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Ill''' ii:!i|iSilii'ilil| i ■# i *■' t I O MJ win I i k'/ PICTORIAL GUIDE TO THE FALLS OF NIAGARA: MANUAL FOR VISITERS, OI\ INO AN ACCOUNT OF THIS STUPENDOUS NATURAL AVONDER ; AND ALL THE OBJECTS OF CURIOSITY IN ITS VICINITY; I WITH EVERY HISTORICAL INCIDENT OF INTEREST : AND ALSO FULL DIRECTIONS FOR VISITING THE CATARACT AND ITS NEIGHBOURING SCENES. ILLUSTRATED BY NUMEROUS MAPS, CHARTS, AND ExNGRAVINGS, FROM ORIGINAL SURVEYS AND DESIGNS. THE ILLUSTRATIONS DESIGNED AND ENGRAVED BY J. W. ORR. BUFFALO: PRESS OF SALISBURY AND CLAP P. 18 42. Entered according to Act of Congress, by JOHN W. OR R, in the Clerk's Office of the Northern District of New-York, in the year 1842. INTRODUCTION. HE wonderful cataract of Niagara, the ir^ost grand and stupendous nat- ural curiosity in the world, is annu- ally visited by so many thousands of people from the diflerent countries of Europe and America, that a work which shall serve the purpose of a guide to the Falls, and point out, in a plain perspicuous manner,, a judicious routine of observation, so that the stranger may be enabled, by. its assistance alone, to find his way without loss of time or unnecessary toil, to every place which it is desirable to visit, and every point from which a good view may be obtained, must be a desideratum to the travelling public. A work, which in addition to this, embodies a full account of this remarkable phenomenon, and the region of wild and picturesque beauty in which it is situate, illustrated and embellished by accu- rate maps, and numerous engravings, from origi- nal and careful surveys and drawings, must pre- sent still stronger claims to popular regard, and I IV I N T 11 D U C T I O X . be, indeed, indispensable to the Niagara visitant. It was the hope and vvisli of the autiior, to render this such a worl;, — to embody all that is known of the Falls, and the strait by which they are form- ed ; with full, yet concise directions to the visiter, for prosecuting his examination of the cataract and other interesting objects of curiosity, in their neighbourhood ; and a brief, but full account of the leading historical, and fortuitous events, which have 'transpired at the Falla, or in their vicinity, down to the present date ; and to enrich it vith maps, charts, and engravings, — to make it, in short, not only useful, and even essential to the traveller, but interesting and ornamental, — such a work as must prove to the purchaser of real utility and value. To what extent we have suc- ceeded in this hope, is for others to determine. The author disclaims any attempt to describe the Falls of Niagara, simply, because they r.re in- describable. Others may, perhaps, imagine they have succeeded in doing this, as people have been silly enough to fancy they could quadrate the cir- cle, generate perpetual motion, and achieve other like impossibilities. But the public must be aware — though they may not be — of how utterly they have failed to express even a shadow of the colos- sal grandeur and divine sublimity of the scene. ^ INTRODUCTION. All tliat can he clone by the most gifted, is to point out the best places of observation, and instruct the reader how to examine the wonders and glories of Niagara, by calling his attention to a few general characteristics of the cataract, and to individual features of particular parts : but to give a person, who has never seen the Falls, any definite idea of their ineflable beauty and majesty, is immeasura- bly beyond the art of any writer however talented, of any painter, however happy in the impress of his genius. A few words on the subject of our arrangement. The most simple plan is always the best. The one suggested by the natural situation and order of things and events, is that we have adopted, be- cause it is free from obscurity and complexity ; and every portion falls into its j)roper place, as if by its own specific gravity ; — the First Part, treating of the Niagara Strait, its topography and leading characteristics, and the towns, villages, fortifica- tions, and other improvements on its borders ; ihe Second, of the Falls, and other remarkable scenes in' their vicinity ; to every part of which, in proper succession, the reader is * guided' by full direc- tions, easy to be understood, and to follow ; and the Third and last, of the history of the Falls, and of the casualties, adventures, incidents, etc. which It VI INTRODUCTION. might be su])posed interesting to peruse, and de- sirable to know. Cherishing the hope, that we have in this vol- ume, produced a "clidk to the falls," of pleas- ing aspect and agreeable manners ; one, that neither morose, indillerent, nor yet too garrulous, has honesty without insolence, vivacity without caprice, and enthusiasm without atl'ectation ; we commend this, our first literary banthng, to the castigation of critics, by which it may be improv- ed, and to the favour of the public, by whom we hope to be rewarded. N OTE. — Since this work I)as been in press, some changes and improvements liave been made. Our friend, Mr. C. B. Griffin, has taken the Clifton House, from wliich Mr. Chrysler has retired. Whether or not, tiie Eaple Hotel will pass into new hands, is yet undecided. At tlie Mineral Sjiring, a Board- ing House, and Baths have been erected, for the accommoda- tion of visiters, and particularly invalids. The sixty-seventh British Infantry have been ordered home to England. These are the most important. Buffalo, Ariiir, 1842. DIRECTIONS TO VISITERS. A VING arrived at the Falls, and b chosen your hotel, enter your name II on the register, secure your room, procure a copy of the Pictorial J Guide to Niagara Falls, which contains many views of the cataract, and other objects of interest, in its vicinity, and full direc- tions for finding all the best points of view, so as to employ your time to the most advantage, and proceed at once, to Prospect Point, from which you have the best view of the Falls, on the Ameri- can side. Feast your eyes on the splendid scenery of river, banks, rapids, and cascades, as long as you desire ; and then pass up the stream and along the shore to the bridge. Cross that to Bath Island, register your name, pay twenty-five cents toll, and then continue on to Iris Island. Having ascended the bank, turn to the right, and follow the path to the lower end of the Island. Gaze there as long as you list, at the Central and American Falls, and the magnificent vista of river and cliff below, «.* I VIU D I 11 K C T I O N S and tlien cross the bridge to Prospect Island, and enjoy a most magniiicent view ol" the American Fall. Returning to Iris Island, pass on round it, till you reach the great Fall. Descend the bank to the Terrapin Bridge, and from the rocks at its ex- tremity, behold majesty, in^.mensiiy, power, gran- deur, and beauty I Next ascend the Terrapin Tower, and gaze around, above, below. Now, retrace your steps to the Biddle Stair-case, pro- cure a proper dress, and descend the shaft to the base of the precipice. From the foot of the Stair- case, pass up to the British Fall, and bend your wondering gaze upon the floods that come tumb- ling down the cliff, far, far above you, and fall in foam and thunder at your feet. Pass behind the sheet as far as you can or dare ; and returning, make your way back to the Stair-case, pass it by, and continue on to the Central Fall, and the Cave of the Winds. Pause for a moment, to survey the scene of wonder above and around you ; de- scend the giant steps, enter the regions of thunder and spray, and to the last hour of your life, you will never forget that cave, its sights, and sounds. Returning, ascend the Biddle steps, change your dress, pay the charge, and then complete the cir- cuit of Iris Island, and re-crossing the bridge, rest TO VISITERS. IX and and refrosh yourstll tor a brief seasun, at your hotel, or elsi'\vht'i«\ Tliatdour, proceed to tlic Ferry Siair?«, descend, take a view of the Aineriean Fall from its foot, pass heliind tlie sI^hM, if you like, and then cross the river. From tlie centre of the stream, you have a view of the Falls beyond conception grand. On landing, pay your ferriaije, eighteen and three fourths cents, and ascend by a smoolli carriage road, to the top of the bank, where another glori- ous view of the Falls is presented. Proceed along the brow of the baidi to Table Ilock, and if the sublime and beautiful liave any charms for you, or the awful and terrible any power to thrill, you cannot there remain unmovjMJ. At the budding, just below Table Rock, procure a change of dress, and a guide, and then descend the winding stairs, and pass up to the foot of the Horse-shoe Full. Give to the grandeur of this scene a few moji.ents' observation, and tlien fol- low your guide through the driving spray, to Ter- mination Rock, one hundred and fifty feet behind the hangmg tapestry of floods. That scene will never fade from your memory — it is grand, im- pressive, and even awful. Emerging from this home of the mist -throned thunder, ascend the stairs, change your dress, register your name, re- I I' ^ Ut ) ■I «l 1 -l„ 1) 1 li F. C T I O N S . ceive a certificate, pay the charge, and return along the bank to the Museum. A short visit to tliis fine collection of natural and artificial curiosities, will not be regretted. From the piazza, you can enjoy a glorious view of the whole crescent of cataracts, the rapids above and the abyss below. Leaving the Muse- um, return to the ferry, cross the river, and re- gain your hotel. You have seen enough for once, now rest and refresh yourself, reflect upon what you have beheld, examine your guide book, and decide what points you ore next to visit. In Part II. of this woik, more particular direc- tions are given for such a round of observation, as that sketched above, which is designed only for a kind of general index or chart, to guide the visiter in his first impatient movements. Take the book v/ith you, refer to it as occasion sug- gests, or requires, and you will not only he guided rii^ht, but will overlook nothing' If you arrive at ihe Falls on the Canada side, the order of your examination will be so far revers- ed, that you will first visit the several points and obtain the views mentioned as on that shore, and then, crossing the ferry, be guided by the direc- tions given above. litmaammmm mm iMSNi > CONTENTS. PART I. NIAGARA STRAIT AND THE BORDERING SETTLEMENTS. CHAPTER I. The Cataract — how fortiiLMi — River — St. Lawrence — Sup- ply of water? — Sitii.ition oftlio Falls — Origin ami meaning of the name — Chinafo — Aiiiin.ite an inanimate Hfe — General aspect — Natural religion — Inducements to vis ".ers — Routes of approach: — Page, 17 CHAPTER II. Buffalo — its situation — harbour — light-house — history- buildings — hotels — R itlihiui — his enterprise — Forgeries — imprisonment — fate — 'I'lu; Excliango — The City — its pros- pects — Steam and otiier ho.its — Government Works — Excur- sions — Rail-roads — Ci)iiveyance to tlie Falls : — Page, . 27 CHAPTER III. Fort Erie — situation and architecture — surrender — siege — Ruins — Waterloo — Black Rock — Rivalry — General Por- ter — Tonawaiuia — vilhigo and creek — catfish and agues — Schlosser Landing — Cliinpewa — Creek — Battle Ground — Fort Schlosser : — P 41 CHAPTER IV. Village of Niagara Falls — Eagle Hotel — Mr. Hooker and sons — Cataract Hotel — (ion, Whitney — Niagara Falls Hotel — Rathbun's enterprise — City of the Falls — Clifton — Clifton House — Col. Chrysler — Pavilion Hotel — Camera Ohscura — Museum, etc. : — Pago, 51 CH A PT ER V. Mountain plain — Lewistori — Quecnston — Youngstown — Niagara Vill.ige — Fort Cnirgo — Fort Massasauga — Fort Ni- agara — Traditions — Indian incursions — Surprisal — Abduc- I Xll CONTENTS. lion and murder of Mor^Mii — Repairs — Additions and Arma- ment: — Page, 65 CHAPTER VI. Niagara Strait — breadth — doptli — rajii Is — general appear- ance — navigation — Steam Boats — Fulton — Islands — Grand Island — Boston Timber Coin|)aiiy — Village — Mills — Vessels destroyed — Buck-horn Island — Navy Island — Military occu- pation : — Pc 0^1 75 CHAP r 1: R V 1 1. Niagara River — course and velocity — loveliness — divisions and characteristics — height of banks — de[)th — breadth — de- scent of the stream — Retrocession of the Falls — Concluding remarks : — Page, 84 PART II. THE CATARACT ANI> OTHKU Ol'JF.CTS OF CURIOSITY. CHAPTER I. Apostrophe to the Falls —First feeling — General features — The Rapids — Cascades — For!n and size of the Cataract — Spray — The Abyss — Water carricnl over- Roar — Baromet- rical — Vibrations of tlie Earth — Hues and Tints — Scenery — Summer — Autumn — Winter — Ice-Bridge — Design of the Creator:— Page, 93 CHAPTER II. Preliminary Remarks — Direct ions — Prospect Point — View on the Canada Side — Views on the American Side — Prospect Place — American Fall — Waro's 01)servatory — Bridge to Bath Island — Toll House — Mr. Jacobs — Mastodon Tooth — Ship and Brig Islands — Lover's Retreat — Popping the Question: — Page, . . . . • Ill CH/XPTER III. Iris Island — Names, Initials and Dates on the Trees — The C C » N T E N T S . XI 11 Hog's Back — Central Fall — I'lospcct Island — View of the American Fall — Other Islands — F'lotilcs on the rock — Rain- bow — Terrapin Bridge and Kotks — Uorse-shoc Fall — Pros- pect Tower : — Page, 121 CIIAP'J'ER IV. Blddle Stair-case — Angling — Sam Patch — Mr. Smith — Fancied Danger — Britisii Fall — Lower Fishing-Rock — Cave of the Winds — Foot of Prospect Island — Passing under the American Fall — Circnit of the Island — Encroachment of the River — Moss Island — Three Sisters — Head of Iris Island — Mounds and Skeletons : — Page, 131 CHAPTER V. Ferry Stairs — Catlin's Cave — CliantCavc — View from the River — Road up the Bank — Grand view of the Falls — View from Table Rock — Table Ruck — Disruptions — Vari '1 ap- pearance of the Fall — Starkcy's Rooms — Staircase — View from below — Termination Rock — IMuscum — Camera Obscu- ra — Iris Island at night: — P^'go, 147 CHAPTER VI. Remarks and Advice — Good Counsel — Public Garden — Road down the Bank — Indian Ladder — Point View — Miner- al Spring — View of the cataract — Wiiirlpool Rapids — Whirl- pool Lodge — Whirlpool — Bodies — Descent — Varied Aspect — Raft in the Whirlpool —Devil's Hole — Hewlett's Cellar — Lewiston Heights : — Page, 166 CHAPTERVII. Queenston Heights — Brock's Monument — blown up — Cove or Chasm — Whirlpool — Bcncackie Point, view from — Muddy Run — Cascade — Bank opjjosite — Bender's Cave — Improve- ments — Channel — Lundy's Lane — Street's Point — Burning Spring — Bridge water — Ch ippc wa — Bat tie ground — Conclu- ding Remarks: — Page, 182 f-rr- XIV CONTENTS. PART III. HISTORICAL SKETCH, ACCIDE.VTS AND ADVENTURES. CHAPTER I. Early History of tlie Falls — fVencli Est;il)lishments — Expe- dition of LiiSallo — Hennci)iri's tour of Exploration — other vis- iters — Changes in the Cataract — Want of Data, etc, . 199 CHAPTER II. Accidents at the Falls — Traditionary Reminiscence — Loss of the Boat Indej)endence — Other Casualties — Death of Dr. Hungerford — Concluding Remarks : — Page, .... 200 CHAPTER III. Vessels sent over the Falls — Schooner Michigan — Schoon- er Superior — Ship Detroit — Sublime Spectacle — Adventur- ous Daring — Danger and rescue of Ciiapin — of Allen — the Meed of Merit ". — Page, 210 CHAPTER IV. Patriot occupation of Navy Island — Employ of the Caroline — Misrepresentation and Resolve — Caroline Attacked — Dur- fee murdered — Vessel fired and sent over the Falls — Evacu- ation of the Island : — Page, 214 CHAPTER V. Hermit of the Falls — his arrival at Niagara — effect of the scenery — his habits, manners, and endowments — residence and death — other particulars : — Page, 221 CHAPTER VI. Massacre at the Devil's Hole: — British Convoy — Indian Ambuscade — Attack, Surprise, Defeat, Catastrophe — Escape of Steadman and one other — Relics, etc,: — Page, . . 224 CHAPTER VII. Noah's Folly : — Brilliant Conception — Unparalleled Proc- lamation — Magnificent Pageantry — Memorials of these W^on- derfulEvents — Sublime Finale: — Page 229 rURES. — Expe- 'thervis- . 199 3 — Loss h of Dr. . 206 Sclioon- Iventur- (n — the . 210 Caroline — Dur- Evacu- . 214 of the sidence • 221 Indian Escape . 224 Proc- Won- . 229 b' I nrv K I ■' fii t: '■. ■ • ' !' '<■ I '^*-^^l*'''''''^'**'''^' #' .''K ..,„.»«»;v,Ki' .v«V n,.ir„i. PICTORIAL GUIDE TO NIAGARA FALLS. PART I. NIAGARA STRAIT AND THE BORDERING SETTLEMENTS. " Unchanging form ! unceasing roar ! Niagara, — what art thou? Spray — Thunder — Foam — The breath — the voice — the robes of G o D 1" n NIAGARA. There's nothing great or bright, thou glorious Fall! Thou may'st not to the fuiicy's sense recall — The thunder-riven cloud, tiie lightning's leap, The stirring oftiie ciianibers oftlie deep, Earth's emerald green, and many-tinted dyes, The fleecy-whiteness of tiie upper skies, The tread of armies, thick'ning as they come, The boom of cannon, and the beat of drum, The brow of beauty, and the form of grace. The passion, and the prowess of our race. The song of Homer in its loftiest hour, The unresisted sweep of Roman power, Britannia's trident on tiie azure sea, America's young shout of liberty ! Oh ! may the wars that madden in thy deeps. There spend their rage, nor climb th* encircling steeps ; And, till the conflict of thy surges cease, The Nations on thy banks repose in peace ! Morpeth. Nov. 3, ISU. H PICTORIAL GUIDE all! TO NIAGARA FALLS. eeps CHAPTER I. THE CATARACT — HOW FORMED — RIVER — ST. LAWRENCE — SUPPLY OF WATERS — SITUATION OF THE FALLS — ORIGIN AND MEANING OF THE NAME — CLIMATE — ANIMATE AND INANI- MATE LIFE — GENERAL ASPECT — NATURAL RELIGION — IN- DUCEMENTS TO VISITERS — ROUTES OF APPROACH. NIAGARA. Shrine of Omnipotence! How vast, how grand, How awful, yet how beautiful art thou ! Pillar'd around by everlasting hills, Robed in the drapery of descending floods, Crowned by the rainbow, canopied by clouds That roll in incense up from thy dread base, Hid by their mantling o'er the vast abyss. Upon whose verge thou standest, whence ascends The mighty anthem of thy Maker's praise, Hymn'd in eternal tliunders ! ATURE has many waterfalls, a few cataracts — one Niagara 1 That stands alone, vast, grand, indescrib- able I — the mighty alembic in which ^^the world of waters is refined and etherealized ! — the august throne upon which B 18 PICTORIAL GUIDE h ! Nature sits, clothed in the glorious attributes of power and beauty! — the everlasting altar, at whose cloud-wrapt base the elements pay homage to Omnipotence ! — The floods that pour down its tremendous heights, seem gushing from the open- ed heavens, and plunging into the depths of the unfathomable abyss! — Air groans, earth trem- bles, deep calleth unto deep, and answering thun- ders roll up the vast empyrean ! Like a seething hell the gulf below sends up the smoke of its torment, and the foam of agony thickens upon the face of the dread profound, while far above upon the verge of the precipice, sits the sweet Iris — like faith upon a dying martyr's brow — arching the fearful chasm with its outspread arms, and smiling through all the terrors of the scene. Bright bow of Promise ! Sit ever thus upon the beetling brow Of the dread cataract, which but for thee Were all too terrible : — Smile ever thus, Making that beautiful which else were hideous. This cataract, the most wonderful and amazing curiosity in the natural world, is formed by the precipitous descent of the river Niagara down a ledge of rocks of more than one hundred and sixty feet perpendicular height, into an abyss or basin below, of unknown, but probably much greater TO NIAGARA FALLS. 19 azmg y the vn a ixty |)asin ater depth. The river Niagara is that portion of the St. Lawrence, by which the lakes Erie and Onta- tario* are united. It is the outlet by which the vast volume of surplus waters of those great inland seas, Erie, Huron, Michigan, Superior, and of the St. Clair and other smaller lakes and streams, is poured into lake Ontario, from whence, by the river and gulf of St. Lawrence, it finds its way to the Atlantic ocean. The St. Lawrence is one of the largest and longest rivers on the globe, having its source in the rocky mountains, many hundred feet above the level of the sea, and distant from the ocean into which it flows, more than two thousand miles. Some idea of the immense quantity of water forced over the falls of Niagara, may be formed from the fact, that the lakes and tributaries which supply the river Niagara, cover a surface of not less than one hundred and fifty thousand square miles ; and contain, as nearly as can be estimated, about one half of all the fresh water on the globe. The land surface drained by this vast extent of lakes and rivers, measures scarcely less than half a million of square miles. While the earth and * This lake was formerly called Lake Frontenac, after a French Count of that name, who was erst Governor of Canada. 20 PICTORIAL GUIDE the oporations of nature continue without material cliango, Niagara must ever exliibit a eccnc of undiminished grandeur and sublimity. This stupendous cataract is situate in latitude 43° C north, and longitude 2^6' west from Wash- ington. It is twenty-two miles north from the efflux of the river, at Lake Erie ; and fourteen miles south, from the introgression of the stream into Lake Ontario. The whole length of the river is therefore, thirty-six miles — its general course is a few points to the west of north. Though commonly called a river, this portion of the St. Lawrence is, more properly speaking, a strait, connecting as above mentioned, the lakes Eric and Ontario, and conducting the superfluous waters of the great seas and streams above, through a broad and divided, and afterwards compressed, devious and irregular channel, to the latter lake, into which it empties — the point of union being about forty miles from the western extremity of the lake. Niagara is a word of Indian origin — the orthog- raphy, accentuation, and meaning of which are variously given by different authors. It is highly probable that this diversity might be accounted for and explained, by tracing the appellation through the dialects of the several tribes of aborigines, who formerly inhabited the neighbouring country. 'I TO NIAGARA FALLS. 21 natcrial :ciic of latitude Wash- om the 3urteen stream le river course riiough the St. STRAIT, ric and ters of broad evious into about lake, rthog- are lighly edfor ough jines, ntry. t I m I Such an investigation, however interesting to the philologist, would i)resent but little m raction to the general reader, and is theri'fore quite foreign to our present purpose. Tl/f"re is reason to believe that the etymon belongs to the language of the Iroquois, and signifies the Thunder of Waters. The word Niagara has also been defined ** a larffc neck (or strait J of water j" — ** across the neck (or strait) of water,** — " a fall of icater,*' — *^ broken water," — ** running icater" — *' the voice of wa- tcrs," etc. That this name was applied by the natives to the river (or strait) as well as to the cataract itself, is certain : •^adjectively, it has been retained by both — substantively, it should belong to the latter. The climate of Niagara is in the highest degree healthful and invigorating. The atmosphere, con- stantly acted upon by the rushing water, the noise and the spray, is kept pure, refreshing, and salu- tary. There are no stagnant pools or marshes near, to send abroad their fcetid exhalations, and noxious miasmas, poisoning the air and producing disease. The face of the country for miles around, though nearly level, or but slightly undulating, is yet so elevated, as to be neither damp, disagreeable, nor unwholesome. No pestilential or epidemic com- plaints ever infest this spot; — it is sacred from 1 22 PICTORIAL GUIDE their approach. E\en the cholera kept aloof from its raging waters. Sweet-breathing herbs, and beautiful wild flow- ers spring up spontaneously even on the sides, and in the crevices of the giant rocks ; and luxuriant clusters of firs and other fine forest trees, cover the islands, crown the clifls, and overhang the banks of Niagara, where their emerald foliage wan- tons with the feather-footed spray to the music of its roar, and they grow and gladden in the bounty of its breath and the joy of its presence. Here are no moschetoes to annoy, no reptiles to alarm, and no wild animals to intimidate; — yet there is life and vivacity. The many-hued butterfly sips ambrosia from the fresh-opened honey-cup — birds carol their lays of love among the spray-star- red branches — and the lively squirrel skips chatter- ing from tree to tree. Varieties of water-fowl sport among the rapids, the sea-gull plays around the precipice, and the Eagle — the banner-bird of free- dom — hovers above the cataract, plumes his grey pinions in its curling mists, and makes his home among the giant firs of its inaccessible islands. Around the Falls all is soft, yet exciting — the cataract itself, terrible yet attractive. It has a fearful yet fascinating beauty, a dreadful but allur- ing greatness. Apt emblem of Diviniry ! it awes its TO NIAGARA FA LLS. 23 while it invites — and while it commands reve- rence, it secures affection. Nature, as if by a revelation of her beauty and majesty, to teach us a religion in which justice is softened by mercy, and authority sweetened by love, has here con- centrated her powers of thrilling and exciting, and gathered round one holy spot of earth ali that can awe and terrify, with all that inspires and delights. The great features of Niagara are ever the same, but their individual expression is constantly changing. With every season, with every sun- beam, with every shade they assume a different appearance, inspire a fresh interest, and exact a new admiration. Serener skies and a more salubrious atmos- phere are nowhere to be found. Add to this the ocean-formed, rock-pillared, cloud-mantled cata- ract, and the marvels and glories by which this most sublime and stupendous of all natural won- ders is surrounded, and what man or woman pos- sessing leisure and means, would not desire to visit Niagara, if but to pay the homage of a day's admiration at this altar and type of the Eternal. An hour at the foot of Niagara would amply reward a pilgrimage from Timbuctoo or Pekin ; and yet one can scarcely begin to realize its '•w ii U 24 PICTORIAL GUIDE grandeur, immensity, sublimity, and beauty, in less than the lapse of days. No place on the civilized earth offers such attrac- tions and inducements to visiters as Niagara, and they can never be fully known except to those who see them, from the utter impossibility of des- cribing such a scene as this wonderful cataract presents: — when motion can be expressed by colour, there will be some hope of imparting a faint idea of it — but until that can be done, Niagara must remain undescribed. The invalid may here find rest, refreshment, healthful exercise, and pure air, and that gentle exhilaration of mental and bodily spirits, so desir- able in all cases, and often so necessary to a speedy recovery. The convalescent will here be relieved from the languor of weakness, and much of the danger of relapse, by the pleasurable excite- ment scenes of such extreme beauty and majesty must ever produce. The business man, desirous of escaping for a time the troublous round of toil and care in which he commonly moves, can here enjoy his leisure, and dignify his relaxation. The merchant or planter, flying for a season from the fever-smitten cities and fields of the south, will find here the safety he covets, and the happiness he cannot but desire. Ill and M -J TO NIAGARA FALLS. 25 The man of science can nowhere else find such an ample field for research, nor a subject which would so much honour investigation ; for, destined to be the wonder of all time, Niagara is yet almost entirely unknown, though the world is full of its fame. What chronicles of past ages may there not be niched in these eternal walls 1 — what mon- uments of mighty changes sculptured on these hoary rocks? This mountain-rent chasm is an unsealed volume of the past ! Who has the skill to divine its mystic lore — to decipher its time- traced pages ? — Let him come I The lover of nature can here gratify his longing, and hold sweet communion with the object of his adoration ; nay, more, he will find here the temple of his divinity, and may stand beneath the very arches of its altar ! Every one who has an eye to perceive, a heart to feel, and a soul to realize the grandest exhibitions of creative energy, and the mightiest manifestations of Omnipotent power, will here find an answer to his highest aspirations, a favourable response to his desire for the spirit- kindling ecstacy of emotion. There is however one class of people, (at least we fear there is,) those who cannot relish the vast unless it descends to the vulgar, nor enjoy the sub- lime, unless it stoops to the sensual — for whom . i i ii ;! 26 PICTORIAL GUIDE neither Heaven above, nor Niagara on earth were ever intended ; and they (if there be any such,) are especially requested to keep as far from the latter place, as they are like to be kept from the former. Nothing can be less endurable than being bored by an unmitigated blockhead, while gazing upon such sublime and thrilling scenes. It is like Paradise with a devil — only worse ! There are various routes by which travellers from distant parts of the country approach the Falls. The principal ones however, terminate at Buffalo, the commencement of steam-navigation on lake Erie ; or at Lewiston, (or Queenston, opposite,) the landing place of the lake Ontario, and St. Lawrence steamers. From either of these places, it is a short ride to the Falls, and there are different modes of conveyance. The traveller will of course, suit his inclination by choosing that which pleases him best. rth were y such,) from the rrom the »Ie than d, while nes. It r avellers ach the Inate at dgation enston, Ontario, )f these re are er will that TO NIAGARA FALLS. 27 CHAPTER II. BUFFALO — ITS SITUATION — HARBOUR — MGHT-HOUSE — HIS- TORY — BUILDINGS — HOTELS — RATHBUN — IIIS EN TKRI'UISE — FORGERIES — IMPRISONMENT — FATE — THE EXCHANGE — THE CITY — ITS PROSPECTS — STEAM AND OTHER BOATS — GOVERNMENT WORKS — EXCURSIONS — RAIL-ROADS — CON- VEYANCE TO THE FALLS. " Queen of the Lakes, whose trihutary seas Stretch from the frozen regions of the North To Soiitliern climates, where the wanton breeze O'er field and forest goes rejoicing forth : — "Thou art the sovereign City of the Lakes, Crowned and acknowledged — may thy fortunes be Vast as the domain which thine empire takes, And onward, as thy waters to the sea." H E several towns, villages, and other important places bordering on the Niagara strait, claim our first attention, and will be noticed in the order of succession suggested by their relative situation, begining at the commence- ment of the stream, and ending with its termina- tion at lake Ontario. This arrangement, following the course of the river, is sufficiently recommended by its simplicity, and natural harmony of parts. They form a series of links of which the strait is the connecting chain ; and starting at the lake I', iiii M II 1 28 PICTORIAL GUIDE from which it depends, we trace it down to that which it sustains. Buffalo is then the proper point of departure, and from that city we accord- ingly set forth. BUFFALO FROM ABOVE FORT ERIE, U. C. Buffalo, the Queen of the Lakes, Has at the foot of Lake Erie, at the mouth of Buffalo Creek, at the effluence of the Niagara River, or Strait, and at the head of the Erie Canal. It has an excellent harbour, protected by a massy stone pier, at the extremity of which, there is a sub- stantial stone light-house, constructed of the best 1 to that B proper accord- i - ■■— r-:-. I at the 'reek, •trait, |as an stone sub- best A'A i TO NIAGARA FALLS. 29 materials, and in the most durable manner — a perfect model of that kind of architecture. It was laid out in 1801, became a military post in 1812, was burnt by the British in 1813, was incorporated as a village in 1823, and chartered as a city in 1832. It is divided into five wards, and contains about two thousand houses, and nearly twenty thousand inhabitants. Most of the build- ings are good, many of them large, and quite a number uncommonly spacious and elegant. There are thirteen churches, two large markets, a splendid theatre, a fine court-house, and several other public edifices of creditable size and architec- ture. The principal hotels are, the American Hotel, the Western Hotel, the Mansion House, and the United States Hotel. These are all large and well conducted, and pleasantly situate. The two first have a fine and commanding appearance, and are surmounted by noble domes, from whence extensive views are presented of the city, lake, river and surrounding country. The Mansion House at the junction of Main and Exchange streets, and opposite to the Terrace Market, is an old-estabUshed and excellent stand, conveniently near the principal points of depar- ture, of high reputation, and deserving a generous share of patronage. Under the management of 30 PICTORIAL GUIDE its present worthy and experienced proprietors, Messrs. Hall and Van Tuyl, we are confident that it will merit and receive ample assurances of public favour. The Western Hotel, an extensive and beauti- ful building, at the intersection of Pearl-street with the Terrace, is just completed, and opened under the most flattering auspices. The site of this noble hotel is very fine ; and its proximity to the har- bour, the canal, and the rail-roads, commends it to the patronage of business men ; while its exten- sive accommodations, and the unsurpassed views it affords of the Lake, the Niagara River, and the TO NIAGARA FALLS. 31 prietors, onfident Inces of Ibeauti- et with under noble har- nds it lexten- views dthe <" Canada shore, make it an attractive sojourn for pleasure-travellers. Its numerous advantages of construction and position, assure its becoming im- mediately one of the most popular, and best sus- tained hotels in the country. The American Hotel is one of the best and most commodious in the Union, and cost nearly one hundred thousand dollars. This hotel, the theatre, several of the churches, and a large number of other buildings, comprising many of the best in the city, were erected by Benjamin Rathbun, to whom, more than to any other individual, Buffalo 32 PICTORIAL GUIDE is indebted for its present size, prosperity and beauty. Possessing a powerful and ambitious mind, and a vigorous, though not robust frame of body, he was enabled to conceive and carry on a scheme of improvements, as gigantic and comprehensive in its extent, as it was lamentable and unfortunate to ity and % M |nd, and ►dy, he leme of isive in mate to TO NIAGARA FALLS. 33 him in its result. The streets were filled with his men, teams, and materials ; his store-houses, work-shops, and stables formed, as it were, villages of themselves ; and he, a plain, frugal, unobtru- sive, but active and talented man, was the '^ Girard of the West." Industrious, persevering, indefati- gable, he had but one great fault, and that he is now ©xpiciiliig in the penitentiary. He trusted too implicitly in others. The whole management and control of all the financial afl^airs, growing out of, and united with his extensive business and building operations, were intrusted to persons connected with him by the closest ties of blood and interest, whose integ- rity he could not doubt, and of whose affection he felt fully assured. By these persons a system of forgery, narrow at first, but widening rapidly as time advanced, was commenced, and continued, — solely, however, for convenience, and not from any intention to defraud, — for many months be- fore it came to his knowledge. When it did, he made every exertion in his power to call in the fictitious paper they had issued, and in the effort to accomplish this, and when at the very point of success, he fell a victim to the rapacity and du- plicity of men, who had all been benefitted, almost enriched by his exertions and improvements ; and c I 34 PICTORIAL GUIDE some of whom were under personal obligations to him for many, and by no means inconsiderable^ favours. He was arrested, thrown into prison, and immur- ed in a cell about three feet by seven, where he lan- guished for nearly two years. His vast property was seized upon, under a deed of assignment, obtained by artifice ; and thus fettered and power- less, he was left to contend against a fate, dreadful to him, but necessary to the interests of his oppo- sers. Wealth and influence — even ofhis own large possessions — were arrayed against one penny- less and imprisoned, but still proof against tempta- tion, and great even in his downfall. His unhappy destiny, aided by high talent, and urged by infa- mous means, could not be averted, though in spite of every art and every intrigue, it was long de- layed. Indictments were procured against him for forgery, and eminent counsel engaged -to sup- port the prosecution. He was tried at Batavia, but the jury could not agree. At Buflalo he was afterwards tried and acquitted. And finally, he was again tried at Batavia, convicted, and sen- tenced to the state-prison for five years. Eighteen months of this term remain unexpired. Mr. Rathbun had been for a long period so in- timately and closely connected with the growth J TO NIAGARA FALLS. 35 and business of Buffalo, that no apology will be deemed necessary for this brief outline sketch of his failure and fate, nor for his portrait on a pre- ceding page ; tin more particularly, that travellers are curious to -am all they can concerning one of whom they have heard so much, but know so little, and often ask many questions about him, which do not always succeed in eliciting truth. The streets of the city are lined with proofs of his taste, genius and enterprise, and for years the history of the place could have been little else than a record of his improvements. His reputation as a landlord extended over the Union ; and the fame of his subsequent greatness and fall, had a still wider celebrity. Whatever may be the opinions of men as to the justice of his present condition, his great ability must be admitted by all, and his errors and misfortunes be remembered with regret. Shortly before the catastrophe which put a period to his operations, Mr. Rathbun commenc- ed a noble structure on Main-street opposite the churches ; to make room for which, a whole block of four-story brick stores had been taken down. It was to have been called the " Buffalo Exchange," would have covered the whole square, measuring two hundred and forty-five by two hundred feet, and was designed to rear its proud HI n 36 PICTORIAL GUIDE and portly dome to a height of no less than two hundred and twenty-two feet. Had this building (the massive foundation of which was partly laid) gjU U IMJU U U y iJ U'U U' U'l/IJI .;.■■ I -I' V.' • .vo'^'- \1v"H^ • 1 \ • • 4 , 1 ^ V '■ ^ ■/■ /• « • ^'^^ .\ ■\ \ ^ • •s y- \ .^^ ,i. -i V , y' \\ V' V - \^' \V .'V V ' ^-~ I,'! /. J : J - I S. V TO NIAGARA FALLS. 51 CHAPTER IV. VILLAGE OF NIAGARA FALLS — EAGLE HOTEL — MR. HOOKER ANT) SONS — CATARACT HOTEL — GEN. WHITNEY — NIAGARA FALLS HOTEL — RATHBUN'S ENTERPRISE — CITY OF THE FALLS — CLIFTON — CLIFTON HOfSE — COT,. CHRYSLER — PA- VILION HOTEL — CAMERA OBSCURA — MUSEUM — ETC. *' Higli-seated on the crests of cliffs sublime, Like eaglets on the mountain tops of time, In unawakened energy repose Cities in embryo — between wliich flows, Down the dread cataract, and through the chasm, With ever-angry rush and many a spasm, A mighty torrent — ocean-like in size. Whose mists and thunders mingle with the skies, ij. intied by frowning walls that shake with dread J^- ! vibration of its earthquake tread!" H E village of Niagara Falls, lies just above, and adjacent to, the Cat- aract, on the American side. It was laid out in 1805 by Judge Por- ter, who is principal proprietor of the place, and of the Islands at and near the preci- pice. He has a fine mansion house in which he has resided for many years. His brother, General Porter, has also a large estate at the Falls, and a splendid house, in which he lives. Grand Niag- ara, was the name originally given to the place, which was subsequently changed to Manchester ; 11 I 11 j. "lii ill 'M ■ I ' JJ.LLJ, , J - ' J" ' -.uu.... I ' - 52 PICTORIAL GUIDE li.i but some inconvenience having attended this ap- pellation, it has long been disused, and that of Niagara Falls substituted. The village contains two churches, two large hotels, several other pub- lic houses, two schools, eighty-five dwellings, and about six hundred inhabitants. Sharing the fate of other places on the frontier, it was burnt by the British in 1813. EAOLE HOTEL. The Eagle Hotel, a few steps from the Buf- falo and Niagara Falls rail-road, is a fine large building, fronting on Main-street, one hundred and twenty-five feet, and seventy feet deep. It was formerly of wood, but its dimensions having been found much too small, the brick part v/as TO NIAGARA FALLS. 53 added by Mr. Rathbuil, in 1835. This portion is substantially built, and is four stories high. The wooden part was well and tastefully constructed, and has magnificent colonnades on the front and south sides. The rooms are numerous, large, well ventilated, and convenient ; and are admirably arranged, and elegantly furnished. The proprie- tor, Mr. C. B. Griffin, is a gentleman well known to the travelling public, as a most worthy, efficient, and obliging landlord. Visiters will find his table, wines, liquors, and attendance all that can be de- sired, and his charges reasonable. Connected with this hotel, which has ample accommodations for one hundred persons, there is a beautiful gar- den, well laid out with gravelled walks, and con- taining a great variety of shrubs, plants, flowers, and fruit-trees — a most agreeable and pleasant place of resort, which should not be neglected. Of cherries, there are, in their season, great abundance, which are particularly recommended. There is in the same building, a small shop for the sale of canes, confections, Indian curiosities, and mineral specimens ; and a fine billiard room just below. Mr. S. Hooker, guide to the Falls, has his office and residence next, south of the Eagle Hotel ; and to all, who may desire such attendance, U-. it r. !l « 54 PICTORIAL GUIDE offers his valuable services. Mr. H. and his two sons, are the only guides to the Falls who have made this their regular profession, and they de- serve notice and patronage. He is, in spite of MR. S. HOOKER. his name, an upright, intelligent, and worthy man, who has resided at the Falls for twenty-six years, and has a perfect acquaintance with every point of interest, and every event worth relating. His I ■ ^^0 ve e- of TO NIAGARA FALLS. 55 sons, born and bred in the very roar and spray of the cataract, and familiar with that and the sur- rounding scenery from childhood, are in every re- spect quite competent to the creditable discharge of their duties to strangers who may engage their assistance. CATARACT HOTEL. The Cataract Hotel is a few yards further south, and near the Lockport and Lewistfin rail- road depot. It fronts on Main-street one hun- dred and fifty feet, and is ninety feet in depth. It is three and four stories high, and the southern part has colonnades or piazzas on front and rear. The internal arrangements of this hotel, combine every advantage of quiet, comfort, and conve- nience ; and the rooms, among which are two : .-H i I J. ' .3 56 PICTORIAL GUIDE extensive dining halls, are tastefully and even rich- ly furnished. It stands but few feet from the bank of the river, and the rapids roll and foam along almost beneath its balconies. Bathing apartments are connected with it ; and recently improved by large additions, it has now accommodations for nearly two hundred permanent guests. Viands that delight both the eye and palate, liquors and wines, pure in quality and mellowed by age, and servants ready without impertinence, and prompt without bribery, are advantages that render it a most agreeable place of entertainment. This Hotel is kept by General Whitney and sons, who are too well and favourably known to need any recommendation. General Whitney was one of the earliest settlers at the Falls, and has given so many proofs of his enterprise and public spirit, that his name belongs to the history of the place. He established the ferry, and built the first stair-case down the bank. The first bridge to Iris Island, and the Terrapin bridge were also constructed by him ; and many other conveniences about the falls, owe to him their origin or suggestion. He has kept a public house there for many years, and princes; dukes, mar- quises, counts, and lords, have been his patrons, in addition to gentry of every other degree in life. )i TO NIAGARA FALLS. 57 But he is still a staunch republican, and a true patriot ; frank, hearty, and familiar in his man- ners, plain in appearance, and upright in all his transactions. Opposite to the Cataract Hotel, are the rooms of Mr. Hulett, who deserves especial mention. A circulating library, reading room, a splendid and valuable collection oi indigenous and foreign min- erals, curiosities of various kinds, and ices, con- fections, and other refreshments, bear ample wit- ness to the justice of his claim upon the patronage of the public. The Exchange Hotel, a commodi- ous and pleasant, though not large house of enter- tainment, is next adjoining; and the PostOlKce is but a short distance below, on the same side of the street. Adjacent to the Eagle Hotel, on the north side, is the first, or basement story of a building, which the traveller will hardly need be informed, was projected and commenced by the celebrated Benja- min Rathbun. Its vast size, solidity of structure, and excellence of location, at once show its pater- nity. His cool judgment perceived at a glance, the pecuniary advantage that must result from the possession of a hotel sufficiently large and mag- nificent to attract and accommodate all the prin- cipal visiters to the Falls, of whom so many M: 58 PICTORIAL GUIDE thousands annually arrive ; and he at once set about its construction. Perhaps, also, he wished to erect a hotel worthy of the place ; for in every person of real genius, there is a tinge of romantic enthusiasm. The spot selected for it was the very best that could be chosen. The cars from Buffalo would stop at one front, and those from Lockport and Lewiston at the other ; and it was but a few rods from the cataract itself. It was to have been called the Niagara Falls Hotel — was to NIAGARA FALLS HOTEL. front one hundred and seventy feet on Main-street, one hundred and ninety feet on Fall-street, to be, to the top of the dome, one hundred and twenty- five feet high, and was to have ample accommoda- tions for above six hundred persons. Had this let ed ry ic ^e m m EIS to to TO NIAGARA FALLS. 59 hotel been finished, it could not fail to have been one of the best and most profitable pieces of pro- perty in the Union ; but it was destined that his career of improvement should stop in its midland course, and most unfortunately for the village of Niagara Falls, it did so. The prescient genius and active enterprise of Rathbun, stimulated and inspired by the grandeur of those incomparable cascades, and the glorious scenery around, would have reared a city there in a few years time, that would rival the creeping aggregations of a century, and that too, by merely developing the wonderful resources of the place. It would have been no hot-bed growth, but a nat- ural and vigorous shooting up from a rich and unhacknied soil. Look at the stone-faced aque- duct or race, canal-like in size and capacity, which he built, and was preparing to line with mills and manufactories. There is no end to the water- power that might be brought into use here, or he would soon have found it. Could the steam-mills and factories of other places compete with those driven by this all-powerful, obedient, and ready- formed agent of nature, which requires no care, and is subject to no expense ? But Rathbun, the soul of laudable enterprise, is, for faults not his own, (as many believe,) now in the penitentiary, If 'j^ :i 'im ■ kl i 60 PICTORIAL GUIDE and Niagara Falld must bide her time. There was a country once, where, if a man exhibited more talent, or possessed more weahh than his nciglibours, they took ofi' his head for the sake of equality ; but now, and here every one can tolerate a superior. The village of Niagara Falls has also two saw- mills, a grist-mill, a paper-mill, a woolen-factory, two machine shops, a rail-road-car manufactory, and shops for almost every variety of the mechanic arts. These are all excellent in their kind, and the paper-mill particularly so, as the material upon which this book is printed, abundantly demon- strates. There is also a Bowling Alley, where visiters can mingle exercise with amusement ; and a Public Garden laid out in good taste, containing a variety of flowers and shrubbery, and a place for the exhibition of fire-works, which are frequently displayed on proper and public occasions. The streets are broad and regular, but unpaved, and therefore damp and disagreeable after heavy rains j but as the soil is of a sandy kind, a short in- terval generally suffices to render them dry and pleasant. No place on the broad platform of God's foot- stool can be more healthy and inviting than this, and it is a most desirable location for a permanent 1 ! h, TO NIAGARA FALLS. 61 or summer residence. Fine groves of tiie native forest trees nre scatlcred about ; and the Islands, on wliich not a slick is allowed to be cut, aflbrd the most deli i t I % 64 PICTORIAL GUIDE evenings, to assemble on the bank of the river near the cataract, and blend the inspiring tones of their martial harmonies with the grand diapason of Niagara's thunder-breathed hymn. The effect is indescribable, and visiters gather round and listen with an interest seldom if ever so deeply awakened in their bosoms, — but when before did they hear a human accompaniment to the sublime anthems of Nature ! The City of the Falls, and Clifton are both as yet small places, and have probably an aggregate population of three hundred souls. Our remarks upon the salubrity of Niagara Falls village, and its desirability for permanent and summer residences, apply, with equal force to these places. In fact the whole vicinity of the cataract on both sides of the river is pleasant and healthful in the highest degree, and must in a few years attract men of wealth and standing to become its constant or occasional inhabitants. ^1 J TO NIAGARA FALLS. 65 CH A PTER V. MOrNTAIN PLAIN — LEWISTON — QUEENSTON — YOUNOSTOWN .MA(J.VRA Vn,I,A(JE — FORT (SEURGK — FORT MASSASAlOA I FORT MAOARV — TRADITIONS — INDIAN INCIRSIONS — SCR- | I'RISAI, — ABDICTION AND MURDER OF MORGAN — REPAIRS — I ADDITIONS AND ARMAMENT. " Here ends the plain — opposing heights look down On river, valley, forest, lake and town: — Bright river glancing on in silver sheen, Through valley mantled o'er with emerald green ; Forest, in whose emhowered and sylvan shade, The Indian hunter wooed the dark-haired maid, Near the fair lake on which his light canoe, O'er foam-crow'..ed waves in arrowy swiftness flew, Ere from afar the invading pale-face came. And hardly left the red-man grave or name." BOUT seven miles below the falls, the elevated plain, through which the cataract has been for scores of ages cutting and tearing its hard-won way, and having as yet accomplished but one fourth of its appointed task, suddenly ter- minates, and looks down from a height of nearly four hundred feet upon the villages below, the winding stream, the smiling vale, the rival forts, the dark forests, and the lovely lake. Then, leav- ing the river, it stretches away to the right to Lockport, where, through a deep artiticial chasm, E i! ' ji J- Hi PH I 66 PICTORIAL GUiDK and a magnificent pile of masonry, forming a double range of locks, the Erie Canal descends the moun- tain ridge by slow and measured, though Titanic steps ; and onward still to the Genesee river, whose shrunken waters, as if afraid to take the fearful leap at which Niagara thrills and maddens, plunge down successive ledges and hide in the lake below ; and thence still on and on till the rock-piled plain is lost in the sublime ranges of the Alleghany moun- tains. The same great plain or ridge passing off to the left, loses itself at last in the distant hills and valleys of the west. Under the quiet shelter of these great heights — the mountains of Father Hennepin — and on oppo- site sides 01 the river, which seems now to smile and gladden at its escape from the dark rock- bound channel, through which it writhed and struggled like a wounded snake, repose the peace- ful villages of Lewiston and Queenston, shaking hands across the deep water like twin brothers, by the ferry that connects them. These are the landing places of the Ontario and' St. Lawrence steamers ; and this the highest point of river navi- gation below the cataract of Niagara. Both villa- gee are connected with the Falls by raii-road. Lewiston presents the pleasing and lovely ap- pearance which characterises so many American TO NIAGARA FALLS. 67 le n villages, and is the subject of such common re- mark by native and foreign tourist. An air of subdued softness and religious-like repose seems to hover upon and hallow them all. The village was named in honour of Governor Lewis, in 1805, and was destroyed by the British forces in LEW IS TON LANDING. 1813. At the close of the war it was rebuilt, and has since gradually increased to its present size ; but its growth has been extreniely languid, and it numbers only about eighty dwellings, and six or seven hundred inhabitants. It is however a pretty and flourishing place, and has a fine academy, one or two churches, and a very excellent hotel, called 68 PICTORIAL GUIDE the Frontier House. The site of Fort Green, and the Five-mile Meadows, interesting from their connection with reminiscences of border strife, are both near the village, and within the town- ship of Lewiston. QuEENsTON, opposite, is a small quaint-looking and irregular village. It contains forty or fifty dwellings, two taverns, and about four hundred inhabitants. The mountain ridge portage com- menced here, and terminated at Chippewa. The two places are now connected, as before observed, by a rail-road, via the Falls. Thirteen miles from the Falls, and six from Lewiston, on the American shore, stands the vil- lage of Youngstown, a pleasantly situated, quiet little place, remarkable for nothing but its vicinity to the forts George and Niagara ; and for having been the tirst village burnt by the enemy, in re- taliation for the destruction of Newark. It has about forty houses, and perhaps three hundred inhabitants. On the opposite bank of the stream, the town of Niagara, — formerly Newark, and erst Ontario — and Fort George are situate. Niagara is the oldest, and, if we except Bufialo, the largest place on the river. It contains many fme dwellings, and has a population of about three thousand ii TO N I A G A R A FALLS. 69 person.^. Sliip building is carried on here to some extent, and iliere is a chartered Dry Dock Com- pany, with banking privileges, whose works are both important and valuable. Formerly, a good deal of the commerce of the interior, centred in this place, j)ut the principal trade has since been diverted to Hamilton and other more enterprising, or better situated villages. Newark, as it was then called, was burnt by the retreating American forces under General McClurc, in 181 li, and was revenged immediately after, by the destruction of every settlement on the United States' Niagara frontier. Fort George, an earth-built fortress, lies just above the village. It was considered of consequence as a military post during the war, and following the fluctuations of the contest, was alternately in the possession of both belligerant armies. It is now deserted and dismantled, and is fast crumbling to ruins. Fort Mvssasauga stands on the extreme point of the peninsula, at the junction of the river Niag- ara with Lake Ontario ; and is on and a half miles below Fort George, on the same side of the Strait. It is constructed of earth, with a large stone block house of a septagonal form, in the centre, which at present mounts a single cannon of twenty-four lbs. calibre. This fort is manned \ 'l! i 70 PICTORIAL GUIDE and garrisoned, is kept in good repair, and is said to be a very strong post. FORT MASSASAUOA. Fort Niagara on the American shore, occupies a similar position, and its defences are washed by the river on one side, and by the lake on the other. The French, English, and American flags have successively floated over its ramparts, and it has probably experienced a greater variety of for- tunes, and been a silent witness of more striking and diversified events, than any other place in North America, unless perhaps, Quebec. It was originally settled in 1678 by a French officer, M. de La Salle, who obtained permission of the Indians to build a store-house, seduced them to join in a hunt, and in their absence, erected a for- tress. On their return, they were enraged at the f TO NIAGARA FALLS. 71 deception, but he found means to soften their anger while he strengthened his position, and ultimately to pacify their resentment. From this point the savages were thence accustomed to sally FORT NIAGARA. forth upon the English settlements, and hither they returned after completing the work of slaughter and spoliation, to receive the wages of murder and robbery. In 1725 the most ancient of the present build- ings were erected, and massive piles of masonry attest the importance which the French attached to the place. There are many traditions concern- ing the early history of the fort, some of which point to crimes of the blackest character, and acts of the most brutal ferocity. If true, they should iill I ''I 72 PICTORIAL GUIDE be eufl'ercd to sloop in oblivion — if false, it were idle to repeat tliem. At tliis distance of time, the true could not be distinguished from the false, nor the false be divested of probability. It was an age of excesses and venality, of oppression and endur- ance. The despotism in which these revolting outrages were born, — if indeed they had being, has passed away ; let the memory of the errors and offences it produced, share its tomb. Sir William Johnson obtained possession of the fort in 175!), it is said, by fraud ; but the treachery has never been proved. In that year, the maga- zine was built, and other defences erected. Dur- ing the revolutionary war, it became again the scene of savage preparation and of savage joy. Here the murdering bands of Brandt, Butler, and Johnson, equipped and painted themselves for the work of butchery and blood, and set out on their inhuman expeditions against the American settle- ments. The massacres of Cherry- Valley and Wyoming tell the story of their success and bar- barity ; the archives of England could perhaps relate their reward. Fort Niagara was the witness of their pow-wows and scalp-danc?s ; probably of their tortures and sacrifices. Here they were incit- ed to make incursions against the defenceless, to kill, burn, and destroy ; and here they found shelter ,1 TO NIAGARA FALLS. 73 and protection from the anger of the iu(lii2:i]nnt, and tlie vengeance of the injured. When tlierc were none to oppose, they set ofl' to assassinate ; and when they were pressed by tlie foe, they sneaked hack to bo defended. MaHgnant, but not manly — vindictive, but not open — cruel, hut not bold, their alliance added nothing to the glory of British arms, while their acknowledged enii)loy- ment fastened an eternal stigma upon the British name. But in spite of all the arts, arms, and alliances of England, America achieved her inde- pendence, and in 171)G fort Niagara was given up to the United States, never again to be the scene of such unhallowed festivities, and demoniac tri- umphs, as disgraced it under the lily and lion ban- ners of its former occupants. During the late war it was surprised by the British, through the treachery, as supposed, of the American comman- der, Capt. Leonard, and a part of the garrison put to the sword. It remained in their possession until the peace of 1815, when it was again sur- rendered to the United States. It has since been the scene of an outrage, as strange as it was base ; and as impolitic as it was atrocious. An American citizen, by the name of William Morgan, for disclosing the secrets of the Society of Free Masons, was seized upon a false f: i" 74 PICTORIAL GUIDE pretext, hurried into a carriage, bound, blind- folded, and gagged, and conveyed post to Fort Niagara, in the magazine of which he was im- mured for several days, and then murdered ! The manner of hia death remains a mystery ; but the general belief is, that he was taken out in the night, and thrown, loaded with weights, into the river. The perpetrators of this detestable crime were never discovered, though every exertion was made to bring them to justice. The outrage de- feated its object, and thus in some measure avenged itself. Recent events on the frontier, and the critical state of our foreign relations, have called the attention of Government to the importance of Fort Niagara as a military post, and large appropria- tions have been expended under the direction of able engineers, in strengthening its defences, and adding to their number. These are now nearly completed ; its garrison and part of its armament have already arrived, and in the event of another war, it will be found no easy matter to reduce it either by siege or assault. But we trust long years may elapse, before a resort to arms shall again become necessary. TO NIAGARA FALLS. 76 CHAPTER VI. MAOARA STRAIT — nUKA III 11 — I>l-;i'I H — RAI'IIW — Ot'NKRAL aitkauanck — navuja'hon — siKAMntiA-rs — riu/rnN — is- lands — GKANI) ISI.AM) — nosTON riMIlKK-COMl'ANY — VU-- I.AflK — Mirj.H — \ KSSKt.S DKSTROYKI) — ni.CH-IIOR N INLAND NAVY ISLAND — MU.I'IaRY <»(('|;|'AT1()N. •* Tlief>;iils of commerce whiten o'er the seas, And wiiip their w.iy whcMi favoured hy the breeze •, • But when opposing tides and tempests rise, The yieldinp barque the unequal contest (lies, And fiitc-wurd driven is wrecked upon tlie shore, Or forced to shun the track she sought before. Not so with thy creations, liord of steam! They breast the ruling storm, ascend the stream — Contending currents and advancing gales, But show thy triumph over seas and sails," A VI NG briefly noticed the princi- pal places on the Niagara frontier, a short account of the river itself, its islands, currents, etc. is further ne- cessary to our purpose of giving the reader the information he must necessarily desire to obtain, of every tiling immediately connected with the Falls. Every portion of this strait, from its intimate relation to the wonderful cataract, which yearly attracts such vast numbers of people from even the remote parts of the earth, and which is in itself so immeasurably superior in its i ji 76 PICTORIAL GUIDE sublimity and M \ r~ - 1^ Tm' it; 82 PICTORIAL GUiDE fifteen separate gangs or sets of saws, and cut logs from ten to seventy feet in length. Con- nected with these mills, there is a large steam flouring-mill, and a small, but pleasant little vil- lage, called White-Haven, from the name of the principal proprietor. The village is directly op- posite Tonawanda, on the site of the never-built city of Arrarat, and the mills are a short distance below. They are well worth a visit, which is cisiiy made, as the steamboats that ply between Buffalo and the Falls, usually land there to pro- ( ure the necessary article of fuel. In 1759, upon the conquest of the Canadas by the English, two large. French vessels were burnt at the lower end of Grand iFland, to prevent them falling into the hands of the enemy. Parts of their charred remains are said to be still visible, and not long since, several tons of iron were recover- ed from the river, by raking its bed at the point where they were destroyed, which portion of the stream, is, from that circumstance, called Burnt- Ship Bay, a ad is included between Grand and the north west extremity of Buck-I^orn Islands. This lalier, is long, low, and marshy, and con- tflins one hundred and forty-six acres. It is unim- portant in any resptc^ Navy Island, belonging to the Er'tish dominions, I' I TO NIAGARA FALLS. 83 lies near the foot of Grand Island, between that and the Canada shore : — the principal channel of the strait is l)etween these two islands. It is a mile long, half a mile wide, and contains three hundred and four acres of land. The soil is rich, and covered with a heavy growth of timber. It derives its name from having been a French naval depot, where the two vessels mentioned above, and other smaller ones were constructed. Tiiis island has become celebrated in conse- quence of having been occupied by McKenzie, Van Rensselaer, Sutherland, and others, refugees and 'sublime' patriots, as a military station, dur- ing the border excitement of 1837 and '38, an account of which, and of the destruction of the Caroline is reserved for a subsequent page. CI I •ill if k:il 84 PICTORIAL GUIDE CH A PTER VII. NIAOARA RIVER — COURSE AND VEr.oriTY — r.OVEMNESS — DI- VISIONS ANDCIIAKACTERISTICS — HKHJHT OF BANKS — DEPTH — BREADTH — DESCENT OF THE STREAM — RETROCESSION OF THE FALLS — CONCLLDINO REMARKS. " Miijcstic stroiun! what rivor rivals thee, Thou child of many lakes and sire of one — Lakes that claim kindred with the all-circling sea — Large at thy birth as when thy race is run! Against what great obstructions hast thou won Thine august way — the rock-fornicd mountain-plain Has opened at thy biddiuL', and the steep Bars not thy passage, for the ledge in vain Stretches across the channel, — tbou dost leap Sublimely down the height, and urge again Thy rock-embattled course on to the distant main." TAGARA river is, in its whole course, quite in keeping with the stupendous cataract from which its principal interest is derived. There is nothing insigniiicant, nothing pal- try, nothing connnon-place ahout it, from the lake in which its vast floods have birth, to that which they supply. It is every where grand, mighty, and majestic. When spread to the dimensions of a little sea, it has no resemblance to a shoal ; and when contracted to the breadth of a creek, it seems to possess the power of an ocean. The 1 1 I TO NIAGARA FALLS. 85 very interrn|)tions it meets with in its way, seem placed there only to exhibit the immensity of its force. The basin which receives its prodigious far-falling volume, resembles an abyss without bounds to its capacity ; and the compressed chan- nel through which it then flows, seems to have opened its rock-bound banks to an imprisoned sea, that -would have burst a passage, had escape been denied. Making a sharp angle at the Falls, it rolls on through beautiful curves, in an almost straight direction for about two miles ; then winds grace- fully off to the left, and passing through a succes- sion of nobk' bends, rushes, wild, impetuous and uncontrollabh', into the Whirlpool, where, like a baffled Titan struggling with his bonds, it rages and i)lunges round the impenetrable barriers that hem it in ; and at last, having gathered anew its mighty energies, rushes headlong on in a fresh direction, and bounds away, free, fearless, and triumphant. Continuing in its new course — having turned less than a right-angle — but a short distance, it rolls away gradually to the west, and having re- gained its former direction, hurries on, inclining now to the right, and again bending io the left, here maddened by restraint, and there soothed ii i;. ' i: I 86 PICTORIAL GUIDE by expansion, to the end of the mountain-plaini from the gaping jaws of which it rushes angrily forth, but soon recovering the serenity of itd ua- tive seas, and no longer chafed or enraged, it flows qui< tly and smoothly on, through gentle curves and wooing bunks, to the sweet lake whose soft embrace it has come so far, and encountered so much, to meet, and in whose peaceful bosom it finally sinks to repose. From the foot of the mountain ridge to lake Ontario, nothing can be more lovely than this river. It is a rapture to look upon its bright and tranquil course. It glides along so silently and almost imperceptibly, its surface is so calm and glassy, its breadth so uniform and expansive, its waters so clear and deep, its banks so smooth and regular, its curvatures bo gradual and alternate, its whole aspect so pleasing and harmonious, that a delicious languor steals over the mind, the spirit yields itself unconsciously to a sweet oblivion of turbulence and strife, and its contemplations are of sunny skies, shining streams, and shady groves. The eye lingers with delight upon the blended hues, the graceful turns, and emerald shores of the no longer agitnted, but now beautiful Niag- ara ; and the soul, at peace with itself, with nature, and with all things, indulges in a dreamy delirium I i TO NIAGARA FALLS. 87 of joy, unshadowed by care, untinged with gloom, and unbroken by tumult. Each of the four great divisions of the strait has its peculiar and distinguishing characteristics. Those are from Lake Erie to the rapids, majesty, extent, variety ; from the rapids to the ferry, im- mensity, energy, sublimity ; from the ferry to Lewiston, restraint, activity, vigour ; from Lewis- ton to Lake Ontario, placid 'ty, beauty, repose. The banks of the river p i<.e of the ditierent features of the stream. Above the Falls they are of variable height, shape, and consistency, now low, grassy, and lawn-like, and now high, dark, and frowning ; at the Falls they are bold, grand, impending ; from the ferry to Lewiston, tliey are lofty, rugged, uneven ; and from thence to the lake, they are smooth, sloping and regular. From the efHux of the river, to the cataract, they are from five to one hundred feet high ; from the Falls to the end of the mountain ridge, they are from one hundred and seventy, to three hundred and seventy feet perpendicular height ; at Lewiston they are one hundred feet high, and from thence to the lake, they have a gradual and unbroken descent. At Schlosser the banks are thirteen feet higher than the level of Lake Erie ; at the Falls they are one hundred and nine feet, and ''I i ■ 1 ■I ' B 1 '■:, t". i^>"^> ^^>><^^ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 teaiM |2.5 ■50 ■^" H^H ■ 10 1.1 fflj& 14 Ij^ A" % /Q ""l ^J' ■> '/ Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716)S72-4503 '%'■ J K «? \ ^ C^ 88 PICTORIAL GUIDE at the heights near Lewiston, thirty-eight feet above the same level. The river below the Falls and near the ferry, is two hundred and fifty feet deep, as ascertained by actual measurement, — in other places, no bottom has ever been found. Its width at the ferry, is about seventy-six rods ; a short distance below, it is contracted to fifty-six rods ; from thence to Lewiston, it varies from twenty-five to one hun- dred rods, and from Lewiston to the lake, from one half to three fourths of a mile in breadth. The narrowest point is at the Whirlpool, where it is but twenty-five rods across. The descent of the river from its efflux, to Black Rock is six feet ; from thence to the rapids, ten feet ; from the head of the rapids to the cataract, fifty-eight feet ; the cataract itself, one hundred and fifty-four feet ; from the Falls to Lewiston, one hundred and four feet ; and from Lewiston to Lake Ontario, about two feet. The whole de- clivity of the strait from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario, is therefore three hundred and thirty- four feet ! It has been a subject of much dispute, whether or not the Falls have receded from the heights at Lewiston to their present place, and the question yet remains undecided. The author's opinion I TO NIAGARA FALLS. 89 may be of small importance, but it is proper that it should be expressed. From a careful observa- tion of all their phenomena, and of the whole extent of the chasm, he is satisfied that they have, but that their retrocession has been extremely slow. The nature of the rocks, the appearance of the channel, the known history of the cataract, all seem to confirm the supposition. If it be true that they have so far receded, to what august speculations does it not give rise ? What a time must have elapsed, what a prodigious power must have been exerted, ere the floods of this mighty river could have rent a passage three hundred feet deep, through the living rocks, for a distance of seven miles ! When did this great work commence ? What progress, and what pauses were made ? How long was its course delayed in hollowing out that vast basin the Whirl- pool ? When was the first crag torn from the rugged brow of Iris Island ? How long has the cataract been digging at the dread abyss upon whose verge it labours ? Imagination recoils in terror frdrln the task of tracing this stupendous movement. Untold ages must have watched with awe the ** sublime march of Niagara to the music of its own deep thunders I" Having thus sketched with a rapid but timorous li, I 1% 'I i'1 i H ' I 90 PICTORIAL GUIDE hand, the main features of the strait in which the Falls resound, and given a brief, but accurate ac- count of the several towns, villages, and other places on its borders, we come now to the great cataract itself, and the many remarkable scenes in its vicinity ; and if we fail to describe that which is far too grand for description, we shall at least endeavour to direct the attention of the reader to all the different points and views which he ought to visit and examine, relate so much of them as may be told, and thus guide him to a right observation and a proper judgment of this most sublime and magnificent object of wonder and curiosity in the known material universe. i t ai \i i vri Sr- ''I t M Eijj i: I .V ! I f ! 'I n -fUYU^ , i ./ ' j ' ,;//V"i 'mm /^i ^> %,f 'f^i'liiiitl *'i*-™^,>^*#r ■•^^/; ;%- / py;,/./. ^^■fo •/> -d*: — • iii^ , 'il^:'#'" *v. ,/'•■ ■>. *., / , r. ^.'■^-;r:.l:{^ vl! //IIS I \ /. .1 .1 /J ^.'"' t-CV 1'' il?f v'*^-'' i*^-^-' '■ ■»' -#'# .I'-' -^.*''■•\V ■_:^-r-y '"/"■• r /•„,„, .A \\ \.\ .1 ' • Ii I .HI 1 .-■ T .. T'tli ,(•••" I PICTORIAL GUIDE TO NIAGARA FALLS. PART II. THE CATARACT AND OTHER OBJECTS OF CURIOSITY. " Flow on forever in thy glorious robe Of terror and of beauty. God hath set His rainbow on thy forehead, and the cloud Mantles around thy feet!" ^•_^ *->_>-i_ -._r-»_r -^^ _-«_»->_jr-i,,r-u^ _ _ O— _r— _ir- j-_jr-_r^_r-_ i_ , jf-_ _i-_ _ _i- ^ _. _J-i_i-l_/-^_ii-LJ-_.-.^_r-%,i-Lj-^.. j^_i~uf-'ujf-_*-l_r-» fi* 14 m I m III ■M i*^ PICTORIAL GUIDE TO NIAGARA FALLS. CHAPTER I. APOSTROPHE TO THE FALLS — FIRST FEELING — GENERAL FEA- TURES — THE RAPIDS — CASCADES — FORM AND SIZE OF THE CATARACT — SPRAY — THE ABYSS — WATKR CARRIED OVER — ROAR — BAROMETRICAL — VIBRATIONS' OF THE EARTH — HUES AND TINTS — SC ENERY — SUM M ER — AUTUM N — WIN- TER — ICE-BRIDOE — DESIGN OF THE CREATOR. " My brain grows wild, sense wanders as I gazo Upon the hurrying waters, and my sight Vainly would follow, as towards the verge Sweeps the wide torrent. Waves innumerable Meet there and madden ; waves innumerable Urge on and overtake the waves before, And disappear in thunder and in foam. They reach, they leap the barrier : the abyss Swallows insatiable the sinking waves. A thousand rainbows arch them, and the woods Are deafened with the everlasting roa'",' O N A R C H of floods « how shall I approach thee? — how speak of thy glory ? — how extol thy beauty ? Ages have seen thy awful majesty ; earth has paid tribute to thy great- ness ; the best and wisest among men have bent I i ' ;; 94 PICTORIAL GUIDE the knee at thy footstool, but none have and none can describe thee ! Alone thou standest among the wonders of nature, unshaken by the shock of contending elements, flinging back the flash of the lightning, and outroaring the thunder of the tempests* rage ! Allied to the everlasting hills, and claiming kindred with the eternal flood, thou art pillared upon the one, and the other sup- plies thy surge. Primeval rocks environ, clouds cover, and the rainbow crowns thee. A divine sublimity rests on thy fearful brow, an awful beau- ty is revealed in thy terrible countenance, and the heavy earth is shaken by thy tremendous voice. Born in the dark past, and alive to the distant fu- ture, what to thee are the paltry concerns of man's ambition ? — the rise or fall of empires and dynas- ties, the contests of kings, or the crash of thrones ? Thou art unmoved by the fate of nations, and the revolutions of the earth are to thee but the pulses of time. Kings before thee are but men, and man but a type of insignificance ! Such are some of the sensations and thoughts awakened at the sight of Niagara. Such sublimi- ty, such immensity, such power ! Overshadow- ing all earthly considerations by its solemn great- ness, and contrasting the feebleness of human strength with a force visibly reaching to the ) TO N I A (r A R A FALLS. 95 infinite, the cataract impresses altnost every one who beliolds it for thefirsttime, with the feeling of self-abasement so well expressed by Mrs. Sigour- ney in the lines — •*Thou (lost 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;" and so entirely confounds him by its magnitude, grandeur, and energy, that he is for a time utterly unable to individualize and appreciate the august and inefl'able attributes of this wonderful and glorious work, of the Omnipotent Architect, who formed and harmonized its amazing and awful proportions. After having become more familiarized with its general aspect, and examined it more in detail, we find that it is in every part entitled to unbound- ed admiration. Every time it is looked upon, some new beauty,. or some fresh sublimity is perceived, and we begin gradually to realize what a grand combination of separate ajid distinct objects of interest are blended into one overpowering and perfect whole, the tout ensemble of which leaves nothing to be desired, and can by nothing be 4)1 5 ! ; i\'\ 96 PICTORIA L GUIDE paralleled. It may tire the eye by its vastnesa, and fatigue the ear by its rush, but can never pall upon the mind, and when the senses are refreshed by rest, they return to it with delight. The soul clings to it with a likeness of religious faith, for awe becomes softened into love, and affection is elevated to reverence. All things really great or beautiful grow upon our esteem at each succeed- ing interview or communion ; as on the other hand, all things insignificant or ugly lessen in our respect every time they are encountered. A mighty river pours down a tremendous height, and falls into a vast abyss : — this is a grand cata- ract — Niagara is something more. Its sea of rapids, its clouds of spray, its lake of foam, its projecting cliffs, its piled-up rocks, its gorgeous colours, its fine cascades, its lovely islands, its giant caves, its deafening roar, — these, and a host of other marvels and beauties, combine to make up that wonderful thing, Niagara ! and each of these claims especial attention, and is worthy of particular praise. The river Niagara, after a course of twenty- one miles, has a rapid declination, and rushing down with inconceivable fury, is impeded by rocks and ledges, dashing around and over which it is thrown into terrible confusion, and, leaping here, t \ TO NIAGARA FALLS. 97 plunging tliere, rnging, tumbling, whirling, foam- ing on, boiling in one place, billowing in anotht-r, and maddening every where, is so convulsed and tossed about that it resembles literally a '*hell of waters." Such arc the rapids — more particu- larly that part of them nearest the American shore. On the opposite side, the bed of the river has a greater declivity, the water is much deeper, and the intumescence less apparent. There, how- ever, they are immensely grand, and the pro- digious volume of water rushing down from ledge to ledge, with an impetuosity beyond conception violent, forms a scene less turbulent, but, if pos- sible, even more magnificent. At the head of the rapids the river is bifurcated by Goat or Iris Island, which separates it into two unequal parts — that on the Canada side being much the broadest — which are not again united until it has passed the cataract, the Island extend- ing to, and forming part of the precipice, and thus dividing the fall into two several and distinct cas- cades. Hence the plural Falls. An inconsider- able portion of the lesser of these cascades is cut off on the side next Iris Island, by Luna or Pros- pect Island, and is called the Central Fall. The water consequently descends in three distinct sheets ; and we have the American or Schlosser G i^' ! n )h: ;■ 'I'- ll < i ■'■ \\ \ 98 PICTORIAL GUIDE Fall between the American shore and Prospect Island ; the Central or Crescent Fall between Prospect and Iris Islands, and the British or Horse-shoe Fall between Iris Island and the Can- ada shore — these form the Cataract of Niagara. The form of the cataract is an irregular indent- ed curve, measuring — Iris and Prospect Islands inclusive — something more than fourteen hun- dred yards, or above three fourths of a mile — the periphery of the Horse-shoe Fall being about seven hundred yards, of the Central Fall about twenty yards, and of the American Fall three hundred and thirty yards. The perpendicular visible descent, on the American side, is one hun- dred and sixty-four feet — of the Horse-shoe Fall, one hundred and fifty-eight feet. By far the largest portion of the river, is carried over the Horse-shoe Fall, where the water is so deep as to flow almost smoothly over, and pass down in one vast unbroken sheet. The spray from this part of the Falls rises in such dense masses, as sometimes to obscure near- ly the whole view from below, and hovers in such vast clouds above the cataract as to be visible forty or fifty miles. It is often seen by the dis- tant observer, when the sky is clear and there is no wind, to float up and undulate gently above the m 1 TO NIAGARA FALLS. 99 LS le Falls, like an immense milk-white plume, fringed with gold, and tinted with the most delicate and beautiful colours. When the wind is strong down the river, the spray fills the whole chasm with a thick foggy mist, and renders the ferry- crossing not a little uncomfortable, from the drenching showers that fall around. At sunrise on a clear morning, other circumstances being favourable, the rising mists, or spray, present a variety of beautiful and interesting phenomena; now rolling up in huge fantastic and curling vol- umes, glowing in richest purple, crimson, gold, and a thousand other bright and blended hues ; and now sparkling in the light like a shower of precious stones, or as if the prismatick rays were frolicking among the falling drops. The foot of the Falls is never seen from these dense clouds of mist and spray, that are forever rolling up ; and the great body of water in the basin below is violently agitated and tossed, pant- ing and throbbing as if it had an imprisoned earth- quake struggling to get free, within its heaving bosom, or was convulsed by the torture of internal fires. The whole surface is covered with a thick white foam, and resembles a tempestuous sea of milk, surging, boiling, whirling, and billowing as it rolls away, and at last, rippling and dissolving in Mm HI 't' t. s. 1.' ■■ I . < 1 r> ■ 1 iil 1: 'ii i \4 100 PICTORIAL GUIDE the distance, or nestling in little patches among the rocks and eddies of the shore. Seen from above, the abyss appears like a vast seething cauldron, bubbling, foaming, and steaming up, without re- laxation, and without repose. This confused tur- bulence, is undoubtedly occasioned by the action and reaction of the prodigious body of water fall- ing from so great a height, and forced to such an immense depth. The buried volumes crowding each other on, and pushing and displacing the superincumbent mass, with an energy and power proportioned to their quantity and impulsion, must of necessity produce a tremendous agitation, and keep the whole accumulating and shifting flood in constant commotion and turmoil. The quantity of water precipitated over the cat- aract has been variously estimated by different per- sons. Dr. Dwight, supposing a current of six miles an hour, computes it at 1,225,125,000 tons per day ; 102,093,750 tons per hour ; 170,156 tons per minute ; and 28,359 tons per second ; and this, incredibly great as the quantity must appear, is probably a close approximation to the truth. Of course, it is not always the same. A strong wind down the lake has the effect of raising the river above the Falls one or two feet, and inverse- ly in a less proportion. A rise of eighteen inches V\ i I it ; TO NIAGARA FALLS. 101 above the cataract, causes the water to rise in the basin beneath, above fifteen feet. This phenome- non is owing to the contraction of the channel below. The banks of the river at the Falls, average nearly two hundred and fifty feet in height, and present a most imposing appearance. In sev- eral places they project over to a considerable distance ; — at Table Rock, in particular, this feature is strikingly apparent, and enables the visiter to pass some distance under the great sheet itself, where one of the most grand and impres- sive scenes is presented to the awe-struck be- holder, of which it is possible to conceive. Along the whole end of Iris Island the vast rock of which it is composed, is also impending, and has a dan- gerous and fearful aspect, wLich produces upon some nerves, a terrific and quite overpowering effect. The noise, or roar of the cataract, is not so astounding as the lover of thunder might perhaps desire ; but it is in keeping with the scene, and may be heard twenty or thirty miles. Ordinarily, it falls upon the ear with a ceaseless rushing sound, like that of a strong wind through a forest of trees, for which it is sometimes mistaken by persons approaching the Falls. But it is deep, < i hi in i ' 1 I , ' I ; f !■ H .; .i 102 PICTORIAL GUIDE solemn, and continuous, and though it does not burst upon the tympanum like the startling crash of worlds, is yet inconceivably impressive. Some whose auricular organs are more delicately attun- ed than those of the many, find it almost insup- portable. People in the vicinity of the Falls, from constantly hearing it, become so familiarized with the sound, that it is scarcely perceived — like the air they breathe, it is a part of the world in which they live and move, and hence, too common to be remarked. It has been said, that its eflect upon the inhabitants near, is, in time, to make them deaf ; but this, if it be so, is a fact yet to be established. In the village, its sweeter and sub- limer sounds are hardly perceptible ; and even on the islands, or at Table Rock, are, so to speak, nearly drowned in the rush and roar of the tum- bling floods ; but stop and listen — on the Terrapin Bridge for instance — and above, and as it were breaking through the general roar, you will hear its sonorous tones rolling up like subdued thunder, peal following peal, rising, falling, swelling, and diminishing, in soft and musical cadences, and hymn'ng an eternal anthem of sweet and solemn praise to its Almighty Maker. Not to hear this, is to lose one of the most delectable pleasures of Niagara. '< i-; TO NIAGARA FALLS. 103 The state of the atmosphere, of course, affects the roar of the Falls ; and the distance to which it may be heard is consequently dependent upon the rarity or density of the air. Generally, it may be distinguished four or five leagues off, but has frequently been observed at Buffalo, and once, it is said, even at Toronto, forty-five miles distant. In the region of country near the cata- ract, the noise affords to the inhabitants barometri- cal indications of the most unfailing and accurate character. When the sound is uncommonly loud and distinct, however clear the sky, or pleasant the season, it precurses a change of weather, and a coming storm. An opposite predication based upon the reverse of this phenomenon, is also infal- libly verified by the event. And thus even the hidden decrees of destiny are in part revealed to man, by the prophet-voiced roar of the thunder- tongued cataract. The solid earth vibrates in unison with the con- cussions of the cataract, and is affected sensibly by the shock of the contending floods. You do not indeed feel the ground shaking beneath your feet, but in the most substantial buildings, a tre- mulous motion is at times apparent, which can arise from nothing but the jar of the Falls. In the stillness of night, this sympathy of the shores with M I 104 PICTORIAL GUIDE i the cataract, is most apparent ; the shutters creak, the windows rattle, and strangers sometimea awake in the midst of a fancied tempest, to find the sky serene, the winds hushed, and the bright moon and stars shedding their silver rays upon the beautiful earth and the shining stream. Almost every imaginable tint in nature may be seen at the Falls, in the gorgeous and shifting rainbows that meet you at almost every turn — now sleeping quietly below, now arching the chasm, anon resting on the brink, and then stretching up from the frothing abyss to the dizzy verge of the cataract, here shooting up from the edge of the precipice, there floating self-poised in the mid-mist of the vapoury exhalations, now belting the sheet as with a zone of beauty, and often circling the spray with a cestus more be- witching than that of the fabled Venus — in the rich and diversified colouring of the rapids, cas- cades, and basin ; and in that of the rocks, trees, and foliage, the mists and spray, that surround, cover, and beautify the most grand, lovely, and august of all earthly manifestations of creative energy. The sheet as it pours down the precipice is variegated with many exquisite tints, the majority of which are so delicate, as to be indescribable — i : TO NIAGARA FALLS. 105 here wreathed in sparkling diamonds, there robed in purest white, and elsewhere shining in blue, amber, chrystal, brown, yellow, grey, and emer- ald hues, melting and blending together, as if in emulation of the Iris which hovers ever around them. The foam in the broad basin below is generally of a milky white, but is said by Ingra- ham to present sometimes the appearance of a '*bed of roses in a field of snow." The usual colour of the stream is a deep green, but it is also tinted with various shades of beauty. The grass, flowers, and foliage on the banks and islands, gemmed and starred with spray, and glistening and flashing in the sunlight, may nei- ther be imagined nor described. The scenery about the Falls in summer, may be imaged by the lovely reaching to the sublime ; and in winter by the sublime stooping to the lovely. At the latter season it is magnificent, in the former, beautiful. In autumn too — how glorious, how varied, how exquisite it is in autumn I In summer, the earth, the trees, the shores, the islands, and parts of the very rocks, are clothed with a living emerald of luxurious growth. Wa- tered by the spray, the rich earth teems with veg- etation, and sends up a thousand forms of life and Mi (I ii ( i m Mi m I ". 106 PICTORIAL GUIDE ■M loveliness. Shrubs, flowers, and foliage cover and almost encumber the ground, which, clad in ver- dure, and breathed upon by the wind, seems a rippling sea of greenness. Vines and ivy climb the tall trees, twine their tendril-fingers around the twigs and branches, and meet and mingle their leaves together : — beauty embracing strength, — weakness cherished by vigour. The humble moss freshens and fattens on the logs, roots, and even rocks ; interlaces and extends its tiny fibres ; and derives health and nourishment from the pure air, and the sweet spray of Niagara. Bushes, and even large trees, stoop to look over the banks and down upon the stream ; and the more lowly plants creep between them to the verge, and hang over the abyss, seemingly to enjoy the same splendid prospect. The trees, and the air too, are populous with animal and insect life. Birds, squirrels, but- terflies, bees, grasshoppers, — ^^ these, and many other beautiful but harmless creatures, fill the air with their glad rejoicings, and wanton among the leaves and flowers. There is everything to inter- est, amuse, and delight ; but nothing to vex, an- noy, or alarm ; and such is summer at Niagara. In autumn, the scene is changed indeed, and addresses itself to the eye and the understanding, rather than to the heart and the affections. The il TO NIAGARA FALLS. 107 scenery is indescribably beautiful, variegated with every imaginable shade of colouring ; and, like the death-bed of a christian, seems designed to banish the fear of dissolution, by showing that the end of life may be even better than the begin- ning or the fullness, invested as it is with such a surpassing glory. The exceeding richness of forest scenery in a North American autumn, has been often said and sung ; and the effect of that season upon Niagara bids defiance to the tongue or pen. Suffice then to say, that new and grand combinations of beauty are there displayed, which charm the eye, chain the attention, and fasten upon the mind ; and which will remain fixed in the memory long after the lapse of years has eras- ed many and later impressions of other and differ- ent objects. Niagara in autumn, is a grand sub- ject for a great painter ; but, unfortunately, — beyond his art ! In winter, how different still, and, O, how mag- nificent 1 The grass is turned to pearl, the forest to coral, and the foliage to chrystal, by the falling and freezing spray. Rocks of glass, columns of alabaster, trees of coral, and the rainbows resting upon the chrystal branches, and nestling among the diamond twigs and tendrils ! A writer upon the Falls, long a resident there, and famiUar with i i^^ .li' M 108 PICTORIAL GUIDE < I 1 11 r ii ! h ?i ' V. I IM the scenery nt all seasons, well observes, that it is ** worth a journey of thousands of miles" to obtain a sight of Niagara in winter. Groves of spar bending beneath a weight of brilliants, in all the blazonry of splendor, allure and dazzle the eye ; and, stirred by the wind, rain down upon the alabaster earth showers of emerald, amethyst, topaz, and other precious stones, glistening in the sunlight, and still shining where they fall. The stream, a sporting sea of silver, springs in bright-sparkling fleecy masses, down a por- celain precipice, and falling upon rocks of trans- lucent chalcedony, carved into strange and curious shapes, covered with ingenious and quaint devi- ces, and fringed around with pointed pendants of chrystal, dashes glittering up, filling the air with starry, lustrous, rainbow-wreaths of beauty. Chrystalline stalactites of enormous size and im- measurable length, overlaying and clustering round each other in many a fanciful and fantastic shape, forming colonnades, pilastres, capitals, and cornices, ornamented and enriched by a beautiful fretwork of glassy texture and delicate tracery — hang down the banks and mock the sun with their lustre, making of the chasm and cataract, a glorious and gorgeous temple and altar of the Eternal, from which a snowy incense rolls up in \ \ TO NIAGARA FALLS. 109 I graceful convolutions, cloud-likf, to Heavon ! It is indeed, a fairy scene : — but like the heartless splendor of courts — chilling ! A fairy scene in- deed, for it is not real : — a cloud passing over the sun will destroy all its blazonry, and leave only — ICE ! Still it is inimitably beautiful, and worth a pilgrimage to witness, if only for a moment. Below the cataract, the spray congealing as it falls, and constantly accreting, forms mountains of ice that nearly overtop the precipice, and seem like vast columns of transparent sun-briglit chrys- tal, supporting the silvery sheet, and lending it a thousand hues. The river never freezes over, but large masses of ice are sometimes collected and blocked in, so as to form a natural bridge, extend- ing nearly up to the foot of the Falls, and for two miles down the stream.* Magnificent views of the cataract are then obtained from this frozen plat- form, and splendors surpassing those of the Polar rui ?ir a * A bridge of this kind was formed below the Falls during the past winter, of uncommon dimensions. The ice was not less than one hundred feet thick, and rose above the water from thirty to forty feet. People crossed on it for some days, from the foot of the Biddle Stair-case to the Canada side. At the ferry the river was thus passable for several months •, and a small house was built near the centre for the sale of liquors and other refreshments. no 1' I C T O 11 1 A L GUIDE Seas are beheld. Such is Niagara in winter, only the half is not, and could not be told. One might almost fancy that Niagara was de- signedly placed by the Creator in the temperate zone, that it might not always wear the same livery of loveliness, but that the peculiar excel- lences of each of the three great regions of the earth, might in turn enrich, beautify, and adorn this favoured and glorious work of his power. That in summer it might have the warmth, bril- liancy, and luxuriance of the tropics ; in autumn the strong contrasts, vivid hues, and varying dyes of the middle region ; and in winter the icy splen- dor, chrystalline magnificence, and starry lustre of the frozen zone. All that is rich, all that is striking, all that is gorgeous in nature, thus centres in one holy spot, beautifying sublimity, adorning immensity, and making the awful attrac- tive. Men come from all the ends of the earth to see Niagara, and well they may ! Having thus briefly glanced over the principal features of the cataract, and of the scenery that surrounds it, we come next to perform our office of "guide," and point out the diflferent localities and objects that ought to be visited and observed, and in their proper order of succession. TO NI AG All A TALLS. i I 111 CH A PTER II. pnEMMINARY RKMARKS — niRKCTIONS — I'ROSPHf T POINT — VIKW ON TANA DA SIltK — Mi:\N S ON TIIK AMKRlfAN SIDK — I'ROSI'Kf'T IT.ACI-: — AMERICAN FAf.l, — WAUK's OIISKRVATO- RY — DR1I>«K TO BATH ISLAND — TOM, IIOf.SK — MR. .lAC'nBS — MASTODON Tdorn — SMll' AND HIU<» ISLANDS — I.OVKR'S RETREAT — I'OI'l'INO THE QUESTION. *' I saw its wafpjs p|iin':jo to yawiiiiiff caves, Where daiucd tlio llualiiij; Iri.s on tlieir waves ; Tl>en, fnrtlior utF, on the j^jreen iuu:).s(iivi(Iu In streaiiil('f!i foaininj,' still, the sheeted tide, Shroudinjr tlic llnwery sod witli network frail, Spread and contract by turns its wavirifj veil. And filling all the plado with voice and spray, Sweep in its fides oFcpiivering li;.'ht away! I saw them mount, and roll, and downward plide. And loved to drcaii bewildered by their side!" E WILL suppose that the traveller 1ms reached the village of Niagara falls, selected his temporary home, secured his room, attended to the safe dcposite of his luggage ; and is now anxious and impatient to visit the grand cata- ract, and see the wonderful scenes, about which so much has been said and written, but which he is now, for the first time, about to behold. Is it so, reader ? — Well, we are ready to conduct you. On leaving your hotel, turn to the left, and con- it t ?i i.i «■ n •m s i 112 PICTORIAL GUIDE tinue down Main-street, till, passing the massive foundation of the Niagara Falls Hotel, and turn- ing around it to the left, the depot of the Buffalo and Niagara Falls Rail-Road is before you. Pro- ceed directly on by the depot, and diagonally through the grove of trees beyond it, inclining to the right, and keeping along the brow of the upper bank or ridge, to the river. Having reach- ed this spot, you are now at Prospect Point, and the object of your eager curiosity is at hand. You stand upon the brow of the precipice, and the cataract is before you. Heavens, what a scene ! The river rolls by in the sunlight like a ruffled sea of silver, two hundred feet beneath the cliff from which you look down, bounded on either side by huge frowning walls of limestone, crested by smiling villages, fair fields, and clus- tering forest trees, stretching away in the dis- tance. The agitated and heaving abyss, the clouds of rising spray, the flashing snowy sheets hang- ing between sea and sky, the dark cliffs and islands that bound and divide them, the ocean of tumbling waters that seem sporting above and be- yond the precipice, and come dancing over the cataract to the music of its everlasting roar, toge- ther form a scene, compared to which the ruins of Balbec or Palmyra, the Pyramids of Egypt, or I IL H m TO NIAGARA FALLS. 113 the temples of Greece and Rome, are but the toys and foot-balls of time. The best view of the Falls, on the American side, is from this point. Table Rock, the Horse- shoe Fall, Iris Island, the Central Fall, the Amer- ican Fall, the rapids and islands above, and the abyss and river below, are all within sight ; but of the Horse-shoe Fall the view is distant and par- tial. In fact, there is no complete view of the cataract on the American side. From the oppo- site shore only, can Niagara be seen, in all its parts, and in all its sublime majesty, at a single glance. But that one view, grand and over- whelming as it confessedly is, is almost the only one on the Canada shore. There are, it is true, many modifications of it, dependant upon the points from which it is observed ; but it is still the same in all its leading features, and has a strange oneness about it, that awes even more than it interests. The eye and the mind, pained by its transcendant vastness and sublimity, can scarcely dwell long upon it, without some interval of repose. On the American side, on the contrary, while there is no one view of the cataract so grand and perfect, there are many of different parts, each exceedingly beautiful and impressive ; and such H I!: III u 114 PICTORIAL GUIDE I . a variety of river and forest scenery, that the attention is diverted from one object to another, — something new and fresh is presented at every turn, the eye is delighted, and the mind excited by a constant succession of pleasing and august appearances, — and thus a delicious interest is kept up, which seems to wile away the hours ; and while lovely and striking images are fast crowding upon the eye and mind, they are both, as it were, refreshed and renovated by novelty and change. From Prospect Point, having looked at the glo- rious scene as long as you choose, advance to the very brink of the cataract, at Prospect Place. Here, standing on a projecting crag, and holding by the dwarf cedars that fringe it, you can look directly down at the awful depth, the huge blocks of stone, the rock-dashed spray and foam, the shivering sheet, and the heaving abyss, and up at the Falls, and particularly the American cascade, of which you have a capital view, though not the best. The American Fall is characterized by an irreg- ularity that gives it a wild and singular beauty. The outline is far projecting and deeply indented, yet with no very abrupt transitions, and certainly no monotonous parallels. The water flows over it I I ted, nly r it TO NIAGARA FALLS. 115 in a broad billowy stream, and is thrown out by craggy points in a hundred places, so that it passes down in a glorious snow-white drapery, wreath- ing into graceful fleecy folds, and possessing so much variety with so complete a unity, that it not only awes but delights, and you almost forget its immensity in the contemplation of its beauty. Near the sliore, where the water is shallow, the stream ripples along pure and clear as chrystal, and falls from the brink in a shower of sparkling brilliancy. Large rocks lay piled up at the foot of the precipice, where it is evident they have fallen from the dizzy height, and the descending torrent dashing against them, flashes up in foam and spray. The river below rolls away to the right, like an emerald sea caressing the sun- beams, till it is lost to the view in its deep and devious course ; and the bold bank rises oppo- site, black, ragged, and impending, with the Clif- ton House sitting in swan-like whiteness on its fearful summit, like Hesper on the gloomy brow of night. Mr. Ware, a very clever and intelligent man, has an observatory on the ferry house, scarce a dozen steps from Prospect Place, where you have a fine view of the same scenes, from a more eleva- ted position. He has also canes, refreslunents, 'C' II 116 PICTORIAL GUIDE and many other articles for sale, and is entitled to a generous share of patronage. Having looked at the Falls as long as you de- sire, from these places, pass up the river along its shore, feasting your eyes upon the wild waters, and the splendid scenery of banks and islands, till you reach the bridge leading from the Ameri- can shore to Bath Island — from which you have a magnificent view of the rapids, dashing and foaming beneath and around you. The water drives along with such immense velocity and force, that one can scarcely conceive how this bridge could have been built. Only sixty-four rods above the cataract, and in the very rush and whirl of the mad torrent, it is no wonder that strangers inquire with an eager curiosity how it was possible to construct it in so danger- ous and difficult a place. The modus operandi was this : — An abutment of proper size and solidity was first made ; then two large and long timbers were projected far over it, the hinder ends of which were firmly secured by piling on tons of weight. Upon these timbers planks were then laid, and a temporary bridge thus formed, from the extremity of which large stones were let down into the stream, till the pile rose above the water, when a o a Jl I • 'I ■ \ i TO NIAGARA FALLS. 117 firm pier was built around it, by framing timbers together, sinking them, and filling up with stone. This pier and the abutment were then joined by a section of the permanent bridge, firmly and strong- ly built. The long timbers were then again thrust forward, and a second pier made, and united to the first, by another section of the bridge. Pro- ceeding in this manner from pier to pier, the whole bridge was finally constructed, and a safe and easy communication established to Bath Island. By the same process, Bath Island was connected with Iris Island, by a similar bridge, and the ob- ject accomplished — Iris Island being now united to the main land, and rendered accessible to all. The first bridge to Iris Island was built by Gen- eral Whitney, in 1817. It was some distance farther up the stream, and was carried away by the ice, in the spring of the following year. The present one was erected the ensuing summer, by the brothers Porter, who are entitled to great cred- it for their enterprise and ingenuity in designing and executing a work of such magnitude and utility. The whole extent of bridge is forty-four rods, — twenty-eight rods to Bath Island, and thence sixteen rods to Iris Island, — the cost about sixteen hundred dollars. In 1839 the whole bridge was thoroughly examined and repaired, and is • > i," 118 PICTORIAL GUIDE now in a most secure, substantial, and perfect condition. At Bath Island register your name, and pay the toll, twenty-five cents, which will give you a right to pass and repass as often as you choose during the year, without further charge. The toll-house is kept by the worthy and accommodating Mr. Jacobs, who has collected quite a little museum of curiosities of different kinds, and will be happy to dispose of canes, specimens, bead-work, etc. of which, with refreshments, he keeps a large assort- ment for sale. Among the curiosities to be seen here, is a molar tooth of the mastodon, which was found near the rail-road depot, thirteen and a half feet below the surface of the earth. It is in good preservation — the enamel nearly perfect — and but little worn. How it came in the place where it was discover- ed, is a mystery. It must have been there many ages, as evinced by the depth from which it was exhumed, and the firm texture of the strata in which it was embedded. The huge animal to whom it once belonged, was doubtless young, and probably died while on a visit to the cata- ract ; — but this is mere speculation. We do not know that any similar fossil remains, have ever before been found in this vicinity. '-V- TO NIAGARA FALLS. 119 Ship and Brig Islands, — so called, because their shape, and the inclination of several trees, gave them a fancied resemblance to such vessels, — lie just above Bath Island, with which the former is connected by a foot-bridge, which though slight, and seemingly frail, is perfectly safe. A gate ad- joining the toll-house, opens upon the path leading directly to it. These beautiful islands are among the most lovely retreats of earth. Sleeping quietly in the midst of the wild mad rapids, of which they command most excellent views ; covered with a luxuriant forest growth of vines and trees, form- ing delightful arbours, carpeted with grass, moss, and flowers, canopied by the thickly clustering foliage, and provided with comfortable, though rustic seats, they seem sacred to innocence, affec- tion, and friendship ; — like the love-spots of life, looking rapturously through a sea of care and trouble. Pity that the bridge uniting these two sweet little islands, was destroyed, — it should be rebuilt without delay. Ship Island has sometimes been called the " Lover's Retreat," and certainly a more appro- priate name could scarcely be found, in the whole catalogue of cognomens, as any one will confess who pays a visit to its endearing seclusions. Of ■I ' It 120 PICTORIAL GUIDE all places in the world, it seems the best for that delicate and difficult task — ** popping the ques- tion," — for a lady could hardly say "no "with the rapids rolling and roaring around her, and the very genius of the place seeming to whisper ** it is not good to be alone." But the reader is per- chance no lover, and as he is impatient, we hasten on to Iris Island. TO NIAGARA FALLS. 121 CHAPTER III. IRIS ISLAND — NAMES, INITIALS AND DATES ON THE TREES — THE HOO'S BACK — CENTRAL FALL — I'ROSl'ECT ISLAND — VIEW OF THE AMERICAN FALL — OTHER ISLANDS — PROFILES ON THE ROCK — RAINBOW — TERRaI'IN BRIDOE AND RUCKS — HORSE-SHOE FALL — PROSPECT TOWER. " Bright Isle ! to the waves that are dashing around, To the mad-leaping torrents that wildly resound. Thy fame and thy beauty, thy costume and crown, Thy gem-spangled robe, and thy name of renown, Thou dost owe — and the glory that hallows thy form, Thus born of the rock, wave, and air battlc-storni, Exalts thee above all the isles of the sea, By the terrible splendors reflected on thee ; Yet the grandeur it gives is allied to decay, And 'tis gnawing thy life with its foam-teeth away." RIS ISLAND, commencing at the head of the rapids, extends to the precipice, of which, as before stated, it forms a part. It is about half a mile in length, eighty rods wide, and contains over sixty acres of arable land. It is sometimes called " Goat Island," and obtain- ed that appellation from the following circum- stance. A Mr. Steadman, then resident at Schlos- ser, in 1770 placed a variety of animals upon it, and among others a number of goats. Of these, a bearded patriarch was the only one who survived I I 122 PICTORIAL GUIDi: the severity of winter, and he remained for a long time its sole occupant. Its more appropriate name of ** Iris Island" is derived from the beauti- ful rainbows always to be seen from it in sunny weather. A portion of the Island has been clear- ed off, and a garden enclosed, in which there are some excellent fruit trees, a variety of plants and flowers, and a fish pond. The major jiart is still, however, covered with a fine forest growtli, which is held sacred from the stroke of the spoiler — and through the dense foliage of which, the rays of the sun find it in many places, almost impossible to penetrate. It is cool, shady, and pleasant ; and is the object of unceasing admiration. Comfort- able seats are placed at the most important points, where the visiter can sit at ease, and luxuriate in the beautiful and sublime scenes presented to his- view. The trunks, and even high branches of the trees, are covered with names, initials, and dates ; some fresh to appearance, and others almost ob- literated by time, decay, and the growing bark. Most persons desire to leave some memorial of their visit, as a souvenance to others, in return perhaps, for the pleasure they have derived from a like remembrance. The earliest date to any name yet found upon the TO NIAGARA FALLS. 123 trees, which may be considered authentic, is paid I'j be 17G9. There are some professedly earlier, but they are supposed to have been dated back from an impulse of puerile vanity. Near the cataract, on the American side, there are names cliiselled upon the rocks, bearing date 1711, 172G, 1745, and later, which are believed to be genuine. '' \ m ''P«. 'he and .he descent i grea '.7"''' ^"''^ '» ^'^th, of 'he cataract. ^ ' *''^" « «ny other part 'STreire^eT'S''.^^'-^'-^^-- tered il TO NIAGARA FALLS. 125 and eagles were wont to build their nests, ere the foot of man had profaned its holiness. A commodious bridge conducts you to this pretty little island, where the American Fall is seen to better advan- tage than from any other elevated point. The view is indeed magnificent. The broad stream plunges down the precipice at your very feet, and the mighty cascade in all its majesty and glory stretches out before you. See its varied outline, its leaping voluted columns, in colour white as an angel's robe ; its whole snowy front flashing down, and hiding, as if too bright and pure for earth, in the foam and spray of the abyss beneath. You will not soon forget the grandeur and beauty of that scene. There are several other islands near, which might easily be rendered accessible, and which the pilgrim of curiosity would be delighted to visit. But now he can only admire them at a distance, and retrace his steps to Iris Island. From the Hog's Back, a singular phenomenon is presented to view. It is that of three profile figures of the human face, upon the rock under the edge of the American Fall, so fully and clear- ly defined, that one can scarcely believe them to be the work of chance, and not of the sculptor's art. They are of gigantic size, but well-proportioned. 1 I '■ l 126 PICTORIAL GUIDE #.;;■ THE THREE PROFILES. and are situated as shown in the engraving above. The first, or upper one represents a negro ; the ■ e. tie TO NIAGARA FALLS. 127 next, a young and well-favoured man, of the European race, and the lowest, an elderly and spectacled personage of the same descent. They appear to be of the male sex, and the features of each are singularly well defined. They were first observed last season, and are now regarded with no little interest. This strange trio certainly ex- hibit a very remarkable coincidence of casualties. Having concluded your observation of the views and curiosities seen from this point, pass up along the bank to the British Fall. If it is yet early in i! the day, and the wind should happen to be up the river, the beautiful rainbow that smiled upon your gaze from the American Fall, now walks by your side, measuring its march by your own pace. When you stop, it stops ; when you start, it starts also. If you run, it keeps up with you; if you linger, it waits. Like a guardian angel, it seems to watch your movements, whispering ever Faith, Hope, Heaven ; and giving back your glances of regard. But you cannot lure it far away from the Falls; — it seems to woo your worship to God's most glorious work, and to melt away in despair when you leave it behind ; but when you return, it starts up to welcome you, and seems to delight in your presence. Pursuing your way along the bank with the 1- if f: h ;: JJ i( !. ^^ \ ■;!i .:.-v .,■.'■■ ►i . ^M [fW ^■:';t^ ' 'i't^ ' ''M ■M ,^:fi •^ 'A'^i _^m ^*J nKwin < VHrmi ''^^»m9 iffagiM - IMI , j - m i m ) ' . 128 PICTORIAL GUIDE rainbow for a companion, you have a noble view of the basin, the Horse-shoe Fall, and the rapids above. The vastness, the majesty of this cascade almost fatigue the mind, in its effort to grasp that which seems to defy calculation. You hasten to Terrapin Bridge,* to the rocks at its extremity, and stand, with the fall, the thunder, the spray, and the abyss at your feet. And what are you ? — an atom in the midst of immensity ; a breath of time on the brow of Eternity. How awful is the scene 1 You look up, and a tempest-tortured flood seems gushing from the far-off skies, roll- ing over the distant horizon, and coming with a lightning-like speed, and a whirlwind-like roar down the steep declivity, and then leaping at one fearful plunge from the bright world of the i.pper air, to the unimagined depths of the cloud-con- cealed profundity. There is no relaxation of the force, no depletion of the volume. Billow urges billow, torrent presses torrent, column crowds on column, and the vast mass that has fallen leaves not the less to descend, nor seems the more to fill up the chasm. The rapids, the cascade, the abyss, the foam, the spray, and the thunder ; and * This bridge was built by Gen. Whitney in 1827. It needs repairing sadly. TO NIAGARA FALLS. 129 also the velocity, the intumescence, and the agi- tation, are all objects of separate and combined wonder and admiration. The curve of the British Fall has now lit- tle resemblance to a horse-shoe, but something the shape of a figure 5, — without the horizontal dash at the top, — the point or lower extremity, resting on Table Rock. Near the Canada shore, the water falls in fleecy, snow-like masses, white, feathery, and shifting. But from thence to the Terrapin Rocks, — over three-fourths of the whole distance — it rolls down in one deep unbroken volume, grand, solemn, and appaUing. The im- mense breadth of this Fall, the vast quantity of water poured down the precipice, the ocean of rapids above, the foaming sea below, the eternal- curling clouds of spray, and the deep hoarse thun- der pealing ever up, produce by their conjoined effect, such an impression of power, energy, and majesty, that the mind recoils from its contempla- tion, and the soul, filled with awe, bows itself in reverent humility, feeling the Omnipotent pres- ence. God is here made so manifest, by the wonderful display of His Almighty power, that disbelief vanishes, pride sinks abashed, and the conviction of the heart and soul is — How great is God ! how insignificant am I ! — He is omnipotent ; I }t': ■ i i '■^',k m N' t' i! Itl : 1 «>.''l PICTORIAL GUIDE I am nothing I The cataract seems a consecrated place, surrounded and filled with the majesty, and glory, and pov/er of the Eternal ; and the spot on which you stand sacred to his service. Fear, awe, and reverence are emotions which this sublime scene never fails to inspire. The God of the Uni- verse is felt to be almost visibly present ; and the haughtiest of Earth's haughty ones, here trem- ble and adore. From the Prospect Tower, — a round stone building, forty-five feet high, ascended by wind- ing stairs, which was erected in 1833 by Judge Porter, — you have a magnificent view of the great Fall, the chasm, the rapids. Table Rock, and the surrounding scenery. You can look down into the very hollow and midst of the vast cascade, and almost see the elemental chaos, where the mist, the spray, the foam and thunder of the cataract have birth. Majesty, grandeur, sublimity, and beauty, — the glorious garniture of God, — are here spread out before you. When you have wondered and admired as long as you choose from these places, ascend the bank, rest a while, and return back to the Biddle Stair- case, which you passed on your way hither from the Hog's Back. TO NIAGARA FALLS. 131 CH A PTER IV. BIDDLE STAIR-CASE— ANdUNO— SAM PATCH — MR. SMITH — FANCIED DANOKR — BRITISH FALL — LOWER FISHING-ROCK — CAVE OF TIIK WINnS — FOOT OF PROSPECT ISLAND — PASSING UNDER THE AMERICAN FALL — CIRCUIT OF THE ISLAND — EN- CROACHMENT OF THE RIVER — MOSS ISLAND — THREE SIS- TERS — HEAD OF IRIS ISLAND — MOUNDS AND SKELETONS. " What august scenes salute the wondering eye ! Floods that seem gushing through the unriven sky, Plunge madly down from glory into gloom — Flash up in spray, and thunder from the tomb — And with a far-descending wall of waves, Bar the broad stream, and veil its misty caves ; While radiant splendors beautify the fall. And Echo, answering to the Cataract's call. Leaps like a living thought from rock to rock- Shadow of sound, and daughter of the shock'." T WAS long a desirable but dif- ficult matter to reach the sloping bank, below the precipice, at the lower end of Iris Island, which prior to the year 1829, could only be attained by coming up in boats from the ferry. In the summer of that year, a convenient stair- case was erected, at an expense of three hundred dollars, by the munificence ot Nicholas Biddle, Esq. the celebrated financier ; by which a safe and speedy, though somewhat tiresome passage is .) , m Ill I 132 PICTORIAL GUIDE aftbrded to the various scenes of interest at the foot of the island, which are among the most grand and curious in this region of wonder. A steep declivity of about forty feet, rendered practicable by a rude, but strong flight of common steps, leads down to the head of the Biddle Stair- case — as it is very properly called — which is in the form of a hexagon, enclosing triangular steps that wind spirally around a large and solid oak shaft, resting firmly on a durable foundation, and securely fastened to the rock at top. The steps are ninety in number, and the Stair-case about eighty feet high — from its base to the river, the descent is eighty feet, or from the top of the bank, one hundred and eighty-five feet. One of the finest places in the country for angling, is at this point of the river, where many varieties of fish are often caught in great abundance. It was here, that the celebrated Sam Patch made two successful leaps from a platform ninety-seven feet high, in the fall of 1829, shortly after the Stair- case was completed. This daring, but unfortu- nate individual, subsequently made two leaps at the Genesee Falls, from a still greater elevation ; the ic St of which, from a height of one hundred and twenty-five feet, proved fatally disastrous. He was seen no more. TO NIAGARA FALLS. 133 From the foot of the stair-case, well-worn paths lead up to the British Fall, where a most beautiful and awe-inspiring scene is witnessed ; and down to the Central Fall, and the Cave of the Winds, where views, if possible, even more grand are beheld. At the Biddle Stair-case, the visiter is provided with a suitable dress by Mr. Smith, — a worthy and well-informed gentleman, perfectly familiar with the Falls, and both competent and willing to impart any information that may be desired on the subject — who has for sale the usual curiosi- ties, canes, and refreshments, and who, for a small fee, furnishes the traveller with every thing necessary to enable him to pass behind the sheet, and into the Cave of the Winds. No change of dress is required, if the visiter does not wish to penetrate the regions of spray, and of course no charge is incurred. But these scenes should never be overlooked: — they are full of wonder and sublimity. Properly equipped, you descend the stairs, from the head of which you have a noble view of the Horse-shoe Fall ; and pass up the stream to the grand cascade. This course is advised, because, usually, a person gets so thoroughly drenched in the Cave of the Winds, that dry clothing is an :,iti k- 134 PICTORIAL GUIDE object of immediate desire, and it is therefore best to visit that place the last, before a change of ap- parel. As you advance along the pathway at the foot of the cliff, with the vast mass of ragged VIEW FROM BIDDLE STAIRS. rocks impending above your head, and, appa- rently, threatening instant destruction, it will be strange if you do not feel a deep sense of danger. Innumerable pieces of stone seem as if on the very point of tumbling down ; and all around you lie the broken fragments that at different times have fallen. But there is little fear : — among the thousands and tens of thousands of persons who have sauntered along the path you are treading, not one has been injured. Only a single accident i! TO NIAGARA FALLS. 135 of the kiiul is known ever to have occurred, and that happened near the Central Fail. You approach the foot of the cataract, and look up at the high ovcr-iianging clifl', the Terrapin Rocks, almost poised upon the dizzy hrink, and the far-fcilling torrent, that comes plunging down, dashed to foam and spray on the huge masses of lime-stone, that lie heaped around, having evi- dently heeu torn from the verge of the precipice, far above you. A splendid, though but partial view of the British Fall may be obtained from the rocks at the river-margin below. About three- fourths of that sublime cascade, is then directly before you, stretching from Table Rock, across the heaving and foaming sea of agitation, which it walls with a flashing flood, in its huge and gigantic proportions. From the point just above you, the water falls in white, fleecy, incoherent columns, like tumbling masses of fresh-formed snow ; light, feathery, and fanciful in its chang- ing shapes, and lovely in its fleeting descent, as a fairy dream of delight. If the wind is favourable, you can pass some distance behind the sheet, and feel the sublimity of a scene, that sets description at defiance, and fills the soul with emotion. From these displays of beauty and wonder, retrace your steps to the Riddle Stair-case, and, 'ti- t'i 136 PICTORIAL GUIDE leaving that behind you, pass on to the Central Fall. If not in too much haste, descend the elo- ping bank to the Lower P''ishing-Rock — as a lime- stone mass, at the lowest point of the island-shore, is called, — from whence the best view of the American Fall is presented, that can be any where obtained, unless, perhaps, from the river directly in front of it. The whole beautiful cascade hangs like a flashing curtain of shifting snow-wreaths before you, waving in fleecy folds, and pillared by downy columns of the softest, clearest white ; around and over all of which, a genial glory seems to float, bright and pure as the hope and faith of an angel-choir. The scene is lovely be- yond all conception. Nothing on earth can com- pare in that respect with the American Fall, as seen from this spot. Vast as it is, you do not observe its size ; lofty as it is, you take no note of its height; august as it is, you scarcely per- ceive its grandeur; — its surpassing loveliness, and transcendant beauty, alone seem to engage your attention. Finally, however, all these be- come blended together, and you begin to realize the majesty, as well as the loveliness ; the sublimi- ty, as well as the beauty of this incomparable cascade, and to feel that the power as well as the goodness of the Divine Architect, has here its TO NIAGARA FALLS. 137 : i lasting and visible impress. Long will that glo- rious scene live in your memory, hallowed by the recollection of a holy rapture, and an earnest worship. Reascend the sloping bank to the Central Fall, and the Cave of tlie Winds is before you. At the entrance, you pause to look up at the projecting cliff, and the sparkling torrent that shoots off far above, falling far over, and far below you ; and down at the piles of rock heaped up around, and the foam and spray springing to light and loveli- ness from the rock-wave concussion. The might- iest throes give birth to the most beautiful things ; and thus the rainbow was born of the deluge. You are on the steps descending into the cav- ern. The majesty, the sublimity of the scene cannot escape your notice, and you will feci what 1 find it impossible to express. A wall of rock rises frowning on one side ; the falling sheet arches the other. You see it leap from the cliff far above, and lash the rocks far below. You seem between two eternities, with a great mys- tery before you, whose secrets are about to be revealed. What a moment is this ! From the vast cavern in to which you are passing, comes the sound of a thousand storms. You hear the mad winds raging around the walls of their f S 'I : t. : I! ENTRANCE TO CAVE OF THE WINDS. imprisonment, and mingling their fearful roar with the reverberating thunders of the cataract ! I TO NIAGARA FALLS. 139 The spray falls thick around you, and, almost overpowered with intense emotion, you hasten on, descend the st'^ps, reach the bottom, instinctively retire from the rushing waters, and, having gain- ed the centre and back of the cave, pause to look around. You seem all eyes, all ears, all soul ! You are in the sublime sanctuary of Nature ; her wonderful and fearful mysteries are above, be- neath, and around you. God is Infinite, you arc nothing ! this is His temple, you are His worship- per ! It is impossible in such a place to be irreve- rent. The proudest, here is meek ; the haughtiest, humble : and the loftiest, lowly. The sights and sounds that crowd upon your gaze, and fill your ears, will be remembered to the latest day of your life ; nor will the emotions that swell your bosom, and thrill your very soul, be ever forgotten. The Cave of the Winds has long been known, and by that name, than which none can be more appropriate. In 1834 it was first entered by Messrs. White and Sims, residents of the village, who landed from a boat at the foot of Prospect Island, and from thence effected an entrance, though with much difficulty. Since that time, it has been occasionally penetrated by the same ap- proach ; b-ut it was not until the present season that a safe and easy passage was thrown open to \) Ml f% 140 PICTORIAL GUIDE the traveller ; and for this advantage the public is indebted to the liberality and enterprise of Judge Porter. It is now free to all who choose to ex- plore its solemn shades. This cave has sometimes been called "Ingra- ham's Cave," but the propriety of that name is very questionable ; and even were it not, th,e gen- tleman most interested in the subject, ** solemnly protests" against it. The appellation by which it is generally known, *'Cave of the Winds," is much more suitable, and this name it will beyond all doubt retain. It is about one hundred feet wide, thirty feet deep, and over one hundred and thirty feet high. The bottom is composed of loose stones or shale, which have fallen from above, and slopes gradually down to the front, where it ter- minates in a precipice thirty-four feet high, from the water's edge. The sheet of water on one side, and the projecting rock on the other, form a natural and noble arch, combining every element of sublimity. The thick spray rolls along the floor, curls up the arching wall, and flies across the ceiling in ceaseless revolutions, keeping the air in constant agitation, and adding the roar of many winds to the echoing thunders of the cata- ract. It is a sublime, an awful place — fit temple of Jehovah! No language can describe, no TO NIAGARA FALLS. 141 tongue express, and no pen record the solemnity, the grandeur, the sublimity of the scene, or the emotions which it excites. Between the Central and American Falls, and at the foot of Prospect Island, there is a narrow vacant space, bounded and almost over-arched by the tumbling torrent, from which grand viewg are presented of these two cascades — that of the lat- ter, is particularly fine. Here you may rest your- self, or ramble over the huge rocks, in the pure air, with the bright river and the blessed sky be- fore you, and the dark rock above ; and then pass under the American sheet as far as you desire, or dare. It is a frightful place, overwhelming in its gloom, grandeur, and sublimity ; and there be few who have ventured far, though it is suppos- ed possible to pass quite through and under the whole vast cascade. Returning hence, ascend the Biddle Stair-case, to the bank above, and resume your ordinary dress. Rest yourself here a short time, and then, proceeding up the river, make the circuit of the Island. Feast your eyes again as you pass the Horse-shoe Fall, upon its wondrous majesty, and beauty ; take another look, if you desire it, from the Terrapin Rocks, Tower, and Bridge ; and, re-ascending the bank, continue your walk along the wave- washed shore. ¥a 142 PICTORIAL GUIDE A short distance above the cataract^, you will see where the Island has been much worn away by the action and encroachment of. the river. The road once passed some rods to the right of where it now is, and has been cut off, as you will perceive, by the ever-wasting flood. Large trees, which grew not long since upon the firm earth of the Island, lie prostrate, with their branching tops in the doep stream, and their roots high upon the sloping shore. From the bank, here you have a splendid view of the rapids, and will observe the mighty torrent rolling down immense ledges, leaping and surging up high in the air, and wildly rushing and tossing about — a mad sea of com- motion 1 You will also observe part of the wreck of a large vessel lying in the stream nearly opposite this point. It is all that is now left of the Detroit, the flag ship of Capt. Barclay, which with other vessels, was captured in the naval victory achiev- ed by Commodore Perry, on the 10th of Septem- ber, 1813. It was brought down from Buflfalo last season, to be sent over the Falls, but in passing the ledge above, was dismasted, and broken, and, disappointing the vast crowds collected to see it take the final phinge down the cataract, rested not far from where it now lies. Piece after piece has TO NIAGARA FALLS. 143 been torn off and carried away by the impetuous torrent ; and, probably, by another spring, there will not be a fragment left of the noble vessel, that once sent its booming death-laden thunders over the trembling waves of Lake Erie, in a glo- rious strife for conquest and renown. But louder thunders than were ever its own, and a mightier strife than that in which it was engaged, accom- pany and cause its destruction. Fit end to its war-born existence I A few rods further, and you come to a cluster of islands situated in the midst of the rapids which rage above, between, and around them. There are four of these Islands, though to appearance, but three. The nearest one is called Moss Island, from the quantities of moss that completely cover it, to a depth of from ten to fifteen inches. Be- tween this and Iris Island, there is a beautiful cas- cade — a cataract in miniature — which affords one of the finest bathing places that could be wished. The outer islands are called the ** Three Sisters," and are, as yet, inaccessible, though they might be, at a small expense, connected with each other, and with Iris Island, and would be desirable pla^jes of resort, from their seclusion, and the magnificent views they would present of the rapids, in which they lie. if 1 1- li - I I If II 144 nCTORIAL GUIDE At the head of Iris Island, you see the broad river spread out before you, like a shining sea ; with Schlosser on the left, Chippewa far off to the right, and Grand, Navy, and other Islands in the dim distance above. It was here, and near the old log upon which you are probably now sitting, that visiters to Iris Island were landed from boats, before the bridge was built. Such was then the only mode of reaching it, and the passage required great care, skill, and exertion, and was of course expensive. The Island was therefore, at that time, a terra incognita to most persons — an unat- tainable object of intense desire. They could see that it was beautiful, that it presented grand views of the sublime cataract they had come from afar to behold ; but alas ! they could not set foot upon its velvet surface, repose beneath its shady groves, nor witness from its banks the marvellous glories that clustered around it, and in the midst of which it so sweetly slumbered. Happy traveller ! you can pass on and off when you please, see all that it has to reveal, and ramble over and about it at your leisure. Visiters to the Falls now, enjoy ad- vantages that would have been deemed visionary and impracticable in those days of infant or un- born enterprise. Continuing your walk around the Island, you ! TO NIAGARA FALLS. 145 mark the commencement, progress, and wild vio- lence of the American rapids, and accord them the meed of wonder and praise. At length you reach an old log house, with a low stone addition to the rear, now lone, dreary, and deserted. t was )ries lich I you (that at lad- |ary m- tou here that Francis Abbot, the Ht^rmit of the Falls, for a long time resided : — of this singular and un- fortunate individual, we shall elsewhere relate all that is certainly known. On an elevated sandy part of the bank, about midway of the garden, there were formerly a number of small mounds, into which excavations were made, some years since, and human remains discovered. They had been buried in a sitting posture, and each individual had a separate grave. None of the skeletons were found perfect, and most of the bones crumbled to dust, on being exposed to the air, or coming in contact with the touch. No relics of weapons or ornaments were observed, and probably none had ever been deposited. K 4. 146 PICTORIAL GUIDE The memory of the age in which these people lived or perished, has passed away, and tradition is silent concerning their history or fate. That Niagara was held in a great degree sacred by the Aborigines is certain ; and that some of them be- lieved the home of the Great Spirit to be here, is unquestioned. Probably, Iris Island was, from these circumstances, a consecrated spot, where great and good men, who were loved and honour- ed while living, were permitted to repose when dead ; and where also, the fair and innocent, who were cut down in the greenness of youth, and the bloom of beauty, were allowed to bear them company. But this is mere supposition, for noth- ing is or can. be known of the persons here buried, or the time of their interment, except that it must have been ages ago. This is proved, by the con- dition of the bones, and the ignorance of all the neighbouring Indian tribes upon the subject. It is quite likely that the remains of many others are still resting in this holy burial-place, whose solemn dirge is sung by the cataract, and whose quiet sleep ^'''U be broken only by the Archangel's trump, at the end of time. Having made the circuit of the Island, return to your hotel, dine, rest, and then pay a visit to the neighbouring dominions of the British Queen. TO NIAGARA FALLS. 147 CH A PTER V. FEURY STAIUS — CATLIN'S C.WE — OIANT CAVE — VIEW FROM THE RIVER — ROAD I'l' THE BANK — GRAND VIEW OF THE FALLS — VIEW FROM TABLE ROCK — TABLE ROCK — DISRUP- TIONS — VARIED APPEARANCE OF THE FALL — STaRKEY'S ROOMS — STAIRCASE — VIEW FROM BEr.OW — TERMINATION ROCK — MUSEUM — CAM. 0B3CU. — IRIS ISLAND AT NIOUT. "Not in the pomp of temples made with hands, Nor where in pride the sculptured marble stands — Where pillared aisles their laboured lines display, And painted casements mock the imprisoned day, Or the broad column swells — we Avorsliip Thee, Spirit Almighty! — but in this vast shrine, Where Nature bids her elder glories shine, Fit emblems of thine own eternity. Lonely, and wild, and vast '. O, is not here A temple meet for worship?" A V I N G refreshed yourself by rest and food, you set out on a visit to Canada, to see the magnificent and sublime views of the Falls, which that side alone presents. At Pros- pect Point again delight your eyes with the glo- rious scene that first met your gaze, and then pass on to the Ferry Stair-case, which you descend. It would seem almost impossible, without this convenience, to get down the precipice ; but the feat has been accomplished in several instances, 14 i. 148 PICTORIAL GUIDE by both gentlemen and ladies. The passage was, however, exceedingly diflicult and dangerous, and the public is much indebted to Judge Porter for the present safe and commodious means of de- scent. These stairs were erected by that gentle- man, in 18*25, who has also the right of ferry below. From the foot of the first or upper flight of steps, an interesting view of the Falls is pre- sented, which cannot fail to exact a tribute of admiration. From the bottom of the Stairs, pass up along the sloping bank, to the American Fall, of which you have an excellent view ; and where, if the wind is up the river, you may creep down the rocks, and pass some distance under the sheet, without being much incommoded by the spray. Two caves were discovered in 1825, by a Mr. Catlin of Lockport, one of which bears his name, and is unique. They are about three-fourths of a mile below the ferry, at the base of the cliff. The passage to them is from the foot of the ferry stair- case, and along the top of the sloping bank at the bottom of the precipice ; and, though not very dangerous, is quite rough and fatiguing. You can go by water with less exertion, but at some expense. The principal cave, and that which is by far the most curious, is a round hollow in the centre of a large and nearly spherical rock, formed J TO NIAGARA FALLS. 140 by adepositc of calcarious tufa, from the drippings of lime-water springs, which gush out of the rocks in several places at and near the cave. The cavi- ty is about six feet in diameter, and may be enter- ed by a circular aperture, scarcely large enough to admit a medium sized man ; — this opening is about four feet from the bottom of the rock. When first discovered, the cave was lined with stalactites, many of them very beautiful ; but they have all been long since removed. A line spring sparkles along the bottom of the cavity. The other cave, sometimes called the Giant Cave, is beyond, though near Catlin's, and some distance above it in the rocks ; by the disruption of large masses of which it is supposed to have been formed. It is somewhat diflicult of access, but will repay the toil of climbing. A large niche in the precipice shelters the entrance to it, and a lovely spring ripples over its limestone floor. Mineral specimens, some very fine, may be picked up in the vicinity of these caves, and among others, moss in every stage of petrifaction, which presents an extremely curious and interest- ing appearance, even to the unlearned in the science of stones and fossils. A visit to these caves, will amply reward the trouble of getting to them ; but they should not be examined to the 4 I.''>'l 150 PICTORIAL GUIDE exclusion of any view of the cataract, or of other and more remarkable scenes and objects hereafter to be noted, as they are of comparatively small importance. They are mentioned in this connec- tion, because the route to them commences from the ferry stairs ; and now, whenever you choose to go and see them, you will know whence to start, and what direction to pursue. Returning from the American Fall to the Stairs, and winding down the sloping bank, you are soon at the Landing. The ferry on this side is kept by Mr. S. L. Ware, who takes every pains to oblige and accommodate visiters, and whose observatory at the head of the stairs, we have before had occa- sion to notice. The boats used for ferriage are large, staunch, and commodious, and are propelled by the sinewy arms of a single person. Not the slightest danger is to be apprehended, and the pas- sage is efTectcd in from four to seven minutes, — the distance across being seventy-six rods. The charge is reasonable : only eighteen and three- fourths cents from May to November, or twenty- five cents from November to May. Taking your seat in the stern of the boat, the ferry-man pushes off, and you are afloat on the bosom of the abyss. The eddies curl around you, and the currents are swift; but the strong limbs 'm*'* TO NIAGARA FALLS. 151 of the sturdy rower force the bark along with rapidity, and almost before you are aware of it, you find yourself in the middle of the stream, and the bout riding gracefully over the heavy swells. What a scene now courts your eager gaze ! The mighty cataract in all its sublimity and immensity is above and before you ! You are in the nave of j vast temple, whose walls are the eternal hills, corniced nith crags, ornamented with a fret-work of tr'^es, shrubs,, flowers, and foliage ; whose dome is the blue heaven ; and whose altar is the mighty c itaract, draped with hangings of green and .';now ; from the unseen base of which clouds vjf iuccnse are ascending to the skies, and bearing up the solemn peal of its mist-hidden thunder-toned organ. The floor is of emerald and alabaster ; elements are the ministers, and you a worshipper. This temple was the work of Nature, and to the God of Nature erected. Human hands could not lift even a corner of its veil ; human art could not equal the smallest of its marvels r i;'iman eyes could not penetrate the least of its mysteries ! A vast semicircle of cataracts stretches around you, forming a sceno of surpassing splendor and sublimity. Huge and massy walls of rock are on either side, and the shivering skiff* in which you m n r I i- '^ I i! ■fel 152 PICTORIAL GUIDE sit, floats upon the surface of a sea, fathomless, convulsed, and immeasurable. Endless torrents, bursting as it were from the opened heavens, leap from the brow of the tremendous precipice, plunge headlong down the terrific height, and lash the deep profound, in to which they are hurled, to foam and madness. The sonorous breathings of the tortured abyss roll up and reverberate in thunder-peals ; and air and earth tremble at the shock of the contending floods. Dense clouds of spray, rolling and curling up in shapeless and ever-varying forms, conceal the meeting of the waters, and majestically soar aloft, heaven-borne on the wings of the wind. The sun, shedding refulgent splendors upon the glorious scene, seems girdled with a radiant halo by the rising mists ; and rainbows, broken into fragments by the shift- ing vapours, appear and vanish, dazzle and dissolve, on every side, in quick and magic succession. Lost in the contemplation of such sublimity and magnificence, the moments fly unnoted, and the Landing is before you, where the red-vestured sen- tinels of Queen Victoria aie seen pacing back and forth their accustomed promenade. If an Ameri- can, you will probably endeavour to convey by your appearance and looks, a very definite idea of your Nation's independence, — if a Briton, your TO NIAGARA FALLS. 153 stature will no doubt increase a full inch. At all events, you will pass on up the bank, by a fine carriage-road, which was constructed, at a cost of about five thousand dollars, by Messrs. Street and Clarke, and completed in the year !8'27. In re- turn for the expense incurred, by the formation of this road, the government of Upper Canada gave those gentlemen the sole right of ferry for twenty- one years. It is a very smooth and pleasant way, and the ascent is quite gradual. From the top of the bank, and along it toward Table Rock, but at no one particular point, the best and grandest of all upper views of the Falls is presented. The eye here, grasps at a glance, the whole mighty measure of the cataract ; and Niagara in all its beauty and glory, in all its ma- jesty and immensity, is spanned by a single look. It is before you, revealed in all its grandeur and extent, in all its splendor and sublimity. You stand entranced and spell-bound. Amazement and admiration are in your gaze ; awe and reve- rence in your soul. It is a scene to linger on, and long you linger, turning often away to rest the eye, and relieve the mind, and as often recurring to it with increased wonder and interest. But at length, you pass on, with it still in your eye and mind, to Table Rock ; which, passing the Camera :.: 154 PICTORIAL GUIDE Obscura, and the Museum, at length you reach. The view of the Horse-shoe Fall from this point, is indeed magnificent. No wonder that the scene from Table Rock has been lauded and extolled. No wonder that it has been the ultima ihvlc of many a long and weary pilgrimage. It is all that has been said of it, and infinitely more: — words cannot convey an idea of its unearthly sublimity and grandeur. The sea of rapids leaping and tossing above ; the vast breadth and depth of the raging stream ; the im- petuous rush of the ocean-torrent ; the awful plunge of the prodigious volume ; the tremendous concussion, heard and felt, but not seen from the covering mists, that envelope and hide the crush- ing appulsion of the meeting masses ; the pointed spear-shaped jets that shoot far up from the con- vulsed bosom of the heaving and surging abyss ; the multitudinous whirling, shifting, convolving clouds of spray and vapour, that roll heavily up and load the unresting air ; the dark, threatening clifTs, that shut in the vexed and foam-covered accumulation of floods, in the angry gulf below ; the resplendant glories shed over all by the burn- ing sun, minting with gorgeous colours the sheet, the stream, and the spray, wreathing with rain- bow-hues the fleecy and emerald robes of the TO NIAGARA FALLS. 155 grand cascade, and arching the fearful chasm with a zone of brightness and beauty ; the wild hoarse roar of the mad rapids, and the deep booming | thunders of the cloud-compelling cataract — these, and a thousand other collateral and subordinate features, combine to form a scene which appals and confounds the observer, while it attracts and rivets his wrapt and eager gaze. God of Omnip- otence ! this wonder is Thy work ; the very ground is holy with Thy presence ! This you feel — must feel — though, perhaps, you do not speak it. Crowding emotions swell the bosom ; thoughts that defy utterance, fdl the mind. The power and presence of the Almighty seem fear- fully manifest. You gaze, and tremble as you gaze ! Table Rock is on the same level with the Fall, and is a continuation of the ledge or strata from which the torrcnt-llood is precipitated. It pro- jects over the bank, and beyond the curve of the cascade to a considerable distance, and from this circumstance, derive^ its name ; having, in some respects, a tabular aspect. Creep to the edge and look down, — the sensation is awful. There is nothing but the invisible and imponderable air between the thin leaf-like crag which supports you, and the massy blocks of limestone that lay ■} ^il TO NIAGARA FALLS. 157 coacervated more than one hundred feet beneath, where they have fallen from the dizzy elevation whence you look, and been rent and scattered by the shock. There is a strange and indefinable fas- cination in the terrible depth that confronts you, " Charming the eye with dread ;" and it requires an effort to withdraw from that horrible verge of danger and death. Table Rock was formerly of much greater ex- tent than it is at present ; large portions of the cliff having at different times been broken off, and dashed to pieces by the fall. In 1818, an im- mense mass, — one hundred and sixty feet in length, and from thirty to forty feet broad, — was torn from ih' brow of the bank, hurled down the steep, and shattered to fragments at the foot of the precipice. The disruption took place about midnight, and the shock of its fall startled and awoke the inhabitants for miles around, by whom it was mistaken for that of an earthquake. In the years 1828 and '29, other smaller portions of the rock fell ; and a deep fissure, which cannot but be observed, embracing within its circumference an enormous mass of rock, shows that at no very dis- tant date a similar catastrophe may be expected. The old building and machinery upon Table i 'j. h i m 158 PICTORIAL GUIDE Rock, were erected for the purpose of forcing water up the high bank to the City of the Falls, for domestic and other uses. The project was found to be impracticable, and was therefore abandoned. The shape or outline of the British Fall, is un- dergoing almost constant change, from the dis- ruption of large portions of the ledge or cliff, by which it is produced.'^ In 1G78 it was nearly straight across. Since that time, it has become deeply indented, and has at diflerent periods, taken diflerent forms of curvature, from one of which, it derived the name of Horse-shoe. It is worthy of note that the outline of this cas- cade assumes a different shape to the eye, at every point from which it is seen.t Consequently, it is presented in a new and striking aspect at every change of place ; and as many fine views are ob- tained as there are separate stations from which to observe. From the Clifton House, the Pavil- ion Hotel, and the Barracks, it appears under forms having but slight similitude to each other, * In 1823 several large pieces fell, one of them nearly half an acre in extent. t The same is true, though in a less degree, of the Ameri- can Fall. orcing Falls, ct was ■re fore is un- e dis- iff, by nearly ecome :riods, >ne of s cas- every , it is every •e ob- vhich Pavil- mder ther, Y half mcri- sw ■^1 i j I I !■; I 1*^ |i W V:: \p m n ill ' o a o tA fa TO NIAGARA FALLS. 159 — varying from concave to square, and from square to triangular, — but all extremely interest- ing ; — the view from the former is, however, im- measurably the most grand and superb. After having sufficiently examined and admired the scene from Table Rock, you return along the plank pathway to the rooms of Mr. Starkey, where there is a Stair-case down the bank, and where you will procure proper apparel and a guide to Termination Rock, which is behind the great sheet. Provided with these essential requisites, you descend a long flight of spiral stairs, erected some years since by Mr. Forsyth, from the foot of which, taking the path to the right, you soon arrive at the misty, spray-washed entrance to the cavern, which it is your purpose toexi)lore. Here you pause, to enjoy a most sublime view of the cataract, and particularly of the Ilorsc-shoe Fall, which comes thundering down, above and before you, stretching far away to the left in its huge and awful proportions. Another, and, in some respects, a better view of the same grand specta- cle, is seen from the river-margin, to which you descend. From this point, more than any other, you ap- pear to realize the vast height of the precipice, and the prodigious weight and impulsion of the torrent. ■ u,. •f.e.il ny Wi i ;i 160 PICTORIAL GUIDE It seems a god-hurled flood, and you an insect- atom, scarce beyond its rush. Tremendous in its force, immense in its extent, appalling in its sub- limity, the vast cascade confounds and terrifies you, while it hugs your gaze with a charm you can neithc'i comprehend nor break. A dread in- definable divinity is in and upon it, which com- pels your adoration of Him who piled the rock, and heaved the flood that made Niagara, and made it speak of Him, through every sense of power and beauty, to mind and soul. There is a godness in the scene, that is felt in every fibre, but cannot be expressed, — that infinitely expands the soul, which is yet too small to grasp its dim outline even, — that crowds the mind with august thoughts and emotions, which struggle for utterance, but which the heart only can tell to its Creator in the silent eloquence of worship. Of all views of Niagara, this is the most im- pressive ; and, were there no other, it would seem inexplicable from whence these unintermitted and immeasurable floods could proceed, which appear literally to fall from the heavens. From this scene, tearing yourself away, you regain the top of the sloping bank, and, impatient to attain the penetralia of Nature's hidden mysteries, essay the passage behind the sheet. The winds howl around TO NIAGARA FALLS. 161 you ; — the spray dashes in your face with bhnd- ing and almost suflbcating force. You can scarce- ly see, scarcely breathe ; but the supporting hand of the guide, and his encouraging voice, sustain and re-assure you. With hasty but careful steps you press on, and are in a moment more, at your journey's end, and can both see and breathe more freely. The spray still showers upon you, but with diminished force and density ; and you look around, above, below. What a fearful place ! what an imposing scene ! Unutterable awe is the first, and for some seconds, the only emotion. You stand upon a narrow ledge, scarce three feet wide, and gaze with intense interest up nine- ty feet at the meeting arches of rock and water ; and down seventy feet at a steep precipice, and a flashing sheet, which are lost to view in the rising mists. You see the mighty torrent roll off the cliff above your head, and plunge with a lightning rapidity, down the dark profound. You cannot see the strife between fall and flood — the mad melee of many waters ; — but you hear the sound of the battling elements, and you feel that the struggle is terrific. Such sights I such sounds I — The eye aches ; the ear is pained. But there is a dreadful fascination in the place : — the eye looks L !iij i II '1 ' 162 PICTORIAL GUIDE eagerly, though it aches; and the ear is pleased with that which pains it. An inviting extent of cavern, dim, misty, and indefinable, is before you. You long to explore it, and advance a step, when the guide, catching your arm, assures you that you sU\n'\ upon the extremity of Termination Rock, and that, though it is possible to make your way a few feet farther, the attempt would be at the hazard of your life. Reluctantly you abandon the hope of diving still deeper into the shadowy recesses of that terribly attractive cavern ; and survey with a closer scru- tiny the vaulted hall, in which you stand. Rag- ged, impending, and seamed with fissures, the arching rock above you appears to be on the point of crumbling beneath the weight of the superin- cumbent flood. Massy fragments, held by no visible support, seem almost in the act of falling ; and you can hardly persuade yourself, that danger is not imminent, and destruction at hand. But the reflection, that thousands and thousands of persons have passed under them, back and forth, with impunity, inspires you with courage ; and you scan, but with a throbbing pulse and a heav- ing bosom, the wonders and glories by which you are surrounded. The living deluge that bursts from the trembling TO NIAGARA FALLS, 103 crag far above you, and, flashing by, is scarcely seen, ere it thunders up from the gulf below, seems to make an eternal present of both past and future, by its liglitning rush and ceaseless flow. Omnipotence mingling infinities, dashing down the flood, lifting the spray, and swelling the sound, pervades the place with His presence, and deepens the awe it inspires. But any attempt to describe the sights, sounds, or sensations, produced by this transcendant scene, must be vain, and worse than vain ; and I leave you **amid these vast and eter- nal workings of gigantic nature," to commune with Him, ** whom Nature's self obeys," and remain or emerge at will. Drenched and dripping, you at last come forth, bearing upon your mind and memory, an impres- sion that no time or change can ever erase ; and with solemn step and thoughtful mien, ascend the stairs, and resume your ordinary dress. Register your name, receive a certificate that you have been to Termination Rock, pay the customary charge, and then, if you choose, rest yourself, and partake of some refreshment. Mr. Starkey, who keeps this establishment, is attentive to the wishes of his guests, and has a fine cabinet of minerals and other curiosities, which is worthy of notice. Returning to the ferry, stop at the Museum as M 164 PICTORIAL GUIDE you pass, and examine Mr. Barnett's admirable collection of natural and artificial curiosities A splendid view of the Falls may also be enjoyed from the piazza of the Museum ; and Mr. Barnett, who is both intelligent and polite, will do all in his power to render your visit agreeable. At the Camera Obscura, make a short pause, to see the miniature and moving Niagara, animated and life-like, which that instrument presents. From thence, return to the ferry, — which, on the Canada side, is kept by Mr. Shultersburgh, a civil and obliging man, careful and attentive to his business, and experienced in all that relates to his vocation, — and, while crossing the river, en- joy again the glorious view of basin, cliff, and cataract, in that solemn temple, which seems filled with the Eternal presence, its liquid floor quaking beneath His Omnipotent tread. From this sub- lime sanctuary, having offered up the incense of an awe-awakened praise to Him whose habitation if on earth, is here, — return to your hotel, recruit your physical energies with rest and food, and ponder upon the mighty and magnificent scenes you have beheld. In the evening, make another visit to Iris Island, which you will find even more interesting and agreeable in the sweet moonlight, than in the TO NIAGARA FALLS. 165 en- broad glare of day, — and caljh, if you cnn, a glimpse of the lunar bow. There is a witching loveliness about tliis island in the soft obscurity of evening, that cannot fail to please ; and a solemn grandeur in the cataract at night, that commands reverence. Then, too, imagination holds her undisputed sway ; — but the half-concealment that shrouds every object, confines her to the task of filling up the shadowy outline of the vast indis- tinct, that is every where around. It seems a spirit-land, and gigantic forms of inessential grace and beauty float before the vision, upon the atmos- phere of fancy. Hushed is the voice of mirth, silent the tongue of conviviality. The Actual blends with the Ideal : contemplation rules the hour, and the place ; and a subdued, but not dis- mal, melancholy pervades every brow and bosom. No sound is heard, but the choral chaunt of the elements : no sentiment breathed, but such as be- fits the spot, and the season. The Genius of Ni- agara, hovering near, yprcarls his misty pinions over all things ; and the whole scene is hallowed by the invisible presence of Deily. End the day by reflecting upon what you have seen and felt ; and looking over your guide-book, to determine where you will go next. And so, good night ; — I know your slumbers will be sweet. I ' J w * . ,1 "I^W li' 166 PICTORIAL GUIDE CHAPTER VI. REMARKS AND ADVICE — GOOD COUNSEL — PUPLIC GARDEN — ROAD DOWN THE BANK — INDIAN LADDER — POINT VIEW — ■ MINERAL SPRING — VIEW OF THE CATARACT — WUIRLPOOL RAPIDS — WIIIULPOOL LODGE — WIIIULPO<ws. It by the TO NIAGARA FALLS. 195 people of both countries, and resorted to by many visiters to the Falls. Extend your ramble to this plain, hallowed in the remembrance of two nations, return thence to the ferry, feast your eyes again upon the splen- dors and glories of Niagara, which you cannot too often behold ; and then cross the river and rest from your labours of curiosity. Reader, — I have thus, in part, performed my office of ** GUIDE :" indifferently well, it may be, but with an eye single to your advantage. I have conducted you to every part of Niagara, and to all that there is to be seen at the Falls, and in their immediate vicinity. I need not now say, visit every point again, and repeatedly, for your own inclinations will prompt you to do this as often as your term of stay and convenience will permit. You will desire to look upon the cataract at all hours of the day and evening ; to see it in every light and under every shade ; in storm and sun- shine ; and in fall and flood. And when you have done this, and are leaving Niagara, perhaps, for ever, you will regard the days and hours in which you listened to its solemn voice, and saw its fear- ful throes, as among the most delightful you ever i 1 1 196 PICTORIAL GUIDE passed, unless in Move's young dream* when every pulse was a thrill, and every thought a rapture. But the duty of a Guide, is not merely to point out the path and lead the way, he should endeav- our to direct your attention to every feature and appearance of the place to which he has led you, and unless indifferent to the beauty and sublimity of the marvellous scenes he has brought you to behold, — in which case he is a bore of the most intolerable description, — he will communicate his own impressions, in the language of his own en- thusiasm, and this, if you do not sympathize with, you can at least, excuse. So far, I have done my devoir. I am now about to gratify your curiosity as to the principal occurrences, historical and other- wise, not heretofore mentioned, connected by their vicinage, if not more immediately, with the wonderful cataract of Niagara, and the remarka- ble objects in its neighbourhood ; that done, my whole task will be accomplished. PICTORIAL TO NIAGARA GUIDE FALLS. PART 1 1 1. HISTORICAL SKETCH W I T II ACCIDENTS AND ADVENTURES. " These are events that shoult And deeds that claim redempti And names that must not with not pass away, on from decay, er, but go down 1 1 PICTORIAL GUIDE TO NIAGARA FALLS. CHAPTER I. EARLY niSTOUY OF TIIF-: FALLS — FRKNCII ESTATIIISIIMENTS — EXI'EPITION OF LA SALI-E — IIENNKI'IN'S TOL'U OF EXPLORA- TION — OTHER VISITEUa — ( IIA.NOES IN THE CATARACT — WANT OF DATA, ETC. "Adventurous spirits! from afar thoy came, To pioneer a pathway up to fame; And, freighted with the tidings ofsalvation, To christianize each dark henighted nation. The love of God, and stronger h>vc of gain, Urge tlieir fleet footsteps o'er tlie pathless plain; — They trace the river to its mountain birth, And covet all the wide expanse of earth: For valued furs, they protter in exchange, Beads, tinsel, gewgaws, and a faith so strange. The Red-man cannot understand, nor they Explain — and thus, they jjreach, press on, and prey," O T H I N G, to one who has seen the Falls, can be indiflerent, which relates to them, and especially their early history, of which it is strange, so little is now known. Not the name even, of the lucky European whose eyes were first gladdened by the glories of Niagara, ff^^"'' -^^M jKv.V .' \ -- ^yRA pp ^^u mi Wfi fV ■■ff\^S>. 1 200 PICTORIAL GUIDE has come down to us ; nor can conjecture fix upon the date of the discovery. Immortality would have been the recompense of the fortunate finder, had his memory been preserved ; but the night of an utter oblivion rests upon both the man and the event. We should suppose that the honour of this great discovery would have been promptly claimed, and jealously guarded ; but such seems not to have been the case ; and so far from having rival pretensions to judge, there is literally none to accept the award. We can account for this, only, by supposing that the wonders of nature had no power to charm the eye of avarice ; and that a cataract, so vast and magnificent even as this, rated less in the estimati'^n of the gold-seeking, fur-gathering settlers of New France, than any portion, however minute, of the glistening ore, any pelt, however poor, of the castor tribe. In the early part of the seventeenth century, the French had established themselves on the shores of Lake Ontario, and it cannot be supposed they could long remain in ignorance of the cataract, while they were in constant intercourse with In- dians, dwelling at, and around it ; and by whom it was regarded with superstitious reverence. Yet it seems to have excited no attention, or curiosity — and is not even mentioned, that I can learn, TO NIAGARA FALLS. 201 T fix upon ' would 3 finder, night of and the )nour of romptly b seems having ly none br this, lire had nd that IS this, eking, an any ig ore, |ry, the shores d they aract, th In- whom Yet losity earn. till half a century later. Creuxio, author of a History of Canada, of date, 1660, has it marked on his map ; but in the work itself, the name is not to be seen ; and, except a bare allusion, per- haps, no further notice of the Falls is found of earlier date, than 1078, when Father Hennepin paid a visit to the scene, had the good sense to appreciate its grandeur, and has left the world indebted to him for the first account of Niagara — though the French had already, and indeed years before, established trading posts on the upper lakes, and penetrated even to the Mississippi itself. Father Louis Hennepin, a missionary of the Catholic order of St. Francis, came to Canada in the year 1676, continued for two years at Fort Frontenac, engaged in the cure of souls ; and then being zealous in the service of God, and emulous in the search of new countries, he packed up his priestly garments, procured a portable chapel, and joined the Sieur de La Salle, in an expedition of discovery, trade, and conversion, to the upper lakes, and the Mississippi ; which noble river had been reached, and partly explored, six years pre- vious by Father Marquette, who did not however live to relate the particulars of his journey, but perished not long after, in the country of the Mi- amies, where he was detained. 202 nCTORIAL GUIDE 1i The Sieur de La Salle, with Father Hennepin, and others, set sail from Fort Frontenac, in the fall of 1678, and in process of time, made thie Niagara river, at the mouth of which he estab- lished a trading post, on the site of Fort Niagara. When making the portage, the party, — and most of them doubtless for the first time, — saw the Falls. If we may judge by the example of La Tonti, the historiographer of La Salle's enter- prises and adventures, who merely mentions, and that incidentally, that there is a cataract six hun- dred feet high, between the lakes Erie and Onta- rio, this sublime spectacle made but a slight im- pression upon its dull beholders. Father Henne- pin, had, however, a more just appreciation of the august scene than his companions, and while en- deavouring to describe it, deeply regrets that there was not some one present better fitted for the task. At some point above the Falls, a vessel of sixty tons burthen was built by La Salle, in which, in the prosecution of their journey, they navigated the lakes Erie, St. Clair, Huron, and Michigan, to the St. .Joseph's River, where he built a fort. Crossing the portage to the Illinois river, he built there another fort, from whence. Father Henne- pin, with three Canadian boatmen, set off in a canoe, to explore the Mississippi, which he did to TO NIAGARA FALLS. 203 lennepin, ic, in the made th^ he estab- Niagara. ■ and most -saw the pie of La j's enter- tions, and ; six hun- md Onta- slight im- ■r Henne- ion of the while en- that there the task. 1 of sixty (Vhich, in avigated lichigan, ilt a fort. he built Henne- off in a le did to the gulf of Mexico ; and, returning, ascended to the Falls of St. Anthony, which are indebted to him for the pious name they bear, — as also, the river St. Francis. Hardship, danger, captivity, and many lesser evils, were bravely borne by the worthy Francis- can, who finally made his way back to Niagara, to which a second chapter of his narration is now devoted ; and thence, to Fort Frontenac, from which he had been nearly four years absent. On his return to France, he published at Paris, in 1684, a description of Louisiana, and at Am- sterdam, in 1698, an account of other regions which he had discovered and explored. This lat- ter volume, contains his description of the Falls, which is illustrated by an engraved view of the cataract. La Hontan, who was in Canada from 1683 to '89, in his work published in 1703, gives a brief notice of the Falls, which he estimated at nearly eight hundred feet high. Charlevoix, the histo- rian of New France, paid them a visit in 1721, and corrected the error of his predecessors, as to the descent. Professor Kalm, of the University of Sweden, was at the Falls, in 1750, of which he gave an account, made public in the follow- ing year. 204 PICTORIAL GUIDE Since that time, others have seen, described and sketched, the wonderful Niagara ; to whose works it is needless to refer, and whose observa- tions have been too recent, or too loose to estab- lish any important fact, or furnish data of any present value. The description of Father Hennepin, proves that in 1678, the ceneral appearance of the cata- ract was much tiie same as at present, but that in one or two important particulars, it has undergone considerable change. The Horse-shoe Fall was then nearly straight, and there was also a third cascade, falling from west to east, at the left of, and at right angles with the oth^r two. It is shown in the engraving, as falling over the Table Rock, and is particularly described in the text. There can be no doubt as to its existence and situation. When Professor Kalm was at Niagara, seventy three years later, this third cascade was gone. He mentions it however, and states that a few years before, there had been a great downfall of the rocks, when it ceased to flow. Kalm's account of the Falls, confirms the general accuracy of Father Hennepin's description. Other, but less apparent changes have doubt- less taken place, of which we can only conjecture TO NIAGARA FALLS. 205 iescribed to whose observa- to estab- a of any I) proves the cata- at that in ndergone Fall was ) a third e left of, '^o. It is he Table the text, mce and .s seventy gone, a few nfall of account racy of doubt- ijecture the quality and extent, from tlie want of precision in these and other authors, and our ignorance of ancient landmarks. It is probable, nay, almost certain, that the Falls, and particularly the west- ern part of the Horse-shoe cascade, has receded to a considerable distance since the period of Hen- nepin's visit, or even that of Professor Kalm ; but unfortunately, they furnish no data by which we can determine the actual distance gone through, or the ratio of retrocession. Henceforth, it will be otherwise. Correct maps Tind charts will ena- ble future observers to ascertain how far the Falls will have receded in a given time, and also what alterations take place in their shape and general appearance. It is highly probable, that more extended re- searches than the author has had it in his power to make, might throw some additional ligiit upon the past history of the Falls, of which, truth to say, but little is known, where much ought to have been recorded. :'t* 206 PICTORIAL GUIDE CH A PTER II. ACCIDENTS AT THE FALLS — TRADITIONARY REMINISCENCE — LOSS OF TIIK BOAT INDKI'ENDENCf: — OTHER CASUALTIES — DEATH OF DU. HLNGERFORD — CONCLUDING REMARKS. " How dreadful must thy summons be, O Death ! To him, who, countinj^on long years of pleasure, Is quite unfurnished for the world to come ! In tliat dread moment, how the frantic soul Runs to each avenue, and shrieks for help, But runs and shrieks in vain! tlie swerveless foe Pursues her close through every lane of life, Nor misses once the track, but presses on. Till forced at last to the tremendous verge, At once she sinks to everlasting ruin." C C I D E N T S are by no means of infrequent occurrence at the Falls, and, indeed, hardly a year passes away, without one or more of a fatal character. The great major- ity of these, however, originate in unseasonable attempts to cross the river above the cataract, from the mere vanity of daring, or while under the influence of partial intoxication. The lawless pursuit of gain, by illicit importation, occasionally furnishes a victim, and carelessness now and then adds another to the number. British soldiers, attempting to desert, have in several instances, lost TO NIAGARA FALLS. 207 MIMSCENCE- CASUALTIES- EMARKS. [)eath ! insure, I » jss foe no means of it the Falls, year passes more of a reat major- iseasonable cataract, v^hile under he lawless ccasionally w and then soldiers, tances, lost their lives, by drowning ; and these are the prin- cipal cases of casually within our remembrance. Tradition tells many a tale of persons going over the Falls ; and among others, of an Indian and squaw, in a canoe, who were drawn into tlie rapids, and hurried down to destruction. It re- lates, that the Indian, when he found it impossi- ble to escape, coolly laid down his paddle, and, taking up a bottle ot whiskey, which it had been the object of liis voyage to procure, deliberately applied it to his lips, and kept sucking away, until he was himself sucked in, by the overwhelming flood ; and, thus in a spiritual way, introduced him- self to the world of spirits. Whether or not, he took a drop too much, it is impossible to say ; but of this we are certain, that he was loth to lose a drop. The poor squaw paddled away till the last, and that was the last of both. This incident may or may not be apocryphal, — we half suspect it is, — but it illustrates the ruling passion strong in death. But to matters of fact, — To enumerate all the accidents that have hap- pened at the Falls, would be neither pleasant or profitable ; but as the reader may desire to peruse a record of fatal disastf.rs, we shall subjoin a brief notice of those, which, having occurred within the last few years, are most readily recalled to mind. 208 PICTORIAL GUIDE In 1810, the boat Independence, heavily laden with salt, while crossing to Chippewa, filled and sunk, and the Captain, William Valentine, and two of his crew were carried over the Falls. One, by the name of Potter, clung to an oar, and was rescued by a boat from Chippewa, when within a few yards of the rapids. In 1821, two men in a scow, were driven by the wind from the mouth of Chippewa creek, info the river, and swept over the cataract. ]n 1822, two men from Grand Island, met with a similar fate, in 1825, William Chambers and another person, in ventur- ing too near the rapids, in a canoe, were drawn in, and forced over the Falls. The year 1835, was marked by the sacrifice of anoiier victim, in a similar manner. In 1839, a sad accident, of an unusual charac- ter, occurred. Dr. Hungerford of Troy, while standing near the entrance to the Cave of the Winds, was struck on the head, by a fragment of rock falling from above, and instantly killed. One or two other persons who were with him, were slightly contused. This is the only in- stance, in which life has been lost by such a cas- ualty, and the only one in which a visiter has ever been seriously injured. In the summer of 1841, several British soldiers TO NIAGARA FALLS. 209 ily laden lUed and tine, and le Falls. oar, and a, when 821, two from the ver, and nen from In 1825, n ventur- •e drawn .835, was tim, in a I charac- ►y, while of the ment of killed. ith him, [only in- h a cas- liter has soldiers were drowned, in an attempt to desert by swim- ming the river. In the fall of the same year, a boat with two men in it, crossing over from Chip- pewa, capsized and was carried over the Falls. On the thirty-first of January, 1842, a soldier at- tempted to let himself down the bank near the Museum, intending to cross the river on the ice, — but the rope breaking, he was killed by the fall. A son of Scotia, flying from a party of infuri- ate Irishmen, one dark night, in the fall of 1836, ran, by mistake, off the bank, some thirty rods below the Falls, and fell ninety feet, to the bot- tom of the precipice, where he was found the next day, in a dreadfully mutilated and freezing condition. In that night of sufTering, he must have endured more than a hundred deaths ; and had his rescue been delayed but a short time longer, would have perished. By careful nursing, he was, however, recovered, and ultimately re- gained his health. It was a providential escape. These are the principal accidents that have oc- cured of late years ; and are, we presume, suffi- cient to satisfy the morbid curiosity of the reader, unless he delights in the records of death. If such be the case, he must seek elsewhere the means of pampering a depraved taste, o ii I In if , i If 210 PICTORIAL GUIDE CHAPTER III. VESSELS SENT OVER THE FALLS — SCHOONER MICHIOAN — SCHOONER SUPERIOR — SHIP DETROIT — SL'DMME SPECTA- CLE — ADVENTUROUS DARING — DANGER AND RESCUE OF CIJAPIN — OF ALLEN — THE MEED OF MERIT. " Let the name of the Hero swell high in the song, And his deeds of destruction the chorus prolong: A fame born of carnage, and reeking witli blood, Though man deem it glory, is treason to God; And though honours on earth may the victor await, Can he hang his red laurels on heaven's htity gate? No — the doors of that world where no evil can come, Are never unbarred at the beat of the drum ; But he whose exertions a single life save. Is greater than he who gives thousands a grave." H R E E vessels, have, at as many different periods, been sent over the Falls, to gratify the curiosity of vis- iters, of whom large numbers were on each occasion,, attracted by the novelty of the spectacle. The Michigan, a con- demned schooner, was sent over, in 1827. A bison, a bear, and a number of other animals, were put on board, to make the passage. When all was ready, on the appointed day, she was towed into the rapids, and cast loose. Without sustaining any serious injury, she passed the first TO NIAGARA FALLS. 211 fICHIOAN — E 8PECTA- RESCUE OF I song, ng: }od, I; await, 1 gate 1 ;an come, ave." ,t as many t over the lity of vis- ibers were ed by the in, a con- 1827. A animals, le. When she was Without td the first ledge. At the second, she was less fortunate : her masts went by the board. Some alarm was now manifested by the passengers, and bruin, deeming a longer stay impolitic, le^t the vessel, and made for the Canada shore, which he reached in safety. At the last ledge, she was much broken up, and in a wrecked and water-logged condition, reached the precipice, and fell to pieces down the cataract. Except the bear, and a goose or two, none of the animals escaped. About fifteen thousand specta- tors were present. In 1829, the schooner Superior was despatched on the same voyage. The dictates of humanity were remembered on this occasion, and no lives were sacrificed for the sake of amusement. The vessel lodged on the rocks, where she lay for sev- eral days, and finally went down in the night — piecemeal, it is presumed. The ship Detroit, before alluded to, was sent down last season. Thousands of people assem- bled to see her go over the cataract, but were dis- appointed, as she grounded on the rocks, near the last ledge, — which she was dismasted in descend- ing, — where a part of her hull still remains. A staunch vessel, of smaller size, might, perhaps, reach the brink, unbroken ; but large, and espec- ially, old and weak ones, like this, and the two II I , 212 PICTORIAL GUIDE preceding, could not by any possibility. It was absurd to expect it. Sublime, indeed, would be the spectacle of a noble vessel careering down the rapids, and plung- ing from the cataract's verge at one fearful leap, to the abyss beneath ; but far more sublime must have been the scenes mentioned below, in which man boldly breasted the storm of rapids, and the fear of death, in a frail skiff to rescue an unfortu- nate fellow-creature from a doom of horror. Such heroism must not pass unrecorded, nor the meed of praise be withheld. The humane and adventurous daring of a man by the name of Robinson, a resident at the Falls, has been shown in two instances, which deserve to be mentioned. In the summer of 1839, two men were at work on the bridge to Bath Island : one of them, a Mr. Chapin, carelessly let the end of a plank touch the water, by which it was whirl- ed under the bridge, and he thrown into the stream above. He was swept down by the torrent, and his destruction seemed inevitable. By great good fortune, however, he succeeded in reaching a small island — now called by his name — in the midst of the rapids, and not far from the cataract. His con- dition now appeared hopeless enough — but Rob- inson thought otherwise. A boat was procured TO NIAGARA FALLS. 213 r. It was acle of a ind plung- irf'ul leap, lime must . in which s, and the n unfortu- ror. Such the meed of a man the Falls, h deserve 1839, two h Island : t the end vas whirl- le stream Tent, and reat good g a small midst of His con- but Rob- procured from the ferry, and tnken to Rath Island, from which he embiirked for the rescue of Chapin, which he succeeded in ellecting, though at the most imminent risk of his own life. In August, 184J, a Mr. Allen, crossing from Chippewa, to the American side, in a skilF, had ; the ill luck to break an oar, when his boat became unmanageable, and was soon drawn into the rapids. In descending the ledge, the boat filled and overset ; he was thrown out, but providen- tially, readied the outermost of the Three Sister islands. His situation was now indeed deplor- able, and any one but Robinson, would have deemed it hopeless. He failed in the first attempt to rescue Allen, but not disheartened, cnewed his efforts on the following day, and again proved successful in saving the life of a fellow-being. The most consummate skill, in the manage- ment of his boat, courage, presence of mind, and physical energy were required in both these in- stances, and Joel R. Robinson, has won for him- self, by the possession, and humane exercise of this rare combination of good qualities, a name that will live, linked with the memory of his deeds, till the Falls cease to be admired, and — to flow. i 4 v: 'III 214 PICTORIAL GUIDE CHAPTER IV. PATRIOT OCCUPATION OF NAVY ISLAND — EMPLOY OF THE CAR- OMNE — MISREPRESENTATION AND RESOF.VE — CAROLINE ATTACKED — DURFEE MURDERED — VESSEL FIRED AND SENT OVER THE FALLS — EVACUATION OK THE ISLAND. ''Night and silence came down on the heautiful earth; Peace hovered on valley and hill •, Hushed became every sound of lamenting or mirth, And all but the cataract still. Hark! shrieks p crce the air I See ! shines the red glare ! God! can thy creatures tlius ruthlessly dare, Stain the bright earth with a scene of despair? Fools ! they forget that earth is not hell, And rebel." U R I N G the Canada insurrec- tion, in the winter of 1837, after the failure of the attempt on To- ronto, and the escape of McKenzie to the United States, that individ- ual, with one Sutherland, and some five or six and twenty others, principally refugees from Canada, at the suggestion of Dr. Cyrenus Chapin, of Buf- falo, made a lodgement on Navy Island, in the British dominion, and set up the standard of oppo- sition to the Queen's Colonial Government. The natural sympathy of the American people, with TO NIAGARA FALLS. 215 F THE CAR- -CAROLINE AND SENT earth ; rth, ir? I > insurrec- 37, after on To- fcKenzie individ- r six and Canada, of Buf- , in the of oppo- it. The le, with the patriot cause, as it was termed, of McKenzie and his confederates, soon displayed itself in the arrival of large numbers of volunteers, to rein- force his little band, bringing with them supplies of arms, ammunition, and provisions. The distance of the island from the American shore, the velocity of the current, and the want of proper boats, rendered the transportation of these volunteers and supplies, to the place of their des- tination, a work of great labour and difficulty. This circumstance, and the number of persons, from motives of business or curiosity, constantly desirous of passing and ro-passing, from the main land to the patriot camp, suggested to Mr. Wells, the owner of a small steam-boat, lying at Buffalo, THE STEAMBOAT CAROLINE. called the Caroline, the idea of taking out the ne- cessary papers, and running his vessel as a ferry i:. ill tl m 216 riCTORIAL GUIDE boat, between the American shore and the Island, for his pecuniary emolument. Acting upon this suggestion, the Caroline, on Friday, the twenty- ninth of December, left Buffalo for Schlosser ; after her arrival, made several trips to and from the islaad, on account of the owner, and at night was securely moored to the wharf at Schlosser. Some person, or persons, residents of Canada, then at BuiTalo, conveyed intelligence to Col- onel McNab, then commanding her Majesty's forces, about three thousand strong, at Chippewa, of the departure of the Caroline, and her destina- tion ; probably, mis-stating the object of her owner, and representing her as in the service of the pat- riots ; chartered for their use, and intended to act offensively, against the constituted authorities of the Provincial Government. Under this erroneous impression, that officer resolved to effect her des- truction, and made arrangements for putting his design into immediate execution. The force for this expedition, was detailed, and placed under the command of Captain Drew, a retired-on-half-pay Commander of the Royal Navy. At midnight, the men were mustered under the personal super- intendance of Colonel McNab ; Captain Drew re- ceived his final directions, and they embarked in eight boats for the scene of operation. '"■ TO NIAGARA FALLS. 217 e Island, pon this twenty- hlosser ; md from at night Josser. Canada, to Col- Jajesty's lippewa, destina- r owner, the pat- ?d to act )rities of Toneous her des- ting his orce for nder the lalf-pay idnight, super- rew re- irked in On the American side, all was still, and no one even dreamed of danger. The fated vessel was full of people, most of whom, unable to obtain accommodations at the tavern, the only dwelling near, had solicited a night's lodging on the Caro- line ; thinking no ill, and anticipating no alarm. The boat was moored at an American wharf, in American waters; the stars and stripes — the flag of their country — floated above them, and they went to sleep in peace, and, as they thought, in safe- ty. There were no arms or munitions on board ; and no precautions were taken against surprise, for none were thought necessary. The customary watch was set, the evening waned, and night and slumber shed their sweet influences over all. The young sailor on watch, was thinking, per- chance of home, gazing at the camp-fires on the opposite shore, at Chippewa, or listening, it may be, to the deep roar of the cataract, and fancying there were bars of music in its sweet, solemn tones ; when suddenly, he hears something mov- ing on the water — oars! boats! — **Who goes there V *' Friends," — another moment, and arm- ed men are crowding the peaceful deck of the Caroline. — ** Cut them down ! give no quarters !" There is a fearful rush, -^ the clashing of weap- ons, — reports of fire-arms, — forms half-naked, ':':,. L I i'^i ill i !if I 218 PICTORIAL GUIDE and faces pale with fear, are springing to the shore, through blows and thrusts that rain above and around them. A moment's pause — another unarmed man appears, gazes wildly round — throws up his hands to ward off the blows aimed at his life, and leaps upon the dock. — A shout — the crack of a pistol — the flying man falls heavily to the earth — blood and brains flow from a new- made wound — a shiver — stillness — an immortal spirit has gone to its great account — Durfee is dead — and the very soil of American Freedom has been outraged by the unprovoked slaughter j of one of her sons ! The Caroline is silently receding from the shore, — a spark — a blaze — flames 1 — Heavens, they have fired her ! Quickly the flames spread — on- ward passes the doomed vessel — the rapids gather about her — and her blazing timbers fling a lurid and fearful glare upon the mad sea of waters — the dark scenery of shores and islands — and the black heaven above. A bright beacon flares up, and lights the far-off shore, — a shout comes booming over the waters — and a yell of hatred and defiance rolls back from McKenzie's host. But the Caroline ! — on, still on ! — Hark I was that a shriek? — it may be fancy; — is that a TO NIAGARA FALLS. 219 to the 1 above another 3und — 3 aimed hout — heavily a new- n mortal irfee is reedom aughter shore, they -on- jjather lurid ers — nd the far-off ivaters back ! was hat a human form ? — God only knows !* — On dashes the flame-wrapt vessel — the waters rage more im- petuously beneath her — she reels — plunges — the forked flames play like demons around her red-hot pipes and bars, and over her glowing deck — the surges beneath lier hiss, and sparkle, and flash — on she drives with a tempest-speed through the torture of fire and flood — she nears the precipice — gains the brink — a fiery plunge — the secrets of the deep were revealed in an instant's flash — the jaws of the abyss opened and shut — then — all was dark, and the Caroline was gone forever I The destruction of the Caroline, and the murder of Durfee excited the American people along the frontier to a degree almost incredible. In the first fervor of indignation, had any daring mind proposed such a step, and headed the movement, a force might have been poured into Canada, com- pared to which, the army of McNab would have been a mere cypher. But, although every-body was in motion, although execration was on every * It is believed, tliat there were several persons on board the Caroline, wiicii she went over the Falls, who had con- cealed themselves in terror below, at the time of the attack. Certain it is, that five or six individuals were missingfrom that night, of whose fate no otlicr supposition is probable. w ■•m If 220 PICTORIAL GUIDE I i[! lip, and arms in every hand, no one thought of crossing the river, and taking vengeance for the deed. The reason was this. They thought the outrage so great, so unparalleled in its atrocity, that the government must take the matter at once in hand ; and that, unless the perpetrators were instantly given up, Canada would be immediately invaded with fire and sword. The people waited for the government, and so a war, a bloody and sanguinary war, was averted. The force on Navy Island was now about six hundred strong. Compliments at the cannon's mouth had been exchanged with the forces at Chippewa, and one man on the Island had been killed. Preparations were making to cross into Canada, when, by the prompt interposition of General Scott, the Island was evacuated, and the Patriot army dispersed. Such is a faithful history of the rise, progress, and termination of the Navy Island War, in which one man was killed, and nobody wounded ! And such, also, a concise account of the capture and destruction of the Caroline, and the death of Dur- fee, according to the best of American knowledge and belief. TO NIAGARA FALLS. OOl DUght of i for the ight the atrocity, at once >rs were lediately 3 waited ody and bout six jannon's )rces at ad been OSS into ition of and the rogress, which And ire and of Dur- wledge CHAPTER V, HERMI" OF rnE FALLS — IMS ARRIVAL AT NIAGARA — RFFECT OF T.IE SCENERY — HIS HABITS, MANNERS, AND ENDOW- MENTS — RESIDENCE AND DEATH — OTHER PARTICULARS. " But soon he knew himself tlie most unfit Of men, to herd with Man-, with whom lie held Little in common ; untaught to suhinit His thoughts to others, though his soul was quelled In youth, by his own thoughts ; still, uncompelled, He would not yield dominion of his mind To spirits against whom his own rebelled; Proud, though in desolation ; which could find A life within itself, to breathe without mankind." RANCJS ABBOTT— the Her- mit of the Falls, whose unsocial life, and untimely fate, have made a deep impression upon the public mind, may justly claim the courtesy of a notice, far more lengthy than our limits will permit — we must be brief. There is a charm in every mystery that attracts observation, and ex- cites curiosity. His character is a sealed volume — his life scarcely less so — both are inexplicable. The written pages of his heart and mind are open to the All-Seeing alone. In humble guise, he came to Niagara in 1829, to remain, perhaps, for a week. He grew il't I i"!! M 1:1 I'll 222 PICTORIAL GUIDE enamoured of the place. The glorious scenery wooed his melancholy spirit by its sublime gran- deur. His visit was prolonged, — month after month rolled away, and still he lingered upon its sounding shores. Shunning all society but the companionship of nature ; with her only, could his soul stoop to be intimate. The darkest seclu- sions, the most dangerous paths, and the most august scenes, alone seemed to possess charms for his idiosyncracy of mind. Learned, accomplished, travelled, gifted with personal beauty, conventional elegance, and sin- gular powers of pleasing, why should he withdraw from communion with his kind, and choose Na- ture and Solitude for his only ministers? Music and letters were the only luxuries in which he indulged: — his music was hushed when a step approached, — whatever he wrote, was destroyed almost as soon as written. Sometimes, but rarely, he would converse, and eloquence seemed to sit upon his tongue — more frequently, he would indulge in moody silence, repelling every attempt to engage him in dis- course. He was not misanthropic, for he did not hate or despise, but only avoid, his fellow-men. He was imbued with a deep sense of religion, — ''.nd led a blameless life. 1 1 TO NIAGARA FALLS. 223 scenery He asked permission to build a hut on one of ne gran- the Three Sisters, which he desired to isolate by 1 th after a draw-bridge, but was refused. He lived on Iris 1 ■! upon its Island about twenty months, in an old house, yet 1; ! but the standing ; and when driven from that, by the in- ;!i y, could * trusion of a family, he erected a hut on the brow '. St seclu- of the bank, below, but near Prospect Point, in ■> the most which he resided till his death, which occurred in 111 arms for 1 June, 1831. He went into the river, below the Falls, to bathe, according to his usual custom, and i' 1 j, ted with was shortly missed by the ferryman. His body and sin- 1 was found at Fort Niagara, ten days after his de- " i^ithdraw cease, and removed to the Falls for burial. His ose Na- age was about twenty-eight years. Music An allowance, ample for his maintenance, was ;^hich he furnished by his friends in England, — his father 1 ti a step is rector of a parish in that country. Little else estroyed is known of his history, than we have here related. His unsocial and other eccentricities, have given rse, and him the title of * Hermit of the Falls,' and much 'i1 h 1 — more curiosity is manifested by visiters, as to his char- silence, acter and habits. He sleeps in death, by the 1 in dis- scenes he loved while living, — peace to his did not repose ! i t w-men. gion, — [ . - . .--■ -^ — •' 1 1 1 iji 224 PICTORIAL GUIDE CHAPTER Vl. MASSACRE AT THE DEVll.'s II()F,K — BRITISH CONVOY — INDIAN AMBL'SCADE — ATTACK, Si;Rl>RlSE, DEFEAT, CATASTROPHE — ESCAl'E OF STEADMAN AND ONE OTHER — RELICS, ETC. "War mounts liis iron car — and at his wheels In vain soft Pity weeps, and Mercy kneels ; He waves his flaming dart, and o'er the plains, In mournful silence, Desolation reigns. What tides of ruin mark his rutliless way! How shriek the fiends, exulting o'er tiieir prey ! In vain, with trembling heart the coward turns, In vain, with generous rage the valiant burns ; One common ruin, one promiscuous grave, O'erwhelms the dastard, and receives the brave!" T THE Devil's Hole, the upper bank, receding from the river, and leaving the rock nearly bare, forms a sort of amphitheatre, bounded on one side by the precipice, and on the other, by the hills that circle round it. The road across this plain or hollow, passing the very brink of the fearful gulf with the demon-name, rises the bank or hill, in either direction, and stretches away to the Falls and Lewiston. A thick forest covered, — at the time of which we speak — the little vale or plain, and the ascent by which it was environed, rendering it one of — INDIAN VSTROPIIE ■i, ETC. e upper rer, and !, forms ided on and on :. The 16 very name, and on. A ich we ascent one of n, TO NIAGARA FALLS. 225 those advantageous points for an ambuscade, of which Indian sagacity so frequently availed itself during the early struggles of the country. In 1759, after the English had obtained posses- sion of Fort Niagara, and established a post at Schlosser ; and while the war with the French was yet raging, a supply of provisions and stores for the latter place, left Fort Niagara, under the convoy of about one hundred British regulars. Nothing disturbed their march for many miles ; and at length, the close military order they had hitherto preserved, was gradually relaxed, and they straggled carelessly on — the drivers whist- ling merrily to their sluggish oxen, the soldiers scattered along the banks of the stream, gazing eagerly at the romantic and beautiful scenery which its course constandy presented, and impa- tient to catch a glimpse of the wonderful cataract, the sound of whose mighty roar had been for miles in their ears, — some, pressing ahead with an ani- mated and impatient curiosity ; some, lingering, to feast their eyes on the sublime progress of the river, threading its walled and winding passage ; and others, lounging indolently behind, and often pausing to rest in the cool shade, for the season was summer, and the day intensely hot ; — a fatal sense of fancied security had fallen upon all. p M I A\ I 'I il ■l 220 PICTORIAL G U I D R The Indians, on the frontier, were devoted to the French interest, and tliis was too good an opportunity to be lost, of sliovving their zoal in the cause of their allies, and striking terror to the hearts of their enemies. Farmer's Brother, a dis- tinguished Chief of the Senecas, with a band of his best warriors, to the number of several hun- dred, ambushed the party, at the Devil's Hole, extending his line along the hill, quite around the little plain, leaving only a narrow entrance by the road, thus cutting off every hope of escape. Silent as the grave, and yet watchful as the eye of Fate, lay these human tigers, waiting for their prey. On came the convoy, in the broken, formless, scattered order we have described, — each pursu- ing his march as best suited himself. Without a suspicion of danger, they reached the valley, and pausing at the Devil's Hole, huddled around its brink, and knew not that death lay couching in the awful depth that confronted their gaze. When all were in the snare, the net was sprung. Suddenly, the profound stillneris that had hith- erto, unbroken except by the cataract's roar, reigned over all, was burst by a tremendous volley of fire-arms, and the more terrible yells of the savages, who closed in, and rushed upon their prey. There was no time to rally, for prayers. TO N I A (i A li A FALLS. o.)7 voted to good an zeal in n to the ?r, a dis- band of ral liun- 's Holo, 3und the •e by the . Silent of Fate, prey. lOrmless, 1 pursu- ithout a ey, and Dund its ching in When ad hilh- s roar, s volley 3 of the n their )rayers, or for defence. 'i'hc toniabavvk and the knife were at their deadly work. Drivers were brained in their seats, and soldiers stabbed where they stood. So sudden was the onset, and so violent the assault, that half the convoy was killed in the first moments of surprise, and the remainder thrown into hopeless confusion, almost before they had time to raise an arm or level a gun. Never was surprise more successful, or destruc- tion more complete. The little run poured its torrent again over the precipice, and down the chasm — but it was a stream of blood! Men, horses, wagons, cattle, stores, all in one promis- cuous mass were forced over the bank, and dash- ed to pieces on the rocks below, while the fiendish yells of the savages drowned their shrieks and groans, and thundered from the rocks and cliffs above, wild, terrible, and triumphant I But two persons escaped. One, a Mr. Stead- man, striking spurs into his horse, a fme and fleet steed, and dashing forward at the first moment of alarm, succeeded in breaking through the Indian line, and making good his retreat. He reached Fort Schlosser in safety, and without a wound, though his clothes and saddle, were pierced with balls. The other, a soldier, who was forced down the precipice, in the general fall, was providen- ji rr^J 228 PICTORIAL GUIDE tially caught by the belt, on the pointed limb of a tree, where he hung, concealed by the foliage, from the lynx-eyed search of the Indians, who despatched every thing thy could find, that had life — until the return of night and' stillness, con- vinced him the foe had retired, when he cautious- ly descended, and groped his toilsome way to Fort Niagara, which place he reached, with the first intelligence of the fate of his party. It is but a few years since, bones, bits of broken wagons, and many other relics of this fearful catastrophe, were to be seen at the bottom of the gulf ; but they are now concealed beneath the rubbish, swept away by the stream, or returned to dust. The Indians held Mr. Steadman in great re- spect, ever after his so narrow and fortunate es- cape, believing that he was a ** Great Medicine," and gifted with magical powers. They gavo him, it was said, all the land he had encompassed in his flight, which would include all between the river and a line from the Devil's Hole to Fort Schlos- ser. His heirs set up a claim to this tract in after years, but as they could prove no formal grant, and of course establish no title, it was denied. TO NIAGARA FALLS. 229 CHAPTER VII. NOAH'S FOLLY: — BRILLIANT CONCEI'TION — UNPARALLELED PROCLAMATION — MAONIFICENT I'AOKANTRY — MEMORIALS OF THESE WONDERFUL EVENTS — SUBLIME FINALE. " Hey, diddle diddle, The cat's in the fiddle. The cow's jumped over the moon, The little dog laughed, To see such a craft. And the dish ran away with the spoon." "Ride a cock horse to Banbury cross. To see an old woman upon a white horse, With rings on her fingers, and bells on her toes, She will have music wherever she goes." N THE year of Adam, 5586, a learned and worthy Hebrew, bear- ing the name of Mordecai Manuel Noah, conceived the luminous and ll brilUant idea, that he was the iden- tical 'Manuel destined to gather together the dis- persed and persecuted people of that once pow- erful and prosperous, but now wandering and wretched race, the Jews ; and selected Grand Island for the Ark of safety, Arrarat, or New- Jerusalem, of which he was to be the Noah, Pro- prietor, Prince and Patriarch. This remarkable personage, in whom were 230 PICTORIAL GUIDE combined the great names, and great qualities of some of the most remarkable i)ersonages in Jewish history, thereupon appointed himself ** Governor and Judge of Israel," and — having put forth a proclamation, announcing this important fact, enu- merating the many offices of trust, honour and profit, which he had then-before filled, as Consul to Tunis, Sheriff^ of New-York, etc, reviving the Jewish Nation, ordering a census, levying a capi- tation tax, abolishing polygamy, recognizing the fraternity of the American Indians as the lost tribes, directing many other general and particu- lar matters of faith and practice, morals and gov- ernment, naming a day of thanksgiving, and inviting all the scattered remnants of Judaism in all parts of the earth, to come forthwith to the United States, New- York, Grand Island,^ Arrarat, the City of Refuge, and submit to his spiritual and temporal, gubernatorial and judicial authority, not forgetting to bring their gold, silver, and precious stones, — proceeded to the west to lay the corner stone of the Synagogue, with solemn and appro- priate ceremonies, and to found, consecrate, and eternize, the mighty, magnificent, and many-peo- pled City of Arrarat ! But, alas I the site of the city was an untouched wilderness : Buffalo was the nearest place of any TO NIAGARA FALLS. 231 li magnitude, and there, accordingly, the grand, imposing, and never-sufficlently-to-be -remembered ceremonial took place. The corner stone was borne in solemn state, to the Episcopal church of St. Paul ; the self-appointed Ruler of the Hebrews, the self-constituted Governor of the Jews, and the self-created Judge of Israel, in the flowing robes and rich vestments* of his assumed functions — ► "pride in his port, exultance in his eye," — him- self headed the vast procession, composed of more than three hundred men, women, children, idlers, loafers, and ragamuffins. The inaugural address delivered, and the exercises over, the numerous assemblage, the Governor, Judge, and Corner Stone retired in the same order of procession, with the same pomp, decorum, and dignity. The corner-stone was soon after planted on Grand Island, but never took root, and grew up to a Synagogue ; and the only memorials of these great and wonderful events, and the great and wonderful city which was to be, but was not, are to be found in the Books of the Chronicles of the times, and the monument, erected on the Island by the Governor, Judge, and Ruler of the Jews, which is composed of brick, mortar, and wood, * An old tragedy-dress, borrowed from the Park Tlicalre. M ■ ! 232 PICTORIAL GUIDE which is yet standing, and which bears on its eastern front, a stone tablet, on which are engrav- ed the following words, figures, and characters. ARRARAT, A CITY OF REFUGE FOR THE JEWS : Founded by Mordecai M. Noah; in the month Tizri, 5586, September, 18-25, in the 50lh year of American Independence. The foreign Priests, and Rabbis of the Jews, could not, and would not — at all events, did not, recognize or ratify the self-assumed powers of Mordecai Manuel Noah, Rabbi Ben Rabbi Ben Humbug, and the whole scheme, the city, the synagogue, and the ofl[ices of Governor and Judge vanished into thin air. Here endeth the history of Mordecai the Jew. ' on its [igrav- Lers. yttTD : JEWS : • lab; in year of i. Jews, id not, ers of i Ben y> the Judge listory 1 I V .-'1^ r * -