The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1879-09-11
Correspondence Of the News.
AVisit to Niagara Falls,

Correspondence Of the News.
AVisft to Niagara Falls.
EDITOR NEws:-As a prelude to
my visit to the greatest cataract in
the world, I Joined an excursion par
ty atDunkirk, and enjoyed a delight
ful trip to Grand Island, in the
/ Niagara River, ten miles below Buff
falO. The beautiful steamer, Pearl,
was chartered for the occasion, and
the weather and all else conspired to
make the trip one long to be remem-
bered. On the way we passed near
the Canada side, in view Of Old Fort
Erie, whose ruins stand near the
shore. Dancing, speeches and song
helped us to "while the happy hours
ava" not that we stripped the
light fantastic toe'-no, not L Had
I the disposition, I have too much
I |adipose matter and too much ealorio
to engage in such fascinating sports
at this season of the year. On re-
turning, we touched at Buffalo,
where I left the boat and proceeded
by rail to the Falls, and after a good
nights sleep proceeded to 'do" the
place.
feel how powerless IS my pen
to give anything ike a graphic de-
scription of the Falls. Many Of
your readers have read glowing ao-
F. counts from abler and more practised
pens, and many have seen them as
they are, and know how far short a
description falls ofthereality. Never,
even in the grandest words Of poetry, /
was the grandeur Of Niagara ez-
pressed. But a brief account of
my visit may not be altogether IN
interesting to your readers
The first point Of interest visited
was the Rapids and Whirlpool, two
miles below the Falls. Here we de-
scended by means ofan elevator into
the chasm beside the Rapids, and
beheld for the first time this awful /
stream, in its maddening rush and
deafening roar; and here perhaps,
more than anywhere else, we realized /
something Of It's migbtiness. The |
maddening waters, piing wave upon
wave, rise and roll and surge and /
dash against each other in their .
wild career, churning and dashing T
the waters into foam, carrying it high /
in the air, scattering it into beauti- /
full fakes Of snowy whiteness, that
fall upon the angry pillows as gently /
as the snow-fakes upon the sod, all I
making one grand, ever-changing, /
and yet changless and matchIess
dissolving view, that leads the be-
holder invOluntariIy up to its maker
God.
On our way to this p3int We saw
also for the first time the British
flag floating on the breeze, from the
top Of the Custom House, on the
Canadian shore. Leaving the Rap
ids, We were driven over the lower
bridge to the opposite
side, while the cars were rattIng over
our heads on the same bridget The
view of tie cars and other vehicles
and footmen crossing and recrossing, I
as seen from the Rapids below, is
most beautiful, yet the sight awakens
g sense Of fear, as We glide over this
deep and angry abyss. But a few
moments and we are on Her 1Iaiesty's
soil, where they say, God save the
Queen!7
We next drive to Table Rock, and
ziew the splend0rs Of the cataract
from this point, and descend, equip
ped from head to foot in a rubber
suit, and with a guide, and pass IN I
Ter the Horseshoe Fall as far as
human feet have trod, and are be-
abOred by the dashing spray, which
IN upstream. current Of wind sends
in alowers upon our devoted heads.
From here we were driven to Lun-
jy's Lane battle-ground, on whose
plain was fought the great battle Of
1914 On the site stands a build
ing, from whose tower the country
for many miles round can be seen in
all its beauty. This battle-ground
is about one and a half miles from
the Falls.
Returning, we recrossed to the
American side on the new suspension
bridge, oue-eighth Of a mile below Z
The cataract. This IS the longest
suspension bridgein the world, being
1900 feet in length. It's cables are
1900 feet long, andi5 spans a mighty
3hasm, 100 feet above a stream, $50 :
.eet in depth. From the Canada
iide, as also from Goat Island, it is
plainly seen that the Horseshoe
shape Of the Falls is changing, as the
center is orumbLng away downward
md backward up the stream, some
What in the shape Of q V.
This suggests the question: How
asst do the Falls wear away? Sir
Charles Lyell estimates that the
is one foot a year, which
$ regarded as approximately correct, b
md it is thought by many that in