Baton Rouge tri-weekly gazette & comet. [volume] (Baton Rouge, La.) 1865-18??, 1868-05-28


ingston, the celebrated traveller, in
his book on travels in Africa, thus
describes the most wonderful geo.
! graphical discovery Of modern times j:
The Victoria Falls of the Zambesi
river are among the remarkable curl
osities of the interior Of Affjca. 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 clusters,
grow abundantly upon the banks.
Many flowers peep out near the
waters edge. But these charming
islands are soon succeeded by danger
Gus rapids. 1t is only when the river
is very low that they can be passed
in safety. Elephants and hippopotami
are often swept over the falls, and, of
course, smashed to pulp. On enter
ins the race of waters the party was
requested not to speak, Gas talking
might impair the virtue of medicine.
There were places where the utmost
exertions Of the canoemen had to be
put forth, to force the boat to the
only safe part Of the rapid, and to
prevent it from sweeping broadside on.
At times it seemed as if nothing could
save the canoe from dashing headlong
against the rocks, but just at the nick
of time the word was passed to the
steers man, who, with ready pole,
turned the craft little aside (; and it
glided swiftly past the threatened dan
ger.
On reaching the falls, spectacle
of indescribable magnifcence was pre-.
sented to the travellers. The cataract
is formed by crack across the river,
the bed of the Zambesi, at the place.
The lips of the crack are still quite
sharp, except about three feet Of the
edge over which the river rolls. The
walls go sheer down from the lips
without any projecting crag. The
cleft is in length few yards more
than the breadth of Zambesi, which
was found to be, by measurement,
little over 1850 yards, but this mum.
Der was retained to mark the year in
which the fall was for the first time
examined. The width, at the mar.
rowest point, was found to be eighty
yards, and at the widest somewhat
more. Into this chasm, twice as deep
as Niagara Falls, the river, mile
wide, rolls with deafening roar, form
ing the Victoria Cataract. Its broken
into several partial falls by rocks and
islands, in all making upward of 1900 |
feet of perennial falls. The whole |
body of water rolls clear over quite
unbroken, but after a descent of ten
or more feet, the entire mass duddenly
becomes like huge sheet of driven
snow. Pieces of water leap from it
in the form of comets with tails stream.
ing.behind, till the snowy sheet was
changed into myriads of rushing, leap.
ing, aqueous comets. The amount is
probably exceeded by Niagara. though
not in the months when the Zambesi
is at its flood. The vast body of water
necessarily incloses in its descent
large body of air, which, forced into
the cleft to an unknown depth, re-
bounds and rushes up loaded with
vapor to form three or even six col.
umns, as if of steam, visible at the
distance of twenty one miles. On
reaching the height of two hundred
feet from the level of the river, this
vapor becomes condensed into a per-
petual shower of fine rain.
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A MIRACLE OF MODERN SCIENCE.
ID