New-York daily tribune., 1851-07-29
ing mountain stream followed up the natural
allou bot ,uee epo nu mains nnil II ls bee kel

Directly over the center Of the parapet oil thls
rocky wall flows the fall. A. FIRST It IS only the
surplus Of damned mill-stream,Q Il beg PARDON
bu, beyond the wheel and the dam Nature has
claimed her own again, and reels 'ne sisn'
stream thread of airy silver ieaiherlng away
into rainbow spray. Indeed, so sllght Is the "'-
turned on Fall that there IS but one shoo' oi VIZ
tery arrows in Indian file, trope which any ob-
so,ve, of cascades will understand 1t IS about
the volume of the Swiss Staubbach whenf has
fallen some 400 Of its 900 feet toward the green
lawns of LauterDrunnen which II never reaches
as fall except Gurlng spell Of weather, the
dissolution Of Spring or some other time unseen
OF DR.. Syntax and the hunters of the picturesque.
The first effect is very simple and beautiful
Seen from the highest platform, after descending
II has quiet grandeur, even, which declines INTO
pic,uresqueness when you pass below the sec
ond broken fall that pours the water away INTO
the gorge, whence it steals of singing between
the heavily wooded hill-side.. The great rock
over which flows the first fall is followed out,
little above the level of the basin, and you can
walk, STOPPING little, quite around and behind
the thin, Pickering fall. 1t has delicate spray
of its own, too, when the wind scatters 1t INTO
the sunlight that touches It into dIamond-dust;
and very gracious was the sun that morning, Tor
when, after our arrival below, the stages arrived
above, and the parties descended, the ladies'
glided and shrank along under the rock, mot
lev troop OF White Ladies of Avenel, II you will,
except that for her the fall parted, and she did
not stoop but droop-and as they came around
,bo ind badx no 10 N
TO cool them, the sun flashed suddenly and arched
them with q rainbow. What could the Catskiil
more for them if it could not part and frame
them in living silver. as they passed beneath
They all came down to the level of the second
fall and there, clustered upon the rocks, we
awaited the turning on" or rather the artificial
spring and initiative effects of snow-melting
upon the mountains produced by our friend OF
the Refreshment Saloon" whose little building
perched upon the cliff at the very point OF the
fall, with its friendly basket far overhangIng the
ravne upon an outstretched pole, like that OF an
old well. is extremely effective and recalls
vaguely those Desertconvens from whose high
walls hang baskets, the sole communication
with the world, except through posterns boted
and barred.
The Fall sweled suddenly, and in moment
generous and glad, plunged, downward volley
OF flashing arrows of light, into the basin beneath
II faxed into spray 1t fell, and sheeted the ba
SIN near 1t with foam, and the mist steamed up
into the concave abyss and clOuded It, as If to
veil the Fall in its most majestic moment 1t
was of the same character still, but developed
into funess, and the second FALL pouring over
crescent of rock brilliantly greened with grass
and light foliage, and of picturesquely broken
outline, overflowed at crevlces and points unseen
before, and graceful group OF nils danced at
tendance upon each side of the chief Fall Down
TO the basin OF this we descended, and command
ed both cascades. But my pen commands no
colors and the neutral tint of words Will not
| glow with the flashing water and the nch. Sc
| rlous green of the banks of foliage, nor seize the
movement of the clouds, Juneclouds that swan
| heecily backward directly over the cascade, ad-
| ding the sympathy of molten IN the moist blue
sky to that OF the falling water. This was rare
| and exquisite effect. The round, white clouds
| hung low and a. they swept swiftly backward
seemed to pass through the very narrow dent of
rock which the cascade had worn, as If It's own
| spray ndu CURED lltO compact SlouuS, anu was
so hurrying back again 10 feed the fountain
The groups of loterers exhausted words but
| not delight. and after resting little upon the
| rocks, climbed the cliff again, homeward. We
| fingered below Swansdowne with rapid pencil
| was tracing the general outline of the appear
ance of the full fall Olde and | Were lying at
length, gossiping of Switzerland and watchingthe
shifting splendors of the day. and the Fall gradu-
| ally dwindled wasting from that full bodied ma
turi,y and shrinking again, into infanilie weak
| ness and uncertainty There Is a feeling OF life
| IN moving water, and the Poets call II tiuing wa
| ter, when 1t flows freshly and clear. And there
| fore we could not watch II pinlng away, as II
seemed, without little regret, not at the loss OF
| our own pleasure, but at lis loss of life. Its
song in the ravine behind us grew fainter, sub
siding at last into a uniform, gentle gurgling.
| Whether a solitary III a slouched-hat upon the
| hill. side below us and with tablets IN hand, was
| measuring that murmur into verbal melody
shall never know But certainly the significance
! of the song shall never forget.
| We walked afterwards down the stream for
mile, and advise every one to do the same,
crossing at the usual place and stumbling over
the rocks little at first. but afterwards pushing
smoothly on. 1t leads you over to pleasant
opening, where the water pohshes a broad pave
ment and where bits OF the picturesque abound.
With his deicately sensitive artistic eye Swans
| downe would glance among the trees and an
| nounce "a kensett," IS broad blt of mossed
rock or a shapely stretch of trees with the noun
tain outline beyond, recalled the poetic accuracy
| and characteristic subjects OF that artist
And so, finding the stones, poems and pictures,
as well as sermons, that Sunday morning, we
voted, Of course TO finish the day al the Fall.
A neat and well-cooked dinner il the very small