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This item is filmed at the reduction ratio checked below/ Ce document est filmA au taux da reduction indiquA ci-dessous. 10X 14X 18X 22X 26X 30X y 12X 16X 20X 24X 28X 32X tails du odifier une mage The copy filmed here has been reproduced thanks to the generosity of: Bibliothdque nationale du Quebec The images appearing here are the i>est quaiity possible considering the condition and legibility of the original copy and in keeping with the filming contract specifications. Original copies in printed peper 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. All other original copies are filmed beginning on the first page with a printed or illustrated impres- sion, and ending on the last page with a printed or illustrated impression. 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Un des symboles suivants apparattra sur la derniAre image de cheque microfiche, selon le cas: le symbols -^ signifie "A SUIVRE". le symbols ▼ signifie "FIN ". Maps, plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included in one exposure ere 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: Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent Atre filmAs A des taux de rAduction diffArents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour Atre reproduit en un seui clichA, il est. filmA A partir de I'angle supArieur gauche, de gauche A droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images nAcessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mAthode. rrata o }elure, t A 3 32X i t 2 3 1 2 3 4 6 e )M'^ STEELE'S BOOK OF NIAGARA FALLS. EIGHTH EDITION. CAREFULLY REVISED AND IMPROVED. ILLUSTRATED BY MAPS OP THE FALLS AND IMMEDIATE VICINITY, AND OP THE NIAGARA RIVER, FROM • ♦ w t * w <• u « I. I I • « V » • ». * V • •• « tl t I Ir I, t << V .. >. • « << BUFFALO : OLIVER G. STEELE. 1640. Jj/JA IfJ/Hh *IIIW,..1!/| "«"%l|)lli.v! I I CiKt»firkfl • ■% Entered according to Act of Congress, in tlie year 1840, by OLIVER G. STEELE, In the Clerk's Office of the Northern District of New York. t * ■ » • ■ / • • • •> * * J * • ' « C 4 » f * J J J * i • t ■ » ■t * « • • • Steele's Press.' « * •''■''■» » • f PREFACE TO THE EIGHTH EDITION. The following work has now reached the eighth edition, and has been constantly increasing in popular favor. It is now admitted to be an indispensable com- panion for all persons desirous of obtaining accurate information, and a correct idea of this greatest wonder of the world. The work was originally prepared by Mr. H. A. Par- sons, who was for a long time resident at the Falls, and familiar with the whole scenery at all seasons of the year, as well as with all the interesting localities in the vicinity; who omitted no means of obtaining accurate information in relation to the various facts stated, and his work was the first on that subject, of any extent or accuracy, ever published. The present edition has been carefully revis d, as well as improved in many particulars. New and ccirect maps of the Niagara River from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario, and of the Falls and immediate vicinity, have been added, and also, six new and accurate views of the Falls, from the most commanding positions. The work is now believed to be correct in every respect; and far superior to any other yet before the public. 87S96 f CONTENTS. Preface, - . - - - General Directions to Travellers, Niagara River, its Sources and Islands, The Rapids, - - - - - Goat, or Iris Island, ... The Falls, Terrapin Bridge and Tower, Biddle Stair Cose, Coins' Cave, &c. The Ferry, - - - - - Canada Views, City or the Falls, . Welland Canal, - - - . Brock's Monument, - - . Burning Spring, .... Table Rock, Stair Case, - - - Barnett's Museum, - - - - Summer and Winter Scenery, River below the Falls, - - . Descriptions, Remarks of Hennepin, Tonti, Hontan, Curiosities, &c. - - . . Mineral Spring, - - - . Whirlpool, . - - - - Devil's Hole, Tuscarora Indians, - . - - Battles, - _ - . . Bridges, - - _ - - Places of Resort, Minerals, - - - Incidents, • . • . . Steam Boat Caroline, . ... Hermit of the Falls, Village of Niagara Falls, Number of Visiters, .... Description of the Falls by Duke of Liancourt. Do. by Rev. Andrew Reed, Distances, ...... Note— Brock's Monument, . . VIEWS. View of the American Falls from below, " " " Goat Island, '* Canada Falls from Goat Island, . ♦* Entire Falls from the Clifton House, ** Brock's Monument, at Queenston, ** Canada Falls from below, . &.C. 3 13 10 24 28 32 3d 40 41 44 45 46 47 48 49 52 54 68 69 70 72 74 75 76 78 79 83 96 90 03 98 100 109 110 17 31 33 42 45 104 p«s© 3 13 10 24 28 32 36 40 41 44 45 46 47 48 40 52 54 68 60 70 72 74 75 76 78 70 83 96 00 03 08 100 100 110 BOOK OF NIAGARA FALLS. In these days of rapid travelling, when the most trifling delay is deemed a calamity, a few directions may be necessary, to enable you to save time, and view the various points of interest to the best advantage. At the same time wo can not help deprecating the mania so prevalent at the present day, of making our excursions for pleasure, mere races against time. No person should come to Niagara, for the first time, and leave the same day ; it is utterly impossible for one to conceive or realize its grandeur or beauty in such a visit — in fact one can hardly endure the bodily fatigue of simply climbing up and down the various stair-cases, hillsy rocks, &c., much less can the mind take in and ap- preciate the various objects of interest which necessa- rily present themselves in such quick succession, when endeavoring to see the whole of Niagara in a day. It is a common custom for visiters on arriving at Nia- gara, to hasten, immediately upon alighting from their 14 BOOK OF Directions to Travellers. P PR; i'V . it, conveyance, to catch a first glimpse at the mighty cata- ract; and this view may in all probability be one of the least attractive — they feel disappointed — and wonder at the eulogium bestowed by other travellers, who have used more time and discretion, jump into the first car that leaves, and praise the falls, because every one else does, not because they have witnessed or appre- ciated its beauties themselves ! Should you arrive on the American side, you will of course stop at one of the Hotels, of which the principal are the Cataract Hotel, kept by P. Whitney & Sons, and the Eagle Hotel, by C. B. Griffen & Cc , both of which are excellent houses. After recovering in some measure from the fatigue of your journey, take the street 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 the year, without any additional charge. And if you choose to cross in a carriage, you pay no more. Proceed next to Goat Island, where you will find guide-boards directing you to all the most interesting places and objects around the island. Follow the gravel walks at the right, down THE FALLS. 15 Directions to Travellers. to the cascade or centre fall, and cross a narrow bridge to Luna Island, from the farther comer of which you will have the best and most splendid view of the falls on the American side. Retracing your steps to the gravel walk, proceed next to the Biddle Stair-case ; de- sttend that without fail, as you will there have a magni- ficent and much admired view of the two entire falls, standing between them, and an opportunity, 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 stair-case, turn first to the right and go to the Cave of the Winds, under the centre fall, and in returning, follow the path to t^e great Crescent 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 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 16 BOOK OF Directions to Travellers, where else, — you will proceed up to a beautiful cascade where, under the shelter in part of a projecting rock, you can have an opportunity to bathe in the sparkling foam of Niagara. " This is the purest exercise of health, The kind refresher of the suinmer heats." A rustic bridge was here to give 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. Pro- ceeding 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 should pass around and through Goat Island by the different paths in order to observe its picturesque beauty and realize its thousand attractions. You 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 information and directions as you may need. In order to cross the river, proceed from the bridge to the stair-case, near the edge of the falls, at the foot of ade ick, ling the »ove ids, ^ro- lace [nan mer 9uld rent and 3, if the Src, jrou, may re to >tof ^^4iru'un. S \eu-,' j^rf>mjv(>l: c;/t^fi Sidircase THE FALLS. 17 Directions to Travellers. which you will have a very near view of the highest fall and a most charming prospect of the entire falls. " Above, around, beneath, amazement all ! Terror and glory joined in their extremes !" Take a look from the window of the stair-case 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 without difficulty. I'he time occupied in crossing is ordinarily about eight minutes, and the ferriage is 18 f cents, from May to November; and 25 cents from November to May. If you have trunks or other baggage to be transported from either side to the other, the ferryman will convey them safely, at a reasonable charge. The river is here 76 rods wide, and 350 feet deep. Having crossed the river, you proceed up the bank by a carriage road, at the head of which stands the Clifton House: here you can refresh yourself, and proceed to- 2*^ 16 BOOK OF Directions to Travellers. \rards the Table Rock ; about half way between the Hotel and Table Rock, stands the very interesting Mu- seum of Mr. Barnett, which visiters should by no means fail to vibit. This gentleman, (Mr. Barnett) has spent years in the collection of his musuem, and an examina- tion of its contents will amply prove that the time has not been spent uselessly. A more extended notice of this museum will be found at page 48. Proceed from the museum to Table Rock, where you will find a spiral stair-case, from the foot of which you can pass 153 feet behind the sheet of water. This stair-case is under the care of Mr. Starkey, 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. An examination of the Albums in the establishment of Mr. Starkey, will be found amusing, as well as interesting. From Table Rock you have one broad and imposing view of the whole falls, and much of the scenery of the rapids and islands. It is generally conceded that this view, and that from the Terrapin Bridge, are the best, and combine more of the beautiful and sublime, than can be obtained from any other point on either side of the river. In ascending the bank from Table Rock to the Hotels, you have a fine and extensive view of the surrounding THE FALLS. 19 Niagara River. . .Its Sources. country, and can visit Lundy*s Lane, Brock's Monu- ment, &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 viewing the amazing scene there, both from above and below, and have visited all the other objects of interest, follow the path to the Ferry, 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 house is near the Eagle Hotel. From a residence of twenty-two years at the Falls, he is enabled to conduct visiters to all the objects of interest, in the vicinity, and to give them much val- uable information. NIAGARA RIVER, ITS SOURCES, AND ISJ^ANDS. Niagara ilver, upon which the falls are situated, re- ceives the water of all the upper lakes, as Erie, St. Clair, Huron, Michigan, Superior, and a number of smaller ones. The most distant source of the Niagara is pro- bably the river St. Louis, which rises 1250 miles north- west of the Falls, and 150 miles west of Lake Superior ; 20 BOOK OF Niagara River ... Its Sources. f^ 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 100 wide, and 900 feet deep: it is discharged into 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 Mackinac, 40 miles in length. Connected with Michigan on the southwest side, is Green Bay, 100 miles in length by about 20 in width. Lake Huron is 218 miles by 180, and 900 feet deep, and is discharged into Lake Erie, through the rivers St. Clair and Detroit, 90 miles, ma- king 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 descent 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, 2 feet. Lake Ontario is 180 miles, by 31, and 500 feet deep, and discharges itself through the river St. Lawrence, into the Atlantic Ocean, 710 miles dlstrmt. The four inland seas above the falls — as the great lakes laay properly be called — with the hundreds of THE FALLS. tr Grand and Navy Island. rivers great and small, that flow into them, cover a surface of 150,000 square miles, and contain nearly half the fresh water on the surface of the globe. From these sources of the Niagara, some idea may be formed of the immense 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 expand till it becomes more than eight miles in width, measured acroNs Grand Island, and embraces before it reaches the falls, about forty islands. Of these largest are Grand and Navy. Navy Island, belonging to Canada, con- tains 304 acres of good land, and terminates near Chip- pewa point. This Island has acquired some notoriety in consequence of being the resort, during the winter of 1837-8, of a large body of men, headed by William L. Mackenzie, .whose object was a revolution in the government of Upper Canada. Batteries were erected upon the island, and considerable powder was burned in 22 BOOK OP White Haven . , . Timber Company. exchanging compliments between the island and Chip- pewa; but as far as we have learned, but one man was ever killed on the island. It was finally evacuated some time in January, 1838, and has since remained quietly in the possession of the British Government. Grand Island commences five miles from the lake, is twelve miles in length, measured around 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 recently, belonged to the State of New- York ; but in the year 1633, a com- pany from Boston, purchased nearly the whole of the island, and have erected upon it, near the site of the famous Jewish city, Arrarat, (projected in 1825, by Major Noah, of New- York,) a steam grist mill, and a saw-mill, 150 feet square, containing 15 sets or gangs of saws. This mill is intended to furnish ship stuff of every description, from 20 to 70 feet in length, and is probably one of the most extensive establishments of its kind in America. The name of their village is ** White Haven," situated nearly opposite Tonawanda, where the Erie Canal locks into the Niagara river. It is ap- proached by a ferry across the river, here 100 rods wide, and has increased, since Nov. 1833, from one solitary THE FALLS. Other Islands . . . The rise and fall of Niagara. family to more than fifty ; it has also many work-shops, a store* a school-house, a commodious wharf, several hundred feet long, and a spacious dock made of piles, for storing and securing floating timber. In July, 1759, during the old French war, two large French vessels, in danger of being taken by the British, were burnt and sunk in what is called Burnt Ship Bay, near the lower end of this island. Some parts of them are still visible ; and some years since, a party of men, by raking the river at that place, secured a number of tons of iron. Among the other islands of the river^ are Bird Island, between Buifalo and Fort Erie; Squaw Island, contain- ing 131 acres, opposite Black Rock ; Strawberry Islan^^, containing about 100 acres ; Beaver Island, of 30 acred; Rattle Snake Island, of 48 acres ; Tonawanda Island, on which is the beautiful mansion of Stephen White, Esq., containing 69 acres; Cayuga Island, near the New York shore, four miles above the Falls, containing about 100 acres ; Buck Horn Island, near the lower end of Grand and near Navy Islands, containing 146 acres; and a number of smaller islands, in and immediately above the rapids, besides Goat Island, &c., hereafter to be diescribed. One feature in the Niagara river somewhat peculiar is, V that neither the snows of winter, nor the evaporation of m BOOK OF The Rapids. summer, neither rains nor drought, materially affect it ; its waters flow on, full and clear, perpetually the same ; except, as has long been observed, they have a small gradual rise and fall about once in seven years. The cause of this is unknown, but is undoubtedly to be sought in something affecting the upper lakes. Indeed, it has often been asserted by travellers, that the lakes have septennial fluxes and refluxes; it is also asserted by some that they have small diurnal tides. This however, may reasonably be doubted. THE RAPIDS. I must here apprize the reader, that it were vain to attempt a graphic description of the falls and surroun- ding scenery ; for they so immeasurably 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 themsolves. Captain 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 THE FALLS. 25 The Rapids. which are more accessible, fHil entirely in the case of that amazing cataract, which is altogether unique." ** All the pictures you may see," says J. J. Audubon, ** all the descriptions you may read, of these mighty falls, can only produce in your mind the faint glimmer of the glow worm, compared with the overpowering glory of the meridian sun." These scenes which are sketched in the following pages, may be considered, therefore, only as a very faint outline, or shadow, of the reality. Below the termination of Grand and Navy Islands, the river is compressed to the width of two and a half miles ; and pressing forward with accelerated motion, it commences, about three-fourths of a mile above the falls, a rapid descent, making within that distance a slope or succession of chutes^ amounting to fifly-two feet on the American side, and fifty- seven on the other. — The tremendous and beautiful rapids thus formed, constitute a very important part of the grand and un« paralleled curiosities of this river. Were they in any other place, they would of themselves be considered as a scene of great beauty and sublimity, equalled only by the ocean when lashed into foam and fury by the angry tempest. Many visiters express themselves more de- lighted, and unexpectedly filled with wonder, at seeing the rapids, than the falls themselves. 3 26 BOOK OF The Rapids . . . Roar of the Falli. ** Through sparkling spray in thundering clash, The lightning of the water flash, In awful whiteness o'er the shore, That shines and shakes beneath the roar." Two miles above the falls, in approaching from Buf- falo, 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 the main current : and at the same time hear a low, monotonous, tremendous roar; and as you approach nearer, feel a tremulous motion of the earth. The distance at which this roar can be heard varies, with the state of the atmosphere, ordinarily from live to twenty miles, though it is said to have been heard at Toronto, forty-five miles distant. And yet in the village near the falls, it is scarcely heard at all. The mist, arising like curling smoke, and separating as it rises into masses of fantastic clouds is seen at the dis- tance of from three to twenty miles. This distance de- pends upon the state of the atmosphere, the height of the sun, and the force and direction of the wind. This mist sometimes rises in immense masses, and sometimes in a pyramidial shape to a very great height, and is an object of great curiosity, especially in the morning, soon after sunrise. It then sparkles like diamonds, and be- comes illuminated with the most brilliant, prismatic colors. THE FALLS. 27 Table Rock " Niagara I Niagara I I hear Thy tumbling waters. And I see thee rear Thy thundering sceptre to the clouded skies ; I see it wave— I hear the ocean rise, And roll obedient to thy call. I hear The tempest-hymning of thy flood in fear ; The quaking mountains and the nodding trees — The reeling birds — and the careering breeze — The tottering hills, unsteadied in thy roar *, Niagara ! as thy dark waters pour. One everlasting earthquake rocks thy lofty shore." From Table Rock, jou have an extensive and pic- turesque view of the rapids ; but they are seen to still better advantage from the bank of the river, half a mile above. They are also to be seen to very great advan- tage from the different sides of Goat Island. Indeed, the great variety of views of the rapids to be obtained from the island, renders it the most eligible place for viewing them. From the southwest 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 ; and no tourist or traveller, who desires to behold one of the most wild and fantastic scenes in the vicinity of the great falls, should fail to visit this beautiful and interesting spot. !J8 BOOK OP Goat Island. OOAT. OR IRIS ISLAND. Goat Island, is so called, from the circumstance, that about the year 1770, Mr. Steadman, then resident at Schlosser, contrived by some means to put a few goats upon the island ; but its more appropriate and adopted name is Iris Island. It commences near the head of the rapids, almost in the middle of the river, and extends to the precipice, dividing 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 island is one of the most beautiful, fascinating and romantic places in the world; it affords a delightful retreat for *'the lunatic, the lover, and the poet," to indulge in their meditations. Fanned by gentle breezes, thickly and delightfully sha- ded, free from noisome insects, encircled by a neat 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, " If God batli made this world so fair, Where sin and death abound ; How beautiful, beyond compare, Will Paradise be found !" ^ THE FALLS. 29 Scenery . . . Earliest Dates . . . Indian Remains. Or with Eve, in the language of Milton, — " Must I leave thee, Paradise ? ■ These happy walks and shades, Fit haunt of Gods 7" About two-thirds of this island are still covered with tall trees, many of which are clothed with a magnificent 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 immortality, 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 within a few years, and dated back as early as 1745 ; but on the rocks near the falls on the American side, there are names chiselled out and dated 1711, 1726, 1745, &c. On Goat Island, a number of human skeletons have, within a few years, been dug up ; supposed to be the remains of In- dians buried in a former age, and many more are doubt- less noVv 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 discovered. Of the Tillium Grandifloraf 3* BOOK OF Garden. £ sixteen varieties are found here. The seeds of plants and flowers, from the shores of all the upper lakes and rivers, have probably been washed upon this island. — Some years since, a number of deer were put upon this island, which soon became quite tame ; but visiters, in order to see them leap, would occasionally frighten them, when they would immediately betake themselves to the rapids, and thus were carried over the falls, until all were finally destroyed. Judge Porter, the proprietor of the island, has had it in contemplation to lay out upon it a spacious Garden, in which all the plants and fruits adapted to this genial climate, should be cultivated. When this and other projected improvements shall be completed, no other spot on this earth, perhaps, will present attractions equal to this celebrated and beautiful island. The approach to it is from the American side, by means of a bridge of the most difHcult and hazardous construction, which extends from the shore, 28 rods, to Bath Island, and thence 16 rods further, to Goat Island. There are many other beautiful islands situated among the rapids of this river, a number of which, as Bath, Ship, and Luna are, and all the rest might be, connected with Goat Island by bridges, and afford the most charm- ing and impressive views of the surrounding scenery. On Bath Island, which is 24 rods in length, containing f plants ikes and island. — pon this siters, in en them, es to the until all ELS had it Garden, lis genial nd other no other ons equal approach ' a bridge )n, which land, and ed among as Bath, connected »st charm- r scenery, containing V I* , THE PALLS. 31 Toll House . . . Centre Fall. * , about two acres, is the Toll House, kept by Mr. A. B. Jacobs, who keeps an excellent house of refreshment, and has for sale one of the best collection of Indian curiosities, geological specimens, walking canes, &c. &c. which are to be found at the Falls. On this island is situated Porter's extensive Paper Mill, three stories high, where is manufactured yearly large quantities of paper. The paper on which this work is printed, was manufactured at this mill. Luna Island, about 30 yards in width, stands directly on the precipice near Goat Island, and divides 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 distin- guish it from the other two main sheets. Approaching this island from the foot of what is called, from the shape of the path, the " Hog's Back," visiters have, from the northwest corner, a much better view of the American fall than can be obtained from any other place. This fall, like the other, has evidently 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 of which bridges might, probably, be constructed. 32 BOOK OF I Terrapin Bridge and Tower . . . Height of the Falls. THE FALLS — TERRAPIN BRIDGE AND TOWER. ,,,,, , - , , . .^ „....., ,.,, ^ . , ^ ^ ^^ ,, , , 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 equilibrium. The trembling of the earth, the mighty rush and conflict, and deafening roar of the water, the clouds of mist sparkling with rainbows, produce an effect upon the beholder, often quite over- powering ; and it is only after the scene has become somewhat familiar to the eye, the ear, and the imagina- tion, that its real grandeur and sublimity is properly realized and felt. *' To sit on rocks, to muse on flood and field, To slowly trace the forest's shady scene, • Where things that own not man'E> dominion dwell, And mortal foot hath ne'er or rarely been. * * * t- + jf - .. Alone o'er steps and foaming falls to lean ; ^ This is not solitude', 'tis but to hold Converse with nature's charms, and see her stores unrolled." The water on the American side, as ascertained by frequent measurement, falls 164 feet, and on the Canada i ^, '> The hell of waters ! where they howl and hiss, And boil in endless torture; while the sweit , j 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 shower, 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 From rock to rock leaps with delirious bound, Crushing the clifis, which downward worn and rent, With his fierce footsteps, yield in chasms a fearful vent. * * » * >(• » * * * * Look back ! Lo ! where it comes like an eternity, As if to sweep down all things in its track, ' a V i] c THE FALLS. Lunar Bow . . . Romantic Incident. 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, amid the infernal surge. Like Hope upon a death-bed, and, unworn It steady dies, while all around is torn By the distracted waters, bears serene Its brilliant hues with all their beams unshorn, Resembling, 'mid the torture of the scene. Love watching Madness with unalterable mien." The lunar bow, seen at night, in the time of full moon, appears like a brightly illuminated arch, reach- ing from side to side, and is an object of great attraction, — especially as the world presents but few other places where such a bow is ever seen, ** Hung on the curling mist, the moonlight bow Arches the perilous river." Goat Island, in a moonlight night, is the resort of great multitudes, and is a scene of unrivalled beauty and magnificence. 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 nnd deep softness o'er the whole." The writer once had the pleasure of joining a lovely couple in marriage, about eleven o'clock on one of the ■I 36 BOOK OF Biddle Stair -Case. brightest nights he has ever known, in full view of this enchanting scenes and then of taking a romantic excur« sion with the party around the island. This was poetry indeed ; it was one of those bright and verdant oases sometimes met with in the journey of life. BIDDLE STAIR-CASE ^OLUS CAVE. At the lower end of Goat Island, about one third across it, a stair-case, erected in the year 1829, at the expense of Nicholas Biddle, Esq., of Philadelphia, gives visiters an opportunity of descending below the bank, and of passing a considerable distance behind the two main sheets of water. The descent from the top of the island to the margin of the river, is 185 feet. A common flight of steps leads down 40 feet, to the perpendicular spiral steps, 90 in number, which are enclosed in a buil- ding in the shape of a hexagon resting on a firm foun- dation 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 And one of the finest fishing places in this part of the world. All the varie- ties of fish existing in Lake Ontario, are found here, n I t\ a: THE FALLS. 87 '■1 'O le m ir Cave of the Winds . . Passage behind the Falls. among which are sturgeon, pike, pickereli black and white bass, herring, cat-fish, eels', &c. Here was Sam Patch's jumping place. The path at the left of the stair-case leads to the great Crescent fall, where, when the wind blows up the river, a safe and delightful pas- sage is opened behind the sheet of water. ^ The path to the right leads to a magnificent Cave, appropriately named when it was first discovered, twenty seven years since, ^olus* Cave, or Cave of the Winds. This cave is about 120 feet across, 50 feet wide, and 100 feet high ; it is situated directly behind the Centre fall, which at the bottom i i more than 100 feet wide, and were the rocks excavated a little and a few steps made, visiters could 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 Messrs. Berry H. White and George Sims, both residents at the Falls, who passed round the outside of the falls, and landed at the foot of Luna Island. Accompanying 4 S8 BOOK OP Passage behind the Falls . . . Rainbow. 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 be- lieved 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 insurmountable obsta- cle, it will probably be found in the tremendous wind and spray occasioned by the falling flood. A passage into the cave was at first considered a great exploit, but a passage behind the whole sheet would be incon- cievably greater. The cave itself, is the ne plus ultra of wonders, a visit to which no person of sufficient nerve, ought to omit. Ladies and gentlemen 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 at all. The view presented to a person while in the cave, in connexion with the tremen- dous and astounding roar of waters, which, owing to the echoes or reverberations, is apparently a hundred times greater here than any where else, will enable him to appreciate the following beautiful and graphic lines of Brainard, — especially as there is always, in the af- ternoon, when the sun shines, a very bright rain-bow visible directly within the cave, and behind the sheet of water. THE FALLS. 39 Extract from Brainard. *' 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 I what are 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 1 And yet, bold babbler, what art thou to Him Who drowned a world, and heaped the waters far Above its loftiest mountains ? — a light wave, That breaks and whispers of its Maker's might." How little and insignificant do the efforts of man ap- pear, when measured by this exhibition of Omnipotence! The earthquake, the volcano, the wide spread conflagra- tion, the shock of contending armies, are sublime and terrific spectacles, though short in their continuance and limited in their effects ; but here, ever since the flood, probably, the deafening and incessant roar of the migh- tiest cataract on the globe has called upon the children of men to fall down and adore their Maker. ] 40 BOOK OF Ferry to the Canada Falls. THE FERRY. There is another stair-case leading down the bank, about six rods below the falls, where yisiters will find a safe ferry to the Canada side, and have an opportunity of viewing a scene of surpassing 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 repre- senting Him, who is the *^ Rock of ages," as *< the shadow of a great rock in a weary land," to those who fly to him for refuge. "While vie^ ring 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 strong 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." THE FALLS. 41 City of the Falls. The ferryman, Mr. S. L. Ware, on the American, and Mr. J. Shultersburgh, on the Canada side, are both very civil and accommodating, well acquainted with their business, and able to g ve 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 contemplated, down these perpendicular banks, so as to have a ferry for teams and carriages ; and when it is completed, must become a great and important thoroughfare for travellers. CANADA VIEWS — CITY OF THE' FALLS. Directly opposite the Falls on the Canada side, an enterprising Company, a few years since, purchased the grounds formerly owned by Mr. Forsyth, projected and laid out a city, which they called ** The City of the Falls," and have made some improvements. They in- tended to have schools, churches, libraries, ball and promenade rooms, baths, public gardens, and indeed, every thing considered necessary to an elegant and fash- ionable city. The lots and streets are laid out with I ' ' 111 I 1 I 42 BOOK OF Clifton . . . New Hotel. / much judgment and taste ; but whether the anticipa- tions of the enterprising projectors will ever be realized, other generations must tell. The table land on the river's bank below the falls, and opposite the ferry, owned by Capt. Creighton, has also been surveyed into lots for a village, which is called ** Clifton ;" and here, directly at the top of the ferry road, stands the Clifton House, erected by Mr. Chrysler, which contains upwards of sixty rooms, and will -ac- commodate nearly one hundred guests. This is a very delightful site for a village, and is one of the most pleasant places of resort 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 Between those hanging rocks, that shock yet please the soul." In ascending the high bank, the visiter is presented with some delightful viewti of the falls and rapids, and of the surrounding country. The two principal Hotels, THE FALLS. 43 Appearance of the surrounding country. on the Canada side, are the Ontario House, on the high bank nearly opposite the great fall, and the Cliflon House, at the head of the carriage road, both of which have ample accommodations. The Pavilion was totally destroyed by fire, in February, 1839. Strangers who have never visited the Falls, have an idea that the surrounding country must be mountainous^ like that in the vicinity of most other falls; but the gen- eral aspect of the country here for a great extent 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 subterraneous, thundering roar. Below the falls, the earth and rocks appear as though they had been suddenly rent asunder and separated one- fourth of a mile apart, in order, by the perpendicular chasm thus made, to form a channel for the river. The corresponding portions of rock are as regular in the suc- cession of their strata, as would be the leaves and cover of a book, if they were bisected and placed opposite each other. The whole country in Canada, between the two lakes, except a narrow strip bordering upon Lake Onta- rio, is generally level, rich and productive, and is also 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 I. I 1 1 44 BOOK OP Welland Canal. transport you whither you choose. Stage Coaches run from the Hotels to Queenston and Niagara, daily ; also to Chippewa and Buffalo. From Chippewa, the steam- hoat Red Jacket runs daily to Buffalo, leaving Chippewa in the afternoon. No one should fail of visiting the Canada side, as this grand and unparalleled scene of nature's wonders, the fame whereof is spread over the world, should be viewed and contemplated from every position. WELLAND CANAL. 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 Fort Maitland, near the mouth of Grand River, on I^ake Erie, 48 miles west of Buffalo. It runs in a straight line across Wain- 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 length, 56 feet in width, and varies from 8^ to 16 feet in depth. The whole descent from one lake to another, 334 feet, is ac- 1 / / / . • 9s nin ; also iteam- ppewa ig the ene of er the every • Canal, itario, of 125 itland, I miles Wain- of an of the 'eet in The ■ isac- f Ui' . V ■V. I: mm \ 1 i Ui i JUM II THE PALLS. 45 Brock's Monument. It I mm V complished by means of 37 locks. At the deep-cut, on what 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 v/est 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 part of the stock is owned by individuals in the State of New-York. The company own all the land along the line of the canal, including the hydraulic pri'^leges ; and another tract, containing about 16,000 acres, has been granted to them by the British Govern- ment. I brock's monument. Six miles and a half north from the Falls, upon Queenfiton Heights, is General Brock's Monument, 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 and river scenery, may be seen for fifty miles. The following is the inscription on this Monu- ment ; 46 BOOK OP Burning Spring. ** The Legislature of Upper Canada has dedicated this Monument to the many civil and military services of the late Sir James Brock, Knight, Commander of the most Honorable Order of the Bath, Provincial Lieuten- ant Governor and Major General, Commanding His Majesty's forces therein. He fell in action, on the 13th of Oct., 1812, honored and beloved by those whom he governed, and deplored by his Sovereign, to whose ser- vices his life had been devoted. His remains are depo- sited in this vault, as also his Aid-de-Camp, Lieutenant Colonel John McDonald, who died of his wounds the 14th of Oct., 1812, received the day before, in action.'* BURNING SPRING. One mile above the Falls, near the rapids, on the Canada side, is the Burning Spring. This is in a state of constant ebullition, and from it issues a stream of sulphurated hydrogen gas, which quickly ignites on the touch of a candle, and burns with a brilliant flame. The spring is enclosed in a barrel, which collects the gas and lets it through a tube inserted at the top. This gas might, without doubt, be communicated by pipes to -g ji gftia j jj w ; THE FALLS. 47 Stair - Case. neighboring buildings, and substituted for candles and lamps. The keeper of the spring, Mr. J. Conklin, ex- pects 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 discover it. STAIR -CASE. At the falls, near Table Rock, is a spiral stair-case, constructed for the purpose of enabling visiters to de- scend and pass behind the sheet of water, to Termina- tion Rock. The entrance behind the great sheet looks somewhat formidable, and sometimes deters visiters from making the attempt, but when it is accomplished, which is frequently done by ladies, the views behind this Immense sheet are awfully sublime and terrific, and will fully repay the adventurous lover of the wonderful in nature, for the thorough drenching which he will receive and which constitutes all the danger of the attempt. Mr. Starkey, who keeps an excellent house of refresh- ment, and a cabinet of minerals here, is very accommo- dating to visiters, and when desired, furnishes them with a dress and guide to facilitate their passage behind the falls. This place is extensively known, and much frequented. 48 BOOK OP i!l Museum. MUSEUM, A few rods from this stair-case, and very beautifully situated, is Mr. Barnett's Museum of natural and arti- ficial curiosities ; — an establishment well worthy of patronage. The rooms are arranged very tastefully, so as to represent a forest scene, and contains upwards of 5000 specimens of various kinds and descriptions. There are bipeds and quadrupeds; birds, fishes, insects, reptiles, shells, minerals and Indian curiosities ; 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. A large collec- tion of living rattle-snakes may also be seen here. Mr. Barnett also keeps an excellent house of refreshment, and a large assortment of Indian curiosities and geolo- gical specimens for sale, and is very polite and attentive to visiters. One of the very best general views of the falls, is to be obtained from the piazzas of this museum, and a view through a prism, which is kept there, is extremely beau- tiful and interesting. THE FALLS. 49 Summer and Winter Scenery. SUMMER AND WINTER SCENERY. The surrounding scenery on both sides of the river is in good keeping with the magnificence of the falls. It is just what it should be, — grand, striking and unique. By most visiters it is only seen in summer. But in the winter it is also inimitable and indescribably beautiful. The trees and shrubbery on Goat and other islands, and on the banks of the river near the falls, are covered with transparent sleet, presenting an appearance of **icy brilliants," or rather of millions of glittering chandeliers of all-sizes and descriptions, and giving one a most vivid idea of fairy land. *' For every shrub and every blade of grass, And every pointed thorn seems wrought in glass-. The frighted birds the rattling branches shun, Which wave and glitter in the distant sun." The scene presents a splendid counterpart to Gold- smith's description of the subterranean grottos 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 resemblance to alabaster; and this, 5 50 BOOK OF ■■ ! \ Winter Scenery. set off by the dazzling colors of the rainbows that arch the river from twenty different points, seems by natural 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, Ib 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, or arbors hide The glassy floor. O ! 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 them •, or, haply, the vast hall Of fairy palace, that outlasts the night. And fades not in the glory of the sun ; Where crystal columns send forth slender shafts, And crossing arches, and fantagtic aisles Wind from the sight in brightness, and are lost Among the crowded pillars." The winter scenery about the falls is peculiar, a sight of which is worth a journey of thousands of miles. I \_ THE FALLS. Wild Ducks . . . Eagles. arch tural orld, )earl) sight niles. Myriads of wild ducks and geese spend the day in and above the rapids, and regularly take their departure for Lake Ontario every night before dark ; though sonie are often found in the morning with a broken leg or wing, and sometimes 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 carried down insensibly by the rapids, till they find themselves going or the precipice, and then in attempting to fly, they d:; e into the sheet of water, and are buried for a time under the falls, or dashed upon the rocks. Dead fish too, of almost all sizes and descriptions, and weighing from one to seventy pounds, are found floating in the eddies below the falls, forming 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 tribes below. Stand- ing there in lordly pride and dignity, in an instant his eye kindles and his ardor rises as he sees the fish-hawk emerge from the deep, screaming with exultation at his BOOK OP River below the Falls. 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 eyrie. Sometimes during a part of the winter, the ice is driven by the wind from Lake Erie, and poured over the falls in such immense quantities as to fill and block up the river between the banks, for a mile or more, to the depth of from thirty to fifty feet, so that people cross the ice to Canada, on foot, for weeks 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. RIVER BELOW THE PALLS. The river at the falls, is a little over three-fourths of a mile in width, but below, it is immediately compressed into a narrow channel of less than one-fourth of a mile in width: its depth, as ascertained by sounding, is about 250 feet. Its color is deep green, and sometimes blue; occasioned, no doubt, by reflection from the sky. THE FALLS. 53 Point View . . . Channel . . . Earliest Discoveries. One of the best general views of the fallu and river below, is from a projecting rock, about a mile below the village, sometimes called Point View. The perpendi- cular rock is here 200 feet above the river, and from the verge of the dizzy height is to be obtained the most complete and extensive view of the Entire falls, the river below, and its rocky and precipitous banks, that can be obtained from any other position. For about two miles below the falls, the river is com- paratively smooth; it then runs with amazing velocity to Lewiston; and, what is remarkable, while the river makes a constant descent, the banks have a gradual ascent for 6 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 determine with certainty. From descriptions of the falls written nearly two hundred years ago, we learn, that though their shape has been somewhat altered since, they then occupied the place which they hold now, and exhibited the same 5* i .MHWLlJ^JAIW ... m BOOK OF Remarks of Hennepin, Tonti, Hontan, etc. wonderful phenomena. When and by whom among the whites they were first discovered, the writer has never yet been able to ascertain. Tradition ascribes their dis- covery to two missionaries, who were on an exploring tour to this part of the country, in an age anterior to any written account extant. REMARKS OP HENNEPIN, TONTI, HONTAN, ETC. Father Hennepin, who visited this place in December, 1678, thus describes the falls : << Betwixt the Lakes Ontario and Erie, there is a vast and prodigious cadence of water, which falls down after a surprising and asto- nishing 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 pla- ces. It is so rapid above this descent, that it violently hurries down the wild beasts while endeavoring to pass it to feed on the other side, they not being able to with- THE FALLS. 55 Earliest Discoveries. g the never r dis- oring ior to ETC. lember, Lakes sadence d asto- )es not id boast hey are ' which (ice, we quarter me pla- iolently to pass :o with- stand the force of its current, which inevitably casts them headlong above six hundred feet high. "This wonderfiil downfall is compounded of two great cross stream*' of water, and two falls, with an isle sloping alor^ the idle of it. T; j a ^cr8 which fall from this horrible precipice, do foam and boil afier the most hideous manner imaginable, making an outrageous noise, more terrible than that of thunder; for when the wind blows out of the south, their dismal roaring may be heard more 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 men- tioned, with an inexpressible rapidity; but having passed that, its impetuosity relents, gliding along more gently for other two leagues, till it arrives at the Lake Ontario or Frontenac. ** Any barque or greater vessel may pass from the Fort to the foot of this huge rock, above mentioned. This rock lies to the westward, and is cut off from the land by the river Niagara, about two leagues further down than the Great Fall ; for which two leagues the people are obliged to transport their goods over land ; but the way is very good, and the trees are but few, chiefly firs and oaks. «* From the Great Fall unto this rock, which is to the west of the river, the two brinks of it are so prodigious ill I f \ M \ m I > I 56 BOOK OF Earliest Discoveries. high, that it would make one tremble to look steadily upon the water, rolling along with a rapidity not to be imagined. Were it not for this vast cataract, which interrupts navigation, they might sail with barques or greater vessels more than four hundred and fifty leagues, crossing the Lake of Huron, and reaching even to the further end of the Lake Illinois ; which two lakes we may easily say are little seas of fresh water. *< After we had rowed above an hundred and forty leagues upon the Lake Erie, by reason of the many windings of the bays and creeks which we were forced to coast, we passed by the Great Fall of Niagara, and spent half a day in considering the wonders of that pro- digious cascade. ** I could not conceive how it came to pass, that four great lakes, the least of which is four hundred leagues in compass, should empty themselves one into another, and then all centre and discharge themselves at this Great Fall, and yet not drown good part of America. What is 5^et more surprising, the ground from the mouth of the Lake Erie down to the Great Fall, appears almost level and fiat. It is scarce discernable that there is the least rise or fall for six leagues together. The more than or- dinary swiftness of the stream is the only thing which makes it to be observed. And that which makes it yet the stranger is, that for two leagues together, below the li THE FALLS. 5T Earliest Discoveries. Fall, towards Lake Ontario or Frontenac, the lands are as level as they are above it towards the Lake Erie. "Our surprise was still greater when we observed there was no mountain within two good leagues of this cascade ; and yet the vast quantity of water which is discharged by these four fresh seas/ stops or centres here, and so falls above six hundred feet deep down into a gulf, which one cannot look upon without horror. Two other great outlets or falls of water, which are on the two sides of a small sloping island, which is in the midst, fall gently and without noise, and so glide away quietly enough; but when this prodigious quantity of water of which I speak, comes to the fall, there is such a din and such a noise, more deafening than the loudest thunder. << The rebounding of these waters is so great, that a sort of cloud arises from the foam of it, which is seen hanging over this abyss, even at noon-day, when the sun is at its height. In the midst of summer, when the weather is hottest, they rise above the tallest firs, and other great trees, which grow on the sloping island, which makes the two falls of water that I spoke of. << 1 wished an hundred times, that somebody had been with us, who could have described the wonders of this prodigious, frightful Fall, so as to give the reader a just and natural idea of it; such as might satisfy him, and 58 BOOK OP Earliest Discoveries. 1 ;! ill cause in him an admiration of this prodigy of Nature, as great as it deserves. In the meantime accept the following draught, such as it is ; in which, however, I have endeavored to give the curious reader as just an image of it as I can. *' We must call to mind what I observed of it in the beginning of my voyage. From the mouth of the Lake Erie to the Great Fall, are reckoned six leagues, as I have said, which is the continuation of the great river of St. Lawrence, which arises out of the four lakes above mentioned. The river, you must needs think, is very rapid for these six leagues, because of the vast discharge of waters which fall into it out of the said lakes. The lands which lie on both sides of it to the east and west, are all level from the Lake Erie to the Great Fall. Its banks are not steep, on the contrary, the water is almost always level with the land. It is very certain, that the ground toward the Fall is lower, by the more than ordi- nary swiftness of the stream; and yet it is not perceiva- ble to the eye for six leagues above. * * After it has run thus violently for six leagues, it meets with a small sloping island, about half a quarter of a league long, and near three hundred feet broad, as well as one can guess by the eye; for it is impossible to come at it in a canoe of bark, the waters run with that force. The isle is full of cedar and fir; but the land of it lies no THE PALLS. 59 Earliest Discoveries. higher than that on the barks of the river. It seems to be all level, even as far as the two great cascades that make the main Fall. *< The two sides of the channels, which are made by the isle, and run on both sides of it, overflow almost the very surface of the earth of the said isfe, as well as the land that lies on the banks of the river to the east and west, as it runs south and north. But we must observe, that at the end of the isle, on the side of the two Great Falls, there is a sloping rock which reaches as far as the great gulf, into which the said water falls, and yet the rock is not at all wetted by the two cascades, which fall on both sides, because the two torrents which are made by the itde, throw themselves with a prodigious force, one towards the east and the other towards the west, from off the end of the isle, where the Great Fall of all is. ** After these two torrents have thus run by the two sides of the isle, they cast their waters all of a sudden, down into the gulf by two great falls; which waters are pushed so violently on by their own weight, and so sus- tained by the swiftness of the motion, that they do not wet the rock in the least. And here it is that they tum- ble down into an abyss above six hundred feet in depth. ** The waters that flow on the side of the east, do not throw themselves with that violence as those that fall on the west ; the reason is, because the rock at the end of eo BOOK OP Earliest Discoveries. ' ff. the island, rises something more on this side than it does on the west; and so the waters being supported by it somewhat longer than they are on the other side, are carried the smoother ofF; but on the west, the rock sloping more, the waters, for want of a support, become the sooner broken, and fall with greater precipitation. Another reason is, the lands that lie on the west are lower than those that lie on the east. We also observed that the waters of the fall that is to the west, made a sort of a square figure as they fell, which made a third cascade, less than the other two, which fell betwixt the south and north. ** And because there is a rising ground which lies be- fore those two cascades to the north, the gulf is much larger there than to the east. Moreover, we must ob- serve, that from the rising ground that lies over against the two last falls, which are on the west of the main fall, one may go down as far as the bottom of this terrible gulf The author of this discovery was down there, the more narrowly to observe the fall of these prodi- gious cascadbc. From thence we could discover a spot of ground, which iay under the fall of water which is to the east, big enough for four coaches to drive abreast, without being wet; but because the ground which is to the east of the sloping rock, where ihe first fall empties itself into the gulf, is very steep and perpeiidicular, it is THE PALLS. (!t Earliest Discoveries. it does d by it de, are le rock )ecome itation. est are bserved made a a third 71x1 the I lies be- Ls much nust ob-^ against lain fall) terrible a there, p prodi- r a spot ich is to abreast, ich is to empties liar, it is impossible for a man to get down on that side, into the place where^he four coaches may go abreast, or to make his way through such a quantity of water as falls towards the gulf; 80 that it is very probable, that to this dry place it is that the rattle-snakes retire, by certain pas- sages which they find under ground. **• From the end of this island it is that these two great fails of waters, as also the third but now mentioned, throw themselves, after a most surprising manner, awn into a dreadful gulf, six hundred feet and more in depth. I have already said, that the waters whi^h discharge themselves at the cascade to the east, fall with lesser force; whereas those to the west tumble all at once, making two cascades, one moderate, the other very violent and strong, which at last make a kind of crotchet or square figure, falling from south to north, and west to east. After this they rejoin the waters of the other cascade that falls to the east, ard so tumble down al- together, though unequally, into the gulf, with all the violence that can be imagined from a fall of six hundred feet, which makes the most frightful cascade in the world. << Afler these waters have thus discharged themselves into the dreadful gulf, they begin to resume their course, and continue the great river St. Lawrence for two leagues, as far as the three mountains which are on the 6 I !i 62 BOOK OF Earliest Discoveries. I ij ' I I'i it ! I y 5.. east side of the river, and the great rock which is on the west, and lifts itself three fathoms aoove the water, or thereabouts. The gulf into which these ^vaters are discharged, continues itself thus two leagues together, between a chain of rocks, flowing with a prodigious torrent, which is bridled and kept in by the rocks that lie on each side of the river. <* Into this gulf it is that these several cascades empty themselves, with a violence equal to the height from whence they fall, and the quantity of water which they discharge; and hence arise those deafening sounds, that dreadful roaring and bellowing of the waters, which drown the loudest thunder, as also the perpetual mists that hang over the gulf, and rise above the tallest pines that are in the little isle so often mentioned. After a channel is again made at the bottom of this dreadful fall, by the chain of rocks, and filled by that prodigious quantity of waters which are continually falling, the river of St. Lawrence resumes its course. But with that violence, and its waters beat against the rocks with so prodigious a force, that it is impossible to pass even iii a canoe of bark, though in one of them, a man may venture safe enough upon the most rapid streams, by keeping close to the shore. '' These rocks, as also the prodigious torrent, last for two leagu^^s; that is from the great falls, to the three THE FALLS. 63 Earliest Discoveries. mountains and great rock; but then it begins insensibly to abate, and the land to be again almost on a level with the water, and so it continues as far as the Lake Ontario or Frontenac. << When one stands near the fall, and looks down into the dreadful gulf, one is seized with horror, and the head turns round, so that one cannot look long or steadfastly upon it. But this vast deluge beginning in- sensibly to abate, and even to fall to nothing about the three mountains, the waters of the river St. Lawrence begin to glide more genlly along, and to be almost upon a level with the lands ; so that it becomes navigable again as far as the Lake Frontenac, over which we pass to come to the new canal, which is m&de by the dis- charge .of its waters. Then we enter again ^ipon the river St. Lawrence, which not long after makes that which they call the Long Fall, an hundred leagues from Niagara. *' I have often heard talk of the cataracts of the Nile, which make the people deaf that live near them. I know not if the Iroquois, who formerly inhabited near this fall, and lived upon beasts which from time to time are borne down by the violence of its torrent, withdrew themselves from its neighborhood, lest they should like- wise become deaf, or out of the continual fear they were in of rattle-snakes, which are very common in this place !l I 64 BOOK OF it » ^1 ii f P 1 Earliest Discoveries. during the great heats, and lodge in the holes along the rocks as far as the mountainsi which lie two leagues lower." The writer, after considerable inquiry and personal examination, is unable to determine what Father Hen- nepin 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 Hennepin's description is, in the main, remarkably correct; and establishes the fact, that in 1678, there were three distinct falls as they are now, and that the fall on the Canada side exhibited then somewhat of the appearance of a horse shoe. His de- scription 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, corres- ponding with, and corroborating Hennepin' s, but with the addition of no important facts. Baron La Hontan,t who visited this cataract in May, * Entitled, '' Relations de la Louisiane et du Fleuve Alississippi, etc. 1720, Amsterdam, par le Gouverneur de Tonti, Gouverneur du Fort Saint Louis, aux Illinois." ^ t His book is entitled, " New Voyages to North America, etc. Written in French, by the Baron La Hontan, Lord Lieutenant of the French Colony at Placentia, in New-Foundland, at that time in England. Done into English, the second edition. London, 1735." THB FALLS. Earliest Discoveries. 1688, thus describes it: "As for the waterfall of Niagara, it is seven or eight hundred feet high, and 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 the unfortunate island, are sucked in by the force of the stream. And the beasts and fish that are thus killed by the prodigious fall, serve for food to fifty Iroquese, who are settled above two leagues off, 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 cross in abreast, without any other damage than a sprinkling of some few drops of water." In the Philosophical Transactions, for 1722, there is a description of the falls, given by Monsieur Borasseau, who had visited them at seven 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 cata- ract, which they accordingly did, with a stone of half a hundred weight, and a large cod line, and found it, upon a perpendicular, twenty-six fathoms," or one hun- dred and twenty-six feet. These extracts may not be considered of much value, except by those persons who have a curiosity to learn : 1 ii "X^-.f^iT^ BOOK OF Places of Descent . . . View from Brock's Monument. something about the falls, as they appeared in a former age. , There are five places between the Falls and Lewiston, where persons can descend from the top of the bank t ^ the water, viz: from the end of Mr. Childs' and also Mr. Graves's 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 trans- cendantly beautiful and sublime, and the rapids strike the beholder with more amazement, if possible, than the falls themselves. Here may be found in reality. !!ii ! " A happy rural seat of various view ; Flowers of all hue, Umbrageous grots and caves Of cool recess, o'er which the mantling vine Lays forth her purple grape, and gently creeps Luxuriant." The top of the bank on either side, near Brock's Mon- ument, affords a delightful and almost boundless prospect of the country and lake below. The unrivalled Niagara is traced to its outlet, guarded by two opposite Forts, and bearing sloops and steamboats into the glassy lake; while the mighty expanse of plains and waters presents THE FALLS. It. former (riston, »ank t^ so Mr. Hole, e also, visiters 1 these } trans- 9 strike lan the 's Mon- »rospect Niagara I Forts, 3y lake; )resents Quantity of Water passing over the Falls. a scene so picturesque and enchanting, that the traveller leaves his position with reluctance. From Lewiston to Lake Ontario, seven miles, the river is deep, smooth and navigable for boats and vessels of every description; and Lewiston, being the head of navigation, is the princi- pal landing place for the steamboats that run on Lake Ontario. At the mouth of the Niagara river, on the American side, stand the villages of Youngstown and Fort Nia- gara; and on the Canada side, the villages of Niagara and Fort George. The quantity of water constantly pouring over the falls, and passing into the lake, is computed, from pro- bable 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 millions of tons per hour; and by another calculation^, supposing a swifter current, at 102,093,750 tons per hour. Darby com- putes it at 1,672,704,000 cubic feet per hour. These results are somewhat different, but the first is probably nearest the truth. Dr. Dwight supposes, in one cal- culation, a current of five, and in the other, of six miles per hour, the least of which is undoubtedly too much. The prodigious torrent of waters, and the tre- mendous rush and noise of the falling cataract, seems tc put at defiance all attempts at calculation. BOOK OP Objects of Special Interest . . . Curiosities. OBJECTS OP SPECIAL INTEREST CURIOSITIES. \u I A number of these, as the islands, the bridges, the stair-cases, the burning springs, Brock's Monument, 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 history of this region, and commanding a most beautiful 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, ex- cept the entrenchments, and a few rods of pavement within. A stockade was built here in the year 1672. Before the construction of the Erie Canal, all the business between the lakes were interchanged 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 traveller will be likely to regret. Vast quantities of calcareous or petrified moss arc found here in all stages of its petrifying process. On the other side, nearly opposite, is Bender's Cave, a place which is thought to be worthy a special visit. < THE FALLS. 69 Mineral Spring . . . Whirlpool. MINERAL SPAING, Two miles below the falls, on the American Bide, is a Mineral Spring, containing su!, huric and muriatic acids, lime and magnesia; and by the use of its waters many important cures have been effected. For scrofulous, rheumatic and cutaneous complaints, this spring supplies an almost sovereign remedy. From the stage road near the spring, travellers have a most delightful view of the whole falls, two miles distant; and if they see the falls from this place first, as they generally do in coming up from Lewiston, the impression here made will probably never be effaced. Capt. Hall remarks respecting this place, <* I felt at the moment quite sure that no subse- quent examination, whether siear or remote, could ever remove, or even materially weaken the impression left by this first view.' it WHIRLPOOL. One mile further down leads to a tremendous whirl- pool, resembling very much, in its appearance and gyrations, the celebrated MsBlstrom on the coast of 70 BOOK OF The Whirlpool. Norway. Logs and trees are sometimes whirled around for days together in its outer circles, while in the centre they are drawn down perpendicularly with great force, are soon shot out again at the distance of many rods, and occasionally thrust into the channel t« >ass down the river. The river here makes nearly a right single, which occasions the whirlpool, — is narrower than at any other plac6, — not more than thirty rods in width, — and the current runs with such amazing velocity as to rise up in the middle ten feet ahove the sides. This has been ascertained by actual measurement. " Resistless, roaring, dreadful down it comes, — There, gathering triple force, rapid and deep, — It boils, and wheels, and foams, and thunders through." There is a path leading down the bank to the whirl- pool on both sides, and, though somewhat difficult to descend and ascend, it is accomplished almost every day on the American side, by gentlemen, and often by ladies. A brisk and very refreshing breeze is felt there during the hottest 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 used; but to have any adequate idea of its power THE FALLS. 71 Whirlpool . . . Perilous Incident. and motion, visiters ought to descend to the water's edge, and walk some distance up the river. The rapids here are much more powerful and terrific than they are above the falls, and appear like a flood of watery bril* Hants rushing along. Having written thus far, the writer laid down his pen and started off on a fresh visit to the whirlpool; 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 ta use in describing it. He is aware that the above des- cription is tame and meagre; and yet he can think of no language, no imagery, no comparison, that will not fall immeasurably 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 has seen the Falls of Niagara, unless he could also say he had seen the Whirlpool, from the water's edge. A stair- case down the bank, would be a great accommodation to visiters, and it is to be hoped that one ere long will be constructed. Water for hydraulic purposes, may easily be brought into use here to an almost unlimited extent. About the year 1812, an accident occurred here, per- haps worth recording. A party of men were employed in cutting cedar logs near the river about the whirlpool, with a view to get them floated to Lewiston. One man 72 BOOK OP Devil's Hole. m^ stepping upon some of them that were railed, was im- perceptibly, or perhaps through carelessness, drawn out into the current, and swiftly carried into the whirlpool. He clung to a log and was carried round and round in the capacious hasin 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 hoat to be drawn up by a team. This was let down the bank, and many people assembled with ropes, poles, &c. to render assist- ance. After the boat had been well secured, and some men had stepped in intending to pusii out into the whirl- pool, 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. devil's HOLE. A mile below the Whirlpool is a place on the American side, called the ** Devil's Hole," embracing about two acres, cut out laterally and perpendicularly in the rock by the side of the river, and about one hundred and fifty feet deep. This name was probably given from that of THE FALLS. 73 Devil's Hole. the personage more frequently invoked in this region, formerly, than any other. How this hole was thus made it is difficult to conjecture. Visiters look into it with silent, inexpressible amazement. An angle of this hole or gulf comes within a few feet of tue stage road, afford- ing travellers an opportunity, without 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. This place is distinguished by aji incident that occiirrcd about the year 1759. A company of British soldiers, pursued by the French and Indians, were driven off thjs rock at the point of the bayonet. All, save one, instantly perished upon the rocks two hundred feet beneath them. 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, was among this company of British, but made his escape on horseback, just before coming to the bank, though many balls whizzed about him in his flight. The Indians afterwards imagined him to be impenetrable, and invincible, became very friendly, and ultimately, in consid;eration of some services he rendered them, gave him all the land included between Niagara river and a 7 74 BOOK OP Tnscarora Indians. 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 1833, 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 the State and the present occupants. TUSCARORA INDIANS. Eight miles below the Falls, and three miles back from the river, is the Reservation of the Tuscarora Indians,^ containing two miles in width by four in length, (about 5000 acres,) of very excellent land. They consist of about three hundred souls, have a Presbyterian Church of fifty 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 American Board of 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. THE FALLS. 75 Battles. These Indians came from North Carolina, about the year 1712, and joined the confederacy of the Five Na- tions, themselves making the Sixth. They formerly held a very valuable interest in land, in North Carolina, but have recently sold it and divided the proceeds equally among themselves. Many of them are in very prosper- ous circumstances; in iue year 1834, one man raised and gathered fifty acres of wheat. Visiters at the Falls have been in the habit of going, sometimes in crowds, to this village on the Sabbath; but the Indians, with their Missionary, have often expressed their desire that visiters would not interrupt them at that time. BATTLES. In the immediate vicinity of the Falls, many incidents have occurred to impart an additional interest. This was the scene of a number of battles fought during the last war with Great feritain; those at Fort Erie, Chippewa, and Lundy's Lane, were among the most bloody and hard fought, that are recorded in history. In the battle near Fort Erie, there was what has generally been con- sidered, a Military Chief d'oeuvre; the Americans, to the 76 BOOK OP Bridges. number of 1000 regulars and 1000 of the militia, made a sortie and took the British works about 500 yards from their line, and returned in triumph. The battles in this region occurred in the following order, viz : at Queens- ton, October 13, 1812; at York, April 27, 1813; at Fort George, May 27, do. ; at Stoney Creek, June 5, do. ; at Beaver Dam, June 24, do. ; Naval Battle on Lake Erie, September 10, do. ; the village of Niagara Falls, Lewis- ton, and Youngstown burnt, December 19, do. ; Buffalo and Black Rock burnt, December 31, do. ; Fort Erie taken July 3, 1814; battle of Chippewa, July 6, do.; at Bridge- water or Lundy's Lane, July 25, do.; at Fort Erie, August 15, and September 17, 1814. The burning of villages and plunder of property on the frontier, are still remembered, and the circumstances detailed with thrilling interest, by many of the inhabitants. BRIDGES. In the year 1817, a bridge was constructed from the shore across the rapids to the head of Goat Island, but was swept away by the ice the ensuing 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 THE FALLS. 77 Bridges. "I? i above the falls, over which visiters are at first disposed to walk lightly and 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 curiosity, how it could have been constructed in this imminently dangerous place. They shall be informed; and they will see that, like a thousand other difficult things, it was easily accomplish- ed, when the mode was ascertained. Two very long timbers were thrust out from the shore on an abutment, having the forward ends elevated a little above the rapids and the other? 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 forward 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. Augustus and General Peter B. Porter. - Till the year 1817, there was no way of descending or ascending the bank below the falls, except by a ladder 7* 78 BOOK OF Places of Resort . . . Minerals. 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 magnificent sheet of water. Perhaps there is no place where the height of the fall is so impressively realized as here. PLACES OP RESORT — MINERALS. I i There are a number of pretty establishments at the Falls, where are kept on hand rich specimens of the mineral, fossil, vegetable and animal productions of the vicinity. Among these establishments, as a place of resort, Mr. W. E. Hulett's, deserves a conspicuous notice. His place is directly opposite the Cataract Ho- tel, and visiters ;«7ill there find a library, reading-room, billiard-room, &c. &c., and a most splendid collection of minerals, both from the vicinity of the Falls, and from other parts of the United States. Mr. A. B. Jacobs, on Bath Island, Mr. S. Hooker, and some others, on the American side; and Mr. Barnett, at his Museum, Mr. Starkey and Mr. Shultersburgh, on THE PALLS. Incidents. the Canada side, keep on hand an assortment of minera- logical specimens, a variety of elegant articles of Indian manufacture, canes, &c. Among the minerals kept for sale, are, transparent selenites; snow-white gypsum; calcareous, bitter, dog-tooth, and fluor spar: crystalized quartz; petrifactions; favasites and otlier fossils; shells, &.C. There arc also some noble specimens of bald and gray eagles, with which this region abounds. INCIDENTS. Men have occasionally been drawn into the rapids with their boats, and carried over the falls; but not a vestige of them or their boats hi.t f3cavcely ever been found. The great depth of the water below, and the tumultuous agitation occasic ujd by the eddies, whirl- pools, 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 research. In the year 1820, two men, in a state of intoxication, fell asleep in their scow which was fastened at the mouth of Chippewa Creek; wliile there it oroke away, and they awoke finding themselves beyond the reach of hope, dashing ever the rapids. ■^*/"' i 11: 1 1 ! 1 ■ji 1 II i ' 80 BOOK OF Vessels driven over the Falls. In the year 1822, two otherw, engaged in removing^ some furniture from Grand Island, were by some care- lessness drawn into the rapids, and hurried over the cataract. In 1825, two more, in attempting to smuggle some whiskey across to Chippewa, were hurried into the ra- pids and shared a similar 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; perceiving that all efforts to escape would be vain, he turned his bottle of whiskey down his throat, and com- posedly awaited the awful plunge. This story the writer believes to be fabulous, as he has never been able to find any foundation for it, except that it is a stereo- type Indian story, told as having happened at all the different falls in the country. In September 1 827, 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, assembled to witness the novel spectacle. On board of this -'^espel were pjt two bears, a buffalo, two rackoons, a aog, 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 Michigan before she reached the falls, having been considerably THE FALLS. 81 Vessels driven over the Falls. broken in the rapids, sunk to a level with the surface, and went over near the centre of the horse-shoe fall. Th: distance from deck to keel was sixteen feet; and as she did not appear to touch the bottom for eighty rods before she went over, the conclufaion is, that the water as it passes over the precipice there must be at least twenty feet deep. Ir- October 1829, another vessel, the Superior, was advertised to be sent over, which drew together about fifteen thousand people. This vessel lodged in the ra- pids and remained a number of weeks, and finally passed over the falls in the night. In August 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 tho American side of Goat Island; but was broken to a perfect wreck in the rapids, so as to pass under the bridge and over the falls. In July 1832, a canal boat was blown over from Chip- pewa, and lodged in the rapids a short distance above the bridge. Some men and one woman were on board, and were saved at most imminent peril, and the boat was finally secured and drawn ashore. The rock at the falls is hard limestone to the depth of about seventy feei, below which it is loose, crumbling shale, which is constantly wearing away and leaving a projection of the limestone. 82 BOOK OP Fall of Table Rock . . . Sam Patch. A mass of Table Rock, 160 feet in length and from 30 to 40 feet in width, fell off in July 1818, with a tremen- dous crash. On the 9th of December 1828, three im- mense portions broke from the horse-shoe fall, causing " a shock like an earthquake. 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 October 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 directly below the Bid- die Stair-case. Poor Sam afterwards lost his life by jumping from the falls of Genesee River, at Rochester. May 19, 1835, two men in attempting to pass down the river from Tonawanda to Chippewa in a scow, were driven by the "vJnd rato the rapids, and one of them went over the falls; the othc , after leaping from the scow, reached a shoal where he could stand in the water with his heiid out. In this situation he was seen from the American shore; and two men, at the imminent hazard of their lives, went out in a boat, and succeeded in saving him, and returning safely to shore. Again, June 10, 1835, two men in passing from Schlos- THE FALLS. 83 Burning of the Caroline. from 30 tremen- hree im- causing " rtion fell )ned was the pub- ?arly two recession 3, in the top of a ^elow the the Bid- s life by (Chester, ass down ow, were of them from the d in the was seen imminent succeeded n Schlos- ser to Chippewa, in a skiff, were drawn into the rapids and hurried to destruction. While in the rapids, they were seen for a short time by persons on the Pavilion. Some days aflerwards, their bodies were found in an eddy a mile below the falls, one of which was deprived of a leg and an arm. Another melancholy incident happened on the night of December 29, 1837, while the Patriots were in pos- session of Navy Island. The steamboat Caroline, while lying at Schlosser, was at midnight attacked by a party of Canadian soldiers and one person killed. She was then towed out into the stream, set on fire, and was carried over the falls by the current. Nothing was to be found of her the next morning except a small quan- tity of the wreck which was thrown upon the shore below the falls. The history of this boat was somewhat singular; she was originally built at Charleston, South Carolina, was from thence brought to New York, from thence to Albany, and from Albany she was brought through the Erie and Oswego Canals to Lake Ontario, and from Lake Ontario through the Welland Canal to Chippewa, U. C, between which place and Buffalo she plied for some time as a passage boat; until she was seized by the Collector of Buffalo, condemned, and sold for a violation of the revenue laws, and at length, during the Canadian disturbances, finished her career, by a leap down the aw ful abyss of Niagara. i:;^:' «^^ f^k^ 84 BOOK OF Perilous Situation and Daring Rescue. An occurrence of the most thrilling interest took place July 25, 1839, while the workmen were employed in repairing the bridge to Iris Island. A man by the name of Chapin, while at work upon a staging, about 100 feet from the Island, accidentally lost his footing and was precipitated into the rapids, and in an instant swept away towards the great cataract. Speedy destruction seemed to await him; but fortunately he was uninjured by the fall, and in this condition re- tained his self-possession. He succeeded, by great dex- terity in swimming, in effecting a landing upon a little island, the outermost of a group of little cedar Islands, situated some 30 or 40 yards above the falls, between Goat Island and the American shore. There he remained for an hour, looking beseechingly back upon the spectators who lined the shore, among whom were his wife and children, and with whom he could hold no communication on account of the distance and the roar of the falls. In this emergency, Mr. J. R. Robinson, a man of extraordinary strength and intrepi- dity, and an excellent boatman, generously volunteered his services to attempt his rescue. A light boat of two oars, similar to the Whitehall race boats, was soon pro- cured and he embarked. He proceeded with great deliberation and skill, dart- ing his little boat across the rapid channels, and at the THE PALLS. 85 Perilous Situation and Daring Rescue. 1^ intervening eddies, holding up, to survey his situation and recover strength, ^s he neared the island, a rapid channel still intervened, rendering the attempt to land very hazardous. He paused for a moment, and then with all his strength, darted across and sprang from his boat — his foot slipped, and he fell backward into the rapid current. With the most consummate coolness and skill, he retained his grasp on the boat, sprang in, and seizing his oars, brought up under the lee of the little Island, Still the great labor and hazard of the under- taking remained to be overcome. Robinson proved equal to the task. Taking his companion on board in the same careful and deliberate manner, though at infi- nitely greater hazard and labor, they eifected a safe landing upon Goat Island. There the spectators assem- bled to give them a cordial greeting. A scene of great excitement ensued. The boat was drawn upon the bank and by acclamation a collection was taken up on the spot for Chapin and his noble hearted deliverer. It was generously made and thankfully received; but the reflec- tion to Robinson that he has rescued a fellow creature under such circumstances, will be to his generous heart a much richer and more lasting reward. Robinson and Chapin were placed in the boat by the spectators and carried in triumph to the village. 86 BOOK OF Ttie Hermit of Niagara Falls. THE HERMIT OF NIAGARA FALLS. June 10, 1831, the **Hermit*' was drowned while bathing in the river below the falls. The following ac- count of this singular being is abridged and condensed from one drawn up and published soon aflber his death. * 'A young Englishman, named Francis Abbot, of re- spectable connexions, either through misfortune or a morbid state of mind, which made him desire seclusion, took up his residence on Goat Island, and in the neigh- borhood of the falls, for two years; and became so fasci- nated with the solitude, and infatuated with the scenery, that no inducement could divert his thoughts, or draw him from the spot, where he acquired the name of the «*Hermit of Niagara Falls.'* He arrived on foot in June, 1829, dressed in a loose gown or cloak of a chocolate color, carrying under his arm a roll of blankets, a flute, a portfolio, and a large book; which constituted the whole of his baggage. He took up his abode, in the first instance, at a small inn on the American side, stipulating that the room he occupied should be exclusively his own, and that certain parts of his cooking only should be done by his host. He then repaired to the Library, where he gave his name, and borrowed some books and music books, and pur- THE PALLS. 87 The Hermit of Niagara Falla. chased a violin; the following day he again visited the Library, expatiated largely, with great ease and ability, on the beautiful scenery of the falls, and declared his intention of remaining at least a week; for <'a traveller might as well," he said, examine in detail the various museums and curiosities of x u s, as become acquainted with the splendid scenery of .agara in the same space of time." On a subsequent visit he declared his inten- tion of staying at least a month, perhaps six. Shortly after, he determined on fixing his abode on Goat Island, and was desirous of erecting a hut, in which he might live quite secluded; the proprietor of the island not thinking proper to grant this request, he occupied a small room in the only house, — being occasionally fur- nished with bread and milk by the family, but more generally providing and always cooking hid own food. During the second winter of his seclusion, the family removed, and to the few persons with whom he held communion, he expressed great satisfaction at being able to live alone. For some time he enjoyed this seclusion; but another family having entered the house, he quitted the island, and built himsilf a small cottage on the main shore, about thirty rods below the Great Fall. On the 10th of June, 1831, he was seen to bathe twice, and was obser- ved by the ferryman to enter the water a third time about ^, IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I III 1.8 L25 11114 11.6 Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WIST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14S80 (716)872-4503 88 BOOK 6F The Hermit of Niagara Falls. two o'clock in the afternoon; his clothes remaining some hours where he had deposited them, an alarm was crea- ted, and an ineffectual search was made for him. On the 2]8t, his hody was taken out of the river at Fort Niagara, and was decently interred in the burial ground near the falls. When his cottage was examined, his dog was found guarding the door, and was with diffi- culty removed; his cat occupied his bed; his guitar, violin, flutes, music books, and portfolio, were scattered around in confusion; but not a single written papex of any kind was found (although he was known to compose much) to throw the least light on this extraordinary character. He was a person of highly cultivated mind and manners, a master of languages, read in the arts and sciences, and performed on various musical instruments with great taste; his drawings were also very spirited. He had travelled over Europe and many parts of the East, and possessed great colloquial powers when in- clined to be sociable; but at times he would desire not to be spoken to, and communicated his wishes on a slate; sometimes for three or four months together he would go unshaved, with no covering on his head, and his body enveloped in a blanket: shunning all, and seeking the deepest solitude. His age was not more than twenty- eight, his person well made, and his features handsome. . Many spots on Goat Island are consecrated to his THE PALLS. 89 The Hermit of Niagara Falls. memory; at the upper end he established his walk, which became hard trod and well beaten; between the Island and Moss Island was his favorite retreat for bathing; here he resorted at all seasons of the year even in the coldest weather, when ice was on the river; on the bridge to the Terrapin Rocks, it was his daily practice to walk for hours, from one extremity to the other with a quick pace; sometimes he would let him- self down at the end of the projecting timber, and hang under it by his hands and feet over the terrific precipice, for fifteen minutes at a time, and in the wildest hours of the night he was often found walkinf/ in the most dan- gerous places near the Falls. It is now ascertained that he was the son of the late John Abbot, (of Plymouth, England,) a member of the Society of Friends. His guitar, that beguiled so many of his solitary hours, and soothed him in his sorrow, is still preserved as a curiosity, and may be seen at Mr. Hooker's, in the village of Niagara Falls. - ■*.'. ,' i ■<■(' ■.S i^.' " Hush'd is the lyre—the hand that swept The low and pensive wires, ' Robbed of its cunning, from the task retires; Yes— it is still— the lyre is still; The spirit which its slumbers broke, Hath pass'd away,— and that weak hand that woke Its forest melodies, hath lost its skill,'* .*■ ,90 JBOOK OP Village of Niagara Falls. VILLAGE OF NIAGARA FALLS. '^^f, The country in the immediate vicinity of the Falls on both sides of the river, presents many powerful attrac- tions for a permament residence. For salubrity of air and healthfulness of climate, it yields to no spot in the United States. Here, "Nature hath The very soul of music in ber look^, The sunshine and the shade of poetry." The latitude here is 43 degrees G minutes North, and the longitude 2 degrees 6 minutes West from Washing- ton. The winters are generally much milder than in New England, owing as supposed, to the action of the two neighboring lakes, that lie on either side. In a pamphlet published in London in the year 1834) written by Robert Burford, Esq., who spent the summer and autumn of 1832, in taking a panoramic view of the Falls, it is stated that this place is '^without all question, the most healthful of any on the continent of NQrth America. The heat of summer can there be borne with pleasure, while at the same time, the annoyance of mus- quitoes and other insects is unknown. Various are the THE FALLS. «1 Village of Niagara Falls. Falls on attrac- ty of air )t in the rth, and ^ashing- tlian in n of the t' lar 1834, summer 17 of the uestion, f North ne with ofmus- are the conjectures whence arises the remarkable salubrity of this region; but the most natural is, that the agitation of the surrounding air produced by the tremendous Falls, combines with the elevation and dryness of the soil, and absence of swamps, to produce this happy result." : In the summer of 1832, when the cholera raged in all the villages around, as Buffalo, Lockport, Lewiston, &c.» .not a single case occurred here. Again, when this dis- ease visited many villages in the yicipity, in the summer of 1834, this place was wholly exempt. The village of Niagara Falls on the American side, formerly called Manchester, contains about 500 inhabi- tants. There are two spacious Hotels in the village, the Eagle and the Cataract, which will accommodate a large num- .ber of permanent guests. The latter is kept by Gen. P. Whitney & Sons, favorably known here in the business. •Gen. Whitney has been engaged in this business for nearly 20 years. The Eagle Hotel, formerly kept by T. W. Fanning, and now by Messrs.. C. B. Griffen &Co. A most splendid Hotel was commenced by the celebrated Benjamin Rathbun, in the year 1836, and the foundation and basement were completed, when the astounding developement of that person's affairs rendered it neces- sary for him to assign all his property, and all operations ".»■•-■'■'■■ Flow on forever, in thy glorious robe Of terror and of beauty! God hath set His rainbow on thy forhead, and the cloud Mantles around thy feet. And he doth give The voice of thunder, power to speak of Him Eternally— bidding the Up of man Keep silence, and upon thy rocky altar pour Incense of awe-stricken praise. ■^ And who can dare To lift the insect trump of earthly Hope, Or Love, or Sorrow,-— mid the peal 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 u rpent laborer, and recall His weary 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 first they sang o'er young Creation's birth. i-, '■:. THE FALLS. 95 Niagara. e indes- ig a visit )g beau- ved as a t-i -.!'■ Heard thy deep anthem— and those wreaking fires That wait th' Archangel's signal to dissolve The solid Earth, shall find Jehovah's name Graven, as with a thousand diamond spears, On thy unfathomed page. £ach leafy bough, That lifts itself within thy proud domain, Doth gather greatness from thy living spray, :; And tremble at the baptism. Lo! yon birds, Do venture boldly near, bathing their wing , , Amid thy foam and mist.— 'Tis meet for them To touch thy garment's hem,— or lightly stir The snowy leaflets of thy vapor wreath,— Who sport unharmed upon the fleecy cloud, And listen at the gates of Heaven, :^ Without reproof. But, as for us,— it seems r , Scarce lawful with our broken tones to speak , Familiarly of thee. Methinks, to tint ., " Thy glorious features with our pencil's point, Or woo thee to the tablet of a song, Were profanation. .- Thou dost make the soul A wondering witness of thy majesty; « And while it rushes with delirious joy To tread thy vestibule, dost chain its steps, And check its rapture, with the humbling view Of its own nothingness — bidding it stand * In the dread presence of th' Invisible, ' '"""," As if lo answer to its God through thee. '"''*' Hartford, Conn. L. H. S. 96 BOOK OF Visiters. . .Parties, &c. 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 peculiarly propitious for the reco* very and preservation of health, this is the place. During the winter months, though there are so many visiters, they are generally such as are passing through the region on business, and stay only a short time. Fre- quently however, parties from BufiTalo, Lockport, Roch- ester, Canandaigua, and other places, visit the Falls by sleighing; and after spending a day or two, go away enraptured with the scene. Many visiters err greatly in their calculation in regard to the time which they ought to spend h^re. 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. Visit- ers should make their calculations, in the summer es- pecially, to spend at least a week. Persons who spend some time at the falls, will find several places in the vicinity, on both sides of the river, worthy a special visit. Eleven miles south, on the American side, is the village of Tonawanda, from which THE FALLS. 97 of great generally Ifany rhe reco' 90 many through e. Fre- ty Roch- Falls by ;o away i regard They to view ve had of the s, from The Visit- ner es- ill find 5 river, m the which Places of Resort in the vicinity of the Falls. there is a ferry across to White Haven on Grand Island; proceeding eleven miles further, you pass through Black Rock to Buffalo and Lake Erie. One mile below the falls, is Point View, so called; one mile further you find the Mineral Spring; one mile further the Whirlpool; half a mile further, the Devil's Hole; eight miles from the falls, the village of the Tuscarora Indians; seven miles, Lewiston village, where the steam-boats from Lake Ontario receive passengers; seven miles below Lewis- ton is the village of Toungstown, and one mile further. Fort Niagara, standing on the border of Lake Ontario. From the falls on the Canada side, one mile south brings you to the burning spring; two and a half miles to Chippewa battle ground and village; twenty miles through the village of Waterloo to Fort Erie near Lake Erie. From the falls north, one mile brings you to Lun- 1 dy's Lane, where the battle of Bridgewater was fought; three and a half miles to the Whirlpool; six and a half to Queei^ton Heights and Brock's Monument; seven miles to Queenston village, opposite Lewiston; and fourteen miles to the village of Niagara and Fort George. Eight miles from the falls west, is the "Deep Cut,** so called, of the Welland Canal, a place much visited in the summer. To carry you to any or all these places, car- riages can always be had at a few moment's notice on either side of the river. ^ ^ 9 98 BOOK OF Deflcription of the Falls. Hi .i APPENDIX. DESCRIPTIONS OF NIAGARA FALLS. In approaching the end of our little volume, we cannot refrain from inserting a few extracts from the pens of those who by their language, show that they had minds to understand, and souls to appreciate, the sublimity and loveliness of Niagara. The following dngular and fanciful observations are to be found in the Duke de Liancourt'«i account of his visit to the Falls in 1795. * fi^a^'iK3^'mark^^ the.ciitlinc^ th^r^ jp/?. m^steriousness THE FALLS. 101 Description of the Falls. spread over the object which suits your conception of its greatness, and in which the imagination loves to luxu- riate. I can scarcely define to you my impressions on this first day; 1 can scarcely define them to myself. 1 was certainly not disappointed; but I was confounded. I felt as though I had received a shock, and required time to right myself again. **I returned to the Pavilion, which is about half a mile from the Falls, and retired to my chamber, which over- looked them. I mused on what I had seen, and was still confounded. I sought rest that I might be fresh for the morrow; but rest did not come so freely. The continu- ous deep sounds of the waters would have sung me to sleep, but the tremor of the house and ground, which shook the window like those of a stage coach, kept me wakeful; and when 1 fell into slumbers, the flitting dreams of what I had seen, would trouble and break them. ^'Notwithstanding all disturbances, I rose on the next morning in good spirits. The day was all that could be wished. The sun shining, the heavens transparent, gar- nished with bright and peaceful clouds. The wind, too, was gentle and refreshing; and had shifted to our side, so as to promise the nearest points of sight without the discomfort of getting wet through. <'I now look fairly on the scene as it presented itself at my window, in the fair lights of the morning. It is composed rather of the accompaniments of the fall than of the fall itself You look up the river full ten miles, and it runs in this part from two to three miles in breadth. Here it has formed, in its passage, beautiful little bays; 9* 102 BOOK OF Description of the Falls. and there it has worked through the slips of main-land putting out the fragments as so many islets to decorate its surface; while, on either hand, it is bounded by the original forests of pine. At the upper extremity you see the blue waters calmly resting under the more cerulean heavens; while nearer to you it becomes agitated, like a strong man preparing to run a race. It swells, and foams, and recoils, as though it were committed to some despe- rate issue; and then suddenly contracts its dimensions, as if to gather up all its power for the mighty leap it is about to make. This is all you see here; and it is enough. '^I lefl the hotel, and went down to the Table Rock, This is usually deemed the great point of sight; and for an upper view it undoubtedly is. It is composed of seve- ral ledges of rocks, having different advantages, and pro- jecting as far over the gulf below as they can to be safe. But how shall I describe the objects before me! The mysterious veil which lay heavily yesterday on a large part of it, was now removed; and the outline of the pic- ture was mostly seen. An ordinary picture would have suffered by this; but here the real dimensions are so vast, and so far beyond what the eye has measured, that to see them is not to fetter, but to assist the imagination. This fall, which is called the Horseshoe Fall, is upwards of two thousand feet in extent, and makes a leap, on an average, of about 160 feet. Now just enlarge your con- ceptions to thepe surprising dimensions, and suppose yourself to be recumbent on the projecting rock which I have named, as near the verge as you dare, and I will assist you to look at the objects as they present them- selves. •v' THE FALLS. 103 Description of the Falls. n-land corate by the ou see irulean like a oams, despe- nsions, y leap id it is Rock, md for f seve- id pro- e safe. The L large fie pic- 1 have vast, hat to lation. wards on an r con- ippose hichi Iwill them- **You see not now above the cataract the bed of the river, but you still see the foaming heads of the rapids, like waves of the ocean, hurrying to the precipice; and over them the light clouds which float on the horizon.— Then comes the chute itself. It is not in the form of the horseshoe; it is not composed of either circular or straight lines; but it partakes of both; and throughout it is marked by projections and indentations, which give an amazing variety of form and aspect. With all this variety it is one. It has all the power which is derived from unity, and none of the stiffness which belongs to uniformity. There it fs.Ils in one dense awful mass of green waters, unbroken and resistless; here it is broken into drops, and falls like a sea of diamonds sparkling in the sun. Now it-shoots forth like rockets in endless suc- cession; and now it is so light and foaming that it dan- ces in the sun as it goes, and before it has reached the pool, it is driven up again by the ascending currents of air. Then there is the deep expanding pool below. — Where the waters pitch, all is agitation and foam, so that the foot of the fall is never seen; and beyond it and away, the waters spread themselves out like a rippling sea of liquid alabaster. This last feature is perfectly unique, and you would think nothing could add to its exquisite loveliness; but there lies on it, as if they were made for each other, **heaven*s own bow." O never had it, in heaven itself, so fdr a resting-place! << Besides, by reason of the different degress of rarity in the waters and the atmosphere, the sun is pervading the whole scene with unwonted lights and hues. And the foam which is flying off in all directions, is insensi- 104 BOOK OF W. Description of the Falls* bly condensed, and forms a pillar of cloud, which moves oyer the scene, as it once did over the tents of Israel, and apparently by the same bidding, giving amazing variety, and sublimity, and unearthliness to the picture. Then there is sound as well as sight; but what sound! it is not like the sea; nor like the thunder; nor like any thing I have heard. There is no roar, no rattle; nothing sharp or angry in its tones; it is deep, awful, one! "Well, as soon as I could disengage myself from this spot, I descended to the bed of the fall. I am never satisfied with any fall till I have availed myself of the very lowest standing it supplies: it is there usually that you become susceptible of its utmost power, I scram- bled, therefore, over the dislocated rocks, and put myself as near as possible to the object which I wished to ab- sorb me. I was not disappointed. "There were now fewer objects in the picture, but what you saw had greater prominence and power over you. Every thing ordinary — foliage, trees,- hills — was shut out; the smaller attributes of the fall were also ex- cluded; and I was lefl alone with its own greatness. At my feet the waters were creaming, swelling, and dashing away, as if in terror, from the scene of conflict, at the rate of twenty miles an hour. Above and overhaTiging me was the Table Rock, with its majestic form, and dark and livid colors, threatening to crush one. While im- mediately before me was spread in al! its height and majesty — not in parts, but as a whole, beyond what the eye could embrace — the unspeakf>ble cataract itself; with its head now touching the horizon, and seeming to fall direct from heaven, and rushing to the earth with h moves f Israel, amazing picture. sound! like any nothing il 'om this « never ■ of the lly that scram- ; myself to ab- re, but er over 3 — was Iso ex. s. At ashing at the inging d dark le im- it and at the itself; jming with \ BrUifh / 'lUl frp, . u n^4>r TtiJ'U Ji4Jrk. THE PALLS. 105 Description of tlie Falls. a weight and voice which made the rocks beneath and around me fearfully to tremble. Over this scene the cloud of foam mysteriously moved, rising upward, so as to spread itself partly on the face of the fall, and partly on the face of the sky: while over all were seen the bieau- tiful and soft colors of the rainbow, forming almost an entire circle, and crowning it with celestial glory. But it is in vain. The power, the sublimity, the beauty, the bliss of that spot, of that hour — it cannot be told. "When fairly exhausted by intensity of feeling, I strolled away towards the ferry, to pass over to the Ame- rican side. The falls here, from the distance,^ have a plain and uniform aspect: but this wholly disappears on approaching them. They are exceedingly fine. They do not subdue you as on the Canada side; but they fill you with a solemn and delightful sense of their grandeur and beauty. The character of the one is beau- tiful, inclining to the sublime; and that of the other, the sublime, inclining to the beautiful. There is a single slip of the fall on this side, which, in any other situation, would be regarded as a most noble cataract. It falls nearly 200 feet; it is full 20 feet wide at the point of fall, and spreads itself like a fan in falling, so as to strike on a line of some 50 or 60 feet. It has great power and beauty. < ried out over the head of this fall a limb of timber, with a hand-rail to it. It projects some 12 feet over the abyss, and is meant to supply the place of the Table Rock on the other side. It does so in a great measure; and as, while it is quite as safe, it gives you far less sense of safety, it disposes you the more to sympathize with ob- jects of terror. Indeed, when you fairly get to the extre- mity, and find yourself standing out in this world of wa- ters on a slip of wood only large enough for your feet to rest on, and which is quivering beneath you; when the waters are rushing down under you; when the spray is flying over you; and \^hen the eye seeks to fathom the unfathomable and boisterous gulf below; you have, per- haps, as much of the terrible as will consist with gratifi- cation. Very many of the visiters never think of encoun- tering this point of view; those who do and have a taste for it will never forget it. It is among the finest of the fine. * 'In returning, I wandered round the little island. It is covered with forest trees of a fine growth, and is full THE FALLS. 107 Description of the Falls. of picturesque beauty. Days might be spent here in happy and deep seclusion; protected from the burning sun; regaled by lovely scenes of nature, and the music of the sweetest waters; and in fellowship, at will, with the mighty falls. <*The next morning was the last; and it was given wholly to the Great Fall. I prepared, in the first instance to go behind it. This is the chief adventure; and is by most writers described as dangerous. There is no dan- ger if the overhanging rocks keep their places, and if you have moderate self-possession. I made use of the oil cloth dress provided by the guide, and was quarrelling with it as damp and uncomfortable; but that grievance was quickly disposed of. 1 had not made my entrance behind the scenes before 1 was drenched, and the less I had on the better. H ■» « . , - » » « » J » ' i, V» » ><.« X •♦ c was blown on the night s inscription isure extends ! door is pla- two thirds of . The dome iling around, m the foot of lemust have s of the deed ["he action is e monuments lOt have been