Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1870-10-06

The Great Cataract An south America
Nearly Eight hundred Feet Fall
Column OF snow White Foam.

The Great C.tar.ct I'm south America
Nearly Eight hundred Feet Fall
"A Column Of snow White Foam.
Mr.. Richard Brown writes to the London
Times, on the 18th ult.
In the msnth Of April last, waterfall of
most unusual hight was discovered on the
Potaro, a tributary of the Essequebo River.
by Mr.. O. b. Brown of the Geological Sur
yey of British Guiana. Being short of pro-
visions, and at q great distance from his
boats, Mr.. Brown was not able to devote
more than couple Oh hours to the exam
iuation of the falls, Which, by hasty baro-
metrlcal observations, he found to be nearly
500 feet IN hight, the breadth Of the river
at the top of the falls being 100 Yards
and It's depth 10 feet On his return to
Georgetown, in consequence of the strong
desire expressed by the community that a
careful survey should be made of the falls
without delay, Mr.. Brown was instructed
by the Governor to proceed at once TO the
halls Tor that purpose, accompanied by Sir
q. Young, MIR. Charles Mitchell, and MIR.
King. The result of their journey is en-
bodied IN the inclosed article, published In
Demerara paper of the Sd inst, which.
perhaps, You will deem of sufficient inter
est to insert in the columns of your widely
circulated journal.
Sir George Young gives the following de-
tailed description of the cataract to q
Georgetown paper:
although am anxious that MIR. Brown.
as discoverer of tine Great Kaieteur Fall,
aud the director to the successful expedi-
| ton which We were permitted to accompa-
ny, should have the telling of his own
story, yet can understand that his friends
In Georgetown will be anxious TO hear a:
once of his success. The Fall has q clea-
descent, according to borometrical obsor.
vatlons taken simultaneously by Mr. Brow
at the bottom. and by my colleague, Mr..
Mitchell a. the top, OF $50 feet. Above,
the Potaro ghdes smoothly in slight de-
preston of the table of conglomersts
sandstone, and disappears over the edge in
body which we estimated at eighty wards
IN width, and of depth uncertain in the
center, but Swallowing rapidly toward the
bank. When Mr. Brown discovered The
fall IN April, the rocky channel was COM
pietely covered, and the streams must
have had a width of at least 100 yards. Al
present 1T IL diminishing in volume, and,
as the Indians assured us, will continue to
do so until October, when only the central
and deeper portion, about one-third of the
whole. will remain. The best time, there
fore, for visit is in spring, at the end o.
what appears 10 be the rainy season of this
elevated tract
''As We saw the Fall / cannot imagine
anything more beautiful. The central por-
ton. which is never dry. forms a small
horseshoe or re entering angle, and the wa
ter m this part preserves its consistency
Tor short distance from the ledge. But
everywhere else, and here also, at few
feet from the top, ell semblance of water
disappears; it breaks up or blossoms, into
fine foam or spray, which descends in the
weil-known rocket-like forms of the Staub-
bach and similar waterfalls but multiplied
a thousand times, into small dark pool
over semi-circular curtain of precipice
deeply followed by the action of the
spray. The cavern behind the Fall il the
home of thousands of swallows, which
issue from II In the morning and may be
seen coming in multitudes at night. The fall
itself Is one vast descending column of a
fine dry-'ooking, snow-white substance.
bearing n resemblance in color and con-
sistency, to the snow of an avalanche, but
SURPRISING all avalanches / have seen in
sizs. AID IN the beauty of the forms taken
by the material Of the Fall. Rainboys of
".
front oi the Fall IN Inc morning. one from
the summit In the afternoon; but this last
reverted, forming colored loop or ring,
into which the whole mass seemed 10 pre-
cIpitsste itself and disappear, and dart ont
underneath, black and foamiur, ut the
gorge and outlet of the pool.
owe spent ] days in ascenaiug the
EsseqGebo, which Was heavy in Gocd, and
ad DIM In h
Five days brought us from Turnatnmari.
the lowest Fall on the Potaro, to the Pata.
mona village. In this stage there are five
cataraets, two OF which at least are mae
aessible.
MIR. Brown and Mr. King remained at
the Falls two days after the departure of
Sir George Young and MIR Mitchell. max
Ing sketches Of the Falls and observations
OF their width, depth, and the velocity of
the stream above. On carefully working
out the mean result of FIVE separate obser.
vations, taken simultaneously at the top
aud bottom of the Fall, Mr. Brown found
thar they gave the total height of the per
PendIcular Fall and cataract rs SI7 feet.
The depth OF the cataract WAS subsequent
iy taken at the edge OF the pool on the
western side, by aneroid barometer cit be-
ing Impossible to carr large barome-
ter to the foot OF the Fall) and found il TO
he 81 feet, making the height of the per-
pendlcular Fall 736 feet. The width of
the river 200 yards above the Fall was 1877
Yards. and its greatest depth Is feet 2
inches, feet less than at high water.
IHE NEW CANADIAN Fifty CENT PIECE
The Toronto Globe says: The new fifty
cent pieces have arrived, and, to a consid-
ersble amount, are getting into general cir.
culation. The coin is of the same style as
those OF smaller denominations. and has
the same faults. The die from which il
was east Was very shallow; consequently
the figures. leaves, and letters are but
slightly raised, and will easily become in
distinct when the COINS have been long I'm
USE On one side il a profile of her majes-
ty, surrounded by the motto. Victoria del
gratid Regina" underneath being the word
Canada On the reverse is wreath of
maple leaves, surrounded by crown, and
IN the centre, IN large characters, so cents.
1870 The metal is of good quality, but
the coin has been designed without taste.
and executed with only average skill
and finish, and is no credit to the MINI
whence 1t came. About half dozen cases
passed through this city few DAYS ago via
Ufahu lfuiik 10 various banks IN the west
ern part OF the province. We believe the
pieees were struck at the Soho mint near
birmingham, most of the silver having
been obtained by smelling quantity of
American coin sent home for that purpose. {"
LADY died in England, lately, who ve,v
narrowly escaped being. if not a queen. at
least the wife of British King. This was
Baroness Wenman, whom William ~.
would at enc time have been exceedingly
glad to marry. She inherited large estates
from her father, and the King, mindful of
his Old love, created her, soon after his
accession to the throne, pee ress in her
own right. She never married. LADY
Wenman's name was Wykeham, and she
was descended from a collateral relation of
the ceiebrated William of Wykeham, who
founded two splendid colleges -WincLes.
ter and New College. Oxford.
30 FAR only sixteen cases of yellow fever
have occurred in Mobile, aud only four of
these resulted fatally
Ne. "a