The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1873-09-13
THIRD LETTER.
THIRD LETTER
At the Great Falls--sights and Scenes
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of Niagara--Sojourn in Rochester.
CEDAR GROVE, N. c., Sept. 3rd, 1874
| There is scarcely any thing that can
be said about Niagara Falls that has
not been written o hundred times.
On my arrival at Suspension Bridge
| took carriage and drove directly
to the falls, approaching them on the
Canada side. All the way from the
bridge to the fall the channel is about
two hundred feet deep, and the un-
quoted waters of Niagara are surging
and foaming as if some demon was at
the bottom. The road is tortuous and
at every turn I expected the grand
sight to burst upon my vision. The
driver stopped occasionally to point
out some spot of historical interest,
more, | thought, to consume time, for
which he was paid by the hour.
When within half mile of the falls
| saw a narrow sheet of water pouring
over the bank on the American side,
and on expressing surprise at some
thing had not heard of, the driver
informed me that this was the q Brf-
dial Veil" very pretty sight, appro-
priately named, which You admire
with none of the awe you expect to
feel further on. This stream comes
from some mill, and the water is re-
turned by this channel to the river.
1t was not till / reached the Clifton
House, near the battlefield of Lundy
Lane, that l was gratifed with the
long expected view of the grandest
sight l ever witnessed. I looked, lis
tened and wondered, but was not
stricken dumb by the awe that so
many experience. / compared the
impression with the feeling I had ex-
perienced when q boy while witness
ing the waters of a freshet pour over
an old mill dam. had seen nothing
else could compare them to, and l
must admit that the feeling of wonder.
was not greater as | took in ut one
view the whole of the American and
Canadian Falls. The truth is that
the majority of people are disappoint-
ed. They expect to see more at first
sight than can be, seen. AS I ap-
preached the falls the interest grew
upon me. I saw them from number
of points, and then drove up the river
to see the rapids, which were really
wonderful, and of which I had not
read correct account. They extend
for mile above the falls, and have
fall during their course of sixty feet.
The maddened waters hurting, foam
ing, fretting and breaking into a
thousand pillows, rush to the edge of
the precipice, smooth themselves. and
with one grand leap plunge into the
laundering flood below. Here general
chaos and confusion ensues, the cur
rents running to and fro in every dr.
rection, rushing against and interior
ing with the course of each other, pro-
ducing seething and boiling that is
indeseribable, which continues through
deep gorge for mile and q half,
where the distracted currents are
calmed to form the grand whirlpool,
from which the water rushes over the
rapids under Suspension Bridge. The
constant fog in front and over the
Horse Shoe Fall and the constant
shower of rain in the vicinity is gen
orally spoken of as spray, creating
the impression that the water is bro
ken into particles and thrown up,
forming the mist. | soon concluded
that this was not the case, and ac-
counted for it by supposing that the
sudden arrest of the water in It's
downward course develops heat suf-
ficient to convert a portion of water
into steam, which rises, and as it
comes in contact with cooler air is
condensed, and falls in the shape of
rain in such quantity as to moisten