Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1879-09-17

perly rehned, are available Tor lamps
and thus the eucalyptus promises some
thing to fall back upon when we have
pumped out all the subterranean reser-
voirs that at present supply our oilwells
Ii ray be long ere this occurs, but il
must be SO at last, seeing that oil does
not grow in the earth, and the largest
supplies are but limited.
Niagara's Depths.
Within the era of civilization in America
no one was able to successfully pierce
| through the fierce and terrible under cur
rent at Niagara To the bottom until re-
Gently the government itself thought it ne
| cessary in behalf of science to undertake the
/ task All the great schemes imagined to
/ BE- strictly scientific were put in operation
| by bunglers to obtain the depth of water
| beneath the falls. Bars of railroad iron,
pals of stones and all unreasonable bulky
and awkward instruments were attached to
| long lines and cast off from the railway
bridge and elsewhere, but positively refused
to sink The very bulk of the instruments
was sufficient. no matter what their weight,
TO give the powerful under-current a way
TO buoy them up upon the surface or near
/ it. The United States Corps of Engineers,
however. with a small lead of only twelve
pounds weight attached TO slender rope,
or sounding cord, easily obtained the depths
from the falls TO the lower bridge. As your
CORRESPONDENT assisted in the hydrographi-
cal operations the facts may be given as
they present themselves. One day we
launched IN small boat not far below the
falls and entered on most exciting and
perilous exploration of the canon. The old
guide, long IN charge of the miniature ferry
situated here, accompanied the party. With
great difficulty We approached within a
short distance of the American falls, which
darted great Jets Of water on us and far out
into the stream. The roar was 50 terrible
that no voice or human sound, however
near we were Ia one another, could be
heard The leadsman cast the line which
passed rapidly down and told us S3 feet.
This was quite near the shores. Passing
out of the friendly eddy which had assisted
us up so near the falls we shot rapidly down
the stream The next cast of the lead told
off 100 feet, deepening to 1872 feet at the
inclined railway. The average depth to
the Swift Drift, where the river suddenly
becomes narrow with a velocity too great
to be measured. was l53 feet Just under
the lower bridge the whirlpool rapids set in
and 50 violently are the waters moved that
they rise ike ocean waves to the height of
twenty feet. At this point your correspon-
dent, "a; the time of the survey computed
the depth at 2l0 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 treads this internal re-
gion where almost perpendicular walls rise
on each side Of the verge of the river from
21U 10 $50 feet in height. Here the con
tinual crumbIing of the rocks have formed
precipilous pathway in places on the rivers
edge: elsewhere one must cling TO creyices
in the rock, TO jutiing crags or otherwise to
get along. \ party of four of us made
survey Of the interior of this canon from
Lcwistown to Suspension Bridge, with great
we clambered along. Ii was a
fearful. vet exciting exploration. At times
the river would rise suddenly some ten and
even fifteen feet as if u great dam above
had broken. causing e hasty retreat of the
party up the sides Of the canon. From
points above, rocks and stones frequently .
tell, causing lively apprehcnsions and TO .
ldd to the catalogue of cmharrassments. an
rattlesnake attempted TO retard
,ur progress and one of them was killed
md his rattleS preserved in commemora-
ion Of the event. Getting into the canon
L Lewistown was comparatively easy. but
making ones way out is another thing.
Yearly mile below DeveauX college.
which is situated half a mile north Of Sus-
tension Bridge, the possibility Of making
,ur way along the rivers edge ceased.
Night was just approaching and it was a
.ay : hard work. nearly, to make Lewis
own Above, the rocks lowered neatly
500 feet. We had the alternative of re
naming in this abode of terrors over night
md returning to Lcwistown the following
lay. or Of fighting an almost impossible
passage TO the steps leading down from the
college We determined to accept the lat
er. After an hours climb we made our
way TO within 100 feet of the top where
just a narrow ridge formed by the crumbled
debris seemed to extend. We followed this
perhaps half mile when II came to an alb
-Hpt termination. Several rods beyond .
was a broad pathway leading up to the col
Iege, but IN the interval only the bare walls .
Of rocks, almost perpendicular from the top .
to the rushing water, 27O feet below, met .
the dcspairing gaze Of our party. Just .
above our head was crevice in the rocks (
which seemed to cross the intervening space. T.
With almost certain doom staring us di- 1
rectly in the face we determined to try to I
cross by standing tiptoe in the erevice and .
TO the jutting of the rocks. The 4
various implements Of the party were d. I
vided up, heavy theodOlite falling to your
which was strapped on his .
back. The tallest clanbered up to the
crevice first, the others assisting and fol- /
lowing and the writer getting up last Then .
began a terrible struggle TO reach the path
way beyond. All arrived there safely I
when your correspondent with the heavy
burden on his back was but midway across. /
Here sharp rock Just at the height of the .
breast impeded the way. In attempting to
get aronnd this the boot failed to find a
resting place The heavy instrument was
pulling me off my balance The fingers
were loOsing their slender hold one hundred
feet above was the calm, safe world, one
hundred and seven feet below the roaring
Of the water. One foot slipped off and was /
going down, down; mist came over the |
eyes when my foot caught on slender .
gooseberry bush and hand suddenly grasp .
ed my back and drew me around to safe
standing place. In a moment more the I
pathway was reached and the safety of all 1
ensured, but never will the frightful scene ,
leave the senses. One of the party saw
the participant or else the gOoseberry bush
was the saving means-I have never quite
understood which.
Socialist up to Certain Point.
| Mas frnvnlinnr in n hnnnrfrnnnt Of fhn