The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1848-10-17
CATARACT HOUSE, NIAGARA FALLS, }
Oct r. 1S4S

THO Days of Indian Summer at Niagara
Niagara! world of rejoicing waters, all glorious
art thou. Unsulled In thy purity, thine ocean
waves roll on, bright the streams which mir
rored Eden's bowers. Beautiful thy pillows in
their flashing green; and thy wild breakers IN
their snowy plumes; grand thy majestic form in
wreathng clouds arrayed sweet the green island
looking over the abyss; solemn and awful in tiny
fearful bound, yet strong as death, whence CONTEST
thou? Rivers from civilizations marts and tribu-
taries from the northern wilderness, where still
he dusky children of the woods bask in the
autumn sun, the mingled waters of cham of
seas, with all the fountains sprngng up from their
unfathOmable wells, unite to swell the volume of
thy waves, and blend their shouts in thine. Thy
voice sonorous In the distance sounds like the wild
roar OF fierce tempest in a mountain gorQe and
near thy misty crater, it doth shake thine ada
mainline throne and, from its deep rebound, it
thrills the arch OF heaven The coudy column
from thy sounding rises by night and day;
the covenant rainbow DER thy radiant brow
shines ever IN the sun and when the moons I'M
clouded radiance softens all the scene still CLEANS
the bow of promise there, hitting our thoughts from
earth to heaven, and waking memories full of
sweet harmonies. as vesper hymns from some
white convent In the distant hills
IL was some years ago. that we left some such
Impressions as these IN the commonplace book of
Tablerock Cottage, and like the pilgrims spiritual
vislahons at some miraculous shrine, they come at
each return.
In a matter-offact point of view, Niagara is
river Of the largest class, and the falls quite
curiosity indeed, the whole region about them,
especially below them, unique and full Of points of
interest, history, and wild romance. The rapids
above the falls on the American side, have been
turned to good account. Around the nucleus Of the
Cataract House, a little village OF hotels. curiosity
shops, tailor-shops shoe shops, groceries, butch
er-shops, saw-mills and factories, has sprung up.
There are three saw-mills, one paper-mlll, ION an
lsland,) one pail factory, one machine shop, one
fourn g-rsil one shoe-peg and last factory, all
worked by the water-power OF the rapids,
short Of S water Tie fact is, # You could only
find places to build them under the cliffs, from the
falls to Lewiston, some eight or ten miles, there
is water power enough to drive ten thousand fac
torres, each of ten thousand horse power, leaving
then stream of 800 fee. wide, and 200 feet deep,
surgIng through the long cheem (Which the river
has cut through solid wall of limestone, $50 feet,
down to the suriace) at the maximum OF twenty
miles an hour The tremendous volume of water
the greatest feature of the specacle and yet be-
low Montreal the stream of the st. Lawrence has
twice the volume of Niagara; and az the mouth of
the Saguenay the volume of fresh wafer which the
great river of Cansda rolls towards the sea,
haps, in October, equal to the aggregate OF all the
rivers Of the Atlantic coast from the Hudson to
the Gulf, including the father OF rivers himself
The whole region drained by the st. Lawrence, is
one of great lakes, numberless fountains, and
deep and rapid rivers. never exhausted by the
We doubt whether the stream OF the st Law
re ce is surpassed By the Amazon of South Anne
nc or the Lena os Northern Asia.
OCTOBER l3.-Cne of the workmen in the pail
factory, Ito whons we extend our thanks, }, accom-
pined us, last night. dowl the American rapids to
show us the boat from which, few days ago. a
man was drifted over the preclplce, descent of
hundred and sixty-for feet into the pile of rocks
below. The unfortunate fisherman certainly knew
nothing OF the river Above the island the river
looks 70 Ice three mlss wide, and at the head of
the island he had space OF several hundred yards
so shallow that he might have wadedt. Yet, in
3 cad of making for the island he pulled for the
American shore, where the whole pressure Of that
channel is diverted. After getting into the chan
mel he had stili hundred chances of escape in a
single pull of the oar, which would have thrown
him out among the shadows or little islands to the
left hand: But he persisted in steering tor the
main land, and thus maintained the boat in the
only current which could carry his vessel II his
object had been to float his bark over the
Precipice, there was no other way in which
he could have done it on the American
side than the course which he pursued. Had he,
on entering the American eide of the island sat
quietly IN his boat, there were ten chances to one
that II would have been thrown out among the
snallows, or against some one OF the small islands
TO the left His presence OF mind is described as
most remarkable; but never was the sef-posses
sion of man so fatally instructed The boa
Zone Of three or four tons) lies within a stone,
cast OF the American shore, and about one hun
DIRE d yards above the chasm. II ia turned bottom
UPWARDS over rock. The man ffoated out iron
under IT, and continued swimming with the GA
IN his hand; and IL was, perhaps, in find effor
TO stand upon his feet, that he was seen to @
over: as IN sitting posture, feet foremost. Scare
has been made, but nothing more has been see
OF HIM: Perhaps his body, crushed into ielly
| lies wedged among the rocks, which, falling trol