy Islands, and of the village of Chippewa on the opposite shore. Nothing remains of the Fort, except the entrenchments, and a few rods of pave- ment within. A stockade was built here in the year 1672. Before the construction of the Erie H 59 Canal, all the business between the Lakes was in- terchanged by means of a land carriage from this place to Lewiston. Half a mile below the Falls under the bank are Catlin's Caves, a visit to which no traveler will be likely to regret. Vast quantities of calcareous tufa or petrified moss are found here in all stages of its petrifying process. On the oth- er side nearly opposite is Bender's Cave. MIXEUAIi SPPIAG. Two miles below is a Mineral Spring, contain- ing sulphuric and muriatic acids, lime and magne- sia ; and by the use of its waters many important cures have been effected. For scrofulous, rheu- matic, and cutaneous complaints this spring sup- plies an almost sovereign remedy. From the stage road near the spring, travelers have a most delightful view of the whole Falls two miles dis- tant ; and if they see the Falls from this place first, as they generally do in coming up from Lew- iston, the impression here made will probably nev- er be effaced. '■I'" ■'' ■ « GO ^VlIIRIiPOOIi. One m''^ farther down leads to a tremendous whirlpool, resembling very much, in its appearance and gyrations, the celebrated Maelstrom on the coast of Norway. Logs and trees are sometimes whirled around for days together in its outer cir- cles, while in the centre they are drawn down per- pendicularly with great force, are soon shot out again at the distance of many rods, and occasion- ally thrust into the channel to pass down the river. The river here makes nearly a right angle, which occasions the whirlpool, — is narrower than at any other place, — not more than 30 rods in width, — and the current runs with such amazing velocity as to rise up in the middle ten feet above the sides. This has been ascertained by actual measurment. ** Resistless, roaring, dreadful, down it comes, — There, gathering triple force, rapid and deep, — It boils, and wheels, and foams, and thunders through." Thompson. There is a path leading down the bank to the whirlpool on both sides, and, though somewhat difficult to descend and ascend, it is accomplished almost every day on the American side by gentle- men and often by ladies. A brisk and very refresh- n W"; 'I 61 ing breeze is felt there during the hotest and stillest days of summer; and no place is better fitted to elevate and expand the mind. The whirlpool is )a phenomenon of great interest as seen even from the top of the bank, especially if a small telescope be U3ed ; but to have any adequate idea of it^ power and motions, visiters ought to descend to the water's edge, and walk some distance up the river. The rapids here are much more pow- erful and terrific than they are above the Falls, and appear like a flood of watery brilliants rushing along. Having written thus far, the writer laid down his pen, and started off on a fresh visit to the whirl- pool ; and now, having spent half a day there in mute astonishment and admiration, and walked more than a mile by the river's edge, he is utterly at a loss what language to use in describing it. Of the above tame and meagre description he is ashamed ; and yet he can think of no language, no imagery, no comparison, that will not fall im- measurably short of conveying a just idea of the scene. He can only say soberly and earnestly, that no gentleman ought hereafter to acknowledge that he had seen the Falls of Niagara, unless he could also say, he had seen the whirlpool from the 6* 111 i II , 'f i i ■ I,,:. 1-', , ■ ]} ' ''i n vi ! ,!>:- .• s'i ? :' m "r \ ■ 1; 62 water^s edge. A staircase down the bank would be a great accommodation to visiters, and it is to be hoped that one ere long will be constructed. About the year 1812, an incident occurred here perhaps worth recording. A party of men were employed in cutting cedar logs near the river above the whirlpool, with a view to get them float- ed to Lewiston. One man stepping upon some of them that were rafted, was imperceptibly, or per- haps through carelessness, drawn out into the cur- rent, and swiftly carried into the whirlpool. He clung to a log and was carried round and round in the capacious basin for hours, expecting every moment to be crushed among the logs or thrust into the vortex, while his companions on shore could afford him no relief. At length, some of them ascended the bank, went to Queenston four miles, and procured a boat to be drawn up by a team. This was let down the bank, and many people assembled with ropes, poles, &c. to render assistance. After the boat had been well secured, and some men had stepped in, intending to push out into the whirlpool, the man upon the log, still whirling in imminent peril of his life, was, by some action of the water, sent out directly to the shore, and finally saved, without receiving any aid from others. 63 This place has been consecrated by some fab- ulous tales of wonder and of peril, which it is not necessary here to repeat. BEVIIi^S HOIiE. •'.vfi ''^t; m s i A mile below the whirlpool is a place on the American side called the ''Devil's Hole," embra- cing about two acres, cut out laterally and perpen- dicularly in the rock by the side of the river, ai d about 150 feet deep. This name was probably given from that of the personage more frequently invoked in this region formerly than any other. How this hole was thus made it is difficult to con- jecture. Visiters look into it with silent, inexpres- sible amazement. An angle of this hole or gulf comes within a few feet of the stage road, afford- ing travelers an opportunity, witbou' alighting, of looking into the yawning abyss. But they ought to alight and pass to the farther side of the flat projecting rock, where they will feel themselves richly repaid for their trouble. The scenery there presented is singularly captivating and sublime. mi li^ !■»: i^ k ft 64 This place is distinguished by an incident that bccurred about the year 1759. A company of* British soldiers, pursued by the French and Indi- ans, were driven off this rock at the point of the bayonet. All, save one, instantly perished upon the rocks 200 feet beneath. This one fell into the crotch of a tree, and succeeded afterwards in ascending the bank and making his escape. A man by the name of Steadman, who lived at Fort Schlosser, w as among this company of Brit- ish, but made his escape on horse-back just before coming to the bank, though many balls whizzed about him in his fliorht. The Indians afterwards imagined him to be impenetrable and invincible, became very friendly, and ultimately, in consider- ation of some services he rendered them, gave him all the land included between Niagara River and a straight line drawn from Gill Creek above Fort Schlosser to the Devil's Hole, embracing about 5000 acres. The heirs of Steadman, so late as the year 1823, instituted and carried on a long and expensive law-suit against the State of New- York to recover this land. But they could show no title, and the suit resulted in favor of tho State and the present occupants. ■rill lV ! 65 ^l 1 TU8CARORA IADIAA8. Eight miles below the Falls and three miles back from the river is the Reservation of the Tus- carora Indians, containing two miles in width by four in length, (about 5000 acres) of very excel- lent land. They consist of about three hundred souls, have a Presbyterian Church of 50 members, a resident Clergyman and a School Teacher, and a Temperance Society of more than one hundred members. They are under the care of the Amer- ican Board for Foreign Missions. Their village is delightfully situated, on a high bank commanding an extensive prospect of the surrounding country and of Lake Ontario. But the greater part of the Indians live in a settlement a mile and a half from the village, and are not generally seen by visiters. These Indians came from North Carolina about the year 1712, and joined the confederacy of the Five Nations, themselves making the Sixth. They formerly held a very valuable mterest in land in North CaroHna, but have recently sold it and divided the proceeds equally among them- selves. Many of them are in very prosperous cir- cumstances ; in the year 1834, one man growed and gathered fil\y acres of wheat. m m m '..'!. 66 Visiters at the Falls have been in the habit of going, sometimes in crowds, to this village on ihe Sabbath ; but the Indians with their Missionary, have often expressed their desire that visiters would not interrupt them at that time. It is his im- pression, that such kind of visits and their accom- paniments, and made too by such multitudes, have such an influence upon the Indians, as completely to counteract his efforts, for the time being, in their behalf; and he has therefore adopted the prac- tice, on such occasions, of directing his preach- ing entirely to the visiters. The Indians com- plain of being interrupted, crowded, and made a gazing stock, and of having a constant example of Sabbath-breaking set before them and their chil- dren ; and that, too, by those from whom they are taught to expect better things. i .•t- BATTIiES. In the immediate vicinity of the Falls many In- cidents have occurred to impart an additional in- terest. This was the scone of a number of bat- tles fought during the last war with Great Britain ; those at Fort Frie, Chippewa, and Lundy*s Lane, u ere among the most bloody and hard-fought, tluit G7 I ai'e tecorded in history. In the battte near Fof C Erie there was, what has generally been consider- ed, a Military Chef d'oeuvrc ; the Americans, to the number of 1000 regulars and 1000 of the mi- litia, made a sortie and took the British works about 500 yards from their li«e, and returned in triumph. The battles in this regioiipoccurred in the following order j viz : at Queenston, Oct. 13, 1812 ; at York, April 27, 1813 ; at Fort George^ May 27, do ; at Stoney Creek, June 5, do ; at Beaver Dams, June 24, do ; Naval Battle on Lake Erie, Sept. 10, do ; the villages o^ Niagara Falls, Lewiston, and Youngstown, burnt Dec. 19, do ; Buffalo and Black Rock burnt Dec. 31, do ; Fort Erie taken July 3, 1814; battle of Chip- pewa, July 6, do ; at l^ridgwater or Lundy's Lane, July 25, do ; at Fort Eric, Aug. 15, and Sept. 17^ 1814. The burning of villages and plunder of property on the American side, arc still remem- bered, and the circumstances detailed with thril- ling interest, by many of the inhabitants* i •.'I BRIDGES. In the year 1817, n bridge was constructed from the shore across the rapids to the head of Goat 'v il i^ 1, ■*< ... ll't ,« :)*-■ i '1 •; ! I i I ^■11 It 68 Island, but was swept away by the ice the ensu- ing spring. The present bridge was constructed in 1818, and is forty-four rods in length exclusive of Bath Island. This bridge, though crossing the foaming rapids only sixty-four rods above the Falls, over which visiters are at first disposed to walk lightly ^nd with quickened pace, is perfectly safe for all kinds of teams and carriages, and seems destined to stand a great length of time. Multitudes inquire, with wonder and eager curios- ity, how it could have been constructed in this im- minently dangerous place. They shall be informed ; and they will see that, like a thousand other difficult things, it was easi- ly accomplished, when the hoiv was ascertained. Two very long timbers were thrust out from the shore on an nbntment, having the forward ends el- evated a little above the rapids, and the others firmly secured upon the bank ; these were then covered with plank for a temporary bridge. At the extremity of this bridge, very large stones were let down into the river, around which timbers were sunk, locked together so as to form a frame, which was afterwards filled with stone. To this, constituting the first pier, a firm bridge was then constructed, and the temporary bridge shoved for- 69 ward so as to build a second pier like the first, and so on, till the whole was completed. The honor of projecting and constructing this bridge belongs jointly and equally to the proprietors, the Hon. Au- gustus and Gen'l Peter B. Porter. Till the year 1817, there was no way of de- scending or ascending the bank below the Falls, except by a ladder about one hundred feet in length ; since then, a safe and convenient flight of stairs has been built, by which visiters can have an easy descent to the ferry, and an opportunity to pass a considerable distance behind the magnifi- cent sheet of water. Perhaps there is no place where the height of the fall is so impressively realized as here. MIlVERAIiSj ScC. At a number of shops near the Falls, as Mr* Jacobs* and Mr. Hooker's on the American side, and Mr. Shultersburgh's, Mr. Barnett's and Mr. Starkey's on the Canada side, may be had rich specimens of the mineral, fossil, vegetable, and animal productions of the vicinity ; and a variety of elegant articles of Indian manufacture, such as 7 # "TO -it <:)niamented moccasins, work-bags and baskets^ belts, bracelets, pin-cushions, &c. &c. Among the mineralogical specimens kept for sale in great abundance, are, transparent crystalized selenites ; snow-white gypsum ; calcareous^ bitter, dog-tooth, and fluor spar ; crystalized quartz ; petrifactions ; favasites and other fossils ; shells, &c. &c. There are also some noble specimens of bald and grey Eagles, and other animals^ with which this regiori abounds. . -. , .^.v n ij I]!VCIDEjVT^. Men have occasionally been drawn into the X'S.^ pids with their boats, and carried over the Falls 5 but not a vestige of them or their boats has scarce- ly ever been found. The great depth of the wa- ^ ter below, and the milky foam and tumultuous agi- 9^ tation occasioned by the eddies, whirlpools, and counter currents, make it next to impossible for any thing once sunk to rise again, until carried so far down the stream as to make fruitless any re- search* In the year 1820, two men, in a state of intoxi- cation, fell asleep in their scow which was fasten- -';■ 71 41 ■ ed at the mouth of Chippewa Creek ; while there it broke away, and they awoke finding themselves beyond the reach of hope, dashing over the rapids. In the year 1822, two others, engaged in re- moving some furniture from Grand Island, were by some carelessness drawn into the rapids, and hurried over the cataract. In 1825, two more, in attempting on the Sab- bath to smuggle some whiskey across to Chippe- wa, were hurried into the rapids and shared a sim- ilar fate. A story has frequently been told of an Indian, who fell asleep in his canoe some miles above, and awoke in the midst of the rapids ; per- ceiving that all effort to escape would be vain, he turned his bottle of whiskey down his throat, and composedly awaited the awful plunge. This sto- ry the vi^riter believes to be fabulous, as he has never been able to find any foundation for it, ex- cept that it is a stereotype Indian story, told as having happened at all the different Falls in the country. r In Sept. 1827, notice having been given in the newspapers that the Michigan, a large vessel that had run on Lake Erie, would be sent over the Falls, thirty thousand people, it was supposed, as- sembled to witness the novel spectacle. Onboard VM It, •',• •!:( ■ f -'i ( Is W ii H 72 of this vessel were put two bears, a buffalo, two raccoons, a dog, and a goose ; the bears leaped off in the midst of the rapids, and miraculously almost, finally reached the shore in safety. The others went over and perished. The Michi- gan before she reached the Falls, having been considerably broken in the rapids, sunk to a level with the surface, and went over near the centre of the horse-shoe fall. The distance from c ;k to keel was sixteen feet ; and as she did not appear to touch the bottom for eighty rods before she went over, the conclusion is, that the water as it passes over the precipice there must be at least twenty feet deep. * * In Oct. 1829, another vessel, the Superior, was advertised to be sent over, which drew together about fifteen thousand people. This vessel lodg- ed in the rapids and remained a number of weeks, and finally passed over the Falls in the night. In Aug. 1828, a small sloop, abandoned by the men through fright near the mouth of Chippewa Creek, was blown with all her sails up, so far across the river as to come down on the Ameri- can side of Goat Island ; but was broken to a per- fect wreck in the rapids, so as to pass under the bridge and over the Falls. ' • 73 ri In July 1832, a canal-boat was blown over from Chippewa, and lodged iu the rapids a short dis- tance above the bridge. Some men and one wo- man were on board, and were saved at most im- minent peril, and the boat was finally secured and drawn ashore. -^ The rock at the Falls is hard limestone to the depth of about seventy feet, below which it is loose crumbling shale, which is constantly wearing away and leaving a projection of the limestone. A mass of Table Rock, 160 feet in length and from 30 to 40 feet in width, fell off in July 1818, with a tremendous crash. On the 9lh of Dec. 1828, three immense portions broke from the horse-shoe fall, causing a shock like an earth- quake. Another large portion fell in the summer of 1829, and the noise it occasioned was heard several miles. And yet, judging from the pub- lished accounts of the Falls which reach back nearly two hundred years, there has been but very little recession of the Falls within that period. In Oct. 1829, Sam Patch jumped twice, in the presence of thousands of spectators, from the top of a ladder ninety-seven feet high into the eddy below the Falls. This ladder was erected direct- ly below the Biddle staircase. It has been stated 7* i ■! 11 jjt, 0. 1 1 t 1 ■! ' ' i ! .:S 84 And who can dare To lift the insect trump of earthly Hope, Or Love, or Sorrow, — *mid the peul sublime Of thy tremendous hymn? — E'en Ocean shrinks Back from thy brotherhood, and his wild waves Retire abashed. — For he doth sometimes seem To sleep like a spent laborer, and recall His wearied billows from their vexing play, And lull them in a cradle calm : — but thou. With everlasting, undecaying tide, Dost rest not, night or day. The morning stars. When (■ st they sang o'er young Creation's birth, E ':i( 1 tl Y deep anthem — and those wrecking fires Tiia: nr'.jt th' Archangel's signal to dissolve The 8(^1 ■ * Earth, shall find Jehovah'-, name Graven, as with a thousand diamond spears, On thine unfathomcd page. Each leafy bough. That lifts itself within thy proud domain, Doth gather greenness from thy living spray ^ And tremble at the baptism., Lo! yon birds Do venture boldly near, batlnng thei*- wing Amid thy foam and mist. — 'Tis meet for them To touch thy garr.snt's hem, — or lightly stir The snowy leaflets of thy vapour wreath, — Who sport unharmed upon the fleecy cloud. And listen at the echoing g i o. Heaven, Without reproof. But, as fo- us, — it see. as Scarce lawful with our broken tones to speak Familiarly of thee. Mcthinks, to tint Thr glorious features with our peucirs point, ?i. IB. 85 Or woo thee to the tablet of a song, Were profanation. Thou dost make the soul A wandering witness of thy majesty ; And while it rushes with delirious joy To tread thy vestibule, dost chain its step, And check its rapture, with the humbling view Of its own nothingness — bidding it stand In the dread presence of th'' Invisible, As if to answer to its God through thee. Hartford, Conn. L. H. S. This will no doubt hereafter become a place of great resort for invalids, as the health of such is generally observed to improve immediately on coming here. If any place in the country is pe- culiarly propitious for the recovery and preserva- tion of health, this is the place. During the winter months, though there are many visiters, they are generally such as are pass- ing through the region on business, and stay caly a short time. Frequently i however, parties from Buffalo, Lockport, Rochester, Canandaigua, and other places, visit the Falls by sleighing ; and af- ter spending a day or two, go away ( nraptured at the scene. Many visiters err greally In their calculations in regard to the time which they ought to spend here. 3* I M ^' ■Af^.' ' AnS I^«l' fx- ■• .' '1^' mi 86 They come hundreds and sometimes thousands of miles to view the Falls, and then hurry away before they have had time to get any very full or distinct impression of the scene, or to visit one fifth of the interesting points, from which the Falls and rapids ought to be viewed. The object of the visit is thus in a great measure lost. Visiters ought to make their calculations, in the summer especially, to spend at least a week, and then they will begin to feel some regret at leaving. A dis- tinct and lasting impression can be obtained only by looking at single portions and objects at a time, and examining these frequently and from different positions. f I ROUTES AND CHARGES. Every traveler may be presumed to know his way to the Falls, and to be capable of choosing his mode of conveyance. The general routes are, — from New England, New- York, or the Southern cities, — by steamboat, and stage, or by the Erie Canal. From Montreal, Kingston, To- ronto, Sacket's Harbor, or Oswego, — by steam- boat through Lake Ontario to Niagara or Lewis- 1! A7 ton ; on which Lake fifteen steamboats are in op- eration. From the Southern and Western States, —by steamboat through Lake Erie, where you will find more than thirty in operation. Persons wishing to go from New-Orleans, or any of the Western States to New- York or New England, and vice versa, will find this route much the pleas- antest and the cheapest. The general charges are, from New- York to Albany, $2,00 ; from Al- bany to Niagara Falls by packet-boat on the ca- nal, $13,00; from Niagara Falls to Buffalo, $1,00; from Buffalo to Cleveland, $6,00 ; from Buffalo to Detroit, $8,00; from Cleveland to Pittsburgh, $6,00 ; from Cleveland or Sandusky to Cincinnati, $12,00 ; from Pittsburgh to Wheel- ing, $3,00 ; thence to Cincinnati by the river, $10,00, or by stage, $14,00 ; from Cincinnati to Louisville, $4,00 ; to New-Orleans, $30,00; re- turn the same ; from Cincinnati to St. Louis, $16,00 ; from St. Louis to New-Orleans, $30,00. These charges will doubtless be reduced, as the facilities for traveling are increased. The charges at the best Hotels are generally, 60 cents for din- ner ; 37^ cents for breakfast or tea ; and 26 cents for lodging. When an individual spends a num- ber of days nt a Hotel, the charges are very much mi vS8 p m less. Charges on Lake Ontario ; — from Lewis- ton to Toronto, $2,00 ; do to Rochester, $4,00 ; do to Kingston, $6,00 ; do to Oswego, $6,00 ; do to Ogdensburgh, $8,00 ; do to Montreal $15,00 ; do to Quebec, $20,00. Fare on the Canal ; — in the packets, four cents per mile in- cluding board ; in the line-boats, two and a hu'f cents per mile including board. Fare in Stage Coaches, average about $1,00 per twenty miles. 0:^ Don't suffer yourself to be imposed upon, turned from your route, imd subjected to unneces- sary ex^)ense and trouble, by interested Boat and Stage runners and agents. Much complaint is made, and that justly, about these things of fre- quent occurrence. ^^ t ! I II ) 11 80 From Steam Boat landing across to Chippewa, . - - - From Fort Schlosser to Chippewa, " PaviUon Hotel, to do Across the River at the Falls, To Goat Island by the Bridge, Across the Falls on the Ameri< >4n side, - - - - - Across the foot of Goat Island, Length of Goat Island, Across the Horse Shoe Falls, Depth of Water at the Horse Shoe, Depth of water at the Ferry, - From the Eagle Hotel across to the the Canada side, 1| miles viz : From the Eagle Hotel to top of the Bank, Top of the Bank down the Stair Case to the River, Width of River at the Ferry, Up the Canada Bank, r From the top of the Bank to the Pa- vilion, -> - - ^ 2|- Miles. 2 *' 58 Rods. 56 " 80 " 160 114 ♦' 20 Feet. 250 Pavilion on - 100 Rods. . 28 " - 76 *' - 76 *' - 256 »^ 536 Rods. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) h A :M 4. 5^ i^ #^. ^s^ V / (/ ^ 1.0 I.I 1.25 U III 1.6 V] <^ /^ /J /!^ '^ y Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4S03 «0 Of/ m 7t r 1 ' I i i ' f id f'! &'!■, If vi'* I V » H J 4« 90 From the Fails to the Mineral Spring, 2 Miles. To the Whirpool, • . 3 To the DeviPs Hole, - - 3^ To Erie Canal at Tonawanta, - 11 To Buffalo, . - - -22 From Buffalo to Albany, by Canal, - 363 " By Stage through Utica, 298 14 U «l «l 44 l« 44 M 44 44 «t 44 44 44 44 It (( t( (« i( i« i( ii ii (( ii By Cherry Valley, 284 To Olean Point, - - 76 Fredonia, - - - 45 Erie, - - - - 90 Cleveland, - - - 188 Columbus, . - - 328 Pittsburg by way of Erie, 219 - 250 - 310 - 627 . 807 1000 - 446 - 381 - 129 . 45 . 143 . 133 - 156 Sandusky, - Detroit, Mackinaw, - Green Bay, Sault St. Mary, - Cincinnati, - Chillicothe, From Erie Pa. to Pittsburgh, - ^ " Ashtabula, - From Ashtabula to Wheeling, From Cleveland to Pittsburgh, •* " Zanesville, - '■'* 44 ii ii i4 ii ii Ci ii (i ii ii it 44 it ii ii ii 44 ii ii 44 44 it it ii i*^«: ai !iles. (( Sandusky, - - - 84 " Columbus, - - - 139 " Cincinnati, - - - 252 Ohio Canal from Cleveland to Ports- mouth, 306 From Sandusky to Cincinnati, - 213 " Louisville, - - .- 359 " Nashville, - - - 540 " St. Louis, . . -517 " " New Orleans, - 1727 From Detroit to Chicago by land, - 250 From Detroit to Niagara Falls by land through Canada, • * - 244 From Niagara Falls to Tuscarora Village, - . - - 8 From Niagara Falls to Lewiston, - 7 Fort Niagara, - - 14 Burlington Bay by land, 62 Toronto by land, - - 107 Toronto by Steam Boat, 50 Genesee River, - - 94 Oswego, - - - 154 Sackets Harbor, - - 179 Ogdensburgh, - . - 264 Prescott, - - - 265 Montreal, - - - 406 (4 i( (i (« i( (t iC 4* t( (t u (V ik (( u u u 4« i< ti (( • ft 41 44 44 i4 14 44 44 4C 92 M'Hf IM VH. (I " Quebec, From Quebec to mouth of St. Law obo rence, Quebec to Boston, From Montreal to Boston, " " St. Johns, - St. Johns to Whitehall, Whitehall to Albany, From Albany to Saratoga, " Northampton, " Boston, " Hartford, " Litchfield, - " New Haven, From Niagara Falls to Lockport, " Rochester, • " Canandaigua, " Albany by Cherry Val- ley Turnpike, - " New York, ** Philadelphia, *' Baltimore, - ** Washington, (4 (i ii it (( 4( 44 44 44 400 44 484 44 304 44 27 44 150 44 72 44 36 44 70 44 160 4( 95 44 72 44 110 44 20 44 84 44 112 44 300 44 450 44 540 44 636 44 674 44 *l i 93 u a (i U li H Ci •i 14 A LIST Of the principal places on the Canal, and their distance from each other, as adopted by the Canal Board. o JNCTION AND ERIE CANALS. . DISTANCE FROM NAMES OF PLACES. o 'E. • u • o - o • •3 o < p rt PO Albany, 110J270 363 West-Troy, 7 7 103 263 356 Junction, 2 9 101 261354 Lowei Aqueduct, - - - . 5 14 96 256,349 Upper Aqueduct, - - - 12 26 84 244 337 1 Schenectady, 4 30 80 240,333 Rotterdam, . - - - 9 39 71 231 324 Amsterdam, 7 46 64 224 317 Schoharie Creek, - - * 7 53 57 217 310 Caughnawaga, - - - - 4 57 53 213366 Spraker's Basin, - . - 9 6Q 44 204 297 1 Canajoharie, 3 69 41 201294 Fort-Plain, . . . - 8 72 88 198291 Feeder, - - 4 76 34 194 287 Indian Castle, - - - - 7 83 27 187 280 Fink's Ferry, . - . - 3 86 24 184 277 Little Falls, . - . . 2 88 22 182:276 Herkimer Lower Bridge, 7 95 15 175268 Herkimer Upper Bridge, 1 96 14 174 267 J'.Jf**'*"*'^'*"*''***^" K < t 94 NAMES OF PLACES. German Flatts, (Bennet's,) Frankfort, Utica, - - - - Whitesborough, Oriskany, ... Rome, - - - Hawley's Basin, New-London, Loomis', - - - Oneida Creek, Lenox Basin, Canastota, New-Boston, - Chittenango, Kirkville, . - - Manlius, Orville, - - - Syracuse, Geddes, . - .- Bellisle, Nine-Mile Creek, Camillas, - - - Canton, . - - Peru, . - - Jordan, - - . - Weedsport, Centreport, - - - Port Byron, Montezuma, (Lakeport,) Clyde, Lyons, . - - - Lockville, DISTANCE FROM. o a 3- o 1 3 10 4 8 8 4 3 6 3 3 2 4 a 97 100 110 114 117 125 129 132 138 141 144 146 150 4154 4 4 3 6 2 4 2 1 5 3 3 6 1 2 6 U 9 6 158 162 165 171 173 177 179 180 185 188 191 197 198 200 206 217 226 232 I o 3 ■ =* P^ ■■ m 13 173 266 10 170263 160|253 4 156 249 7 153246 15 145|238 19 141234 22 138 231 28 132225 31 129222 34|l26219 36 124217 40 44 48 52 120,213 116*1209 112|205 108 201 65il05 61 63 67 69 70 75 78 81 87 88 90 96 107 116 122 99 97 93 91 90 85 82 79 73 72 70 64 53 44 88 198 192 190 186 184 183 178 175 172 166 165 163 157 146 137 131 M 95 NAMES OF PLACES. Newark, Port Gibson, Palmyra, Macedon, Perrinton, Fairport, Fullam's Basin, Bushii ell's Basin, Pittsford, Rochester, Spencer's Basin, Ogden, Adams' Basin, Coolev's Basin, Brockport, Holley, Murray, - Albion, (Newport,) Gaines' Basin, Eagle Harbor, Portville, Knovvlesville, Medina, - Middleport, Reynolds' Basin, Gasport, Lock port, Pendleton, - Atkins, - Tonavvanta, Black Rock, Buffalo, DISTANCE f'ROM. o o • • u 'r-> u en O p:; • o i s 1 2o3 123 37130 3 2o6 126 34 127 5 241 131 29122 7 248 138 22115 1 249 139 21114 3 252 142 18111 2-164 144 16 109 3 257 147 13 106 3 26*0 150 10 103 10 270 160 93 10 280 170 10 83 2 282 172 12 81 3 285 175 15 78 3 288 178 18 75 2 290 180 20 73 5 295 185 25 68 2 297 187 27 QQ 8305 195 35 58 2 307 197 37 56 1 308 198 38 55 1 309 199 39 54 2 311 201 41 52 4 315 205 45 48 6321 211 51 42 4325 215 55 38 2327 217 57 36 6 333 223 63 30 7340 230 70 23 8348 238 78 15 4,352 242 82 11 8360 250 90 3 8 363 253 93 iA;il 1^! ii' 5 96 v! n3 1 a 8 O r-« «3 ^ t- r-. 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