Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1863-1866, 1865-08-17
t,stters from the LOcal..ro. Q.
TsTKEEATIoFAL Horn,

Erie Railway, by highly esteemed lady
friend of Evansville, we, with much
pleasure, avaiIed ourself of his generous
offer to become our guide for the after
noon, and found him not only an invalu-
able guide, but a very intelligent and
pleasant travelling companion. Fortify-
ing ourself with an excellent and sub
stantial dinner, in company with Mr.
Murray and Mr. Spencer Gan attacAe Of
the same railway company, in the Trea-
sury Office Of New York., we proceeded
to the Ferry House, near the American
Fall Here a railway has been con-
strueted by cutting an inclined plane
through solid rock from the top of the
cliff to the edge of the water, below the
| American Fall On this inclined plane
q double track is laid, and cars are
placed upon them capable of carrying
six or eight persons each. To one of
the cars rope some three and half
inches in diameter 10 attached, and to
the other strong chain running round
shaft When the car at the top of the
plane is loaded, the brake is loosened,
and the car descends, carrying up the
other. There are also water works at
| tached, by which the loaded car is
drawn up. az
The motion Of the cars is perfectly at
the control of the man at the brake, and
hundreds thus descend daily, in perfect
safety. Desiring to stop by the way, We
commenced the descent by fight of
more than two hundred steps, construct
ed By the side of the track; passed out
to pathway that leads around the base
Of the cliff, and walked out to the very
edge Of the falling water, and stood 81
most beneath the American Fall. From
this point the view is extremely beauti-
full.
! Returning TO the stair, we continue
the descent TO the waters edge, where
We are introduced TO Mr.. Sims, the fer
rymsn, who conducted us over the
broken rocks b5 narrow aud slippery
path, 70 the very foot Of the American
FAN, Whare we stood and gazed almost
spellbouud upon the sublime spectacle
Returning again TO the ferry, with
eighteen persons in the boat we are
rowed by stout Ethiopian across the
river, which is here about quarter of
mile vide. Notwithstanding this is but
few hundred yards below the Falls,
the water is comparatively quiet, with
now and then long high biIIow, over
which the stsunch life.boat buoyantly
skins, creating such sensation az is
produced BY riding the long swell of q
large steamer on the Mississippi. The
Ethiopian above alluded to, in reply to
the remark that it would be hot walking
up the bill from the ferry to the Clifton
House, announced that he had good
hack, with which he would carry u up
cheap, which remark indicated that be
had an eye to business iks Yankee.
Our party, however, determined TO walk,
and we're soon at the Clifton House,
rendered notorious, If not famous, BY
the soiourn of great traitors and exiIes
Vallandigham, Dick Dodd, and ]. C.
Walker, the thief--whoss sojourn, how
ever, gave such reputation to the
house that 1t was recently sold for
$4,000 in United States money, and
was purchased by an American, who
flies the United States flag over its
cupola. II is an extensive building,
capable of accommodating GOO or 800
guests; but most of ita rooms are va
cant, and most patriotic American citi-
gems avoid it as if ID was pest-house.
Here we took " bit and sup to full
ell prophecy made when we were q
child, "that we would eat bread in two
kingdoms. " From the Clifton House
walked to the Horse Shoe Falls, avoiding
the Museum, where they usually q rope
strangers in to the tuns Of "a dollar OF
two" by exhibiting numerous owls, jay
birds, hawks, coons, foxes and various
other amphibeous animiles," which
everybody raised in tia country has
seen all his life. Nor did we descend
the spiral stairway TO the fost Of the
great fall; but, standing On Table Rock,
which, by the way, has been reduced |
by frequent breaks to the size of small |
breakfast table, hardly large enough to |
accommodate a small fAmily.-we have
q glorious view of the great Horse Shoe
Fall, aud Of the rapids above Here, a.
on the American side, we can walk
right to the waters edge without any
iperceptible descent. The middle por-
ton of the great Fall is a magnificent
spectacle, The water 10 very deep, per-
haps twenty or twenty-five feet where il /
pours over the Fall, and presents very
dark green appearance. a, la4a
Some years ago an old condemned
vessel was freighted with few Wild an.
imals and sent over the Horse Shoe, and
though it drew is, feet of water, it
never touched as it went over, but was
crushed to pieces in thsIterribls wael.
strom beneath. s
Here We made contract with an ebony
eolored Johu, TO carry Us to the Burning
Spring, the Battle Ground, and other
places Of interest. The Burning Spring,
situated at the edge of the rapids, about
half way up them, is great curiosity,
and has ELECTED the serious inqairy of
the scientific world,
The spring comes out of the bill close
BY the waters edge, aud small resor-
voir has bean constructed TO prevent the
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