The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1871-08-24
OUR VISIT TO THE FALLS

pleasant island containing some seventy acres
lies between the two falls. The American
ran as the reader will infer, is on the American
sue sue OF the river, and the Horse Shoe Fall on
tne Canadlan side. The former is much the
smaller, being only about 600 feet across, while
ehe latter is some 1900 feet across; the Amer
iGan H rail- however, is l64 feet high, while the
rse-Shoe Fall is l53 feet high
We first saw the falls from the American
SIDE. The principal street of the town of Nj
agara alls,-a handsome town, by the way
runs so as TO lead i'll one direction directly to
the lower side of the American Fall A picket
fence crosses the street at its termination and
entering the enclosed space, one finds himself
suooehIy IN the presence of the mighty cata-
racts-a vast river tearing along at a most
leailul rate, and plupging over a giddy hight
amid thunder, and foam, and rising mists. and
flying rainbows
II was early in the morning that we set forth
TO view the wonderful sight; yet we found
great many people at the edge of the precipice
IN advance of US. Many too were going about
III carriages to see the sights. The number of
men VINO were on hands ready to give their
personal services and the use of their horses
and vehicles tu aid us in the laudabIe business
OF sight seeing, was immense. They were
very reasonable. too ''take you both for half
a-doIlar-oniy quarter apiece;" but we un-
derstood that; let us i'll for a quarter, but
would charge five dollars to let u out again
w hat anybody should want to ride for in look
ing at the falls, is a mystery; many of the
hnesl sights could not be seen in that wav:
person wants to get about in such a manner
that he can wander here aud there and climb
around without "let or hndrance''
After viewing the falls from this point. we
crossed to the Canadian side of the river
short distance below is a magnificent suspen
SION bridge swung across the awful abyss at a
height OF perhaps two hundred feet. Crossing
TINS we came upon the Canadian shore a short
distance below tue celebrated Clifton House
I'M Hap Gtaff .
Tor the first time in our lives saw the English
nag flying III the breeze, and felt that we had
passed Ito the teTritoEv of that empire on
whose domains the sun never sets. In the i'm
mediate neighb0rhood Of this house as | was
informed. fought the battle OF Lundv's
Lane, on the 25th OF July, 1914, in which Gen.
W Winfield Scott, theE IA young man, greatly
distinguished himself. Here" SAYS the his
toTian, "within sound of that mighty cataract,
occurred enc OF the bloodest battles of the
war. "
On the edge of the cliff on the Canadian side
are also two or three In 1iau Curiosity Stores''
beautiful park and residence enclosed by a
genuine thlck set hedge, a museum and a cage
outside where we saw two enormous black
pears, the residence among Others of yalua-
Die little old fellow with one eve who cuts
trlnkets out of spar aad sells them to visitors
at the falls and who told US that if when we
were coming back we should want cup Of
hot coffee or Il warm meal, great thunder
ana the thermometer up to a ton, in the shade
"a bath house, etc. From the Canadian side
the finest view of the falls is TO be had, as
here the whole scene is spread out before the
spectator. At every other point, some portion
of the falls is obscured.
Alter we had seen, as we thought, about
every thing to be seen on the Canadian side
we descended the cliff by a carriage way cut
into the face of the rock, to the waters edge,
where We found boatman just on the point of
putting off to the opposite shore. We paid our
quarter, and took seats in his craft His yes
sci was only large skiff propelled by a single
PAIR OF oars, hardly, III appearance, a sufficient
vessel for such q voyage. But we made the
transit safely. The waves dashed US about
with great violence, and the spray from the
falls descended upon US like rain. We had
stormy voyage; but landed finally at the foot
OF stair case, just below the 4 American Fall.
a car runs up and down an inclined plane from
the waters edge to the top of the bank, and
the fare is but ten cents. We preferred 10
walk. however, ani 80 clambered up the
long stair case, tired enough before we reached
the top. AT the top found ourselves at the
spot where We had Grst seen the falls in the
morning.
From here we went to Goat Island. This
island is private property, and as fee of fifty
cents is charged for crossing to it, it is a source
of large income 10 the proprietors. Every
body who visits Niagara, goes to Goat Island
Connected with this island by bridges are
Luna Island. the Sister Islands, and Terrapn
Tower. This latter is tower of stone forty
feet high, enclosing spiral stair-ca by which
ii IS assembled and it stands rock Just on
the edge of the Horse Shoe Fall, some 75 or
100 feet from the land. From the top of this
tower many of the finest views are to be had;
especially of The rapids ard of the seethEg cal
sron into which the waters of the Great Fall
are precpitated. To one who should fall into
! the water here, destruction would be swift and
! inevitable
/ Tt ic Ot poasttIa to e t.
7 so as to convey even faint idea of their vast
ness their magnifcence, their wild beauty l
/ had read many descriptions OF them, from How
| ison's, when was boy, to Dickens's, since
! l have been a man; but nothing that / had
| read even approximatcd to the reality. They
are indescribable. They must be seen to be
| appreciated; and not only must they be seen,
! but they must be studied. The idea of their
! greatness and sublimity must grow upon one
/ from lingering about them-from hanging over
! the dizzy Clffs--irom tossing over their tu-
multuous waves--from feeling their descending
| spray, illuminated with rainbows falling like
/ the waters of new baptism upon ones head.
| 81 think, says Dickens, sin every quiet
| season now, still do those waters roll and leap,
and roar and tumble, al day long. Still are
the rainbows spanning them, hundred feet
! below. Still, when the sun is on them, do
they shine and glow like molten gold. Still
when The day is gloomy, do they fall like snow,
or seem to crumble away like the front of
great chalk cliff or roll down the rocks like
! dense white smoke. But always does the
mighty stream appear to die as it comes down,
and always from its unfathomable grave ARISES
TINT tremendous ghost of spray and mist
/ which is never laid which has haunted this
place with the same dread solemnity since
Darkness brooded On the deep. and that first
flood before the deluge--Light--cam me rushing
on creation at the word of God"
Very Truly Yours, T. J. CHAPMAN.
--~-
A Few CONVINCING FACTs.-That lightning
rods are protection against the ravages
Of that subtle fluid is much an accepted and
ndsputable fact that the Munson Copper
Tubular Lightning Rod is the very best that
is known to the people of this country No
better evidence of these truisms could be given
or need be given than that so many people are
having them erected on their dwellings and
barns and that Messrs. Joues King, agents