Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1860-09-21
The FAN Of Table nbck-By the Last Man
- who Stood on il s..,,~--s.g-

- RI ~Ao OSOO<A W ~
George Wilkes writes this week from Nj
agara to his Spirit
| said | had something to do with tho fall
ing of Table Rock, that broad shell on thu
Canada side, which in 1850 iutted over thu
very cauldron of the seething waters, bu
which tumbled into it on certain day in thu
month of June of that, by me, well remember
cd year. About noon on that day, accom-
panied lady from the Clifton House to tn,
Falls. Arriving at Table Rock, we left oul
carriage. and as we approached the project
ing platform pointed out to my companion
vast crack or assure which traversed the
entire base Of the rock, remarked that it look
cd wider than ii had ever before appeared tc
me. The lady almost shuddered as she look.
ed at it, and shrinking back declared she did
not care about going to the edge. "Ah,''
said !, taking her hand, :" YOU might as well
come on, now that you are here, ] hardly
think the rock viii take notion to fall mere.
ly because we are on il. ~ .ayr4 @etaG
The platform juttcd from the main land
some 60 feet, but togiye thevisitor still more
fearful projection over the raging waters, a
wooden bridge, or staging, had been thrust
beyond the extreme edge for some ten feet
This terminated in small box for visitors to
stand in, and was kept in its position and en-
abled to bear weight by ponderous load Of
stones heaped upon its inner end. The day
was very bright and hot, and ii being almost
lunch time at the hotels, but few visitors were
out, so We occupied the dizzy perch alone
We gazed fcarfully out upon the awful wat
ers, we stretched our heads timidly over the
frightful depth below, and we felt our natures
quclled in every fibre by the dcafening roar
that seemed to saturatc us, as it were, with an
indcfinablc dread. sfh.t
This is terrible place. said I. "Look
under there, and see on what mere shell
we stand For years and years the teeth oil
the torrent, in that jetting angry stream have
been gnawing out that hollow, and some day
this plane must fall" My companion shud-
dercd and drew herself together in alarm
Our eyes swept the roaring circle of the wat
ers once again; we gazed about in fearful
fascination, when suddenly, turning our looks
upon each other, each recognized CORES
pOnding fear. 81 do not like this place ~
| exclaimed quickly. "The whole base Of
this rock is probably disintcgrated. and per-
haps sits poised in succession of steps or
notches, ready to fall out and topple down at
any unusual perturbation. That tissue there
seems to me to be more than usually wide to-
day! think we had better leave, for I do
not fancy such finish; and besides, my
paper must be published next week"
With these very words--the latter uttered
half loosely, though not without alarm
seized my companions hand, and, in abso-
lutte panic, we fed as fast as our feet would
carry us, toward what might be called the
shore. We burst into laugh when we re-
gained the land, and jumping into our car
riage, felt actually as if we had made a fortu-
nate escape. We rolled back toward the
Clifton, but before we had proceeded two
minutes on our way, laundering report,
like the explosion Of an earthquake, burst
upon us, and, with a long roar, the ground
trembled beneath our wheels. We turned to
find that Table Rock had fallen. We were
the last upon it, and it was, doubtless, the
unusual purt,Tbation caused by our flying
footsteps that disturbed the exactitude OF its
equilibrium, and thrilled it from its final
poise. In minute more the road was flied
with hurrying people, and during the follow
ing half hour, we were told hundred times
in advance of the next morning journals, that
a lady and gentleman who were on the Table
Rock, had gone down the falls. We are told
that the trot Of dog would shake old Lon
don Bridge from end to end, when it would
not be disturbed by the rolling Of heavily
loaded trains. Table Rock had probably not
been run upon in the way have described
for years perhaps never; and, therefore,
whenever hear it spoken of, always shud-
der and feel as if l had something to do with
its fall.