Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1864-09-30
EDITORIAL CoRREspoNDENCE.

lIs
Il Voyage on the Ldkes-Nidgara Falls
Railroad Improvements in the last
Thirty Years, DC, dc.
A- ALBANY, MY, Sept. "a, 1854.
DEAR JOURNAL Il will not inflict
upon the patient reader of your columns
a tedious account of my trip thus far
Let me advise those, however, who con-
template making journey of pleasure
to select this season Of the year and the
route by the great lakes, which affords
such an agreeable variety of land and
water scenery. In less than twenty
four hours after losing sight of the prai-
ries of Iowa, our little party were en-
barked on the elegant steamer Morning
STAR" at Detroit, for q voyage across
Lake Erie. 1t should be remarked, en-
PEASANT, that the Michigan Central Rail-
road, by which we made the passage
from Chicago to- Detroit, has no equal
for speed, safety and regularity in the
West, if indeed in the country. The
cars are ventilated by Rutan's patent,
and are almost entirely free from dust.
But to resume. On our passage to Buff
falo we were delayed the greater portion
of one day at Cleveland--which, by the
way, appears to be doing large bust
ness, and is growing rapidly, having an
extensive lake traffic and important rail-
| road communications. Cincinnati must
look to her laurels, else Cleveland, which
is now the second city in Ohio, will ten
years hence be the first. Buffalo, at
which our stay was short, now claims
lOO,OO inhabitants, and is much the
largest city on Lake Erie, and the most
extensive grain market in the West, ex-
cepting Chicago. 1'r
The day which brought us to Niagara
Falls was fortunately clear and delight
full. We found large number of WIS.,
itors and pleasure-seekers there, as usu-
al. Although it was not our first view
of this greatest of natural wonders, we
could not look upon it save with feelings
of amazement and awe No written or
printed picture can ever portray the
wild fury, majestic power, and sublime
beauty of this mighty leap of the great
waters. The American Falls, be it re-
membered are 40 feet high, and those
on the Canada side 16S feet. The depth
of water in the center of the latter,
where it rolls over the precipice, is esti-
mated at ttoenW feet! The width of
fboco Foil, is I OO0 foot ou1 Of tho ,,or
lean 800 feet. Some writer has under
taken to give the precise quantity of
water which descends these Falls in a
minute, but as his figures seem fabulous,
and are at best apochryphal, will not
quote them here. The best point from
| which to view both Falls is from the
tower erected in the Horse Shoe Falls,
which is reached by foot bridge from
Goat Island. The view from this sum-
nit is most magnificent. The rapids
come rolling and dashing unanimously
towards you from above-the green wa
tiers of the mighty Falls froth and foam
at your feet-the Kissing cauldron OF
spray rushes on below, and the river
with its steep banks is beyond-in fact
the whole range of the Falls themselves,
and the world of raging waters around
them, are seen from this commanding
point of view. The tower, a fine
stone structure, erected in 1888, is Al
feet high. The bridge leading to il
is often wet with spray.
The passage from Niagara Falls to
this city was marked by no incident
worthy of special notice. The traveller
of the present day who is carried over
the n. Y. Central Railroad at the rate
of 80 miles per hour, making the whole
distance between Buffalo and Albany in
ten hours, can scarcely realize the i'm.
provements that have been made In
railways and their equipments during
the thirty-one years that have elapsed
since feeble locomotive was run slow
ly and doubtingly over the strap bars
laid on longitudinal stills, between AL.
bany and Schenectady, clumsy and
defective structure called the Mohawk
and Hudson Railroad.
| But | must close, as we will soon EN-.
bark on the new and splendid Hudson
| River steamer st. John for New York
Another letter will scarcely reach you
before my return. Till then, goodbye
| J. NJ.