The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1860-09-06
The Fall Of Table Rock ..l lly the Last Man
who Stood ON IL,

1tOChoeDy
who Stood ON 1t,
George Wilkes writes this week from,
Niagara to his Spirit:
1 said l had something to do with the
falling of Table Rock, that broad shell on
the Canada side, which in 1850 jutted
over the very cauluron of the seething
waters, but which tumbled into it on a
certain day in the month of juno Of that,
by me, we'll remembered year. About
noon on that day, accompanied lady
from the Clifton House to the Falls
Arriving at Table Rock, VIC left our car
riage, and as We approached the project.
ing platform l pointed out to my COM
panion a vast crack or assure which
traversed the entire base of the rock, re-
marking that it looked wider than it had
ever before appeared to me. The lady
almost shuddered as she looked at it, and
shrinking back declared she did not care
about going to the edge. "Ah," said l,
taking her hand, "you might as we'll
come on, now that you are here. l
hardly think tn, rock will take notion
to fall merely because We are on it,"
The platform jutted from the main
land some 60 feet, but to give the visitor
a still more fearful projection over the
raging waters, a wooden bridge, or stag
ing, had been thrust beyond the extreme
edge for some ten feet This termina.
ed in a small box for visitors to stand
in, and was kept in its position and en-
abled to bear weight by pondcrous load
Of stones heaped upon its inner end
The d,y was very bright and hot, and it
being almost lunch time at the hotels,
bat few visitors were out, SO We occupied
the dizzy perch alone. We gazed fear
fully out upon the awful waters, We
stretched our heads timidly over the
frightful depth below, and We felt our
natures quelled in every fibre by the
| deafonins roar that seemed to snturate
US, as it we're, with an indefnablc dread
"This is a terrible pace!'' said L.
Look under there, and see on what a
mere shell We stand! For years and
years the teeth Of the torrent, in that
jetting, angry stream have been gnawing
out that hollow, aud some day this plane
must fall" My companion shuddered,
and drew herself together in alarm. Our
eyes swept the roaring circle of the wa
ters once again; we gazed about in fear
full fascination, when suddenly, turning
our looks upon each other, each recog-
niEed corresponding fear. Il do not
like this place. l exclaimed quickly
"The whole base Of this rock is proba.
bly, disintegrated, and perhaps sits po's.
ed in a succession of steps or notches,
ready to fall out and topple down at any
unusual perturbation. That fssure there
seems to me to be more than usually
wide to day l think We had better
leave, for l do not fancy such a finish
and besides, my paper must be published
next week"
With these very words-tEe latter ut
tered half jocosely, though not without
alarm-I seized my companions hand,
and, in absolute panic, We fed as fast as
our feet would CRY US, toward what
might be called the shore. We burst
into laugh when We regained the land,
and jumping into our carriage, felt ac-
tually as if We had made fortunate
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 long roar, the ground
trembled beneath our wheels. We turn
ed to find that Table Rock had fallen
We were the last upon it, and it was,
doubtless, the unusual perturbation caus-
ed by our flying footsteps that disturbed
the exactitude Of its equilibrium, and
thrilled it from its final poise. In
minute more the road was filled with
hurrying people, aud during the follow.
ing half hour, VIC we're told hundred
times in advance of the next morning
journals, that lady and gentleman who
we're on the Table Rock, had gone down
the falls. We were 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, load
ed trains. Table Rock had probably not
been run upon in the way I have de-
scribed for years-perhaps never and,
therefore, whenever | hear it spoken of,
I always shudder and feel as if | had
something to do with its fall.
Preservation Of Vegetables.
A.~ou-. ~ - ,,,o,, 1,onroyo~oota 1f tln