The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1879-09-26
THE CANON OF NIAGARA.
MORE MYSTERIOUS THAN THE FALLS
THEMSELvES-THE DEPTH OF THE
WATER-EXCITING EXPLORA
TIONs OF GOVERNMENT
ENGINEERS.


ENGINEERS.
The Niagara correspondent of the Syr-
acuse Standard writes
The canon of Niagara is far more myster-
i ious than the falls themselves. Within the
area Of civilization IN America no one was
/ able to successfully pierce through the fierce
and terrible under current TO the bottom un-
! til recently, the Government Itself thought
Z il necessary in behalf Of science to undertake
the task. All the gTeat.schemes imagined to
be strictly scientific were put IN operation
! by bunglers to obtain the depth of water be-
meath the falls. Bars Of railroad iron, pals
of stones, and all unreasonable and bulky
and awkward instruments were attached to
long lines and cast off the railroad bridge
and elsewhere but pO sitiyey refused to sink
the very bulk o. the instruments ing suf-
fcient, no matter what their weight. t. give
the powerful undercurrent way TO buoy
them up upon the surface or near It.
The United States Corps of Engineers,
however. with small lead Of only twelve
pounds weight, attached TO a slender rope or
sounding cord, easily obtained the depths
from the falls to the lower bridge. As your
: correspondent assisted in the hydrogTaphical
operatfOns. the facts may be given as they
presented themselves. one day we launch
I ed in a small boat not far below the falls,
and entered on a most exciting and perllOuS
exploration of the canon. The old guide,
long in charge Of the miniature ferry situated
I here, accompanied the party With great
/ difficulty we approached within q short dis
tauce OF the American Falls, which darted
great lets Of water on us and far out INTO the
stream.
The roar was so terrible thaC no voice or
I human sound, however near we were to one
another could be heard. The leadsman cast
the line, which passed rapidly down and
told off SO feet This was quite near the
shore Passing out Of the friendly eddy
which had assisted us up so near the fall we
shot rapidly down stream. The next cast of
ATg. 1a,l IL .,rT GnnnGfF1r1D rn
at the inclined railroad. The average depth
to the Swift Drift, where the river suddenly
becomes narrow with n velocity too great to
be measured was 153 feet. just under the
lower bridge the whirlpool rapids set in, and
so violently are the waters moved that they
rise like ocean waves to the height Of 20 feet
At this point your correspondent, at the
time Of the survey, computed the depth at
30 feet, which IS accepted as approximately
. correct.
The terrors of the gorge below this point
are known to but few. Indeed, the foot of
man scarcely ever tIeads this Internal region
where almost perhendicular walls rise on
each side of the verge OF the river from 27O
to $50 feet in height Here the continual
crumbling of the rocks have formed a preCi-
pitOuS pathway in places on the rivers edge
elsewhere one must cling to creviceS in the
rocks, to iUtting crags or otherwise to get
along 4 party Of four Of us made a survey
of the interior of this canon from Lewiston
to Suspension Bridge, With great difficulty
exciting exploration. At times the river
would rise suddenly some 10 or even 10 feet,
as if great dam above had broken, causing
a hasty retreat Of the parties up the sides OF
the canon.
From points above rocks and earth frequent
" fell, causing lively appTehensi0nS, and, to
add to the catalogue Of embaTTaSsmentS, an
occasional rattleSnake attempted to retarG
our progress, and one Of them was killed
and his rattles preserved in commemoration
Of the event. Getting into the canon at
Lewiston was comparatively easy but max
ing ones way out was another thing. Near
" mile below DeyeauX College, which is
situated half mile north OF Suspension
bridge, the possibility Of making cur way
along the rivers edge ceased. Night was
lust approaching. and u was hard day'S
work, nearly, 10 make Lewiston. Above
the rocks lowered nearly 300 feet. We had
the alteTn atIye Of remaining in this abode Of
teTrOTs ov er night and returning to Lewiston
the following day, or of fighting an almost
impossible passage to the steps leading down
from the college.
We determined 10 accept the latter. At
ter an hours climb We made our way to
within 100 feet of the top, where just a
narrow ridge, formed by crumb!cd debris
seemed to extend. We followed this per
bapS = ha.f mile, when it came 10 an abrupt
termination. Several rods beyond was a
broad pathway, leading up 20 the college,
but IN the interval only the bare walls Of
rock. almost perpendicular from the TOP to
the rushing water, 30 feet below. met the
desp&iring gaze OF our party. just above
our heads was crevice in the rocks which
seemed to cross the intervening space. With
almost certain doom starinEu as directly in the
face, we determined to Try 20 cross by stand
ing tiptoe in the cTevice and climbing to the
outings OF the rocks. The various imple-
ments Of The party were divided up, a heavy
theO .0.iJe falling to your correspondent
which was strapped to his back. The tail
est c.amrcTed up to tie cTsvice FIR t. the 9th
eTS assisting and following. anu the writer
getting up last. Then began a Derilous
struggle To reach the pathway beyond.
All arrived there safely when your cores
pondeut, with the heavy burden on his back,
was just midway across Here a sharp rock
just at the height Of the breast imueded the
way In attempting to get around this the
bO0t Jailed to find a resting place The
heavy instrument was pulling me of my
balance; the fingers were losing their slcn-
den hold; I10 feet below the roaring water
One foot slipped off and was going down,
down; mist came over the eyes. when my
loot caught on q slender gooseheuy bush, and
a hand suddenly graspcd my back and drew
me around to safe standing place. In a
moment more the pathway was reached, and
the safety Of all insured, but never will the
fnghttUl scene leave the senses. One Of the
party saw the danger and rescued the par
ticIpant, or else the gooSeberry bush was the
saving meanS-I have never quite understood
which.