The Iowa transcript. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1858-1866, 1866-04-11
The Rival Of Niagara.

Livingston, the celebrated traveller in his
recent book of his travels in Africa thus de-
scribes the most wonderful geographical
discovery of modern times:
The Victoria Falls of the Zambesi river
are among the most remarkable curiosities
of the interior of Africa. For several miles
above the cataract the river is smooth and
tranquil, flowing by lovely islands thickly
covered with tropical vegetation. Lofty
palm trees with their fruit in golden clus-
tiers, grow abundantly upon the banks.
Many flowers peep out near the waters edge.
But these charming islands arc soon sue
ceedcd by dangerous rapids. 1t is only
passed in safety. Elephants and hippopota-
mi are often swept over the falls, and, Of
course, smashed to pulp. In entering the
race OF waters, the party was requested not
to speak, us talking might impair the virtue
of the " medicine There were places
where the utmost exertions of the canoe men
had to be put forth to force the boat to the
only safe part of the rapid, and to prevent
it from sweeping down broadsidc on. At
times, it seemed as if nothing could save
the canoe from dashing hcadlong against
the rocks, but just at the nick of time the
word was passed to the steersman, who,
with ready pole, turned tho craft little
aside, and it glided swiftly past the threat
ened danger.
On reaching the falls, spectacle Of inde-
scribable magnifcence was presented to
the travellers. The cataract is formed by a
crack across the river, the bed Of the Fam
best, at that place. The lips Of the crack
are still quite sharp, except about three feet
of the edge over which the river rolls. The
walls 60 sheer down from the lips without
any projecting crag. The cleft is in length
a few yards moro than tho breadth of the
Zambesi, which was found to be, by meas.
urement, a little over 1860 yards, but this
number was retained to mark the year in
which the fall was for the first time careful
ly examined. The width at the narrowest
point, was found to be 80 yards, and at its
widest somewhat more. Into this chasm,
twice rs deep az Niagara Falls, the river, a
mile wide, rolls with deafening roar, form
ing the Victoria cataract. Ii is broken into
several partial falls by rocks and islands,
in all making upward Of 200 feet of per-
ennal falls The whole body Of water rolls
clear over quite unbroken, but after q de-
scent of ten or more feet the entire mass
suddenly becomes like a huge sheet of driv-
en- snow. Pieces of water leap from it in
the form of comets with tails streaming be-
hind, till the whole snowy sheet is changed
into myriads of rushing, leaping, aqueous
comets. The amount Of water is probably
exceeded by Niagara, though not in the
months when the Zambcsi is in flood. This
vast body of water necessarily incloses in
its descent large volume OF air, which,
forced into the cleft to an unknown depth,
rebounds, and PUSHES up loaded with vapcr
tn form fl,Wn oi~ ~, ~
steam, visible at the distance Of II miles.
On reaching the height of 200 feet from the
level of the river, this vapor becomes con-
rain.
TIE " BOOMERANG THE United States
consul at Australia has forwarded to Gen.
Spinner q specimen Of the Australian
boomerang" being weapon Of war
used also in the chase. II consists Of a
heavy wooden club about eight inches long,
three wide, and one half inch thick; flat on
one side and convex on the other; bent.
without moving the fiat side out Of its own
plane, either into an arc or into an 0htuse
angle. The club is thrown Hat side down,
spinning with great velocity, and it will
either return to its owner or return TO the
right or left, according to it's first position.
1t skins upon the air like bird with the
wings expanded, the rotation causing the
plano of rotation to resist change Of dircc-
ton, and thus avoiding those sudden and
capricious movements observed on fiat stones
or plates Of metal when thrown edgewise
through the air. Naval architects have
attempted to apply the principle of the
boomerang to screw steamships, but so
far the idea has not found favor with the
ship-builders.