The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-09-18
zaE DEPTH OF NIAGARA.
Explo ration os tho Cancn-Trying Expc.
rience OF Engineers-Siratefal TO Goose.
boPry Bush.

~--%O@eSSA n"~AAtStSAUA ~ y 0OQS0s
borry Bush.
The canon of Niagara is far moro
mysterious than the falls themselves
Within the era of civilization In Ameri.
ca no one was able to successfully pierce
through the fierce and terrible untiercur-
rent to the bottom until, recently, the
Government itself thought it necessary
In behalf of science to undertake the
task. AL the great schemes Imagined
to be strictly scientific were put in oper-
alton by bunglers to obtain the deDth of
water beneath the fallc. Bars OF rail-
road iron. pals of stones, and all unrea.
sonable, bulky and awkward instruments
were attached to long lines and cast of
the railway bridge and elsewhere. bnt
positively refused To sink. The yery
bulk Of the instrument was sufficient. no
matter what their weight, to give the
powerful undercurrent q way 70 buov
them up upon the surface or near IL.
The United States Corps of Engineers.
however. with small lead of only IL
pounds weight, attached to G slender rope
or sound cord, easily obtained the DEPTHS
from tho falls to the lower bridge. Aa
your correspondent assisted in the hy-
biographical operations, the facts NAV
be given as they presented themselves.
One day we launched in q small boat not
far below the. falls, and entered on a
most exciting and psrlous exploration Of
.he canon. The old guide, long in
mere. accompanied the party. With
great difficulty we approached within &
short distance of the American falls,
which darted great jets of water on us,
and Tar out into the etream. The roar
was so terrible that no voice or human
SOUND, however near we were to one an
other, could be heard. The leadsman
cast the line which passed rapidly down
and told Off S3 feet. This was quite near
the shore. Passing out Of the friendly
EDDY which had assisted US up so near
the falls, we shot rapidly down stream.
The next cast of the leac told OFF 100
ieet, deepening to 192 feet 20 the inclin-
ed railway. The average depth to the
swift Drift, where the river suddenly be-
comes narrow, with velocity too great to
oe measured, was 163 feet. just under the
lower bridge the whirlpool rapids get in, /,
ana 80 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
aurvey, computed the depth at 2l0 feet,
-.hich is accepted as approximately cor
rect.
The terrors of the gorge below this
point are known to but few. Indeed, the
foot OF man scarcely ever treads this in
iiernal region, where almost perpendicu-
lar walls rise on each side of the verge
of inc river from 270 to 800 feet In
height. Hero the continual crumbling
OF the rocks havo formed precipitouS
pathway in places on the rivers edge !;
e,lswhere one must cling to crevices in
tho rock, to juttiug crags, or otherwise to
get along. a party of four of us made o.
survey of the interior of this canon from.
Lewiston TO Suspension Bridge. With
great difficulty we clambercd along. It
was fearful yet exciting exploration.
At times the river would rise suddenly
some ten or even fifteen feet, as IL great
dam ahnve had broken, causing hasty
retreat OF the parties up the sides of the
canon. From points above, rocks and
stones frequently fell, causing lively ap-
prehensions, and, to add to the catalogue
OF embarrassments, an occasional rattle-
snake attempted to retard our progress,
and ono OF them was killed, and his rat
ties preserved in commemoration of the
event. Getting into the canon ut Lewis-
ton was comparatively easy, but making
ones way out was another thing. Near
iiy mile below Dev5aux College, which
is situated half q mile north of Suspen-
sion bridge, the possibility of making
our way along. the rivers edge. ceased.
Night was just approaching, ana it
was days hard work, nearly, to make
Lewiston. Above, the rocks lowered
nearly 300 feet We had the alternative
of remaining in this abode of terrors over
night, and returning to Lewiston the fol-
lowing day, or Of Sighting sn almost i'm
possible passage to the steps leading
down from tho v0i;6sv. We determined
to accept the latter. After an herrs
climb, we made our way &c within tho
feet of the top, where just narrow ridge
formed by the crumbling debris seemed
to extend. We followed this perhaps q
half mile, when 1t came to an sbyupt
termination. Several rods beyond was
broad pathway leading npito the college,
but in the interval only the bare walls
OF rock, almost perpendicular from the
top to the rushing water, 270 feet below,
met the despairing gaze of our party.
Just above our heads was q crevice in the
rocks which Coemed to cross the inter-
vening space. With almost certain
doom staring us directly in the face, We
determined to try to cross by standing
tlptoe in the crevicr md climbing to the
outings of the rocks. The various i'm
plements of the party were divided up. a
heavy theodolite falling to your cores
pondent, which was strapped on his
back. The tallest clambered up to the
crevicc first, the Others assisting and fol-
lowing, and the writer getting up last.
Then began q periions struggle to reach
the pathway beyond. All arrived there
safely when your correspondent, with
inc neavy burden on his back, was but
midway across. Herea sharp rock met
at the height ct the breast impeded the
way: In attempting TO get around this
the boot failed 20 fnd o resting place.
The heavy instrument was pulling me off
my balance. The fingers Wera losing
their slender hold /; 100 feet above was
the calm, ssfe world. 40 feet below
the roaring of che water. One foot slip.
ped OF and was going down, down; O
mist camo over Tho eyes,. when my foot
caught on q slender gooseberry bush and
q hand suddenly gTagped my back and
drew me around to safe standing place.
reached and the safety Of all insured,
but never will the frightfnl scene leave
the senses. One Of the party saw the
danger and rescued the participants, or
else che g6osbeFfy bush was the saving
means--I have mover quite understood
which. fS, .l'll i3
The liberal philosopher of the
Spaing5 5eid Mass 2esitb bliaai, Informs tho
world that Libetia seems to have ab6ui