The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1878-10-12
Niagara.
Hacking IN the Palmy Days Of fore---A re"
of the Good and the bad Things nov To
he Seen at Niagara Falls.

he Seen at Niagara Falls.
Some time ago | gave the readers of tn
FREE TRADER Il rrict description ct the grcI
| Niagara; but there is so much to be seen ant
written about that majestic wonder that on
could hardly do it justice in single article
Besides, there are outside shows ~ which ar
rarely touched upon by correspondents that il
themselves are worthy of note Certain 1t Is
that one cannot see all there is of Niagara dur
ing a single visit without "a stay Of eXceptiona
duration.
II is fact that the more one sees OF this
place the more wonderful and grand II aprar'
to him. There is always something new ant
inspiring in its sublime greatness which never
fails to awaken within ones soul astonishmen
at so majestic work of nature, Even thu
people who reside there and see it every day
whose cheeks are daily kissed by the dropping
spray returning from its aerial flight and with
the laundering roar of the falling water ever
ringing in their ears say that it never grows
old to them, but that everytme they see ii
some new charm presents itset-somcthing
they had never noticed before
But III spite VI all the sublmity and grand
eur which so charms the tourist, few people,
in the days gone by, left Niagara entirely
pleased with their visit The rascally tricks
liant charges of the hotels, and the outrageous.
" high fees for admittance to places Of inter.
est, so impressed one with the reality Of bare.
faced robbery"-ihat he had fallen among
thieves or people who had mover learned
the first principles of common honesty,-that
nearly everybody wen! away swearing, "By
The almighty thunder of its falling watsr"-or
words to that ettect-that they would never
visit Niagara again.
The victims OF "orangc blossoms and lavon.
Ter" seem to be Il special target for the an.
hackmen and hotels. Indeed they
IRE so wherever they 90, but here more than
my place else. Many Il newly made pair
with two soft hearts and literally filed pock.
.t-beok, arrived ut the Falls expecting to re.
main week or more, but AFTER the first day
n SO their cash began to grow beautifully less
It's painful to think of tD so that to save their
or from sending home for money,
heir sudden departure for other and less ex.
)ensive parts was necessary. Indeed 1t has
Jeen said that when many Of the present ho-
els first opened they nalled down all the win
lows facing the river, and if guests wanted
hem opened they had to- apply at the office
md submit to an extra charge for looking at
he Falls from their windows, If you hired
. hack by the hour, the driving was so slow
hat it took all day to see even half the places
If interest. If you engaged him for specl-
led amount to drive you around, he made the
old nag go so that you could see scarcely
Inything Whatever way you worked it, you
we're sure to get "beat."
| shall never forget my first visit to Niagara
calls 1t was along during that month when
,rldal parties are most numerous, though they
re to be seen at nearly all seasons, with orange
blossoms growing all around the women's
leads, and the rest of them done up IN lavGn
doves and, oh how green 1t is, perhaps
for me to state that was not on
hat kind Of u tour, but may to all appearance
AVE looked green enough for just such al
rain the drivers "tumbled' to me and all
wanted TO do me IA favor. Several offered me
Jacks; others would like to carry my bag
-age; and some wanted to give me their eX
,rcss wagons. | thought | had fell among
he most generous lot of people on earth, and
wondered how they could be so obliging
they gathered around me in such friendly
manner and with such familiarity that if |
adn't known | was an unprctentious individ. |
al from the rural shades of an interior town
would have considered myself some high
lgnitary or state or perhaps an alderman
rom some small city. | soon learned that
there was a method in their Madness" and
nat all this pretended kindness was simply
n introduction to the "tleecing" they would
i've me before / got through seeing the falls.
was not long in learning that the Niagaras
ad knack of relieving fellow of more
loney in shorter space of time than any
eople in any place I ever saw, except
hurch festival; that beats them all. | found
ne prices they asked for everything or any
,Ing were simply immense. If you felt like
eating drinks were way up You get
bout two cents worth for a quarter, and ten
ents worth of anything costs you an even
ollar. The fancy stores were numerous and
while the festive female clerks
lat "wrcstle" with the curIosities were rather
.ir to the outward view, and by the applca-
on of few of the arts and sciences many of
lem still retain traces OF their former beauty.
,nuSt mot saw too much ahout bpautv of This