The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1882-02-04
Notes Of Summer Travel.

At Niagara Falls-scenes In and Around
the Great Cataract-A Run to Boston
and New neutrality-suspicious. of Gotham.
NEW York, Jan. II 1882.
MY DEAR NELL:
The desire Of many years is ut last
gratifed l have seen Niagara! had
thought it would he simple enough
matter to describe it all TO you, but /
believe even Millions soaring genius
would have dropped dismayed before
such task, and I-how shall attempt
it'll No pen can paint, no imagination
conceive the awful grandeur of the
'scene-the roaring, rushing, mighty
river dashing tumultuously over it's
'rock-girt bed; now appalling in its
terrible wrath, now piteous in its wild
despairing groan, unresting ever, heed
less of the gigantic boulders in its course,
as though they were pebbles, until it
hurls itself in majestic fury over the
lofty precipice, and finds rest at last in
the emerald depths below. And oh! the
river as it takes the awful leap, trans
forming itself into masses Of glittering
spray, falling in countless millions of
sparkling crystals, white as the cleaning
snow on Alpine heights; while at its
base, the mist rises over ill spectral
shapes which glide away with ghostly
tread or vanish into thin air.
There took possession of me Q feeling
akin to that we have in some grand old
cathedral, impeliing rs to bow the knee
in worship, or perhaps rather that which
Moses experienced when he stood beside
the burning bush, and was hidden put
off his shoes, for the very ground was
sacred. To speak word seemed pro-
fanation. Mans life with its anxious
cares and small vexations, it's petty
conventionalities and paltry ambitions,
faded out Of sight, and the unseen
realities, the infinite unknown seemed to
draw near. Kingdoms have arisen and
fiourished and fallen, and generation
after generation of men have lived and
suffered aud died, while still the voice
of God has spoken, unchanged in this,
His glorious creation. No marvel the
Indians used the place as their burying
ground. They, too, heard the voice of
the Great Spirit in its thunder, and
recognized with trembling hearts the
Awful Presence. But to the untutored
child of the forest the God who revealed
Himself i'll Niagara was God stern,
majestic, terrible; a God indispensable
IN his wrath, powerful to crush and
overwhelm the unhappy wretch who
offended Him. ~
! stopped and plucked tiny wild
flower that grew at my feet, and read
IN this trail blossom tie christians
revelation Of o complete God; God Of
lovo as well as Of majesty who numbers
the very hairs of our head, and who
shields the least life III all His great
universe, with more than mother love
from the cradle to the graye-yea,
beyond the grave, if 50 We will, through,
the endless cycles Of eternity.
It vas extremely cold on the day we
spent at Niagara; our driver was all
inutf1ed up for winter weather, and /
found it difficult to keep at all warm
with heavy wraps. One special feature
OF interest is the inclined railway leading
to Prospect Point. 1t extends partly
through tnnnel, and is $40 feet long,
nearly a block. We took our seats on
the car with some little trepidatiou. ]
say We" though of course Harry would
not acknowledge the slghtest fear
Near the waters edge I observed a huy.
mass ct Joe, SO curiously marked and
mottled that, viewed from the heish,
above, it suggested some scaly Sc;
monster # the deep. We were told i,
had boon nearly as high as the Falls, bu,
had thawed very much.
A pleasant drive through the tow,
and suburbs, brought us to the "Wbirl
pool Rapids" about three miles from til.
rails. Here the river, unclaimed With,
i much narrower channel, dasl,es wildl,
onward at the rate Of twenty-sevc,
miles an hour. The spot is sublime am
awe-inspirins, but did not impress mo a
qua Niagara. The PERCEPTIONS descent t,
Ihe water, 800 feet deep, and all o
passive rock, reminds one Of th,, ,,r;,,
walls and battlements of some ,,,;.,
castle An elevator passing like til,
runway partly through Il tunnel. re-
celved and landed us ut the waters e,,us
An artist always stationed. her, wa
p"s1'y engaged in photographiny som
visitors And indeed, hp could not Lay
found the world over, Il more m,,,,;s
cent background. A small steambo,
g"loed by three intrepid men passe,
successfully over the rapids some tim
ago. 1t was 'ltlicult to believe it uossi
1'e as we watched the surgins wave
i"ap'ns mp into eddying whirlpools. am,
rushing matlly onward, foam-erested j;
resist'ess might. -
We looked in vain for the Indian
who, we have heard, were wont I,
haunt Niagara with their curious ware,
BUT Traces of their delft WORKMANSHIP
were abundant enough. and hisl,-price
enough too, for such TRIES; so did no