Iowa capitol reporter. [volume] (Iowa City, Iowa) 1841-1855, 1854-03-08
Niagara In Winter.

A correspondent of the New York Courier
and Enquirer, writing from Niagara Falls on
the 10th ult., thus describes the winter aspect
Of Niagara:
Niagara in all its glory. Grand, sublime,
imposing, it always is, but now it ia more-it
is radiant with beauty. 1t not only awes but
it fascinates; it is not only stupenduous, but it
is exquisite. He who has not seen Niagara
in mid winter, has never seen i. ia all its su.
perbness. The sumner tourist knows it only
in its sternest aspect. Except that rainbow
which ever spans the "hell of waters, there is
ordinarily not one touch Of beauty about Mag.
ara. Wlldness there is. ruggedness, vastness
yes. and an overwhelming sublimity, sub
Unity Incompatible. Therein every other
natural curiosity in either hemisphere is tame
beside 1t The vast mountains cannot vie with
it in effect, for it has-what they cannot have
-movemer and magnitude in motion is al
ways more impressive than magnitude at rest
But this unmatched grandeur is now combined
with as matchless beauty. The frost has
wrought fairy work with grim old cata-
ract.
1t has thrown about it garnture that out
shines the wealth "of Ormus or the Ind" Ev
cry rock glitters, and every stone every branch,
every trunk, every twig, every gnarled root,
and every wlthered blade of grass The fro
zen spray has transfgured everything From
the edge of the food to the foot o. the preci
pice, it has sheeted the banks with the purest
Parian. 1t has hung the crags with cleaning
icicies. dt has encrusted the trees, both the
ieatiess and the evergreen, SO that they stand
out before you like chiseled emerald This
yet it marvelousIy preserves the form Of every
portion of the tree underlying it, even down to
the tip Of the smallest twig. And so with the
tangled bushes that skirt the brow of the rock
nothing can be more fantastic than their
luxuriant, snow white, invo!vte tracery. The
', 'und. too. entirely free from snow W hitened
',sr viii this same cleaning coat of frost, is
-. !, seping with the scene. None who did
,ot bebo,,l' it, can imagine the effec. of the
,,earer ravs . : yesterdays setting sun as they
danced throuo,, the spray which foated off
= tho Canadian ,r.ie, and FURNISHED with an
pnear,hly Iustre, the landscape that overhung
The roaring gorge. VERIFY nave seen the
Towering time of Niagara.
There is another winter ehect on Niagara
which is worth noticing. The iaf,ge quantity
Of ice borne down from the Lake is com ,"leteiy
pulverized as IL plurged down the abyss
But, though dsintegrated it is not dissolved,
and the river, a short distance below is com
p.etely covered with its floating particles. AS
it is hurried along. much Of it gradually dis.
appears in the turbulent torrent, but large
portion reaches the whirl below Lewiston, and
there floats about like thick snowy froth upon
the surface. 1t entirely covers the large basin
and presents a most extraordinary appearance
as it is swept about at the varying impulses
Of thousand currents and eddies. Till one
has seen the whirlpool in this state lie does
not half know the conflict Of its waters. Eve
ry movement is made apparent. There is
certain cohesion in the trturated ice, but il is
so slight that it readily yields at every impulse
of the water beneath; and you may see field
Of it. perhaps an acre in extent, slowly swing
III in one direction, while within it,
ing aro"~ lit. are patches borne
ano forming Pa'' zen turning
along in directions diverse some g
in circuits directly opposite, This gyrating
covers the basin, for it is replenished above as
il crumbles off into the current below.
There are very few strangers here. The
large hetels are all closed; the curiosity shops
are locked up; the Indians are hybernatiug;
the ferry boats are in winter quarters. and not
even the Ice King Jotum would dare to ven-
ture behind the cataract now; but still am
bound to say if you would see Niagara Alright
come view il in January. The 'pale moon.
light" / doubt not. becomes Melrose right
royalty. for all that, Sir Walter, who was SO
profuse in its praise, was never there to see;
but as for Niagara by winter. can testify yet
more positively. Not in long low poetry. but
in plain blunt prose; not by faith. but by sight
/ can affirm that Niagara's best days are the
shortest days.