The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1879-08-29

fortunes. OF course, saloons, dance
houses, theaters and keno dens flourish
in such n place as this. '"'
NIAGARA BI THE ELECTRlC LIGHT.
.. ICiucinnati Enquirer. r rf,.. 4
NIAGARA FALLS, Aug. Is, 1879.
1 left Lake Sliattucqua at five o'clock
yesterday morning, and arrived at the
Cataract House yesterday afternoon for
the special purpose of seeing the Falls
by electric light. In years long since
gone by I had seen the cataract by day
and night, in storm aud in calm, by
moonlight and when 1t rainctl rs II tho
fioodgates Of heaven had opened to wipe
it ont with a deluse, and when 1 left It I
thought 1 could write, so far as it was
concerned, ne phts ultra. was mis-
taken. After supper last night I sat
awhile on the balcony of the hotel, lis
roar Of the Falls. The night was very
dark, not a star was in sight, fact
upon which 1 congratulated myself.
About nine o'clock i walked down to
Prospect Park with friend, and, hav-
ing deposited half a dollar at the gate,
we walked in. From dozen different
lamps in the park the electric light
shows with blending glare, making the
contrast between brightness and gloom
as marked as possible. The crowds
We're all moving in one direction, tho
parapet ut the very brink Of the Amor
ican Falls, and when L arrived there I
saw Il sight that will live in me while
memory holds its seat within my brain.
AS I looked over tho edge of the chasm,
a single electric light was playing ON
the face Of the fall, converting it into a
mass Of moving snow whose dazzling
whiteness rolling on with awful aud
majestic grandeur. f... ..ss .....
The mist that arose from tho whirl-
pools below looked weird and ghostly
and assumed most fantastic shapes.
My Dlind reverted to descriptions Of
Arctic scenery, and for a moment
felt as though was one OF the crew Of
the Jeanette, near the North Pole,
and had just discovered a cascade of
snow. AS full of this feeling stood
half cnraptured, Il lessenfn9 Of the bril-
liancy of the light changed tho aspect
of tho scene Tho water now seemed
liquid glass, and moved as mechanical
ly aud looked as unreal as any painted
cataract seen on the mimic stage. Sud-
denly the manipulation Of tho light on
tho cliff slides sheet OF rose .colorcd
glass before his lamp. Tho scene be-
comes cnsanguined, and now it IL a
cataract Of blood that roars aud misses
and seethcs before mo as though II
were tho gore OF murdered nations,
crying to---nay, demanding vengeance
of heaven. This light Is arranged TO
take in the brink and and upper part
OF tho falls, and then one shaded blue
converts the foam into boiling and un-
canny shapes. The next instant a
flood of white light is projected be-
tween tho red and the blue, and tho
great waterfall becomes the grandest
representation of that banner of beauty
and bravery, tho American nag, ever
seen by mortal eyes. . ' as-'
Twice while this effect was produced
the spectators broke out in rapturous
(ycs, that's the worti) applause, ana 1
felt my heart humping with a patri-
otto fcrvor that almost made me cry out
in ecstatic joy. BY blending the lights
and shades thrown from tho different
lamps on the falls the quaintest and
most picturesque effects arc produced,
and one almost imagines himself in q
fairy land at the mercy Of some genii
Of tlclusion who captivates ana cnrap-
lures his senses at will. I have looked
at the finest transformation scenes ever
presented to the attention OF American
audience, but the very best OF them
was the uuintcssencc of insfgnifcancc
when compared to the beauty OF
! Niagara by electric light.
The hotels here are not doing q land
| office business at present. Prices are
too high. IT costs from ten to n!tcen
doIlars TO ",lo' the falls even II you
remain but single day, and when TO
that sum arc added railroad fares, lo3t
time and other incidcntais, the amount
4. too great for the average summer cx-
cursionist to expend in that time. Tho
rich make L prilgrimage to Niagara
once IN their livcs as q duty, but go TO
! the g,ashcrC and tho mountains for re-
creation over after, and show good
sense III doing so, too.