Dallas herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1849-1873, 1859-05-25
Letter from Niagara Falls.

NIAGARA FALLS, April 26, 1889
Dear erdH:-Feeling that many incidents oi
my travel here would perhaps be somewhat IN
teresting to many of your readers, besides those
with whom am more Intimately acquainted,
herewith send you a few sketches, winch as
am compelled to put down in much haste, de-
sire YOU to Mroc 0rcr into Tie ruJb,sh il you think
proper, c,
In passing from n. o. to st. Louis, found
great distress prevailing in many portions OF the
Mississippi in consequence of the high water
and breaking of crevasscs through the ieVees )
particularly from the mouth OF Red river 10
Cairo A large portion of the plantations IN
this distance are submerged in water, with their
stock drowned, and in many instances without
any land for the whites or blacks to stanu apoh'
On the line of the Railroad from st. LOUIS 10
Cincinnati, through Illinois and indiana, sun
found considerable portion of the land covered
with water, in consequence OF the heaVy rams
which have recently fallen. In many places the
track of the railroad was under water. Coiu
winter weather seems yet to prevail, ana very
little has been done between st. Louis anu mere
towards crop for the present year. lheir
wheat as we'll as other vegetation looks 10 To oc
more than two months later than with us IN Tex,
as when left home. The climate here is so coid
and different from that | left in Texas, that my
lungs are becoming much affected, and now leel
II longing desire to breathe again my own IeAas
air.
From Cincinnati 1 came by railroad via of
Clcaveland and Buffalo to this place much OF
the distance was run at the rate of forty miles
per hour and some at greater speed. tive leSas
these facilities and she would not only become
the Empire State of the South, but of the Union
itself | arrived here on Saturday last amidst
the heaviest snow storm | have witnessed Tor the
last forty years, and Immediately proceeded to
visit brother, comfortably situated two and
half miles above, on the Niagara river. The
next day being the Sabbath, my brother had a
horse harnessed to his sleigh, and away we went
to church. with the merry music OF the sleigh
bells while in the distance we could near the
deeper and louder tones of the church-golng
bells and then my mind became wholly absorbed
in the awful roar of the cataract OF NiaSara.-
After church visited the Falls, and must say
that felt a soemnity at beholdlng TINS WONDER
of creation, which has c0ntiued ever since 10 ao
sorb my mind Like the Queen OF Sheba IN Wis
iting the Temple of Solomon, l can trniy say
ssthc half of the greatness had not been tod me;
Only for a momen. consider the great Lake
Superior. with its hundred rivers emptying.into
1.-THE Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Erie,
besides Others all having thous nd rivers ana
rivulets -emptying into them, and then the whole
flood of all these lakes to be poured down the
Niagara river twenty-two miles, when IL COM
mcnces lashinS itself into a fury In passii'S
down the rapids, when the whole mass OF water
falls from perpendicular heighth of near 200
feet. and then passes on to Lake Ontario, and
finally finds an outlet through the St. Lawrence
into the Atlantic Ocean.
The contemplation of the scene before me was
awiully grand and sublime, inspiring my mind
with feelings cannot describe, neither can L
convey any just conceptions of the scene then be-
fore me but for better information and believ-
ing it would be acceptable, send you book re-
Gently published with Photographic views of ev-
ery thing connected with the Falls. My brother
here some years since published much larger
WORK of the kind, which after going through
twenty-five editions, l was unable to find at any
of the book stores, and obtained only one copy
which ne had kept for himself, and which ne
kindly presented me.
On yesterday | again visited the Falls on the
Canada side, by way of the suspension bridge
Dear Latimer, you spoke of the Elephant last
summer when you saw the first locomotive;-now
that greenness of yours, know was all assum-
ed. But assure ycu that of all the works Of