, 1866-07-21
4 NEW NIAGARA.
A World'G Wonder in Idaho-Tbs
Great Sho-llone Fails,

0EeNt SA0hA0nS FlIBSs
from the salt Lako tUnion, Vede,tc
Away in the wilds of Idaho. midway ,c,
tween Salt Lake and Oregon, the air is i.luu
dcred and the earth Is rent By cateract q:
imposing as NlaSara. Situate on the Sage
brush plains, between the Rocky Mountains
and the Cascade range, the Great Shoshoue
Is q world wonder which for savage scenery
aud power sublime stands unriva1led1n Amer.
lea. These falls Of the Snake or Lewis Fork
OF the Columbia, have been but q couple
years discovered, and have been seen
as yet by scarce as nnny scorea Of white
men.
This majestic masterpiece Of natures Gu
gincesiDc lies few miles OF from the Over
land Stage rnute running northwcsterly be-
tween Salt Lake and Boise cities, and hallway
Tor about eoo miles) from those: said capitals
OF Idaho and Utah.
Travelling by compass across the boundless
sage plains, where no living being breaks the
desert stiffness, saEc here aud there Kissing
snake, half hid between regiment OF horned
tcaus and high range OF mt hills, and the
ruar Of the cataract which may be plainly
heard at starting, has gradually died away.
The sagc plain :rmalns unbroken to the.view i,
and no appearance Of any river. Still riding
on, and, suddenly, without warning, he reins
up en- the brink Of perpendicular preeipice,
over thousand feet in height, at the foot Of
Which apparently unfathomej abyss Snnkc
River seems bnt like O narrow silver Ribbon
Down stream, about a nalf n:lc distant, a locE
monument ofmist walls earth to hcarcn-
The river, about two hundred yards IN
width, coming slowly from the southeast,
orertowcTcd BY perpendicular walls of basal
tic rock, over eight hundred feet high, sud-
denly expands into d basin oftwice It's width,
and there i sdiyided !rto half dozen streams
by dark looking rocks, which raise thclr
gloomy crests above tile sparkling surf Of the
maddened waters. Every stream r1shes over
fall Of thirty feet, and e!sry fall is Of dii-
yet physically fixed as they hnvc ever beeu
while centuries, like shadows, have tlown over
them. The river. resurntng its course, Ia
again divided. and takes second tumble OF
sixty feet still further, but this tiule by only
three different streams. Three tails are the
fnlliug In solid sheets, tue central
one. 6eing formed by seven ian shaped
steppes Of rock. Fun the one Of these
benches to the other underneath the water
fills In q smooth, transparent sheet, forming
as 'Sade u1sarpassed u ths world, and cor;
color, with the r1stllnE, roaring, foamtnE
streams surrounding 1t both abovc and al the
sides. The r1vcr becomes once moro smooth
and dark In color. Its banks suddenly Tut
TO four hundred feet, aud through this cnp
tue confined mAss OF wnter prcclpitatcs llseff
In one whole volume, without bfcnk or hin.
drancc, Into an omin0as abyss Utmost three
hundred feet In depth. No pen eau describe
thls scene, This 6 10 reality tho "Grcat
FALL" and Is we'll worthy OF lts name, leap.
Ing ~ It does from the loonl Of nnture llke O
colossal sheet OF silver.
Forming elRht horseshoe, ia central "a.
tiers appear, blue until they meet tho sprny
that rises cvcr hcascnward from tho foot Of
tlr foanfng cataract. The sides arc ffnJcd
Rya!auehes OF the Alps. Right On tllu edge
d tho tall stands lone pl1lor Of gray sanl.
stone, Of whore t.mmlt, undtstuf6cd by tho
wh!x Of watcrsss the tatc fast yawnlng on
thstf cyrfc. a rnlr OF bald.hendel caglcs tavo
built thc!r nest. and aro now rearing ilult
solitude surrounding. Tic eataract's sound,
hut slightly heard nbovc. n absolutely deafan.
iuE Al sou rcach tic rivera bnsc, the roar OF
the falls confined ~ It 10 BY the high wills Of
the canon, rushing down the chasm mud III.
crcasiug ~ volume % Il rolls, 20 ~ 10 lc
Tho cntarnct Ii squire shaped care ot tlttccn
ttct each ailc anl twenty foot high, whose
walls nrc supported hy basaltfc columns, tho
regularity of whoso formation II unsurpassed
By. anything In the Isle. oil Staffn, or tue
| Gfent's Causeway. Sliding out OF this cavo,
slope thst leads 10 thc waters edgc. within
two hundred feet Of the foot OF the falls. you
are right In the middle OF tho mist, aod wet
through In an Instant. It Is here that, hy
looking up, tue enormous altltu1e OF ta' lat
can b. realized, sud the frat feeling y one: oi
selfprcservatlon, I'M involuntary driving
hack, for tho whole mass seems ready to drop
and crush you whero you stand. Never car
the weird beauty OF this scene be forgotten By
bcholdcTs, Rainbows OF thousand hue
seem to surround Tou, and thclr irlscs to nrct
you In the ekles.
Tho white fonmlng wasc.a form brilliant
background to tho ms gle prls,us pictured By
tho spray. The dark tfowniug rocks, relieved
By the bright green jumpers, make flsting
frame for this magnificent t,ght, second ia
n.,nc In point Of volume, Is It is second IA
none In savage grandeur. As measured by
officers OF the First Oregon Infantry. en-
camped adjoloins, the main fall Is 210 feet,
from The edge to the level Of the water be-
low. The upper falls hare not get been
measured, but the total fall Of the river, on
the three distinct tumb1es 1t takes, cannot he
less than 800 feet, while the river Itself Is over
800 {eet Mt Its nar1owest width. The channel
OF the stream below the falls Is chasm l 500
feet iu width and 1000 ln depth. with perpen,
dlcnlar walls Of rock enclosing it.