Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1860-10-12

looked at it, and declared she did not care
about going to the edge "Ah," said I,
taking her hand, "you might as well come
on, now that you are here. | hardly thinl;
the rock viii take a notion TO fall merely
because we are on it,"
The platform jutted out from the main
land some sixty feet, but to give the visitor
4 still more fearfa! projection over the
raging waters a wooden bridge. or st;}n
had been thrust beyond the extreme edge
for some ten feet. This terminated in a
small box for visitors to stand in, and was
kept in its position and enabled to bear
weight by ponderous load of stones heap
ed upon its inner end The day was very
bright and hot, and it being near lunch
time at the hotels, but few visitors were
out, so We occIpiei the dizzy perch alone.
We gazed fearlully out upon the awfuI
waters, we stretched our heads timidly over
the frightful depth below, and we felt our
natures quelled in every fibre by the deaf
ening roar that seemed to saturate US, as
it were, with an undefinable dread
This is a terrible place :" said l. Look
under there. and see on what mere shell
We stand! For years and years the teeth
Of the torront,in that jetting angry stream,
have been gnawing out that hol ow, and
some day the plane must fall" My CON-
panion shuddered and drew herself to-
gether in alarm. Our eyes swept the
roaring circle Of the water once again We
gazed about in fearful fascination, when
suddenly, turning our looks upon each
other. each recognized q corresponding fear
Il do not like this place - exclaimed l,
quickly. "The whole base Of this rock is
probably disintegrated, and perhaps sits
poised in succession Of steps or notches,
ready to fall out and topple down at any
unusual perturbation. The fssure there
seems to be more than usually wide to-
day! | think We had better leave, for /
don't like such a finish; and besides, my
paper mast be published next week"
With these very words--the latter ut
tered half jocosely, though not without a.
larm-I seizel my companions hand, and
in absolute panic We fed as fast as our feet
would carry us. toward what might be
called the shore. We burst into a laugh
when We regajued the land, and Jumping
into cur carriage Glt actually as if we had
made fortunate escape. We rolled back
toward the Clifton, but before we had pro-
ceede9 two minutes on our wav,a thunder
ing report, like the explosion Of an earth
quake, burst upon us, and with a long
roar, the ground tremblel beneath our
wheels. We turned to fal that Table
Rock had fallen. We were the last upon
it, and it was, doubtless, the unusual per-
tarbation caused by our flying footsteps,
that disturbed the exactitude Of its equilib-
rum, and thrilled it from it, final p0ise.
In a minute more the road was filed
with hurrying people, aud during the foil
owing halthogr we were tolda hundred times
in advance Of the morning journals, thata
lady and gentleman who were on Table
Roc5, had gone down the falls. We are
told that the trot Of dog would shake old
London Bridge from end TO end, when it
would not be disturbed By the rolling of
heavily loaded wagons. Table Rock had
probably not beenrun upon in the way
have described for years-perhaps never
and, therefore, whenever | hear 1t spoken
OF, always shuljer and feel as if | had
something to do with its fall