The Sun.
London, England, 1849-02-16 00:00:00

DESCENDING THE RAPIDS.

" On leaving Prescott we crossed- to-o,rdensburg for
passengers. This town is built at the mouth of the
Os wegatchie, a rapid stream, with so dark a current
that, on entering the St. Lawrence, it seems to run with
ready-made porter. Gliding down the river we were
soon in the midst of islands again, and found ourselves
ere long at the commencement of the rapids.
" The first two or three which we passed were not
sufficiently formidable to cause more than a slight ripple
on the surface; but by and by wo approached the grea
rapid, that called the Long Sault, and preparation wa-
made for its descent. Even those accustomed to shoot it
seemed to grow more and more excited as we ap
proached; it was no wonder, then, that a novice like
myself should partake largely of the feeling. We touched
for a few minutes at Dickenson's Landing, a little above
the rapid, and already alluded to as being at the upper
extremity of the St. Lawrence canal, constructed to
enable vessels not built for descending the rapid, to
avoid it. On getting afloat again the ladies retired to
the cabin, half -trightened at what was before them, and
determined, at least, not to witness the danger. I took
my post upon deck, where I resolved to remain until the
exciting episode was over. The rapid was in sight. In-
dependently of the fact that I was about to shoot it, it
was an object of the highest interest to me, for who has
not heard of the rapids of the St. Lawrence? In my
mind they were associated with my earliest reading re-
miniscences. We were close to the Canada shore, some
wooded islands intervening between us and the American
bank. The rapid commenced amongst the islands, but
did not exhibit itself in its full force and grandeur until
it emerged from them into the clear and somewhat con-
tracted channel immediately below. Throughout its
whole length it is much more formidable on the Canada
than on the American side. It was by the latter alone,
previously to the completion of the canal, that the
barges which were used in the navigation of the river
could ascend, on their way from Montreal to Prescott.
It sometimes required fourteen yoke of oxen to tow au
empty barge slowly against the current, not where it was
most impetuous, but close to the shore, where its force
was comparatively small. It was by the Canada side
that we were to descend the rapid, which leapt, foamed,
and tossed itself wildly about, immediately in front of
upon
the roar with
n a us. As far as we could see down the river, the dark
leaden-looking water was broken into billowy
rockyymasses
swhcrestedhoirceh,st
htwreei ttdheehl
iinrspray,igoutasr
currentl i
outke breakersthteow ases
aa;accompanied,
whilstmupanied, was like
the sound of a cataract hard by. For nearly a quarter
of a mile above the rapid the current ran smoothly,
but with great velocity, which increased as it ap-
proached the line at which the channel dipped still
more, agitating the mighty volume, which seemed to
tear itself to pieces against the sunken rocks, over which
it dashed with impetuous speed. A period, as, it were,
of breathless expectation ensued, from the time of our
entering upon the preliminary current, until we crossed
the line in question. The steamer seemed hero to take
its race for the plunge which it made from the smooth
into the broken current. To one unaccustomed to such
a scene, a moment or two of semi-stupefaction ensues
after getting fairly within the embraces of the rapid. It
seemed to me at first that we had suddenly been brought
to a halt, and were standing still, with the water boiling
and surging around us in a mighty caldron, whilst
islands, mainland, rocks, trees, houses, and every fixed
thing ashore seemed suddenly to have been loosened
from their foundations, and to be reeling around me.
On becoming more collected I discerned the real state of
things ; the steamer was shooting like an arrow along
the stormy descent, lashing the angry waters with her
lusty paddle-wheels to give her steerage way. She thu-
rushed on for miles in the course of a few minutes, the
objects ashore flitting by us as do those which line a
railway. By-and-by we reached a point where the cur-
rent, although yet greatly agitated, was comparatively
tranquil, when the very steamer seemed to breathe more
freely after her perilous race. On looking around me,
the islands were gone, the broad and broken channel
was no longer to be seen, the banks had fallen from
their well-wooded elevations almost to the water's edge,
the stream was contracted—it was placed in front of us,
but wildly agitated behind—in short, the whole scene
had changed. The whole looked like a troubled dream.
and it was some time ere I could recall, in their proper
succession, the different incidents which marked it."