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 M ichigan 
 
 CENTRAL 
 
 "The • Niagara • Falls • Route." 
 
 "There never yet has been, accurately speaking," said the Buffalo Ex- 
 press editorially, in February, 1884, "a Niagara Falls route between the 
 East and the "West. But at last the Michigan Central Railroad Company 
 has opened a through East and West route -which is honestly a Niagara 
 Falls route, and which gives the tourist full and leisurely opportunities to 
 see Niagara Falls without once leaving his seat. By the new route the 
 traveler is not simply given a distant and obscure view of the Falls. He 
 is taken down the river on the New York side. From Buffalo to Tona- 
 wanda he rides, much of the way, along the river bank, and can study 
 the force and sweep of the great current. Then, as he rides along, he has 
 a full view of the two great arms of the river that encompass Grand 
 Island. Just before he reaches Niagara Falls village he can see the first 
 break of the river into the upper rapids. He crosses the stream by the 
 new canti-lever bridge, and has a general view of the Falls which is bet- 
 ter than that heretofore obtained from the old bridge, because it is a 
 nearer view. Then he skirts along above the Canadian bank until ' Falls 
 View' is reached. This point of observation has heretofore been reached 
 only by the Niagara City branch of the Canada Southern. It has not been on 
 the East and "West route at all. Now all through trains stop at ' Falls View,' 
 ■which is really one of the finest views of the Falls anywhere to be had." 
 
 In fact, the claims of the MICHIGAN CENTRAL upon the patronage 
 of the traveling public are numerous : for it is not only the one genuine 
 Niagara Falls Route, but it is the Creat Highway of East and West 
 Travel ; the only line from Buffalo and Niagara Falls to Chicago under a 
 single management ; the only line connecting in Union Depots at Buffalo 
 and Niagara Falls (Suspension Bridge) with the great four-track New- 
 York Central & Hudson River Railroad ; running luxurious Parlor Cars 
 and Dining Cars on Day Trains, and Palace Sleeping Cars on Night Trains, 
 running through to Chicago -without change and on fast time from New- 
 York, Boston, Syracuse, Buffalo, Niagara Falls and Toronto. 
 
 . R. BUSENBARK, 
 
 Eastern Passenger Agent, 
 No. 57 Exchange St., BUFFALO. 
 
 0. W. RUGGLES, 
 
 General Passenger & Ticket Agent, 
 CHICAGO,
 
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 fllAGA^A plAIiLS.
 
 A View of the Falls from Hurricane Bridge.
 
 I^AND, CQgHaLLY § (§0.'S 
 
 ustnated t[u 
 
 de 
 
 laaara I a n s 
 
 ? 
 
 R 
 
 Tremendous torrent! for an instant hush 
 The terrors of thy voice, and cast aside 
 Those wide involving shadows, that my eyes 
 May see the fearful beauty of thy face ! 
 ******* 
 "Ah, terribly they rage,— 
 The hoarse and rapid whirlpools there ! My brain 
 Grows wild, my senses wander, as I gaze 
 Upon the hurrying waters ; and my sight 
 Vainly would follow, as toward the verge 
 Sweeps the wide torrent." 
 
 WITH MAPS AND DIAGRAMS. 
 
 Chicago: 
 RAND, McNALLY & COMPANY. 
 
 1885.
 
 Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1884, by Rand, McSTally & Co. 
 
 in the Onice of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.
 
 i a a a r a 
 
 Descriptive. 
 
 flOR the reason that the task of describing any scene in nature 
 is difficult in proportion to its rarity, and that we derive our 
 conception of the same from the comparison it will bear 
 with other works of nature, and for the further reason that 
 Niagara Falls is totally unlike any other scene on the face of the 
 earth, it is a most onerous task to produce such a pen-picture of 
 the Falls as can convey to the minds of readers who have never 
 seen them an accurate idea of their grandeur. Many minds have 
 essayed to reproduce Niagara literally, many pens have recorded 
 the impression of visitors respecting it, without even faintly 
 describing it ; for there is no known rhythm whose cadence will 
 attune itself to the tremendous hymn of this ' ' sound as of many 
 waters," neither will blank verse serve to rehearse its attributes 
 in song. The best specimen of the latter was written by a gifted 
 poet, who visited this locality especially to set forth its beauties in 
 verse, but who recorded only the following words : 
 
 "I came to see! 
 I thought to write! 
 I am but dumb!' 1 '' 
 
 There is but one way to record poetically the fascinations of 
 Niagara; that is, to tell its glories in that plain language which is 
 the Creator's greatest gift to man, and to describe it as a part of 
 that stupendous and eternal poem, whose strophes and lines are 
 the rivers, mountains, glens, caves and rainbows of the universe; 
 for of Nature, in its grandest and most varied forms, Niagara is a 
 condensation and exemplification.
 
 6 NIAGARA FALLS. 
 
 Above the Falls, Niagara lias, in her rapids, examples of many 
 of the most remarkable combinations of Nature's work; and those 
 who visit here can experience all the pleasure of the mariner, in 
 standing on the Goat Island Bridge, knowing that an almost irre- 
 sistible billowy force is fighting against that structure, situated at 
 the very edge of the gulf into which the river pours, and that 
 they are still as safe as they could be on terra firma. It is a feel- 
 ing that could not be reproduced in any other situation. One 
 seems, when stationed at this point and looking beneath him, to 
 be on the verge of eternity ; should the bridge give way, he 
 would in a few moments be carried over the cliff, and lost! Yet 
 the stability of the bridge removes all sense of danger, and com- 
 pels confidence even in the presence of the dread power of the 
 current. 
 
 If it is possible to imagine that the entire country of England 
 and Scotland could be turned into one grand receptacle for five 
 Inland Seas, such as the lakes which here unite in giving their 
 waters to form the Niagara above the Falls; and if, further, it can 
 be conceived that the peaks of the Alps and the Apennines were 
 located at the Hebrides, so as to contribute their melting snows to 
 this conflux of waters, and if it be assumed that the Dover Straits 
 could be made such a river, to traverse the extreme heights above 
 the Downs, and to pour its waters in two grand cascades over the 
 cliffs of Beachy Head, an idea of the Falls proper would be pre- 
 sented to European readers. 
 
 Iceland has splendid geysers, sending up heavy ciouds of vapors 
 from its boiling springs surrounded by ice. The Matterhorn has 
 its magnificent " Arc-en-ciel" which vies with the finest rainbows 
 in splendor; and, from the summits of the Alps, one can look 
 down upon the tops of trees which, from below, are of dizzy 
 altitude. Here all these and other yet more remarkable effects are 
 brought together at one point. England on the south coast and 
 France on her north coast are both proud of their splendid beet- 
 ling cliffs, between which rolls the majestic current of the English 
 Channel. 
 
 On the Niagara, similar but more imposing cliffs are brought 
 together in near proximity, and form the boundaries of a river 
 which, receiving its waters from the Cataract, concentrate their
 
 NIAGARA FALLS. 7 
 
 mighty force into a turbulent flood, upon which one can not look 
 without allowing the mind to compare it with the Styx of the 
 ancients. And yet this avalanche of power meets with an effect- 
 ual stop in its career at the " Whirlpool," where its course is 
 violently turned aside at an angle of ninety degrees, thus forming 
 a veritable maelstrom, such as can not be found in any other portion 
 of the globe for strength of current and obstinacy of opposing 
 forces. Thus it would appear that nature had exhausted her re- 
 sources in placing at this point, between two countries, a dividing 
 line which deserved to be regarded as impassable. Further, that 
 she reversed the usual order of her works to command the rever- 
 ence and awe of humanity. Taking her fair coronet of rainbows 
 from the skies, she set it in the midst of a river-fall ; planting her 
 high trees at the base of the cliffs, she caused their summits to be 
 viewed from above ; providing an almost inconceivable aval.mche 
 of waters, she allows them to be observed from below, as if pour- 
 ing from the clouds; and in the coldest seasons, without the aid of 
 heat, a mighty cloud of vapor rises, and, condensing in the form 
 of ice on all the surrounding scenery, forms a fairyland of scenic 
 effect which is as weird and strange in its conception as the works 
 of enchantment. Yet the mind of man has refused to be subdued 
 by the grandeur here displayed, and has calmly proceeded to 
 utilize the very edges of the cliffs for the purpose of suspending 
 bridges to act as connecting links between the two countries which 
 the river seems solely intended to separate; and across them the 
 iron horse deliberately conveys the products of human industry 
 to and from each land ! 
 
 There is no point on the earth's surface from which an entire 
 idea of human existence can be more adequately conceived than 
 from the centre of the Railroad Suspension Bridge, which in the 
 distance appears as a mere web between the two cliffs, although 
 solid and substantial as man's ingenuity can make it. There, sus- 
 pended in mid-air, between precipices enclosing a terrifying chasm, 
 through which rushes the mighty flood, it is impossible to stand 
 without experiencing that feeling of enthusiasm connected with 
 the assumption that the creation contains no power too great for 
 human control. Yet, when the heavily laden freight trains cause 
 the fabric to tremble, the possibility of the breaking of the bridge 
 seems so near, and total destruction in that event so certain, that
 
 NIAGARA FALLS. a 
 
 the feeling of exultation is necessarily allied with that of fear, re- 
 calling the idea of standing face to face with eternity. This, 
 briefly and tersely, is the locale of Niagara, which is at once a vil- 
 lage and a city, for the reason that it contains such grand and 
 interesting scenery, as well as splendid manufacturing establish- 
 ments and triumphs of human skill, although it has not more than 
 4,000 inhabitants. 
 
 A proposition has sometimes been made to convert this place 
 into a park, to the exclusion of manufactories. It is probable, 
 however, that the various industries of the future will be able to 
 draw all the power required from the river above the Falls, with- 
 out in any way marring the scenery of the latter; and that, while 
 in the years to come this village may grow to be a city, teeming 
 with life and activity, its value as a health resort will be in no 
 wise abated. 
 
 <£>HE HAME "Hiagai^a." 
 
 The word Niagara is a household word all over the world. It 
 is applied only to the locality, and is to-day the synonym for the 
 ideal waterfall. It is of Indian origin, for the Indians once inhab- 
 ited all this country, and much of the nomenclature of Western 
 New York is traceable directly to them. Niagara is supposed to 
 be borrowed from the language of the Iroquois, and means ' ' The 
 Thunderer of the Waters." It was the name of a tribe, for it was 
 an Indian custom to call their tribes from the most important 
 natural feature of the country they inhabited, or to give the tribal 
 name to such feature. Thus the names of the Onondagas, Hurons, 
 Cayugas, Senecas and Oneidas, are each kept alive by the name of 
 a river and a lake; while the Mohawk river recalls to mind the 
 greatest warrior tribe of all, and in Lake Erie the name of one of 
 the weaker tribes is ever present. The river and the Falls were 
 the chief features of the Niagaras' country, and their chief village 
 bore the same name. 
 
 The Hurons dwelt north of this section, and the Iroquois south 
 of it. So the Niagaras, dwelling between the two, and at peace 
 with each, came to be called the Neuter Nation, in whose wigwams 
 the warriors of these two tribes met in peace.
 
 10 NIAGARA FALLS. 
 
 Niagara is said to be one of forty known ways of spelling the 
 name, Ongniaarhra, Nicariagas, Ongiara, On} T akara, being the 
 more common forms met with in old traditions. 
 
 The Neuter Nation was also called Attouanderonks by other 
 tribes, that is, a people speaking a little different language ; for 
 their dialect was different from that of any other tribe, though 
 partially understood by all. Both these names, as well as Niagaras 
 and Kah-Kwas, were used so as to distinguish their location. 
 
 The Neuter Nation was destroyed or absorbed by the more 
 powerful Iroquois about 1650, permanent neutrality being an 
 untenable ground. The Senecas then occupied their lands. 
 
 Almost a hundred years after this, a small remnant gathered 
 together and went back to the famous home of their fathers, but 
 they lived there only a few years and, dying off, left no descend- 
 ants to perpetuate their tribe. 
 
 F^ISJUO^IGAIj. 
 
 The historical associations that are connected with this section of 
 the country, and with this famous river, are numberless. From 
 the earliest days of the red men's rule, through the long French 
 and English wars to the closing of our own war of 1812, its bor- 
 ders have been the scene of many bloody conflicts and of countless 
 deeds of strategy and heroism. 
 
 A line of forts, at first only palisades, but gradually strength- 
 ened into permanent forts, extended all along the river. Forts 
 Erie, Niagara and Mississaga on the Canadian, and Forts Porter, 
 Du Portage, Schlosser, Little Niagara, Grey and Niagara on the 
 American side, are but links in the great chain of defenses erected 
 at various times along the frontier. 
 
 Frequent contests were carried on between the French and 
 English, each one assisted by faithful Indian allies, and the results 
 were both bloody and destructive, as neither party, even were it 
 so disposed, could always repress the Indian nature, as shown in 
 the determination to burn and scalp after a battle. 
 
 This contest between French and English in America was car- 
 ried on for over a hundred years, and finally ceased in 1763, w r hen 
 the French rule in North America was wiped out. It virtually 
 ceased in 1759, after the capture of Quebec by Gen. Wolfe.
 
 NIAGARA FALLS. 11 
 
 After the Declaration of Independence, this section saw a few 
 years of comparative quiet, and the settlement of "Western New 
 York prospered. The defense of this boundary was also consid- 
 ered, though the next war saw the British in possession, at one 
 time, of the entire American bank of the Niagara. 
 
 The declaration of the war of 1812 threw this section into a 
 ferment. Buffalo and Fort Niagara were the American strong- 
 holds, Fort Erie and Queenston Heights those of the British. 
 
 August 11, 1812, Gen. Van Rensselaer, of the New York militia, 
 established headquarters at Lewiston. October 15, he crossed the 
 river and captured Queenston Heights. Soon after, Gen. Brock 
 arrived and attacked him. Brock was killed in the engagement. 
 Another re-enforcement of British soon arrived, and as Van Rens- 
 selaer's volunteers on the American side proved to be cowards, 
 and refused to cross to aid their comrades, these gallant fellows 
 were totally defeated in sight of their comrades. This was the 
 chief event of the year 1812 on the frontier. 
 
 Late in the year 1813, Gen. McClure crossed from Fort Niagara 
 and destroyed the Canadian town of Newark, but, thinking Fort 
 Niagara secure, he returned to Buffalo. Col. Murray, of the Eng- 
 lish, surprised Fort Niagara and captured it, December 19, 1813. 
 Then the people were terror-stricken, and fled for their lives. The 
 Indians, the old allies of the English, were drawn to their stand- 
 ard, and scoured the country. The British captured and burned 
 Lewiston, Niagara Falls and the Tuscarora village, between De- 
 cember 20 and 29, and Buffalo December 30. 
 
 Early in 1814, Gen. Brown took command, and with him were 
 Scott, Gaines, Porter, Miller, and others. Then the campaign was 
 pushed with zeal and energy. Then followed victories, Chippewa, 
 Lundy's Lane, the famous sortie from Fort Erie, and the total de- 
 feat of the British, and soon after these, peace, resulting for the 
 Americans, according to Lord Beaconsfield's famous aphorism, in 
 " Peace with Honor." 
 
 Of many of these points of historical interest and of the events 
 which happened there, we shall, later on, give a more detailed de- 
 scription, and shall also give many facts and figures in relation to 
 the river itself, which it would be difficult to find elsewhere.
 
 12 NIAGARA FALLS. 
 
 Geological. 
 
 "Within the memory of men now living, the Falls have receded 
 100 feet. This naturally prompts the question, Where did the 
 retrocession begin? Geologists tell us, and their answer is accepted 
 as conclusive, at the mountain near Lewiston. The whole waters 
 of the lakes there foamed over this dam, which was several miles 
 in width. This accounts for the shells, etc. , which have been 
 found on Goat Island, it having been submerged; also for the shells 
 found on the land along the river up stream — shells which enabled 
 Lyell, Hall and others to prove that the Niagara once flowed 
 through a shallow valley. 
 
 That it cut the Gorge is, geologically, equally decided. There is 
 no better place to study geology and the strata of rocks than this 
 Gorge that Niagara has cut. Mr. Allen, in his Guide Book, says: 
 
 "Not only has the Niagara river cut the Gorge; it has carried 
 away the chips of its own workshop. The slate being probably 
 crumbled, is easily carried away. But at the base of the Fall we 
 find large boulders, and by some means or other they were re- 
 moved down the river. 
 
 ' ' The ice which fills the Gorge in winter, and which grapples 
 with the boulders, has been regarded as the transporting agent. 
 Probably it is so to some extent. But erosion acts without ceas- 
 ing on the abutting points of the boulders, thus withdrawing their 
 support and urging them down the river. Solution also does its 
 portion of the work. That solid matter is carried down is proved 
 by the difference of depth between the Niagara river and Lake 
 Ontario, where the river enters. The depth falls from seventy- 
 two feet to twenty feet, in consequence of the deposition of solid 
 matter caused by the diminished motion of the river. Near the 
 mouth of the Gorge at Queenston, the depth, according to the 
 Canadian Admiralty Chart, is 180 feet, while within the Gorge it 
 is 132 feet, 
 
 ' ' We may add a word regarding the proximate future of Niag- 
 ara. At the rate of excavation assigned to it by Sir Charles Lyell, 
 namely, a foot a year, 5,000 years or so will carry the Horseshoe 
 Fall far higher than Goat Island. As the Gorge recedes, it will 
 drain, as it has hitherto done, the banks right and left of it, thus 
 leaving nearly a level terrace between Goat Island and the edge of 
 the Gorge. Higher up it will totally drain -the American branch 
 of the river, the channel of which will in due time become culti- 
 vatable land. The American Fall will then be transformed into a 
 dry precipice, forming a simple continuation of the cliffy boundary 
 of the Niagara, At the place occupied by the Fall at this moment
 
 NIAGARA FALLS. 13 
 
 we shall have the Gorge enclosing a right angle, a second whirl- 
 pool being the consequence of this. To those who visit Niagara a 
 few millenniums hence, I leave the verification of this prediction." 
 
 Various authorities put the recession at from one inch to one 
 foot a year. " When doctors disagree," etc. 
 
 There is some gradual wearing away of the soft limestone, vary- 
 ing with the volume of water, but eveiy spring the frost and 
 elements accomplish a year's work by breaking off some large 
 pieces, tons in weight. Thus the deeper water, swifter current 
 and greater weight and force of the Horseshoe Fall cuts the rock 
 away faster than the shallower waters of the American Fall do. 
 Alien says : 
 
 "All the phenomena point distinctly to the centre of the river 
 as the place of the greatest mechanical energy, and from the centre 
 the vigor of the Fall gradually dies away toward the sides. The 
 horseshoe form, with the concavity facing downward, is an obvi- 
 ous and necessary consequence of this action. Right along the 
 middle of the river, the apex of the curve pushes "its way back- 
 ward, cutting along the centre a deep and comparatively narrow 
 groove, and draining the sides as it passes them." 
 
 Prof. James Hall, in his Geology of the Fourth District of New 
 York State, suggests the possibility of there having been three 
 separate falls, one above the other, when the Falls first began to 
 recede. The face of the Gorge from the Falls to Lewiston and 
 along the ridge, shows us exactly through what kind of rocks the 
 Gorge was cut. Prof. Hall gives these as the strata of the rocks : 
 
 1. Niagara limestone. 
 
 2. Soft shale. 
 
 8. ( ompact gray limestone. 
 
 4. Shale. 
 
 5. Sandstone, constituting, with Nos. 6, 7 and 8, the Medina 
 group. 
 
 Shale and marl. 
 
 7. Quartz sandstone. 
 
 8. Ked sandstone. 
 
 In his work on Niagara, Holley thus explains the progress of 
 
 Niag: 
 
 " Before reaching the Whirlpool, the mass becomes, practically, 
 
 v ed into numbers three, four and five: the limestone, as a 
 
 genera! rule, growing thicker and harder, and the shale also, as we 
 
 up the stream. 
 
 " The reason why retrocession of the Fall is possible, is found
 
 14 NIAGARA FALLS. 
 
 in the occurrence of the shale noted above as underlying the rock. 
 It is a species of indurated clay, harder and softer, according to 
 the pressure to which it may have been subjected. When pro- 
 tected from the action of the elements, it retains its hardness, but 
 when exposed to them, it gradually softens and crumbles away. 
 After a time the superstratum of rock, which is full of cracks and 
 seams, is undermined and precipitated into the chasm below. If 
 the stratum of shale lies at or near the bottom of the channel 
 below the Fall, it will be measurably protected from the action of 
 the elements. In this case, retrocession will necessarily be very 
 gradual. If above the Fall the shale projects upward 'from the 
 channel below, then in proportion to the elevation and thickness of 
 its stratum will be the ease and rapidity of disintegration and 
 retrocession. It results, therefore, that the shale furnishes a very 
 good standard by which to determine the comparative rapidity 
 with which retrocession has been accomplished at different 
 points. 
 
 "From the base of the escarpment at Lewiston, up the narrow 
 bend in the channel above the Devil's Hole, a distance of four and 
 a quarter miles, the shale varies in thickness above the water from 
 one hundred and thirty feet at the commencement of the Gorge to 
 one hundred and ten feet at the extremity of the bend. Although 
 there is very little upward curve in the limestone here, yet 
 there is a decided curve upward in the Medina group, noticed 
 above, composed mainly of a hard, red sandstone. It projects 
 across the chasm, and also extends upward to near the neck of the 
 Whirlpool, where it dips suddenly downward. The two strata of 
 shale becoming apparently united, follow its dip and also extend 
 upward, until they reach the maximum elevation near the middle 
 of the Whirlpool. Thence the shale gradually dips again to the 
 Railway Suspension Bridge, three-quarters of a mile above. For 
 the remaining one and a half miles from this bridge to the present 
 site of the Falls, the dip is downward to the new Suspension 
 Bridge, where it rises again and passes under the Falls to Table 
 Rock." 
 
 We do not know when white men first visited Niagara, though 
 after the discovery of the St. Lawrence, in 1534, any of the traders 
 and adventurers who sought this region may have done so at any 
 time. 
 
 Jacques Cartier, in his description of his second voyage, 1536, 
 speaks of a cataract, but he never saw it. Samuel Champlain, in 
 a book of his voyages, published in 1613, indicates a waterfall on 
 a map. 
 
 In 1648, the Jesuit Father, Ragueneau, in a letter, speaks of the 
 cataract, and locates it very correctly; and on Sanson's Map of 
 Canada, 1657, it is indicated.
 
 NIAGARA FALLS. 15 
 
 Du Creux, in 1660, in a work, " Historic Canadensis," indicated 
 Niagara on a map, but lie did not describe the Falls, and it is 
 doubted if lie ever saw them. 
 
 The first description that we have is that of Father Hennepin, 
 published in 1678, of which we here quote a part : 
 
 "CHAP. VII. 
 
 "A description of the Fall of the Hirer Niagara, which is to be seen 
 betwixt the Lake Ontario and that of Erie. 
 
 "Detwixt the Lake Ontario and Erie, there is a vast and prodig- 
 
 ious Cadence of Water, which falls down after a surprizing 
 and astonishing manner, insomuch that the Universe does not 
 afford its Parallel. Tis true, Italy and Suedeland boast of some 
 such Things ; but we may well say they are but sorry patterns, 
 when compar'd to this of which we now speak. At the foot of 
 this horrible Precipice, we meet with the River Niagara, which is 
 not above a quarter of a League broad, but is wonderfully deep 
 in some places. It is so rapid above this Descent, that it violently 
 hurries down the wild Beasts while endeavoring to pass it to feed 
 on the other side, they not being able to withstand the force of its 
 Current, which enevitably casts them headlong above Six hundred 
 foot high. 
 
 " This wonderful Downfall is compounded of two cross-streams 
 of Water, and two Falls, with an isle sloping along the middle of 
 it. The Waters which fall from this horrible Precipice, do foam 
 and boyl after the most hideous manner imaginable, making an 
 outrageous Noise, more terrible than that of Thunder; for when 
 the Wind blows out of the South, their dismal roaring may be 
 heard more than Fifteen Leagues off. 
 
 " The River Niagara having thrown it self down this incredible 
 Precipice, continues its impetuous course for two Leagues to- 
 gether, to the great Rock above mention'd, with an inexpressible 
 rapidity: But having passed that, its impetuosity relents, gliding 
 along more gently for other two Leagues, till it arrives at the 
 Lake Ontario or Frontenac. 
 
 " Any Bark or greater Vessel may pass from the Fort to the foot 
 of this huge Rock above mention'd. This Rock lies to the West- 
 ward, and is cut off from the Land by the River Niagara, about 
 two Leagues further down than the great Fall, for which two 
 Leagues the People are oblig'd to transport their goods overland; 
 but the way is very good ; and the Trees are very few, chiefly 
 Firrs and Oaks. 
 
 "From the great Fall unto this Rock, which is to the West of 
 the River, the two brinks of it are so prodigious high., that it
 
 16 NIAGARA FALLS. 
 
 would make one tremble to look steadily upon the Water, rolling 
 along- with a rapidity not to be imagin'd. Were it not for this vast 
 Cataract, which interrupts Navigation, they might sail with Barks, 
 or greater Vessels, more than Four hundred and fifty Leagues, 
 crossing the Lake of Hurons, and reaching even to the farther end 
 of the Lake Illinois, which two Lakes we may easily say are little 
 Seas of freshWater." 
 
 The Rock above mentioned was a huge boulder, or mass, that was 
 found on the river bank near the foot of the mountain, and just 
 the village of Lewiston. 
 
 Hennepin was the priest and historian who accompanied Chev- 
 alier Robert de La Salle. This leader ascended the St. Lawrence, 
 built a trading post at Fort Niagara, visited the Falls, and built in 
 Cayuga Creek, on the American side, five miles above the Falls, 
 the Griffin, 60 tons burden. August 7, 1679, she set sail, the first 
 vessel that ever floated on the Upper Lakes. She crossed Lake 
 Huron, but on the return foundered with all on board. 
 
 ©HE HlAGA^A I^IYEI^. 
 
 The Niagara river, one of the shortest, but one of the most 
 famous rivers in the world, is a part of the system by which the 
 waters of the Great Lakes are carried to the ocean. Its en* ire 
 length is only 36 miles — 22 miles from Lake Erie to the Falls, and 
 14 miles from the Falls to Lake Ontario. 
 
 The Niagara river is merely one link in the chain which con- 
 ducts the waters of Lake Superior to the Atlantic. It is called 
 the Niagara river between the two lakes, Erie and Ontario. 
 When it leaves Lake Ontario, it is the River St. Lawrence, which 
 is 700 miles long, and falls into the Gulf of St. Lawrence. 
 
 It is part of the boundary line between the United States and 
 Canada, so decreed by the treaty of Ghent, in 1815. By that 
 treaty, the boundary line runs through the centre of the Great 
 Lakes, and through the deepest channels of the rivers. By this 
 means, over three-fourths of the islands in the river, including all 
 the important ones but one, belong to the United States. Of these 
 islands, there are in all 36, of which Grand Island is the largest, 
 and Goat Island the most famous. 
 
 In its course, the river falls 836 feet, as follows: From Lake Erie 
 to the Rapids above the Falls, 15 feet; in the Rapids, 55 feet; at
 
 Below Tidewater, 
 
 I 
 
 ii«S88 
 
 Below Tidewater ; 
 
 5elo.w "Tidewater, AlYil'l'1,1 l'l| 
 420 feet. (Jjl, |j|, 1 |j| L, 
 
 W!illi!!!i!i;!!l!!'! 
 
 
 
 iWi'n 
 
 Ab...v c Tid 
 
 _ 
 
 Above TiHewate 
 
 LaJce Superior, 
 
 1,030 feet deep. 
 
 Sault St. Marie. 
 Xdke 2Licliigan , 
 
 1,000 feet deep. 
 
 Xalie Huron j 
 
 1,000 feet deep. 
 
 Below Tidewater, 
 263 feet. 
 
 ^ bov « Tidewater,^ JLalie St. Clair } 
 20 feet deep. 
 
 Lalie Erie, 
 
 34 feet deep. 
 
 Niagara River < 
 
 33C feet. 
 
 Take, Ontario, 
 
 500 feet deep. 
 Above Tidewater, 
 532 feet. 
 
 Tidewater, 
 
 DIAGRAM 
 
 SHOWING 
 
 ELEVATIONS ABOVE TrDEWATER. 
 
 Hand', MeNally <& Co-., Engr's, Chicago. 
 
 1?
 
 18 NIAGARA FALLS. 
 
 the Falls, 161 feet; from the Falls to Lewiston, 98 feet; from- 
 Lewiston to Lake Ontario, 7 feet. 
 
 Its sources are: Lake Superior, the largest body of fresh water 
 in the world, 355 miles long, 160 miles wide, 1,030 feet deep;. 
 Lake Huron, 260 miles long, 100 miles wide, 1,000 feet deep; 
 Lake Michigan, 320 miles long, 70 miles wide, 1,000 feet deep ; 
 Lake St. Clair, 49 miles long, 15 miles wide, 20 feet deep; Lake 
 Erie, 290 miles long, 65 miles wide, 84 feet deep. 
 
 Several smaller lakes, with one hundred rivers, large and small, 
 pour their waters this way, draining a country of more than one 
 hundred and fifty thousand square miles. This is the drainage 
 of almost half a continent, and whose remotest springs are 2,000 
 miles from the ocean. 
 
 TVith such a supply, it is not surprising that the volume of the 
 Niagara river is never noticeably diminished. 
 
 Through the mouth of the St. Lawrence, more fresh water pours 
 into the ocean than through the mouth, probably, of any one 
 river in the world. 
 
 The river, over the American Fall, falls 159 feet, and over the 
 Canadian, 165, the difference being caused by the greater accu- 
 mulation of rock at the base of the former. 
 
 The Niagara is never frozen over, but it accumulates more ice 
 than any other river in the world. 
 
 From records kept, a rise in height of water of one foot at top 
 of Falls will, by actual measurement, raise it 173^ feet below. 
 
 The river, within four or five miles of the Falls, contains some 
 of the best fishing grounds to be found anywhere. 
 
 On the surface below the Falls, the current, when the water is 
 smooth, runs on an average about 6 or 7 miles per hour. Sailors 
 say, about 30 or 40 feet deep, it runs at least 10 or 12 knots. And 
 this is the reason, we think, why saw-logs and other bodies plung- 
 ing over the Horseshoe Fall are not seen until they come up at the 
 Whirlpool, a distance of 3 miles. 
 
 There is a tradition that there is a periodical rise and fall in 
 the level of the Lakes, embracing a period of 14 years. In 1843, 
 1857 and 1871 the Niagara river was very low. 
 
 March 29, 1843, a heavy gale from the west caused the highest 
 water ever known. The water rose 6 feet perpendicularly on the 
 Rapids.
 
 Scde of Statute Miles, 
 
 5 
 
 Map of Niagara River. 
 19
 
 20 NIAGARA FALLS. 
 
 On March 29, 1848, a strong east wind drove the water back into 
 Lake Erie. The heavy ice was wedged in at the mouth of the 
 river. This jammed the water up, and soon the river was nearly 
 dry. The rocks under the Rapids were bare, and people walked 
 and drove over them. The Falls, of course, shrank to a mere 
 nothing The next morning, the ice was forced out, and Niagara 
 resumed its sway, but the sights and the experiences of that day 
 were novel ones. 
 
 The average depth of the river from Lake Erie to the Falls is 
 about 20 feet. In some places it is over 2 miles wide. At the 
 narrowest point, near the Whirlpool, the current is above 40 miles 
 per hour, and at the widest part, about 4 miles per hour. 
 
 Between the Falls and the Whirlpool, the depth varies from 75 
 to 200 feet, At the Whirlpool Rapids, it is estimated at 250 
 feet; in the Whirlpool, at 400. But it should be recalled that this 
 is the depth of the water alone. The mass of stone, gravel, 
 shale, etc. , which in one way and another has been carried into 
 the channel, lies below the water and above the original bottom 
 of the Gorge, which, therefore, is probably as deep again. Va- 
 rious estimates have been given of the amount of water going 
 over the Falls. A point 300 feet wide below the Falls being 
 selected, the depth estimated, and the velocity of the current 
 known, it was estimated that 1,500,000,000 cubic feet passed that 
 point every minute. 
 
 Another estimate says that 100,000,000 tons pass through the 
 Whirlpool every hour. 
 
 Judge DeVeaux estimated that 5,000,000,000 barrels go over 
 every 24 hours; 211,836,853 barrels an hour; 3,536,614 barrels a 
 minute; 58,343 barrels each second. 
 
 HlAGAI^A FALLS. 
 
 The Falls are in latitude 43° 6' north; longitude 2° 5' west 
 from Washington, or 79° 5' west from Greenwich. 
 
 The Horseshoe Fall has an aggregate length of over 2,000 feet; 
 the American Fall, about 800 feet. 
 
 Hennepin speaks of three Falls, the third formed by the huge 
 masses of rock situated where Table Rock stood. These rocks 
 were of great extent, and, the water being obliged to flow around
 
 NIAGARA FALLS. 21 
 
 them, formed the third Fall, and this Fall fell inward and at right 
 angles to the present Fall. Seventy years later, 1751, this third 
 Fall had disappeared, though still told about by the Indians. The 
 reason was because the big rock had been crumbled away, and 
 the channel of the big, or centre Fall, had been cut deeper, thus 
 draining this higher channel. 
 
 Some one once suggested that when you are opposite the Falls, 
 especially in the Gorge, lie down fiat on your back, your head 
 toward the Falls, and look at them over your head from that po- 
 sition. The sight is unique and weird. 
 
 People are often puzzled to see the river above the Falls flowing 
 west, knowing that Canada is north of the United States and that 
 the Niagara's course is north. This is caused by the position of 
 Grand Island, and a glance at the map will explain it. 
 
 In 1858, the Prince of Wales visited the Falls, which were lit 
 up by calcium and colored lights placed along the chasm, and as 
 near as possible to the Falls themselves. The effect was grand, 
 and has never been equaled. 
 
 The Indians, it is said in Judge De Veaux's works, have a tradi- 
 tion that two human beings yearlj- will be sacrificed to the 
 Great Spirit of these waters. Whether any reliance can be placed 
 upon the tradition of the Indians or not, it is true that almost 
 every year has proved fatal to some one. 
 
 The Indians used annually to sacrifice a life to the Great 
 Spirit of the Falls, choosing the fairest daughter of the tribe to 
 guide a white canoe, filled with fruits and flowers, o^er the 
 dreaded brink. 
 
 At first sight, strangers are sometimes disappointed. Either 
 their expectations have been raised too high, or the grandeur of 
 the scene surpasses anything they anticipated. 
 
 The second view is frequently more expressive than the first. 
 The longer the visitor tarries, the more he enjoys and appreciates. 
 
 The Falls, it is true, when seen from above, do not appear more 
 than 50 or 60 feet high; but let the visitor go below, if he would 
 get a correct impression of this stupendous cataract. Ten times 
 as much water goes over the Canadian as over the American Fall. 
 * The spray rises up in the heavens like smoke, and can be seen 
 for a long way, especially when the rays of the sun are upon it.
 
 22 NIAGARA FALLS. 
 
 Judge Porter said lie bad thus seen the spray at a distance of 100 
 miles. 
 
 If the wind is up the river, the view of the Falls is not ob- 
 structed, hut if it is blowing down the river, it is difficult to get 
 any view of the Falls. 
 
 In 1840, Gull Island, south of Goat Island, contained two acres 
 of land. The storm of 1847, and the continued encroachments of 
 the river, cut it all away, there being hardly a trace of it now. 
 
 The view of the Falls at sunrise and sunset is particularly 
 grand. 
 
 The moonlight views of Niagara are indescribably weird and 
 delicate, and it will repay the traveler to journey far to see them. 
 Solar bows, formed by reflection of the sun on the spray, can be 
 seen on any bright day, when the visitor is between the sun and 
 the spray. Lunar bows, seen at night, are formed in a similar 
 way, by lunar beams. The spectator must be similarly placed. 
 
 The roar of the Falls can be heard a long way if the wind 
 blows toward the listener. It has been heard at Toronto, 44 miles, 
 and at Buffalo, 22 miles. AVhen the wind blows from the listener, 
 the roar is hardly heard, even when one is within a few feet of 
 the cataract. 
 
 A loud roaring of the Falls is said to indicate rain. The rain 
 winds come from the west, and a west wind brings the sound 
 over the village. 
 
 Niagara Falls in winter is a scene that no pen can describe. 
 The ice bridges are simply accumulations of ice that fill the Gorge, 
 below the Falls. The ice is often 30 feet thick, and its surface is, 
 of course, as uneven as possible. These so-called bridges can 
 be crossed with safety. Sometimes they extend up and down 
 stream for half a mile, and several winters it has been possible to 
 walk on these bridges up the centre of the river, clear past the 
 American Fall, and to Goat Island, mounting the Biddle Stairs, 
 or returning by the same route to the Ferry Stairs. Many people 
 have taken this foolhardy journey. The ice that collects on the 
 trees is formed by the spray freezing layer by layer, and is very 
 hard, and pure white, and glistens in the sunlight with exceptional 
 brightness. No such ice scener}- — on the banks for long icicles, 
 on the river for ice jams, on the trees for delicate and fantastically 
 shaped ice tracery — can be found elsewhere.
 
 NIAGARA FALLS. 23 
 
 UlLLAGE OP HlAGAI^A FALLS. 
 
 The village of Niagara Falls was incorporated July 6, 1848, under 
 the General Act of New York, passed in 1847. It has a population 
 of 4,000. On both sides of the river it is estimated that the av- 
 erage annual number of visitors to Niagara is 400,000. It is 
 located in what is known as the Mile Strip, a strip of land one 
 mile in width, along the whole length of Niagara river, reserved 
 by the State in its early sales, and sold by the State about 1800. 
 According to the State divisions, there were about 100 lots in the 
 strip, lot No. 42 being located at the Falls. 
 
 After the freedom of the United States had been recognized, a 
 dispute arose as to who should own that part of Western New York 
 lying west of Seneca Lake. Commissioners finally gave New York 
 the jurisdiction and Massachusetts the ownership. It would seem 
 that the land was first sold to Phelps & Gorham, and as they 
 partially failed to fulfill their agreement, Robert Morris acquired 
 it, and afterward sold the western part to the Holland Land 
 Company, though the Mile Strip was not included in any of the 
 above sales. The part purchased by the company is known as the 
 Holland Land Purchase. 
 
 The village was originally named Manchester, and now it seems 
 likely that in a very few years it will be worthy of the name. 
 
 In 1877, it was first proposed to make an International Reser- 
 vation here ; to have Canada buy certain lands adjoining the 
 Falls, and New York State certain similar lands; to restore them 
 to a state of nature, and thus keep them forever. The report of 
 the New York Commissioners in 1879 recommended that land 
 for the above purpose be so reserved. New York has passed a 
 preliminary bill, appointing commissioners, and a survey is now in 
 progress. 
 
 Numberless accidents have happened at Niagara — suicides, 
 murders, drowning, over the Falls, etc. One or two accidents are 
 specially mentioned in this work, but it would be useless to give a 
 full list of even known accidents. The number of those who have 
 taken the fatal plunge at night, unseen save by the "Eye that 
 sleepeth not," can never be ascertained. Some years there will be 
 no known accident ; again, there have been twelve in a single
 
 24 NIAGARA FALLS. 
 
 season. A famous accident was that of July 19, 1853. Early in 
 the morning, a man was seen on a rock in the American Rapids, 
 midway between the Falls and Goat Island. He proved to be a 
 Mr. Avery, who in crossing the river had been drawn into the 
 Rapids and had caught there. People nocked from all over the 
 country to see him. Boats and ropes were lowered. Several 
 boats were lost, and two sank near him. Food was sent to him in 
 tin cans. A raft was made and lowered, and reached him safely. 
 He got on it and seized the ropes. It was floated over to Chapin 
 Island, but caught there. A boat was lowered and touched the 
 raft. Avery stepped forward to get into it. The raft tipped, and 
 he fell into the river and was carried over the Falls after an 
 eighteen-hour struggle for life. Of late years we think accidents 
 are fewer and suicides much more frequent. 
 
 Two or three events here deserve more than a passing mention. 
 The first of these was the feat of walking across the river below 
 the Falls on a tight rope, performed in 1858 by Blondin, a French- 
 man. He first stretched his rope, a two-inch cable, across the river 
 below the old Suspension Bridge. About every eight feet, stays 
 were attached to this rope, and running from each shore to near 
 the centre of the span; and at each point two ropes diverged, one 
 on either side to the nearest bank. Across the rope at this point, 
 and afterward at a point midway between the old Suspension 
 Bridge and the Falls, he repeatedly crossed the chasm, performing 
 tricks — at one time wheeling a wheelbarrow; once carrying a man 
 on his back, once with peach baskets on his feet (this when the 
 Prince of Wales was a spectator), and once in the night, when an 
 attempt was made to light up the chasm. He carried a heavy 
 balance-pole, by which he steadied himself. He was a man of 
 iron nerve, and, could he have obtained permission, would have 
 stretched his rope from the Terrapin Rocks to the opposite shore, 
 and thus in the midst of the spray and rainbows, have essayed to 
 cross the yawning gulf, and he probably would have succeeded. 
 
 Since that time not less than three men and one woman have 
 performed the feat of walking over the chasm on a tight rope. 
 
 In 1873, a fellow, Belleni by name, stretched a rope from 
 opposite the Clifton House to Prospect Park. Walking to the 
 centre of the rope, he three times leaped off into space and sank 
 into the river below, a distance of 200 feet. He had a rubber cord
 
 NIAGARA FALLS. 25 
 
 an inch in diameter and twelve feet long constructed, one end 
 being securely fastened to the rope. Holding the other end firmly 
 in his descent, the tension served to hold him in an upright posi- 
 tion. The third time the cord broke and entangled his feet, so 
 that below water he was tightly bound. He sank so. deep that he 
 nearly suffocated. He was picked up by the boat which was in 
 readiness, but in an exhausted condition. 
 
 In 1878, after duly advertising the fact, a man named Peer 
 dropped from the centre of the new Suspension Bridge into the 
 river. The platform from which he hung by his hands while 
 poising himself, is still attached to the bridge, beyond the rail in 
 the centre of the bridge on the side toward the Falls. He per- 
 formed the feat in safety. 
 
 But the most daring feat was that performed June 15, 1861, by 
 J. R. Robinson, a brave and noble man, and one whose name for 
 deeds of daring and for assistance rendered to men who were 
 endangered in the Rapids of the Niagara will ever be fondly 
 cherished here. In 1846, a small steamer, called the "Maid of the 
 Mist," was built below the Falls, and made regular trips up close to 
 the Falls and back. In 1834, a larger and better boat, 90 feet long, 
 was built, and continued the business successfully. In 1861, being 
 restricted to the Canadian shore for passengers, she did not pay ; 
 and, as the sheriff was about to levy on her for debt, it was neces- 
 sary to get her away. There was but one route. But who would 
 pilot her? No one but Robinson, and he agreed to deliver her at 
 Lake Ontario, and he did. Two men went with him, and on the 
 date above they started. In the Whirlpool Rapids the boat was 
 terribly battered and her smoke-stack torn off, the men being 
 knocked down and powerless. When she reached the Whirlpool, 
 Robinson seized the tiller, and before she was sucked into any of 
 the eddies, guided her into the outlet, whence through the rushing, 
 dashing waters, she sped like a bird, and reached Lewiston and 
 quiet waters in safety. Robinson is said to have received $500 for 
 his services during the 20 minutes intervening between leaving 
 the ferry stairs and the arrival at Lewiston. Robinson and his 
 two companions are the only men who ever passed through the 
 Whirlpool alive. 
 
 The village is a splendid manufacturing point. Its location is 
 central; water-power is plentiful and reasonable. The village has
 
 NIAGARA FALLS. 27 
 
 all modern improvements; taxes are light, and there is no debt of 
 any kind. Railway facilities of all kinds and over all roads are 
 unsurpassed. Raw material can be received by water via the 
 Erie Canal from the East, and via the Niagara river from the 
 great lakes. 
 
 The Hydraulic Canal in this village was completed in 1855. 
 This canal can be cut 100 feet wide at any time, and will 
 then furnish unlimited water-power. The canal was bought by 
 J. F. Shoelkopf in 1S78. Since then its basin has been enlarged, 
 and a huge penstock, or shaft, 50 feet square and 100 feet deep, has 
 been sunk down into the rock. A tunnel connects the bottom 
 of this shaft with the Gorge, below the Falls, and thus 3,000 extra 
 horse-power has been attained, and this power, by belts and ropes, 
 is transmitted long distances in all directions. 
 
 Niagara, through her hackmen, bears a bad name the world 
 over. These men are not as bad as represented; neither are the 
 great majority of them swindlers. As in every other business, 
 there are bad ones as well as good. The worst feature about 
 them is the way in which they follow people and importune them 
 to ride. They seem to have no comprehension of the meaning 
 of the word "no " If the State ever makes an International 
 Park at this place, it will doubtless establish a special police 
 force, and a special court of justice, and will control the princi- 
 pal streets, as they would be the avenues leading to this Park. 
 When this becomes an accomplished fact, that class of Niagara 
 hackmen who are now so obnoxious to the traveling public will, 
 under the action of stern law and justice, be forever crowded out 
 of the place. Meanwhile, our advice to those who find it neces- 
 sary to deal with them is as follows: make a definite bargain in 
 advance ; stipulate exactly as to tolls ; the names and number 
 of the points of interest to be visited ; the time to be occupied, 
 and that there are to be no extras, and there will usually be little 
 trouble. 
 
 We give on the two following pages the distances from prin- 
 cipal hotels, admission fees and tolls, and rates of fare allowed 
 by law in the village of Niagara Falls, N. Y., for the use of 
 carriages.
 
 NIAGARA FALLS. 
 
 DISTANCES FROM PRINCIPAL HOTELS. 
 
 Canada 
 side. 
 
 Around Goat Island 8 miles. 
 
 " Prospect Park 1 
 
 To New Suspension Bridge % 
 
 " Railway " " ■ 2 
 
 " Michigan Central Canti-lever Bridge 1% 
 
 " Whirlpool Rapids 2J4 
 
 " Whirlpool 2% 
 
 "DevirsHole 4 
 
 " Top of Mountain 7 
 
 " Indian Village (Council House) 8 l / 2 
 
 " Table Rock % 
 
 " " '* via New Suspension Bridge, or Ferry — 
 
 " " " via Railway Suspension Bridge — 
 
 " Burning Spring 154 
 
 " " " via New Suspension Bridge — 
 
 " " " via Railway Suspension Bridge — 
 
 " Lundy's Lane Battle Ground ty* 
 
 " Brock's Monument, Queenston Heights 7 
 
 American 
 side. 
 
 1% miles. 
 
 H " 
 % " 
 
 2 
 
 l?i " 
 
 SJ4 " 
 3 
 
 3 l / 2 " 
 
 6/ 2 " 
 
 8 " 
 
 2Vt 
 
 ADMISSION FEES AND TOLLS. 
 
 To Cave of the Winds (with guide and dress) $1 00 
 
 " Shadow of the Rock (with guide and dre6S) 1 00 
 
 " Inclined Railway (Prospect Park) 25 
 
 " Ferry to Canada and Prospect Park 50 
 
 " Electric Light (Prospect Park) extra, on day or season tickets 15 
 
 " Behind Horse Shoe Falls, with guide aud dress. Canada side 1 00 
 
 " Museum 50 
 
 " Burning Spring and Islands 50 
 
 " Lundy's Laue Battle Ground 50 
 
 " Whirlpool Rapids (either side) 50 
 
 " Whirlpool (either side) 50 
 
 " Crossing New Suspension Bridge (each way) 25 
 
 " Crossing New Suspension Bridge, extra for two-horse carriage 50 
 
 " Crossing Railway Suspension Bridge (over and return) 25 
 
 " Crossing Railway Suspension Bridge, extra for two-horse carriage.. . 50 
 
 " Toll on River Bank Highway, Canada 6ide, for carriages only 10 
 
 Niagara Falls and Suspension Bridge Street Railway Co , from Soldiers' 
 
 Monument, Niagara Falls, to Suspension Bridge, fare 5 cents.
 
 NIAGARA FALLS. 
 
 KATES OF FARE ALLOWED BY LAW IX THE VILLAGE OF 
 NIAGARA FALLS, X. Y. 
 
 For the use and hire of carnages where no express contract is made therefor. 
 
 For carrying one passenger and ordinary baggage from one place to 
 
 another in the village S 50 
 
 Each additional passenger and ordinary baggage 25 
 
 For carrying one passenger and ordinary baggage from any point in 
 
 this village to any point in the village of Suspension Bridge 1 00 
 
 Each additional passenger and ordinary baggage 50 
 
 Each additional piece of baggage, other than ordinary baggage 12 
 
 Children under three years of age, free. 
 
 Over three years and under fourteen years, half price. 
 
 Ordinary baggage is defined to be one trunk and one bag, hat or bandbox, or 
 other small parcel. 
 
 For carrying one or more passengers, in the same carriage, from any point in 
 this village to any point within five miles of the limits of the village, at the 
 rate of $1.50 for each hour occupied, except that in every instance where such 
 carriage shall be drawn by a single horse, the fare therefor shall be at the rate 
 of $1 for each hour occupied.
 
 Prefat 
 
 on 
 
 y- 
 
 [HE maps accompanying this book have been specially pre- 
 pared for it, and ^vill be of great service, as they point 
 out the relative position of the different points of interest. 
 In order to proceed regularly in our task, we have placed the 
 various points of interest in the order in which they usually are, 
 and in which they always ought to be, visited — the Goat Island 
 Group coming first in the category, as it is indisputably the finest 
 piece of property in the world as a summer or winter scene. 
 By following this arrangement visitors will see the whole of 
 Niagara to the best advantage, in the easiest and quickest way 
 and with the least needless expense. 
 
 31
 
 p 
 
 01 
 
 nts o" ntenest, 
 
 Goat Island. 
 
 ^THE " Goat Island Group," so called, is an estate consisting 
 " of a large island standing on the verge of the cliff over 
 which the cataract pours, and dividing the river in such a 
 manner as to form from its waters two Falls — the one being known 
 as the ''American" and the other as the "Horseshoe or Canadian 
 Fall" — and includes several other smaller islands, notably Bath 
 Island, Luna Island, Terrapin Rocks, Three Sisters Islands, and 
 ten others not yet accessible by bridges. 
 
 Originally, the first man who had any right to name "Goat" 
 Island, called it very properly "Iris Island," and it ought to be 
 known under that appellative. It owes its present singular name 
 to a local fact. In 1779, a Mr. John Stedman, having cleared a 
 portion of the upper end of the island, placed some goats (notable 
 among them an aged male goat) upon it. During the ensuing 
 winter it was impossible to reach the island, and the animals were 
 killed by the cold. The people named the island after the repre- 
 sentative of the flock " Goat Island," a cognomen which has ever 
 since adhered to it. 
 
 These islands were originally owned by the State of New York. 
 At one time it was proposed to establish a prison and at another 
 time an arsenal at Goat Island. 
 
 In 1814, General and Judge Porter bought of Samuel Sherwood 
 a paper called a Float, given by the State as pay for military serv- 
 ices rendered, authorizing the bearer to locate 200 acres of land 
 on any of the unsold or unappropriated land belonging to the 
 State. Part of this they located on Goat and other adjacent 
 
 3 33
 
 34 
 
 NIAGARA FALLS. 
 
 islands, immediately above and adjoining the Great Falls, their 
 patent bearing date 1816, and signed by Daniel D. Tompkins as 
 Governor, and Martin Van Buren as Attorney-General of New 
 York. An early record says the island once contained 250 acres 
 of land; at present the group contains some 65 acres. The area 
 of Goat Island is sixty-one and a half acres ; its circumference 
 about one mile. A strip about 10 rods wide and 80 rods long has 
 been washed away on the south side since the first road was made, 
 
 in 1818. Long 
 before it was 
 bridged, it was 
 visited from time 
 to time by per- 
 sons to whom its 
 attractions were of 
 more importance 
 than the peril of 
 reaching it. The 
 late Judge Porter, 
 who visited it in 
 1805, found names 
 cut in the bark of 
 a beech near the 
 Horseshoe Falls, 
 with the subjoined 
 dates of 1771, 1772 
 and 1779. The 
 first bridge to this 
 group was built in 
 1817, and reached 
 The next winter the high water and 
 
 The Cataract above Goat Island. 
 
 to the head of Goat Island 
 the ice washed it away. 
 
 In 1818, another bridge was built, but lower down, on the site of 
 the present one. This was repaired frequently till 1856, when the 
 present iron bridge was constructed. The foundation consists of 
 oak cribs, filled with stones and covered with plates of iron. The 
 superstructure is of iron, and consists of four arches of ninety 
 feet span each, supported between these piers. The whole length 
 of the bridge is three hundred and sixty feet, and its width is
 
 NIAGARA FALLS. 35 
 
 twenty-seven feet. Of this a double carriage way occupies sixteen 
 and a half feet, and two footways, one either side of the carriage- 
 way, five and a quarter feet each. Visitors often ask how the first 
 bridge was built over the Rapids. 
 
 A suitable pier and platform was built at the water's edge; long 
 timbers were projected over this abutment the distance they 
 wished to sink the next pier, heavily loaded on the end next to 
 the shore with stone, to prevent their moving. Legs were framed 
 through the ends of the projecting timbers, resting upon the rocky 
 bottom, thus forming a temporary pier, around which a more sub- 
 stantial one was built. These timbers were then securely fastened 
 to this pier, cross-boards were spiked on, and the first section was 
 done. The plan was repeated for each arch. 
 
 Goat Island was, in ancient times, one of the favorite bmying 
 grounds of the Indians, and yet preserves traces of their funeral 
 rites. It was particularly revered as the spot where chiefs and 
 noted warriors were buried. 
 
 Tolls for the day, 50 cents each. Season §1. Reductions to 
 excursions. 
 
 Crossing the first bridge, from which both up and down stream 
 is to be had one of the grandest views of the Rapids, you reach 
 Bath Island, some two acres in extent. A few rods below and 
 near the Falls is Chapin Island, so called because a man of that 
 name in 1849, while repairing the bridge, fell into the river, but 
 succeeded in reaching that island, from which he was soon rescued. 
 Cross the next bridge, and you are at Goat Island. 
 
 Ascend the hill, and turn to your right — by taking this route you 
 get the less impressive view of the Falls at first, and the more 
 grand and imposing last; and you get more time in which to ap- 
 preciate the magnificent grandeur and awful sublimity. Advanc- 
 ing for a few rods through the forest, you reach one of the most 
 charming views of Niagara, illustrated on next page. 
 
 Descending the stairs, on what from its shape is called "Rag's 
 Back," you stand next to the Little Fall, beneath which is the 
 famous Cave of the Winds; and crossing the little bridge at your 
 right you reach Luna Island. 
 
 From the farther point, protected by an iron rail, we see the 
 most desirable near view of the American Falls and Rapids, 
 which are so close that it is possible to dip the hand into the
 
 36 
 
 NIAGARA FALLS. 
 
 rushing tide passing over the verge. Here, too, one gets an ex- 
 cellent view of the debris of rock and shale deposited by the action 
 of the torrent at the foot of the American Fall, and also a fine 
 perspective of the Gorge, below. 
 
 This spot is called Luna Island, because the Lunar bow is seen 
 
 I^ m ^ mm ^^ m here to the best 
 advantage. 
 It has often 
 been remarked 
 by strangers that 
 this island trem- 
 bles, which is un- 
 doubtedly true; 
 but the impress- 
 ion is heightened 
 by imagination. 
 
 It was while 
 climbing over 
 the rocks directly 
 under this island 
 that Dr. Hunger- 
 ford, of Troy, 
 N. Y., was killed 
 in the spring of 
 1839, by the 
 crumbling of a 
 portion of the 
 rock from above. 
 This is the only 
 accident that 
 ever occurred at 
 Niagara by the 
 falling of rock. 
 On the northern shore of this island, a few feet above the brink, 
 is a spot of mournful memory. On June 21, 1849, the family of 
 Mr. Deforest, of Buffalo, with a friend, Mr. Charles Addington, 
 were viewing the scenery from this point. The party, in fine 
 spirits, were about leaving the island, when Mr. Addington ad- 
 vanced playfully to Miss Annetta, the little daughter of Mrs. 
 
 American Fall ai.d Foot Bridge, from 
 Goat Island.
 
 NIAGARA FALLS. 37 
 
 Deforest, saying, "I am going to throw you in," at the same time 
 lifting her over the edge of the water. With a sudden impulse of 
 fear, the child sprang from his hands into the river. With a 
 shriek, the young man sprang to save her, but before those on 
 shore had time to speak or move, they had passed over the preci- 
 pice. The child's remains were found the same afternoon in 
 the Cave of the Winds; and a few days afterward, the body of 
 the gallant but fated man was likewise recovered and committed 
 to the village cemetery. This is, perhaps, the most touching 
 casualty that ever occurred at the Falls. 
 
 As you leave Luna Island, stop a moment at the foot of the 
 path before ascending, and see the so-called profiles, formed by 
 the inequality of projection in that portion of the precipice which 
 is formed by the western side of Luna Island. The rock is close 
 to and almost under the American Fall. 
 
 They obtain their name from their remarkable likeness to three 
 human faces. 
 
 Reaching the top of the bank, proceed straight ahead, and you 
 soon catch the first glimpse of the "-Horseshoe Falls," so called 
 from its resemblance to that article. Years ago the name was 
 appropriate, but to-day there is not the least resemblance. The 
 building before you contains the dressing rooms for the Cave of 
 the Winds, and leads to the famous Biddle Stairs, so called from 
 the President of the United States Bank, Nicholas Biddle, who in 
 1829 contributed a sum of money for their erection. 
 
 They are secured to the solid rock by ponderous iron bolts, and 
 are said to be perfectly safe. The perpendicular height of the 
 bank at this place is 185 feet, the staircase itself being 80 feet 
 high and consisting of 90 steps. From the stairs to the river there 
 is a rude pathway, but it is seldom traversed, except for the pur- 
 pose of angling, an art which, at the right time of the year, is 
 here practiced with the happiest success. 
 
 Shortly after their erection, the well-known Sam Patch, whose 
 diving propensities made his name a household word, made his 
 famous leap of 100 feet into the river in 1820. Midway between 
 the foot of these stairs and the Canadian Fall, he erected a scaffold 
 96 feet high, from which he made his successful leap. He re- 
 peated it successfully the same year, then went to the Genesee 
 Falls at Rochester and jumped, and was killed. He never rose
 
 NIAGARA FALLS. 
 
 to the surface after he jumped, and his body was not found for 
 
 some days, and then miles away. 
 
 No charge is made for the use of the stairs. 
 
 From the foot of Biddle's Stairs, two paths lead in opposite 
 
 directions, one toward the Canada, and the other 
 
 •/, , toward the American Fall. The former has been 
 
 obstructed by 
 
 slides from above, 
 and is more diffi- 
 cult. But it will re- 
 pay your trouble, 
 for you will get 
 a splendid view 
 of Horseshoe Fall 
 from below, which 
 is not obtainable 
 elsewhere. 
 
 Taking the road 
 to the right from 
 the foot of the 
 stairs, a few min- 
 utes' walk brings 
 you to the cele- 
 brated Cave of the 
 Winds, or, as it is 
 sometimes called, 
 iEolus Cavern, by 
 all means the best 
 place to go behind 
 the sheet of water. 
 It was first entered 
 in 1834, and dur- 
 ing the past fifty years this curious but splendid Cave has been 
 the chief charm of the locality, and has been visited annually by 
 hundreds. It is 100 by 160 feet in dimensions, and 100 feet in 
 height. Having been excavated by the action of the falling water, 
 it forms a natural chamber through which, with suitable dresses 
 and guides, which can be secured for a dollar, we can pass between 
 the Cataract and the Rock, and see the ever-changing effect of the 
 
 Horseshoe Falls, from Goat Island
 
 NIAGARA. FALLS. 39 
 
 light passing through the descending mass of water; take a bath 
 in the mist and spray of old Niagara; pass through the rainbows, 
 and secure a delightful, novel and strange sensation of commingled 
 terror and safety, from which we can emerge after a few minutes 
 as free from any other effect of the water as when we entered. 
 
 The formation of this cave was easy. The gradual wearing 
 away by the water of the shaly substratum of the precipice left 
 the limestone rock above projecting about thirty feet bej T ond the 
 base, thus forming an open cave, over which falls the torrent of 
 Niagara. The compression of the atmosphere by the falling water 
 is here so great that the cave is rendered as stormy and turbulent 
 as that of old iEolus himself, from whose classical majesty, in- 
 deed, it derived its first name. 
 
 If the wind is blowing down the river, or from the American 
 shore, you can stand with perfect safety upon a large rock, within 
 a few feet of the falling sheet, without inconvenience from the 
 spray. In the afternoon, when the sun shines, there is always a 
 splendid rainbow between the sheet of water and the rock, within 
 a few feet of you; and this is the only place on the globe where 
 a rainbow forming an entire circle can be seen. Two, and some- 
 times three, have been seen at once. 
 
 The grand trip in front of the Fall, where the water appears to 
 pour from the sky, is illustrated on page 46. 
 
 After leaving the Biddle Stairs, follow the path along the bank 
 and you soon reach the spot where a huge slice of the land has 
 fallen. One slide occurred in 1843, and another in 1847. Within 
 20 years, more than 20 feet in width and 400 feet in length have 
 gone down. Proceed a little farther, and you stand above and in 
 full view of the Canadian Fall. Go down the hill and out to the 
 Terrapin Rocks ; it may be tiresome, but it will amply repay you. 
 
 This Bridge is subject to the action of the spray ; care should 
 be taken in crossing it. In the winter of 1852, a gentleman 
 from West Troy, N. Y., while crossing to the tower, fell into 
 the current, and was carried to the verge of the Fall, where he 
 lodged between two rocks. He was discovered by two citizens, 
 who rescued him by throwing out lines, which he fastened 
 around his body just in time, and was hauled in almost senseless. 
 He remained speechless for several hours after being taken to his 
 hotel.
 
 Biddle Staircase, Goat Island 
 
 40
 
 NIAGARA FALLS. 41 
 
 As you stand inside the iron rail and overlook the vast gulf 
 below, you are in the very centre of Niagara. 
 
 The old Terrapin Tower, also called Horseshoe or Prospect 
 Tower, which stood on these rocks, was built in 1833, of stones 
 gathered in the vicinity. It was a round tower 43 feet high, 12 
 feet in diameter at the base, and 8 feet at the top, with a gallery 
 near the upper end — a rugged structure, in perfect harmony with 
 its surroundings. It was blown up by the wish of a majority of 
 the owners of the Goat Island Group, in 1873, some pretending 
 to believe it unsafe. Its destruction was entirety unnecessaiy, 
 and took away a charming feature of Niagara, which it is hoped 
 may soon be replaced. Table Rock, which fell in 1850, was 
 directly opposite, on the Canadian shore. 
 
 From this point one gets the best view of the shape of the Fall, 
 and the clearest idea of how it has been modified by the action of 
 the water. This action has been especially violent of late years. 
 On Sunday, Feb. 1, 1852, a portion of the precipice, stretching 
 from the 'edge of the island to the tower, about 125 feet long and 
 60 feet wide, and reaching from near the top to the bottom of the 
 Fall, fell with a crash of thunder. The next day another, a 
 triangular piece, with a base of about 40 feet, broke off just below 
 the tower. Between the two portions that had thus fallen, stood 
 a rectangular projection, about 30 feet long and 15 feet wide, ex- 
 tending from the top to the bottom of the precipice. This mass 
 loosened from the main body of the rock and settled down per- 
 pendicularly about 9 feet, where it stood for years, an enormous 
 column, 150 feet high by the dimensions given. 
 
 This Fall is sometimes called the Canadian Fall. America owns 
 one-half of it. The width is estimated at 144 rods. The deep 
 green color of the water, especially in the angle, is supposed to be 
 due to the depth. In 1827, the Michigan, a vessel condemned as 
 unseaworthy^ was purchased and sent over the Fall. She drew 
 18 feet, and filled with water as she went through the Rapids. 
 As she went over the brink without touching, the depth of the 
 water was proved to be 20 feet. 
 
 As you reach the top of the bank, the path directly in front will 
 lead you through the wood back to the bridge, but you will miss 
 much if you take it. Turning to the right, you follow the edge 
 of the bank for about forty rods and reach a small stone monument,
 
 42 
 
 NIAGARA FALLS. 
 
 directly in your path, marked with a cross on the top, set by the 
 surveyors to ascertain if the Falls recede. This is the best point 
 from which to get a correct view of the shape of the Horseshoe 
 Fall. 
 
 This, the south side of the island, is specially mentionable from 
 the fact that it affords unsurpassed views of the Canadian Rapids, 
 which run at the rate of 28 miles per hour. 
 
 A View from Whirlwind Rock, American Side. 
 
 You soon reach the Three Sisters Islands, which were connected 
 with Grand Island by handsome suspension bridges in 1868, and 
 which open up an entirely new scene. The grandest views of 
 the Rapids to be found at Niagara are right before you. These 
 Islands offer, from their location, an unchangeable, cool retreat 
 in the warmest days of summer, with enchanting views of the
 
 NIAGARA FALLS. 43 
 
 scenery; the cascades under the bridges, formed by the current 
 passing over the ledges of rock, being among the chief attractions. 
 
 From the head of the third sister may be seen one continuous 
 cascade, extending as far as the eye can reach, from Goat Island 
 across to the Canada shore, varying from ten to twenty feet in 
 height. From this miniature Niagara rises a spray similar to that 
 of the great Falls. 
 
 The "Little Brother," a small island at the foot of the Third 
 Sister, has not yet been bridged. 
 
 The ' ' Hermit's Cascade " is best seen from the First Sister Island 
 Bridge, by which it is spanned, and is a beautiful sight. It is 
 so called because Francis Abbott, the Hermit of the Falls, used to 
 bathe here. He was a young man, gentlemanly and accomplished, 
 who for two years lived a solitary life at Niagara. He had a hut 
 near this spot on the island, and later on he built one in what is 
 now Prospect Park. He had but little intercourse with any one, 
 wrote a great deal, and always in Latin, but destroyed all manu- 
 scripts almost as soon as written. On Goat Island, at hours when 
 it was unfrequented, he delighted to roam, heedless, if not obliv- 
 ious, of danger. At that time, a stick of timber eight inches 
 square extended from Terrapin Bridge eight feet beyond the preci- 
 pice. On this he has been seen at all hours of the night, pacing 
 to and fro, without the slightest tremor of nerve or hesitancy of 
 step. Sometimes he was seen sitting carelessly on the extreme 
 end of the timber — sometimes hanging from it by his hands and 
 feet. He belonged to a respectable English family, and his reasons 
 for leading this life were never known. He was drowned while 
 bathing near the foot of the Park Railway, in 1831. His body 
 was recovered, and is buried in Oakwood Cemetery, Niagara 
 Falls. 
 
 When you get back to Goat Island, you can return to the bridge 
 by a short way by taking the road straight ahead through the 
 woods. It is best, however, to see the other views, and to do this 
 you turn to your right and follow the road directly east. Here 
 one sees how it was possible for the island to have reached a 
 long way up stream, for a bar extends up between the currents 
 for nearly half a mile, with a depth of water not over four feet. 
 This also shows how it was possible for people to visit the island 
 before the bridge was built.
 
 44 
 
 NIAGARA FALLS. 
 
 There is little trouble in coming clown to the island in a boat. 
 but the return is dangerous, as, if the boat is drawn into the cur- 
 rent on either side, it is almost certain death, as the water is too 
 rough, too shallow and too rapid to allow the oarsman to manage 
 his boat at all. 
 
 9 & 
 
 
 The Bridge, Sister Islands. 
 
 The time to visit Goat Island is in the morning; the earlier the 
 better. The foliage is brighter, the air cooler and purer; one is 
 better prepared physically to enjoy nature, and above all you get 
 the best views, as the sun is at your back, and brightens and 
 glorifies the scenery without blinding you. Still more important, 
 it is only in the morning that the glorious rainbows can be seen 
 from the islands. 
 
 After leaving the head of the island from the road, you get a 
 good view of the Rapids. Half way to the bridge is a spring of 
 cool water, situated at the foot of the bank. The path to it is
 
 NIAGARA FALLS. 45 
 
 easily accessible, and the view of the Rapids through the trees and 
 at their edge is fine. 
 
 Surrounded as it is by water, and with such a torrent of water 
 on each side, and with such a head, the water-power capabilities 
 of the island in a manufacturing point of view can hardly be es- 
 timated. No other known spot could furnish such a number of 
 horse-power. A canal cut through the centre, and large wings or 
 dams on each shore, would furnish power hardly dreamed of 
 heretofore. . 
 
 Geologically, too, the island is a mine of wealth, its western cliff 
 showing exactly the composition and dip of the rocks. Its shores 
 show the action of the water, and bear the records of the past, 
 while beneath its trees, and mingled with its soil, are the shells 
 and alluvial deposit by which geologists have proved that, ages 
 ago, while Niagara was cutting its Gorge from Lewiston to its 
 present location, the whole of the entire section for miles and 
 miles was submerged, the Niagara river being a broad and com- 
 paratively shallow stream. 
 
 It is to-day a temple of nature, at whose shrine thousands from 
 all over the world annually pay their tribute of praise. It is an 
 important page, as before noted, in the book of the geologist, 
 while to the botanist it is a spot sacred from the vast number of 
 its present species, and as the preserver, in the petrifactions of 
 leaves and animal life that are found within its borders, of the 
 history of the vegetable kingdoms of the past. 
 
 Goat Island presents, from the Canada side, an appearance sim- 
 ilar to that of the cliff of the south coast of England — it being, 
 Dear the ledge, about 175 feet in height. It is entirely composed 
 of hard stone, mostly limestone, slate and marl. 
 
 It is covered with a grand old "forest primeval," containing 
 many trees now withered and decayed, but which have stood sen- 
 tinel over this scene for hundreds of years. This is an almost 
 unique bit of virgin forest, and it has been the policy and pride of 
 its owners to thus preserve it, In winter, these trees are the roost- 
 ing places of the crows, who come here nightly and in thousands 
 from all over this section of the country. 
 
 No sportsman is allowed to carry a gun on this island, as it 
 would endanger the lives of those who are promenading through 
 it. The cottage near the bridge is the only dwelling on the island.
 
 46 
 
 NIAGARA FALLS. 
 
 The island is a favorite resort and study of botanists, who de- 
 clare they have found on it over 400 different species and kinds of 
 plants and trees. It is also said that it contains a greater number 
 of valuable species of the vegetable kingdom than the same area 
 in any explored portion of the world. 
 
 The scenery from the island by moonlight is a rare sight, 
 and should be enjoyed by all who 'have an opportunity to thus 
 visit it. 
 
 American Fall, Hurricane Bridge. 
 
 In winter the island scenery is magnificent, for, no matter 
 which way the wind blows, the spray reaches some part of the 
 forest, where it congeals, on every twig and limb, in that glit- 
 tering sheen and that glorious ice foliage which is unmatched 
 elsewhere.
 
 NIAGARA FALLS. 47 
 
 Taking the Goat Island Group as a whole, it may be said that 
 they essentially form what is understood as ''Niagara Falls," as 
 they adjoin both cataracts and afford all the most desirable views 
 here. 
 
 I^OSPEGIT IS>AI^. 
 
 Next in order comes this well-known property, now embracing 
 some 12 acres, and owned by the Prospect Park Company. The 
 land adjoins the American Fall, with a frontage above the Fall of 
 some 400 feet, and along the Gorge a still longer frontage. 
 
 It comprises what is known as the old ferry, which was private 
 property, and which used to be free to all, but in 1872 this com- 
 pany purchased, enlarged and improved it, and charged admission. 
 From time to time, adjoining lands have been added, till it now 
 embraces all the land between Canal street and the river, extend 
 ing from Rapids street to the new Suspension Bridge. 
 
 Its main entrance is a tasty structure, at the foot of Cascade 
 street. The point of land at the edge and brink of the Falls is 
 called Prospect Point, and commands a fine view, which is the 
 feature of the park, and which we give in the illustration on page 
 48. The point is carefully protected by a handsome stone wall 
 running for some distance along the edge of the Gorge. 
 
 By some 300 stairs, or, better still, in a car running on an inclined 
 railway, we descend to the water's edge. These cars are raised and 
 lowered by water power, by means of a 3-inch cable 300 feet long 
 running around and over steel wheels. At the foot of the stair- 
 way are the dressing-rooms for the Shadow of the Rock, as the 
 space between the rock and the sheet of water at the end of the 
 American Fall is called, and where one can go in as far as his 
 inclination may prompt. 
 
 Here is also an observatory built of stone, a place from which, 
 when the spray is blown down the river, one can see the Falls 
 from a sheltered place. Here is also the Hurricane Bridge, 
 whence, when the spray is blown the other way, one can get a 
 near view of the Falls and of the rocks which lie at its base. 
 
 Over the Hurricane Bridge and the rocks nearby is formed each 
 winter a huge mountain of solid ice, which does not entirely dis- 
 appear till the end of May. This ice mountain has been 100 feet
 
 48 
 
 NIAGARA FALLS. 
 
 high. On the top of the observatory and dressing-room, too, the 
 ice often forms four feet thick. 
 
 At this point is also a ferry to Canada. By small row boats the 
 ride is pleasant and entirely free from danger, and the view is 
 
 grand, in fact the 
 view from the cen- 
 tre of the river and 
 opposite the Ameri- 
 can Fall is one that 
 should not be 
 missed. 
 
 There has been a 
 ferry here for 75 
 years, and no acci- 
 dent has ever hap- 
 pened. 
 
 On the table-land 
 above, which forms 
 the park proper, 
 every aid of science 
 has been used in 
 preparing the means 
 of passing time 
 pleasantly ; a hand- 
 some Art Gallery 
 and Pavilion have 
 been erected, while 
 the beautiful elec- 
 tric light, thrown 
 through white and 
 colored glasses upon 
 dancing fountains 
 of water, and called 
 the Electric Fountains, gives at night a magical effect seldom 
 witnessed. The grounds are illuminated each evening by the 
 electric light, and one edge of the American Fall and Rapids is 
 also illuminated. Although mainly the result of artificial aids to 
 the natural scenery of the Falls, it is a most enjoyable park, and 
 as such well worth a visit. The officers of the Company are : 
 
 American Fall, Prospect Park.
 
 NIAGARA FALLS. 49 
 
 H. Nielson, President, and D. J. Townsend, Secretary and 
 Treasurer. 
 
 The charges for admission to the park are: For the day, 25 
 cents ; including railway, 50 cents; for the day and electric light, 
 40 cents ; for the evening — electric light, 25 cents ; Canada and 
 return by ferry, 50 cents. 
 
 A few accidents, or rather suicides, have occurred from near this 
 point since 1852. In 1880 a man entered the park, and after a short 
 time jumped into the river just near the toll gate, and waded out. 
 He was swept downward, and those who saw the act supposed 
 he was lost; but about 300 feet from the Fall, and while about 50 
 feet from shore, he succeeded in getting a foothold, changed his 
 mind, and was safely aided to the shore. 
 
 He was probably the only man who ever got so thoroughly 
 within the power of the Falls, and yet escaped alive. 
 
 Hew Suspension Bridge. 
 
 Next in order comes the new Suspension Bridge, below the 
 American Fall. It is a Carriage and Foot Bridge, built by two 
 companies, one Canadian and one American, in 1872. The first 
 ropes were carried over on the ice bridge. It is said to be tne 
 longest suspended bridge span in the world, the distance from 
 the shore end of one tower to the shore end of the other being 1,268 
 feet, or, about a quarter of a mile. 
 
 The deflection of the cables at centre is 91 feet in summer, and 
 in winter 88 feet, making a rise and fall of the bridge from changes 
 of temperature of 3 feet. The length of cables between anchor- 
 ages is 1,828 feet. Fine views can be had from the tops of the 
 towers. Height of the bridge above water, 190 feet. It is capable 
 of carrying thirteen times as much as can by any ordinary circum- 
 stances be placed upon it. Its towers are 100 feet high. Charges: 
 Each person, each way, 25 cents. 
 
 Visitors at Niagara Falls usually cross to Canada via this bridge. 
 On reaching the Canada shore, at a point near the Clifton House, 
 one gets one of the best general views to be obtained of Niagara, 
 though personally we prefer the view as we stand up near the 
 edge of the Falls. 
 4
 
 .50
 
 NIAGARA FALLS. 51 
 
 Near Table Rock is a museum containing a very full and very 
 fine collection of all sorts of curiosities usually found in such a 
 place. Admission to museum and gardens, 50 cents. 
 
 ©ABLE F{OGl{. 
 
 One of the most famous points about Niagara in the old times, 
 now gone forever, was Table Rock. This was on the Canada 
 side, about ten rods below the Falls, and was simply a huge 
 ledge of rock overhanging the precipice. 
 
 Table Rock was originally very large, but its form and dimen- 
 sions were changed by frequent and violent disruptions. In 
 July, 1818, a mass broke off 160 feet in length, and from 30 to 
 40 feet in width. December 9, 1828, three immense portions, 
 reaching under the Horseshoe Fall, fell ' ' with a shock like an 
 earthquake. " In the summer of 1829, another large mass fell off, 
 and June 26, 1850, a piece 200 feet long and 60 feet deep fell, the 
 last piece of the table. Those who wish to go under the Horse- 
 shoe Fall can descend a road cut from the museum to the foot of 
 the bank. Dresses can be procured and guides obtained to pass 
 under Table Rock. Ascertain definitely the charge, and that 
 there are to be no extras, before starting. 
 
 It was on Table Rock that Mrs. Sigourney wrote her spirited 
 ' 'Apostrophe to Niagara. " Standing right at the edge of the water, 
 just where it pours over, a grander or more imposing sight can not 
 well be imagined. Below lies the Niagara, its waters boiling and 
 seething after the plunge, and for fully a thousand feet from the 
 base of the Falls, as white as milk; above are the Rapids, rushing 
 directly toward you: and in the midst of these surroundings man 
 feels his own littleness and dependence. 
 
 The Terrapin Rocks, as we have said before, are the very centre 
 of Niagara ; no spot can surpass it. Next to that, we think, the 
 point we have just described is the best. 
 
 One should visit Canada in the afternoon; for the sun is then at 
 your back, and its full glory is thrown on the opposite Falls, and 
 in the afternoon alone can rainbows be seen from the Canadr, 
 side.
 
 52 NIAGARA FALLS. 
 
 Burning Spring. 
 
 Following along the river bank, one crosses to Cedar Island, on 
 which is an observator} T , or pagoda, and skirting along the Rapids 
 for about a mile, with as fine scenery as Niagara can afford, you 
 reach the beautiful Clark Hill Islands, three in number, and 
 connected by beautiful suspension bridges erected in 1878. The 
 scenery here is grand, each turn bringing you to some new feature 
 or bit of nature ; but the main attraction is the Burning Spring, 
 which is on the edge of the river and where the current runs forty 
 miles an hour. 
 
 The spring was known and, tradition says, worshiped by the 
 Indians, who considered it as one form of the Great Spirit. The 
 water of the spring is highly charged with sulphuretted h} T drogen 
 gas, which when lit emits a pale blue light. This natural jet of gas 
 is exhibited in a darkened room for effect, and runs up flames to 
 about 4 feet in height. Glasses of the gaseous water are given 
 to visitors, and it is said to possess rare medicinal properties. 
 This spring consists of a jet of natural gas, emitted from the 
 subterranean rock through artificial fissures, the method of 
 collecting and burning the gas being also shown. From the 
 appearance of the flame, it would be just to suppose that large 
 and valuable coal fields exist under this property, and at some 
 future time the natural forces of the current may be used to 
 develop that interest. 
 
 The admission to the whole is 50 cents. 
 
 On the bank above, near this spot, July 5, 1814, was fought the 
 battle of Chippewa. 
 
 &5hi^lpooij, Canada Side. 
 
 Driving back along the edge of the river, past the new Suspen- 
 sion Bridge, and two miles more along the edge of the bluff, we 
 reach the Whirlpool, Canada side, which overlooks the boiling 
 maelstrom. From here one looks down into the Whirlpool itself, 
 while directly away from him winds the Niagara till it is lost in 
 Lake Ontario beyond. You can descend by car to the water's
 
 NIAGARA FALLS. 53 
 
 edge, obtaining grand views of the Rapids, as they enter the 
 Whirlpool, and also of this wonderful basin itself. From here 
 Brock's Monument is visible on a clear day. Admission, 50 cents. 
 
 ft5Hii^iiPOOii Rapids I^ap^. 
 
 In the reach of the river below the old Suspension Bridge, is 
 what is generally known as the Whirlpool Rapids Park (Canada 
 side). It comprises the natural uplands of the river bank, which, 
 at this point, are 250 feet high, as well as a road at the base of the 
 cliff, which follows the course of the river, and has been exca- 
 vated from the rock. In the warm days of summer this is a most 
 delightfully cool and shady retreat, the cliff forming a natural pro- 
 tection from the rays of the sun, while the immediate presence of 
 the swift-rolling waters insures a perennial coolness. Two means 
 of access to the water's edge are provided, the first being a series 
 of steps forming a long flight of stairs, and the other a unique 
 inclined railway operating two cars running b}^ the specific gravity 
 of water in the tanks under each car, filled from a spring at the 
 top of the cliff and emptied on the arrival of the car at the foot of 
 the incline. The ascent or descent is made in 1£ minutes, the 
 loaded car from above being the motive power used to hoist the 
 lighter car from below. The visit to this Park, including railway, 
 costs 50 cents. Nowhere else can so perfect an idea of the enor- 
 mous power of the river be obtained. Rushing through the 
 narrow defiles, the water here meets with such restriction as to 
 make it leap in some places to a height of 20 feet, the rolling surges 
 of the stream being exactly similar to those of the ocean in a 
 storm. 
 
 Taylor Island, noted in 1881 as the spot where some dogs, after- 
 ward rescued, were temporarily in danger of dying from starva- 
 tion, is exactly opposite, on the American side. It is also well to 
 add here a brief mention of the excellent photographic arrange- 
 ments of this park — persons or parties can here be photographed 
 with the Rapipls in the background, the picture making one of the 
 most interesting and noteworthy obtainable.
 
 54 NIAGARA FALLS. 
 
 Old Suspension Bpjdge. 
 
 The Railroad Suspension Bridge, more commonly call the Old 
 Bridge, is two miles below the Falls, is 800 feet long, and spans 
 230 feet above its waters, one of the most turbulent streams on 
 the globe, whose current just below flows at the rate of 30 miles 
 an hour. It has two distinct roadways, the one above for trains, 
 the one below for carriages and foot passengers. It is owned by 
 two stock companies and cost $500,000. It was built under the 
 superintendence of J. A. Roebling, and finished in 1858. 
 
 The following are the dimensions : 
 Length of span, ..... 822 feet. 
 
 Height of tower above rock, American side, . . 88 " 
 
 " " " " Canada side, . . 78 " 
 
 " " " floor of railway, . . . 60 " 
 
 Number of wire cables, .... 4 
 
 Diameter of each cable, ..... 10£ in. 
 Number of No. 9 wires in each cable, . . 3,659 
 
 Ultimate aggregate strength of cables, . . 12,403 tons. 
 
 It is regarded as a great triumph of engineering skill. 9,000 
 miles of wire are employed in the four cables. The first string 
 was carried across the chasm by means of a kite, and then 
 heavier ropes were dragged across, till the cables themselves thus 
 performed the passage. Charges : Each person, over and back, 
 25 cents. 
 
 ^hi^lpool Rapids, ^Imepjgan Side. 
 
 The effect of changing the point of view is nowhere better 
 illustrated than in the case of the Rapids above named. Seen 
 from the Canada side, they have all the advantages of cool, shady 
 walks and uplands, as it relates to the position of the sun in the 
 warmest portions of the day. But as seen from the American side, 
 they have a peculiar charm in the fierce glint of the sunlight 
 illuminating the crests of the flood, and in the emerald and opal 
 translucence of the waters as they pass in their swift career. 
 
 In spite of the disadvantage of the sun being directly opposite, 
 there is no inconvenience from heat, as the near proximity of the 
 rolling river allows visitors to enjoy at the same time the benefi- 
 cial effects of a sun bath and the soothing influence of the cooling
 
 NIAGARA FALI8. 
 
 55 
 
 action of the waters. Here, descending by the Double Elevator, 
 which runs down the perpendicular face of the cliff, we reach the 
 sloping bank, and by a foot-path we descend to the water's edge. 
 Here we see where the entire volume of water from the Upper 
 Lakes discharges itself through a gorge, confining but intensifying 
 its power, and producing such a conflict between the natural forces 
 
 as to recall vividly the old proposition of an irresistible force 
 meeting with an immovable object. In 1861 the little steamboat, 
 "Maid of the Mist," under the command of Capt. J. R. Robinson, 
 navigated this Rapid, and passed safely, but not without disastrous 
 effect, through the Whirlpool below, and it is safe to hazard the 
 opinion that her wheelsman was the first and last navigator of the 
 torrent or race, it being worthy, although properly a river, of 
 either designation.
 
 56 NIAGARA FALLS. 
 
 ©HE 05HI^LP00L. 
 
 When it is remembered that about 100,000,000 tons of water 
 pass over the Falls every hour, and that this quantity is compelled 
 to pass between steep cliffs to a point about two miles distant from 
 the Falls, where the course of the river turns abruptly at an angle 
 of 45 degrees, it will be understood, even by those who have never 
 witnessed the scene, that such a terrific force must cause a fearful 
 commotion in its rocky bed . 
 
 In point of fact, the power of the Falls confined in these narrow 
 limits raises the centre of the billowy flood to a height of from 10 
 to 40 feet. It is assumable that the earth does not afford another 
 spectacle of contention of natural forces parallel to this. Descend- 
 ing from the Falls proper in an almost resistless torrent, this river, 
 called by the Indians the "Father of Waters," is suddenly 
 checked by its rock-bound barriers, causing it to make a ceaseless 
 passage around the pool, from which it can escape only after 
 having made the entire circuit, and only then by passing through, 
 over and under the ever-recurring accession of waters in the est- 
 uary of the channel proper. 
 
 The effect of this combination of forces can better be imagined 
 than described, yet a very good idea of it can be obtained from 
 the statement that it reverses the usual order of things, in which, 
 the axiom says, " water finds its own level." Here water finds no 
 level, but is forced and sustained in dome form, the surface of 
 the pool being actually the segment of a circle. 
 
 At the outlet of the Whirlpool the river is only 25 rods across, 
 and a strong man can throw a stone from one nation to the other. 
 The Whirlpool is a vast basin or amphitheatre, with an ill-propor- 
 tioned opening at right angles with the river above ; this opening 
 is to the right as you have your back to the Falls, and is compara- 
 tively narrow. The pool is shut in on all sides, save the opening 
 mentioned, by rocky cliffs 350 feet high, whose sides facing the 
 river are quite smooth and perpendicular. The basin containing 
 this pool is nearly circular, and together with the water forms a 
 very picturesque scene. But as to the pool itself it must be 
 acknowledged that many are disappointed with its appearance. 
 The outlet seems inadequate, but has answered for thousands of
 
 NIAGARA FALLS. 57 
 
 years. The old outlet, as geologists claim, is still to be traced 
 almost opposite to where the river pours in. It is simply the 
 trace of what once was a gorge through which the river ran to 
 Lake Ontario and over twenty miles to the west of its present 
 location. In bygone ages it has been completely filled up. The 
 depth of the Whirlpool is enormous, and its force and suction 
 immense. It is boiling and eddying incessantly. Logs twenty feet 
 long are drawn into eddies, and made to stand on end like a ship's 
 masts. Its waters revolve constantly ; its surface is never quiet. 
 Bodies sometimes float in the water for two or three months before 
 they are drawn into just the right eddy whence to find the outlet, 
 which is at right angles with the entrance. 
 
 The land adjoining the Whirlpool on the American side is 
 owned by the De Yeaux College, an Episcopalian establishment, 
 first started by the liberality of Judge De Yeaux, in 1855. 
 
 The college is one of the finest institutions of its class on this 
 continent, and is shown to visitors on application. From its 
 grounds a zig-zag path permits a near inspection of the mighty 
 flood as it passes through the pool, for a remuneration, going to 
 the funds of the college, of 50 cents. 
 
 As a large sum of money has been expended in the effort to 
 provide a means of access to the Whirlpool, obviating the natural 
 dangers of falling from such a height or of descending to the 
 river's edge, the charge ought properly to be regarded as of little 
 account.
 
 Ferry Landing, Canadian Side. 
 
 58
 
 NIAGARA FALLS. 59 
 
 beiapboni na I. oirit 
 
 (THESE places just given embrace all that is usually meant by 
 ' Xiagara Falls. These are the points from which the best 
 views of the Falls, of the Rapids and of the Gorge, can be 
 obtained. 
 
 But the Falls are in the centre of an interesting territory, and 
 we shall now note all those points within a radius of about 20 
 miles, which have either an historical or a commercial interest. 
 
 We shall first take the American bank of the river, from its 
 source to its mouth, and give the names and incidents connected 
 with each place, and we shall then proceed in a like manner with 
 the Canadian side. 
 
 Pmei^igan Side. 
 
 Buffalo, at the source of the river, is the eleventh city of the 
 Union in point of population, which in 1880 was 180,000. It is 
 famous as the western terminus of the Erie Canal, and also as the 
 chief Eastern port of lake navigation. It is situated about 22 
 miles from the Falls. 
 
 Black Rock is a suburb of Buffalo, where in 1812 Gen. Alexander 
 Smyth, of Virginia, collected about 5,000 men, who responded to 
 his bombastic circular, asking all to retrieve the nation's honor and 
 share in the danger and glory of an invasion of Canada. Nothing 
 ever came of the matter ; there was no invasion, and the force was 
 disbanded. 
 
 Grand Island, distant 3 miles at the south end from Buffalo 
 and 3 miles at the north end from the Falls, is 12 miles in length 
 and 7 in breadth. The land is fertile, and much of it is under
 
 60 NIAGARA FALLS. 
 
 cultivation. It was at White Haven, on this island, that the late 
 Major Mordecai M. Noah, of New York, designed to build the 
 " City of Ararat," as a place of refuge for the scattered tribes of 
 Israel. In 1825, he even went so far as to lay the corner-stone 
 amid great pomp, and to erect a monument to commemorate the 
 occasion. The monument is still standing, in a fair state of pres- 
 ervation. 
 
 Tonawanda, 11 miles above the Falls, is a small village, famous 
 as a lumber market, holding the second place in America, or next 
 to Chicago, in the amount of lumber handled. 
 
 The village of La Salle, 5 miles above the Falls, at the mouth of 
 Cayuga Creek, was named after Chevalier Robert de La Salle, 
 who at this point, in 1679, built his vessel, the now forgotten 
 Griffin. 
 
 At the foot of Grand Island lies Buckhorn Island, with an area 
 of about 250 acres. Between these two, and about 3 miles above 
 the Falls, is an arm of the river called Burnt Ship Bay from a 
 circumstance connected with the war of 1759. The garrison at 
 Schlosser had already made a brave resistance to one attack of the 
 English, and were preparing for another, when, disheartened by 
 the news of the fall of Quebec, they decided to destroy the two 
 armed vessels containing their military stores. Accordingly, they 
 brought them to this bay and burned them. Portions of the 
 vessels are visible under water even at this day. 
 
 Just below, on the American shore, two miles above the Falls, is 
 Schlosser Landing, the end of the portage from Lewiston. This 
 terminus was gradually fortified till it became a fort, called Fort 
 de Portage. This was burned by Joncaire on his retreat in 1759. 
 In 1761, Capt. Schlosser, of the British army, rebuilt it stronger 
 than ever. He named it after himself, and died there. Here, in 
 1837, the Steamer Caroline was attacked, set on fire and sent over 
 the Falls. The patriot movement being put down in Canada, 
 the leaders established themselves on Navy Island. Visitors 
 thereto being numerous, the Caroline, a small steamer, was 
 brought down from Buffalo as a private venture, it was believed, 
 to serve as a ferry or freight boat. The Canadians, thinking the 
 boat was chartered by the patriots for offensive operations against 
 Canada, at midnight, December 29, 1837, dispatched a chosen 
 band of men under Capt. Drew, in eight boats, to destroy her. As
 
 NIAGARA FALLS. 61 
 
 she lay at Schlosser dock, she was boarded by these parties. 
 Those on board, crew as well as some who, unable to get beds in 
 the little hotel, had got berths on board, were attacked. All but 
 one escaped to shore, he being shot dead. The gallant band hav- 
 ing thus succeeded in their attack, set the vessel on fire, towed 
 her out into the stream and let her drift. It was a grand sight. 
 A mass of flames, she floated down the river and entered the 
 Rapids, but before she reached the head of the island, the water 
 conquered and extinguished the flames. The smoke-stack, it is 
 said, still lies at the bottom of the river, near Schlosser. 
 
 The old stone chimney on the river bank, 1£ miles above the 
 Falls, was built in 1750, and was the first stone structure erected 
 in this part of the country. It was the chimney of the barracks 
 of the French Fort, called "Little Fort," which was burned by 
 Joncaire, when compelled to retreat in 1759. It was rebuilt two 
 years afterward as an adjunct to Fort Schlosser. The chimney 
 now stands in excellent preservation. 
 
 Next come the Falls themselves, fully described before. 
 
 Three and a half miles below the Falls, on the American side, 
 is the Devil's Hole, a terribly gloomy and rugged chasm in the 
 bank of the river, between 100 and 200 feet deep. Overhanging 
 this dark cavern, is a perpendicular precipice, from the top of 
 which falls a small stream, usually dry in summer, named the 
 "Bloody Run," which takes its name from being turned to a 
 bloody stream during the fight described below. 
 
 This chasm was cut by this stream continuously flowing into it, 
 aided naturally by the enormous force of the Falls, when they 
 were at this point. During the French war in 1765, a detachment 
 of the British were decoyed into an ambush here by the French 
 and Indians. The war-whoop of the savages was the first indica- 
 tion of danger. Officers, men, women, children and wagons 
 were pushed over the bank into the chasm below. 250 people 
 were killed. Only two persons escaped, a drummer, who was 
 caught in a branch of a tree in his fall, and John Stedman (the 
 same who put the goats upon Goat Island), who spurred his 
 horse and ran the gauntlet of bullets to a place of safety. 
 
 The Tuscarora Indian Reservation is 7 miles northeast from 
 the Falls. Driven from their original seats in North Carolina, 
 this tribe came to New York in 1712, and became merged in the
 
 62 NIAGARA FALLS. 
 
 confederacy of the Iroquois. In the Revolutionary war, part of 
 them favored the English, and part remained neutral. Those of 
 the Tuscaroras and Oneidas who had been allies of the English 
 left Oneida Lake, came down the Oswego river, and coasted 
 along Lake Ontario to the British garrison at Fort Niagara. In 
 the spring, part of them returned and part of them took posses- 
 sion of a mile square upon the mountain ridge, given them by the 
 Senecas, one tribe of the Six Nations. The Holland Laud Com- 
 pany gave them two square miles more, and in 1804 sold them 
 4,329 acres, this forming the estate upon which the Tuscaroras are 
 now located. As the home of that anomaly, a civilized Indian, 
 it is one of the curiosities of this locality, and well worth a visit. 
 
 The bluff, or top of the mountain, 6 miles from the Falls, so 
 geologists tell us, was the shore of Lake Ontario, a fact which 
 seems to be undisputed. Near here are the remains of old Fort 
 Grey. Lewiston, 7 miles below the Fall, was named in honor of 
 Gov. Lewis of New York. It is at the foot of the mountain. La 
 Salle built a cabin of palisades here in 1678, and this was the com- 
 mencement of the portage, whose upper terminus was Fort 
 Schlosser, and which passed over nearly the present roads, a part 
 of which is still called the Portage Road. Up the mountain side 
 here was built the first railroad in the United States. It was built 
 entirely of wood, the rails being broad and flat. The car ran on 
 runners instead of wheels, It was raised and lowered by a 
 windlass, and carried heavy goods up and down. It was a rude 
 work, but answered its purpose perfectly. 
 
 Fourteen miles from the Falls, at the mouth of the river, stands 
 Fort Niagara, which was established as a trading post by La Salle 
 in 1678. In 1687, De Nonville built the fort proper for the prose- 
 cution of a war on the Iroquois in defense of the Indian allies of 
 the Western country. The next year it was abandoned, but in 
 1825 was rebuilt in stone, by the consent of the Iroquois. The 
 English General Prideaux was killed here in 1759, and after the 
 battle the French surrendered it to Sir William Johnson. It is 
 now a United States fort, regularly garrisoned. Here is the 
 famous dungeon where, in 1824, Morgan, of anti-Masonic fame, 
 was said to have been confined, and whence it was claimed he 
 was taken to be drowned in the lake, about a mile from the fort.
 
 NIAGARA FALLS. 63 
 
 (Canadian Side. 
 
 Fort Erie is at the mouth of the river, on Lake Erie, 22 miles 
 from the Falls. From the Fort, on Sept. 17, 1814, the Americans 
 made the famous sortie, defeating the British besiegers and com- 
 pelling them to raise the siege. 
 
 Navy Island, three miles above the Falls, has an area of 340 
 acres, and belongs to Canada, and is the only large island in the 
 river that they own. It is famous, mainly, as the headquarters of 
 the Patriots during the Patriot war in 1837. 
 
 The village of Chippewa is two miles above the Falls. In the 
 field south of it, on July 5, 1814, was fought the battle of Chip- 
 pewa, which resulted in a victory for the Americans. 
 
 Lundy's Lane Battle Ground is one mile west of the Falls. On 
 July 25, 1814, the decisive battle of the war between the United 
 States and England was fought here, the loss on both sides in 
 killed and wounded being 1,800, the Americans being victorious . 
 
 The village of Drummondville is about one-half mile west of 
 the Falls, and is so called in honor of General Drummond. 
 
 Brock's Monument is on Queenston Heights, 6 miles below the 
 Falls. It is a handsome shaft, erected to perpetuate the memory 
 of General Isaac Brock, who fell here in 1813. The first monu- 
 ment was built in 1826, and was 126 feet high. This was 
 destroyed by explosion on the night of the 17th of April, 1840, 
 and was replaced by the present structure in 1853. It is 185 feet 
 in height, the base being 40 feet square and 30 feet high. Four 
 lions, facing the cardinal points of the compass, rest on this as 
 well as on a pedestal 16 feet square by 10 feet high, ornamented 
 in alto-relievo by lions' heads alternated by wreaths. The shaft is 
 of freestone, 75 feet high, by 30 feet in circumference, having a 
 Corinthian capital 10 feet in height, carrying in relief a statue of 
 the Goddess of War. Over this is a round dome 7 feet in height, 
 surmounted by Brock's statue, which can be reached by 250 spiral 
 steps, starting from the interior of the base. 
 
 The Suspension Bridge, the third one of the four ever built 
 hereabouts, was at Queenston Heights. It was built in 1857, and 
 was a graceful structure. A terrible gale tore up its roadway and
 
 64 NIAGARA FALLS. 
 
 loosened its guys, leaving it a dangling -wreck. As it was never 
 a very paving investment, it was not rebuilt. 
 
 Queenston, a small village just below Brock's Monument, was 
 so called in honor of Queen Charlotte. * 
 
 The village of Niagara, near the ruins of Fort George, is older, 
 according to Marshall, than any settlement on the eastern bank. 
 In 1792, it became the residence of the Lieutenant Governor of 
 Canada, and the first session of the Parliament of the Upper Prov- 
 ince was held there. It is on the site of the village of Newark, 
 burned by General McClure in 1813. 
 
 At the mouth of the river, and just below the village, is old 
 Fort George, captured by the Americans — Gen. Dearborn com- 
 manding — in 1812. It was destroyed by Gen. McClure the next 
 year, and has never been rebuilt. 
 
 Fort Mississaga, now only used as a summer camp, is just 
 below. 
 
 Welland Canal, with its new waterway, and grand locks just 
 finished, runs almost parallel with the Niagara river, 8 miles 
 west of it. 
 
 flDDENDA. 
 
 The magnetic declination at Niagara Falls is 2° 26 ' west. 
 
 Various estimates place the number of years required by the 
 Falls to have cut their way from Lewiston to their present loca- 
 tion at from 35,000 to 72,000. The latter number is probably but 
 a fraction of - the great age of the coralline limestone over which 
 the water flows. 
 
 The Iroquois was the name given to the confederacy of tribes 
 which banded together against their enemies. These tribes were 
 originally five in number, and were known as the Five Nations : 
 The Senecas, Oneidas, Onondagas, Cayugas and Mohawks. In 
 1712 .the Tuscaroras were included, making the Six Nations. 
 To-day, though stripped of their lands and power, they retain 
 their organization, and keep up their rites and ceremonies. Their 
 meetings, or Council Fires, held annually, have been removed 
 from Oneida, their original seat, to Tonawanda.
 
 NIAGARA FALLS. 65 
 
 est ions to Xisitors 
 
 [HESE constitute Niagara Falls and their surroundings; and, 
 in conclusion, let us say : If you come to stay only a day, 
 don't think you can see everything named above unless at 
 a large expense. If you come to see Niagara Falls, insist on 
 seeing them first, then select from the outside places any that 
 you desire. If you are going to spend a week here, and certainly 
 to appreciate and understand Niagara one should stay that long, 
 buy a season ticket to the two or three points. Visit them daily, 
 and spend plenty of time at them. Take in one of the other 
 attractions each day. By so doing you will appreciate them all, 
 and will not go away feeling that you have been beaten out of 
 your money, or that Niagara is such a very expensive place. 
 
 If, after viewing the real object of interest, the Falls them- 
 selves, the visitor chooses to extend his excursions into the sur- 
 rounding country, he will be amply repaid for his excursions; but 
 he should distinctly understand that these are not the Falls, but 
 the country about the Falls ; spots which are pleasant, but not 
 necessary for him who comes simply to view the great wonder of 
 Niagara, to visit. 
 
 The charge of $1.50 per hour for carriage, is as cheap as at any 
 place in the country, and it is often possible to make a bargain at 
 a much cheaper rate. The difference between the real state of 
 affairs as they exist at the Falls, and the distorted one usually 
 given — namely, excessive tolls, high carriage hire, outrageous 
 prices, etc. , etc. — is an enormous one. One can spend a large 
 sum of money in a day; but, on the other hand, one can get a 
 view, and at some points (especially Goat Island) several excellent 
 views, of Niagara Falls, for 50 cents. 
 
 5
 
 66 NIAGARA FALLS. 
 
 At no place that we know of are such favorable terms given to 
 excursionists, thousands coining annually on excursions, and see- 
 ing, we may say, everything for a very small sum. 
 
 The visitor should remember, that in crossing to Canada, he 
 passes beyond the jurisdiction of the village trustees, and that if 
 he is wronged by people there, he has, on the American side, no 
 method of redress. He should remember, also, that upon all 
 goods brought into Canada there are large duties. 
 
 With these few words, we deem the visitor amply informed. 
 "We recommend him to use the same good sense here that he uses 
 at home ; to inquire the price of an article before he buys it, and, 
 if too costly, to let it alone, rather than buy it and then go away 
 grumbling ; to inquire the price of a carriage before he engages 
 it, and to understand that in no case is the charge more than 
 $1.50 per hour. He should expect to pay a fair price for all he 
 receives, not to be continually trying to cheapen everything ; for, 
 as surely as he endeavors to do so, so surely will the advantage be 
 taken of him. Any gentleman or lady who will carefully read 
 and follow the above advice and directions, will never have 
 reason to regret a visit to Niagara Falls. 
 
 In 03intei^. 
 
 To thoroughly study, understand and appreciate Niagara Falls 
 one should see them both in summer and winter, for these two 
 pictures, so utterly unlike, combine to make the perfect whole. 
 In summer, the greatest single beauty is the deep green color of 
 the water, which, in the winter, is changed to a muddy yellow. 
 But then the glorious ice scenery fully makes up for the loss. 
 The trees are all covered with an ice foliage, bending and break- 
 ing under their loads of ice, which covers every twig and limb. 
 This ice is formed layer by layer, as the spray falls and freezes ; is 
 as white as marble and as hard as flint. The ice bridge, which 
 fills the narrow part of the river at the Ferry, the ice mountains 
 formed at each end of the American Fall, and the large icicles 
 hanging from the banks on both sides of the river, combine to 
 make it a unique picture. When the scenery is so grand, and 
 \t usually is during our cold snap after the January thaw, it is
 
 NIAGARA FALLS. 67 
 
 well worth a visit, even if one has to travel a long way. If you 
 can see Niagara but once, it had better be in winter than in 
 summer. The various photographs, both glass and paper, give 
 an excellent idea of Niagara in summer, but the winter views 
 are far ahead, both as to faithful reproduction and artistic work. 
 In these, as seen through a stereoscope, the beauties of the ice 
 formation, which are indescribable in words, are reproduced with 
 a wonderful exactness. 
 
 In Summer 
 
 Many people say they prefer the view of the Rapids to that of 
 the Falls, and surely the view of the former, from the Cataract 
 Veranda, from Goat Island Bridge, from the Three Sisters 
 Islands, and also those views to be had on the way to the 
 Burning Springs, are unsurpassed at Niagara. 
 
 During the summer season, there is plenty of amusement to be 
 found by those who wish to spend a few weeks here. The 
 fishing in the river, some two or three miles above the Falls, is 
 most excellent. Black bass, muskallonge, pickerel and perch 
 abound, the bass fishing being especially good. Boats and 
 tackle can always be obtained, also the services of a competent 
 boatman, one who is thoroughly acquainted with the current of 
 the river and the best fishing grounds. At the proper season of 
 the year, on the river, and in the surrounding country, there can 
 always be found enough good sport to satisfy those fond of 
 hunting. In fact, Niagara is in the centre of a territory where 
 woodcock and all sorts of snipe and duck abound. 
 
 •>*H"i l *S'
 
 NIAGARA FALLS. 69 
 
 (©pe wanti-bieven Drida 
 
 'I AGAR A RIVER is at length spanned in full view of 
 the mighty cataract by the Michigan Central's Canti- 
 Lever Bridge, and a most beautiful, graceful and stately 
 structure it is, while serving as an enduring monument of engi- 
 neering skill and marvelous rapidity of construction. 
 
 The principle of the canti-lever plan is that of a trussed beam 
 supported at or near its centre, with the arms extending each way, 
 and one end anchored or counterweighted to provide for unequal 
 loading, as is shown to some extent by the accompanying cut. 
 In practice, it is entirely new, this being the only bridge completed 
 upon this principle. The Firth of Forth Bridge in Scotland, with 
 a clear span of 1,600 feet, is being built upon this plan, and also 
 in this country the Fraser River Bridge, 315 feet clear span, on the 
 Canadian Pacific. These are the only examples of this design 
 yet undertaken, but the principle especially recommends itself for 
 long-span bridges that must be erected without false work. 
 
 If any person is desirous of having a practical demonstration 
 of the operation, let him take an old-fashioned pair of steel-yards, 
 suspend from the long arm of the lever a light weight of, say, 
 10 pounds, and from the other, half a ton of beef. The latter 
 represents the shore anchorage of the bridge, and illustrates the 
 power which prevents depression at the end of the long arm. 
 
 The total weight of the iron and steel entering into the com- 
 position of the massive structure is 3,000 tons. The bridge is of 
 sufficient width for a double track, and is built to carry upon each 
 track at the same time a freight train of the heaviest kind, extend- 
 ing the entire length of the bridge, headed by two "consolida- 
 tion " engines, and to bear a side pressure of thirty pounds per
 
 70 
 
 NIAGARA FALLS. 
 
 square foot, which pressure is produced by a wind having a 
 velocity of 75 miles per hour. Under these loads the structure is 
 strained to only one-fifth of its ultimate strength. The total length 
 of the bridge proper is 909 feet and 9 inches, divided into two 
 canti-levers of 395 feet on the Canadian side, and 395 feet on the 
 American side, supported on steel towers arising from the water's 
 
 Sectional View of Canti-Lever Bridge, during Process of Construction. 
 
 edge. A fixed span of 119 feet and 9 inches is suspended from 
 and connects the river arms of canti-levers. The clear span across 
 the river is 494 feet and 9 inches, being the longest double track 
 truss span ever yet built. 
 
 The bridge spans a chasm of 859 feet from bluff to bluff. 
 The excavations were carried down until solid rock was reached, 
 when blocks of " Beton Coignet," 20 feet wide, 45 feet long and
 
 NIAGARA FALLS. 71 
 
 10 feet thick, were put in. These form one single mass, capable of 
 withstanding a pressure almost equal to that of the best Quincy 
 granite, and so distribute the load of 1,600 tons that comes upon 
 each pair of steel columns as to produce a pressure of but 25 
 pounds per square inch on the natural formation — much less 
 than a fashionable young lady brings upon the heel of her French 
 boot every time she steps. Upon these Beton blocks, four in 
 number, was built masonry of the most, substantial character, 
 carried up 50 feet above the surface of the water. On these foun- 
 dations the steel towers rest, rising 130 feet and 5 inches above 
 the masonry, and upon these are set steel superstructures. The 
 total weight resting on each of the towers, under a maximum 
 strain, is, in round numbers, 3,200 tons. The total uplifting force 
 that can be exerted on each of the shore arms of the canti-lever is 
 340 tons, and the weight of each shore anchorage is 800 tons. It 
 will be seen that every single piece of material is five times as 
 strong as it actually need be, so that the bridge can be strained 
 to only one-fifth of its ultimate strength. Each ingot of steel 
 was submitted to a chemical analysis, and the samples to a 
 mechanical test. The standard of excellence adopted was more 
 severe and exacting than usual, and all steel that failed to meet 
 the requirements was rejected. The contractors therefore say: 
 "This bridge, in material and workmanship, has no equal." 
 The steel, which passed inspection at the mill, was rolled into the 
 required shapes and sent to the Central Bridge Shops, where, 
 under the direction of skilled men, it was fashioned and put 
 together in pieces, from the small bolts, weighing but a pound, to 
 the largest posts, weighing 15 tons. So accurate was the design 
 and workmanship that no two pieces were put together until 
 placed in their final position in the bridge, yet every member 
 filled its place to the hundredth part of an inch. Compensation 
 for expansion and contraction is provided for by an ingenious 
 arrangement between the ends of the canti-lever and fixed span, 
 allowing the ends to move freely as the temperature changes, but 
 at the same time preserving perfect rigidity against side pressure 
 from the wind. There are no guys for this purpose, as in the 
 suspension bridge, but the structure is complete within itself. 
 Neither will there be any of that wave motion noticed on a 
 suspension bridge as a train moves over it.
 
 72 
 
 NIAGARA FALLS. 
 
 After its completion, the Canti-Lever Bridge was subjected to the 
 rigorous practical test of 20 engines and 24 heavily loaded gravel 
 cars, so arranged as to bring the severest possible strain upon the 
 central truss span and the river ends of the canti-lever arms. The 
 slight deflection of 6 inches was only temporary, and the great 
 triumph of this wonderful work was assured and proven. There 
 is, probably, not a safer or stronger bridge in the world to-day.
 
 IHD€X. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Descriptive 5 
 
 The Name Niagara 9 
 
 Historical 10 
 
 Geological 12 
 
 First Visited by White Men 14 
 
 The Niagara River 16 
 
 Niagara Falls \ 20 
 
 Village of Niagara Falls 23 
 
 Admission Fees and Tolls 28 
 
 Rates of Fare 29 
 
 Points of Interest at Niagara Falls 33 
 
 Goat Island S3 Whirlpool, Canada Side 52 
 
 Prospect Park 47 Whirlpool Rapids Park 53 
 
 New Suspension Bridge 49 Old Suspension Bridge 54 
 
 Table Rock 51 Whirlpool Rapids 54 
 
 Burning Spring 52 Whirlpool 56 
 
 Neighboring Points of Interest 59 
 
 AMERICAN SIDE. 
 
 Buffalo 59 Schlosser 60 
 
 Black Rock 59 Old Chimney 61 
 
 Grand Island 59 Devil's Hole 61 
 
 Tonawanda 60 Indian Reservation 61. 
 
 La Salle 60 Lewiston 62 
 
 Burnt Ship Bay 60 Fort Niagara 62 
 
 CANADIAN SIDE. 
 
 Fort Erie 63 Queenston Heights 63 
 
 Navy Island 63 Brock's Monument 63 
 
 Chippewa 63 Niagara Village 64 
 
 Lundy's Lane 63 Fort George 64 
 
 Drurnmondville 63 Welland Canal 64 
 
 Addenda 64 
 
 Suggestions to ViBitors 65 
 
 The Canti-Lever Bridge 69 
 
 73
 
 THE EXECUTIONER'S REVENGE. Translated from the French 
 oi Lkonce Ferhet. 12mo, cloth. 313 pages. Price, $1.00. 
 
 A story of the French Revolution, in which the wild passions of 
 that bloody period found vent in private feuds as well as popular 
 upheavals. An intensely tragic romance. 
 
 A very intense French novel by an able writer, most admirably translated. It is 
 original in conception, a plot deep and well developed, the interest sustained to the very 
 end. The dialogue is crisp and bright, the situations dramatic, and the whole story exceed- 
 ingly well told.— Toledo Blade. 
 
 A fine piece of typographical work, and very creditable to the well-known house from 
 which it is issued. The story is more dignified than the usual run of French stories. — 
 Indianapolis Daily Journal. 
 
 WAS IT A MURDER ? or Who is the Heir ? From the French 
 of Fortune du Boisgobey. 12mo, cloth, 341 pages. Price, $1.00. 
 
 A highly entertaining romance, relating to French provincial life 
 and modern people. The plot is complicated, the characters superbly 
 drawn, and the story so charmingly told that the reader's interest is fully 
 sustained from the opening to the close of the volume. 
 
 OVERLAND GUIDE, from the Missouri River to the Pacific 
 
 Ocean. Illustrated. Chas. 8. Gleed, Editor. 12mo, 245 pagea. 
 Price, $1.00 in cloth, 50 cents in paper. 
 
 Something quite different from the ordinary guide-book species. 
 There is nothing ephemeral about it. It was not made to order, nor is it 
 the result of an ill-digested cram at the libraries. It tells all about places 
 of note on the great lines of travel through Kansas, Colorado, New 
 Mexico, Arizona, and California. Besides its descriptions of scenery, it is 
 crowded wHn infownation derived from personal inquiry and practical 
 observation, and written in a pleasing, graceful style of conscientious 
 accuracy and subdued imagination. It contains also the Mining Laws of 
 the United States, repeal provisions and regulations, and Mining Laws of 
 Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico. An invaluable book of reference 
 or for solid information sought by the traveler, whether bent on business 
 or pleasure. 
 
 * * * It is indispensable. * * * No one taking the favorite western trip can 
 aflbrd to be without it.— Kansas City Journal. 
 
 * * * It is safe to say that no question asked by the multitudinous western tourists 
 and immigrants remains unanswered by the editor of the Overland Guide. * * * The 
 numerous and fine illustrations with which the Overland Guide is embellished make it a 
 handsome as well as a useful addition to any library.— The Capital, Topeka, Kans. 
 
 * * * The book forms, in fact, a veritable encyclopedia of information upon the 
 population, agriculture, topography, geography, mineralogy, scenery and antiquities of 
 the region which it describes, and upon these points is a ready-reference manual of the 
 handiest sort.— Th'e Interior, Chicago. 
 
 * * * It is a publication of great value to the thousands who for various reasons 
 are interested in the region described.— Chicago Times. 
 
 * * * It gives a vast amount of useful and practical information ne\er before 
 compiled. * * The illustrations a^e very fine.— Detroit Free Press.
 
 THE BLACK SORCERESS; a Tale of the Peasants' War. 
 
 , Adapted from the French of Alfked de Brehat. Illustrated. 
 12mo, cloth, 300 pages. Price, $1.00. 
 
 An old German romance, carrying one back to feudal and chivalric 
 times. Deeply interesting from first to last, and sufficiently so at times 
 to make the flesh creep and the heart quiver at the recital of the brutal 
 practices, hideous crimes and besotted superstitions of that benighted 
 epoch. The story is full of astounding mysteries, hellish incantations and 
 diabolical plots. 
 
 A good, old fashioned, romantic story, from the French of Alfred de Brehat by A. D. H. 
 The scene is laid in Germany at the period of the Peasants' War, in the first half of the 
 sixteenth century. It deals with those ever popular and twin themes, love and war. 
 Sarah, the mysterious masked sorceress, dwells in the midst of an almost inaccessible 
 ewamp, and exerts a great influence over the superstitious peasants. She proves to be not 
 an old hag, but the beautiful Zilda, for whom the hero, Count Louis, had once a passing 
 fancy, and who in jealous rage swears vengeance upon him and his betrothed. There is 
 plenty of incident, and in the end the good are made happy and the evil are punished. 
 The book is fairly well illustrated and the letter-press and paper are unusually good. — 
 New York Herald. 
 
 It is an old fashioned, historical novel. The scene is laid in Germany, and the tale is 
 one of love, passion, patriotism, war, superstition, and magic. It is wierd and exciting. 
 The characters are mostly lovable, and even the Sorceress in her jealous fury inspires 
 pity.— Boston Globe. 
 
 There is no lack of skill in the vividly painted characters, or the plot and counter- 
 plot.— Chicago Inter Ocean. 
 
 FUN BETTER THAN PHYSIC. By W. W. Hall, M. D. 12mo, 
 cloth, 334 pages. Price, $1.00. 
 Maxims and precepts which he who runs may read, mark and inwardly 
 digest, with amazing profit. It is the wisdom of the ages in concrete. 
 Worth a whole apothecary shop full of patent nostrums. Well people 
 who follow Dr. Hall's mandates will never need a doctor, and sick 
 people will soon "throw physic to the dogs." 
 
 * * * The author believes that good food, pure air and a cheerful disposition are 
 better than physic, and most of his ideas are full of homely practical wisdom and common 
 sense.— Philadelphia Press. 
 
 * * * The book is one which can be read at any time with profit, and on every 
 page of which can be found some aphorism.— The Day, Baltimore, Md. 
 
 * * * One of Dr. Hall's most popular works, and very widely circulated. * * 
 A collection of aphorisms and instructions, each a nugget of wisdom or of information on 
 important subjects, more or less valuable.— St. Paul Daily Dispatch. 
 
 SUPPRESSED SENSATIONS; or Leaves from the Note- 
 
 Book of a Chicago Reporter. Illustrated. 12mo, cloth, 
 
 254 pages. Price $1.00. 
 
 Thirteen sketches of absorbing interest— truths that are indeed stranger 
 
 than any fiction. Every great metropolis like Chicago has a moral 
 
 cesspool, in which all possible crimes mingle and gurgle together, and 
 
 beside which Bedlam is a myth, and Babylon is double-discounted every 
 
 twenty-four hours. This book has already reached an enormous sale, and 
 
 there is a constant demand for new and increased editions. 
 
 A number of articles more thrilling than those which usually- get into the news- 
 papers.— C hi cago Tribune. 
 
 They are all of absorbing interest.— Chicago Times. 
 
 For obviona reasons some changes have been made in names and locations, but the 
 tales are what they purport to be— leaves from the note-book of a reporter.— Evening' 
 Journal.
 
 FEDORA ; or the Tragedy in the Rue de la Pais. Translated 
 from the French of Adolphe BJclot. Illustrated. 12mo, cloth, 
 
 * 303 pages. 
 
 A most original, powerful and exciting French romance. Every 
 character must have had its living model. For high dramatic action, intense 
 and thrilling interest and appalling climax, absolutely unsurpassed in 
 modern fiction. 
 
 It is a work which places its author at once among the most brilliant and powerful 
 novelists of his time— Albany Sunday Press. 
 
 Since the appearance of " Les Miserables," nothing of French authorship has elicited 
 such unstinted praise.— Newark (N. J.) Call. 
 
 "Fedora" will be read because unregenerate human nature is bad. It is a French 
 detective story, dealing, as all such stories do, with a mysterious murder, a sharp detect- 
 ive, an abandoned woman, and with intrigues, revelations and vioiont deaths.— Hart- 
 ford Evening Post. 
 
 The story is highly exciting, and contains numerous love scenes peculiar to Paris. 
 There is a strength of diction and brilliancy of rhetoric peculiar to the eminent French 
 novelists.— Newark Daily Journal. 
 
 As a detective story "Fedora" deserves to rank with Poe's " Murder of Marie Roget," 
 and Miss Harriet Prescott Spofford's "In a Cellar." It fully equals them in intricacy of 
 plot and ingenuity of execution.— Chicago Tribunt. 
 
 The dramatization of " Fedora " has created a furore in Paris, and is regarded as one of 
 the gems of Madame Bernhardfs repertoire. It is thoroughly French, and those who 
 desire to read of crime and debauchery will find an abundant feast in " Fedora."— Chicago 
 Inter Ocean. 
 
 The plot is remarkable in its dramatic handling, points of suspense, and in the art of 
 baffling the reader. An inside view of the fast life in Paris, the courts of justice and the 
 hidden ways of criminals, treated boldly and in full detail, but without coarseness or 
 exaggeration.— Boston Globe. 
 
 WON AT WEST POINT; a Romance on the Hudson. By 
 
 "Fush." 12mo, cloth, 300 pages. Price, $1.25 
 
 A charming American story, marked by brilliancy of style, keenness 
 of satire, frolicsome wit and mirth-provoking humor. Irreproachable 
 in tone, suitable for parlor or boudoir, and just the story to banish the 
 dreary monotony of " riding on the rail." 
 
 The valley of the Hudson has been the scene of many a song and story, of legend and 
 Tomance. This book makes a contribution, and a charming one, to the list. * * * The 
 tale is told with great spirit, graphic coloring and considerable humor. The interest is 
 maintained to the last.— Albany Sunday Express. 
 
 This latest addition to native fiction literature is a witty, entertaining romance of the 
 Hudson, with the great Military Academy as its turning point. * * * " Won at West 
 Point " is a strong novel, and it can but please all classes of readers. It will be particularly 
 interesting to those who have had experience at the Point. The novel is elegantly printed 
 and handsomely bound.— Troy {N. Y.) Evening Standard. 
 
 A hilarious sketch of the social life of cadets at West Point. * * * These chronicles 
 of the cadets are jolly and life-like.— Cincinnati Commercial-Gazette. 
 
 A lively story, based on gay incidents at the National Academy, written by a graduate 
 of the class of '81. * * * A pleasing insight is given to the interior of the School, with 
 its workings, customs, jokes and impositions. The book will be read with interest by a 
 large class of readers.— Indianapolis Daily Journal. 
 
 J^T 3 Mailed, on receipt of price, by 
 
 RAND, McNALLY & CO., Publishers, 
 
 148, 150, 152 and 154 Monroe St., Chicago.
 
 Rand, McNally & co/s 
 
 POCKET MAPS 
 
 — OF — 
 
 Foreign Countries. 
 
 Afghanistan, see Persia $ 
 
 Africa, mounted on rollers, 65x58 inches 17 50 
 
 Africa, in three sheets, two being 21x14 inches, and one 14x11 inches, and 
 
 showing plan 8 of cities of Algiers and Tunis 75 
 
 Alaska, 14x11 inches. Not kept in stock 
 
 Asia, mounted on rollers, 65x58 inches 17 50 
 
 Asia, 21 xl4 inches. Not kept in stock 
 
 Australia and New Zealand, with plans of Sydney and Port Jackson, 21x14 in. 50 
 
 Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, with plan of Vienna, 21xl4inches 50 
 
 Belgium and The Netherlands, with plan of Brussels, 21x14 inches 50 
 
 BriFish America (Dominion of Canada), 21 x 14 inches. Not kept in stock .. 
 
 Central America, 14x11 inches 50 
 
 China, 21 x 14 inches 50 
 
 Cuba. 21xl4inches 50 
 
 Denmark, with North portion of the German Empire, comprising Schleswig, 
 
 Uolstein and Lauenburg, 11 x 14 inches 50 
 
 England and Wales, 21 x 14 inches, with Index of cities, towns, etc 75 
 
 Europe, 21x14 inches 50 
 
 Europe, mounted on rollers, 65 x 58 inches 17 50 
 
 France, 21 xl4 inches, with plan of Paris, and Index to cities, towns, etc 75 
 
 Germany, in two sheets. 21 x 14 inches each, with Index to cities, towns, etc., 1 00 
 
 Greece, and the Ionian Islands, 21x14 inches 50 
 
 India. Indo-China and Further India, with plans of Calcutta and Bombay, 
 
 21xl4inches 50 
 
 Ireland, 21 x 14 inches, with Index to cities, towns, etc 75 
 
 Italy, 21 x 14 inches 50 
 
 Japan, in two sheets, 21 x 14 inches each 1 00 
 
 Mexico. 21x14 inches 50 
 
 Netherlands, see Belgium .... 
 
 New Zealand, see Australia I... 
 
 North America, mounted on rollers, 65x58 inches 17 50 
 
 North America, showing the West India Islands and Central America, 21 xl4 
 
 inches. Not kept in stock. 
 
 Palestine, with plans showing Environs of Jerusalem, journeyings of Christ, 
 
 and sketch showing divisions into tribes. 21 xl4 inches 50 
 
 Persia and Afghanistan, 14x11 inches 50 
 
 Portugal, see Spain 
 
 Russia (European), 21 xl4 inches 50 
 
 Scotland, 21 x 14 inches, with Index to cities, towns, etc 75 
 
 South America, mounted on rollers. 65 x 53 inches 17 50 
 
 South America, in two sheets, 21 x 14 inches, showing plans of Bay of Rio de 
 
 %• Janeiro, Isthmus of Panama and City of Buenos Ayres 75 
 
 Spain and Portugal, with plans of Madrid and Lisbon, 21 x 14 inches 50 
 
 Sweden and Norwav. 21x14 inches 50 
 
 Switzerland, 21 x 14_ inches 50 
 
 Turkey in Asia (Asia Minor), and Transcaucasia, 21x14 inches ... 50 
 
 Turkey in Europe, 21x14 inches 50 
 
 World, on Mercator's Projection, 21x14 inches 50 
 
 All of above pocket Maps are neatly bound in cloth cases. 
 
 We make the production of maps a specialty, and keep the largest stock of map 
 plates in the country. Are prepared to furnish Authors and Publishers with maps 
 to illustrate Books of Travel and Historical and Educational Works at a merely 
 nominal charge over the cost of paper and printing. 
 
 Maps which require to be specially prepared, are compiled, engraved and printed 
 with the utmost care and accuracy. 
 
 A full line of Maps of the States and Territories in U.S. and of Foreign countries, 
 on a large scale: also, of Modern Geographical, Classical, Political, Physical, 
 Astronomical, Biblical, Anatomical and Biological Atlases, Globes and Map Racks, 
 kept in stock, f 
 
 RAND, McNALLY & CO., Publishers, Chicago.
 
 RAND, McNALLY & CO.'S 
 
 SERIES OE 
 
 INDEXED POCKET MAPS 
 
 Sent by mail, postpaid, in Flexible Covers, upon receipt of fol- 
 lowing prices (currency or postage stamps) : 
 
 Alabama. . .'IT?. "7*i§ .25 
 
 * Alaska and adjoining Territory, 
 
 36 x 26 inches 1 .00 
 
 Arizona Territory 25 
 
 Arkansas 25 
 
 British Columbia 50 
 
 California, County Map of 25 
 
 California, large County Map of .1.00 
 ♦California, large County Map of.. .75 
 
 Colorado, Township 25, 
 
 ♦Colorado, Sectional 75* 
 
 ♦Colorado, Geological and Min- 
 
 eralogical 2.00, 
 
 Connecticut 25' 
 
 Dakota Territory 25' 
 
 Delaware and Maryland, in one 
 
 book 25 
 
 Florida 25 
 
 Georgia 25 
 
 Idaho Territory 25 
 
 Illinois 25 
 
 Indiana 25 
 
 Indian Territory and Texas, in 
 
 one book 25 
 
 * Indian Territory, 34 x 26 inches ... .50 
 
 Iowa 25 
 
 Kansas 25 
 
 Kansas, Sectional 1.00 
 
 Kentucky 25 
 
 Louisiana 25 
 
 Maine 25 
 
 Manitoba, Sectional 50 
 
 ♦Manitoba, Sectional 25 
 
 Maryland and Delaware, in one 
 
 book 25 
 
 Massachusetts 25 
 
 Michigan 25 
 
 Minnesota 25 
 
 Mississippi 25 
 
 ♦Mississippi, Sectional, 41 x 58 
 
 inches 1.25 
 
 Missouri 25 
 
 Montana Territory 25 
 
 ♦Montana Territory, 44x28 inches 1.25 
 
 Nebraska 25 
 
 Nevada 25 
 
 New Hampshire 25 
 
 New Jersey 25 
 
 New Mexico Territory 25 
 
 *New Mexico Territory, large 
 
 Township Map of $1 .00 
 
 New York, County Map of 25 
 
 New York, County and Township 
 
 Map of 1.00 
 
 *New York, County and Township 
 
 Map of 75 
 
 North Carolina 25 
 
 Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and 
 
 Prince Edward Island 50 
 
 *Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and 
 
 Prince Edward Islind 25 
 
 Ohio, County 25 
 
 Ohio, Sectional 50 
 
 Ontario, Province of, Canada 50 
 
 *Ontario, Province of, Canada 25 
 
 Oregon 25 
 
 Pennsylvania, County 25 
 
 Pennsylvania, County and Town- 
 ship, 40 x 25 inches 1 .00 
 
 *Pennsylvania. County and Town- 
 ship, 40 x 25 inches 75 
 
 Quebec, Province of, Canada 50 
 
 *Quebec, Province of, Canada 25 
 
 Rhodelsland 25 
 
 South Carolina 25 
 
 Tennessee 25 
 
 ♦Tennessee, large County Map of.. 1.25 
 Texas and Indian Territory, in 
 
 one book 25 
 
 Texas, large County Map of 1 .00 
 
 *Texas. large County Map of 75 
 
 *United States, Official R. R. Map 
 
 of , 44 x 28 inches 50 
 
 *United States, « County Map of, 
 
 46x28 inches 75 
 
 ♦United States, New Commercial 
 
 County Map of , 58 x 41 inches. . 1.50 
 ♦United States, dissected, on cloth, 
 
 in leather case 2 . 50 
 
 Utah Territory 25 
 
 Vermont 25 
 
 Virginia 25 
 
 Washington Territory .25 
 
 ♦West Virginia, Township, 44 x 36 
 
 inches 1 .25 
 
 West Virginia 25 
 
 Wisconsin 25 
 
 Wyoming Territory 25 
 
 * Without Index. 
 
 RA1TX5, acoHr<au/7 & co., 
 
 MAP PUBLISHERS, 
 
 148, 150, 152 & 154 Monroe Street, Chicago.
 
 CSB LIBRARY 
 
 THE 
 
 NIAGARA FALLS AND 
 SUSPENSION BRIDGE 
 
 Street Railway 
 
 BOT^i^ COMPANY, 
 
 Running between Prospect Park, Goat Island, Cantilever and Suspension 
 Bridges, WHIRLPOOL RAPIDS and other Points of Interest. 
 
 Fare, 5 Cents. 
 
 Tickets may be obtained from tbe Conductor, or at the Company's Waiting Kooms, oppo- 
 site Prospect Park Entrance, and at Suspension Bridge, good for one passage over 
 this 1 line, including entrance to Whirlpool Rapids and Double Elevator, 
 
 for 40cts., regular price 55cts. 
 
 One passage, including ticket over Old Suspension Bridge and Whirlpool Rapids, 
 
 Canada" side, and return, for 55cts., regular price 85cts. 
 
 One passage, including ticket over Old Suspension Bridge and return, for 
 
 SOcts., regular price 30cts. 
 Special Rates made to Excursion Parties, etc. Address 
 
 A. SCHOELLKOPF, Treasurer, 
 
 NIAGARA FALLS. N. T. 
 
 Cars Run every Ten Minutes. 
 
 MAPS AND GUIDES 
 
 TO ALL OF THE 
 
 (Principal Cities 
 
 AND 
 
 EVERY COUNTRY IN THE WORLD. 
 
 Globes, Map Racks, Spring Map Rollers, German Maps, Wall and 
 Pocket Maps, Historical Maps, Classical, Biblical, jHistorical, Anatomi- 
 cal, Astronomical, Physical and General Atlases of all kinds kept in 
 stock. Address 
 
 RAND, McNALLY <&, CO., 
 
 Map Publishers and Engravers, 
 
 148 to 154 Monroe Street, Chicago. 
 323 8«04D*« y
 
 iD AIC 
 
 
 wyt
 
 A 000 654 573 5 
 
 University of California 
 
 SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY 
 
 405 Hilgard Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90024-1388 
 
 Return this material to the library 
 
 from which it was borrowed. 
 
 REC'DID
 
 NIAGARA FALLS MINERAL SPRINGS 
 
 COMPANY'S 
 
 Mineral Springs Hole 
 
 AND 
 
 Health Resort, 
 
 SUSPENSION BRIDGE, N. Y. 
 
 THIS ELEGANT HOTEL, together with ample bathing accommodations, has ju 
 been refitted throughout, and is complete in CTery department. The houBe stands i 
 the midst of a beautiful Park, on ihe high lands of \'iag;.:a, opposite the worl 
 
 famed Whirlpool Rapids, and only a few moments walk $bm the wonderful Cant] 
 lever and Suspension Bridges. While in full view of the Fallsut is at sufficient disian 
 to escape the unpleasant humidity occasioned by the spray. V-ift^ heated bysteamfttj 
 lighted with gas ; has new and modern toilets on every floor, oh'CJB|p bells in each rooi| 
 connecting with the office^und a new passenger elevator wt n improvemen 
 
 now in operation. All of the rooms have a frontage ; they are light -And airy, single an 
 in suites, well furnished, spring beds and hair mattresses, elegant 1'arlois, Office, Readin 
 Room, Billiard Hall and Bar in keeping, excellent cuisine which will be ever varied wit 
 the seasons. Splendid fishing grounds within a short distance from the hotel. 
 
 The SANITARIUM Department will Comprise Turkish, Russian, Shower 
 Plunge, Vapor and Electro-Thermal Baths, and the Systematic Method 
 Massage. The waters of our mineral springs, together with the different kinds of bath 
 carefully selected remedial, surgical and mechanical agencies. cure'^Rheuniatisin, Oou 
 Sciatica, Neuralgia, Catarrh, Dyspepsia, Liver Affections, I the Kidneys and 
 
 Urinary Organs, Piles, Scrofula, Skin and all Blood Diseases. Diseases of AVomi 
 permanently cured. We guarantee to cure Rupture, Piles, Stricture, 
 
 and Impotency. Arrangements have been perfected by which we ai 
 successfully treat invalids by correspondence. If you, or any of your friends 
 with any form of dis- ase, and are unable to come'* to us, write your nann 
 County and State distinctly, enclose a 2-cent stamp to insure prompt answ 
 all of your symptoms in your own language, and we will examine your cast 
 our medical opinion free of charge. All correspondence will be strictly conf 
 
 HOTEL OPEN THE YEAR ROUND. 
 
 Charges moderate, with special rates to families and permanent guests. 
 
 Write 
 
 Circulars. Address 
 
 NIAGARA FALLS MINERAL SPRINGS CO. 
 
 Or. DR. FRANK B. SMITH, 
 
 Resident Physician, 
 
 Suspension Bridge, N