The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-02-23
THE BRINK OF NIAGARA.



Looked Over.
Philadelphia Press.
''Did you ever hear of a mans standing on top
of Niagara falls without losing his llfe!" asked
Mr.. G. p Sherman, yesterday. well, did.
You have heard of the magnificent ice-bridge
below the falls. Having business at Buffalo,
ran up to look at the ice gorge The ice, which
had poured down from the upper lakes piled up
at the foot of the Horseshoe and froze under the
spray. l clambered over the bridge, and. going
up ON the Canadian side went down under the
Horseshoe fall into the Cave of the Winds.
What superb stalagmites and stalactites of ice
there were there, reaching from roof to floor,
with the laundering curtain of the fall between
us and the light
After had reerossed the river by the sus-
pension bridge, | crossed the bridge above the
American fall to Goat island which was covered
with snow and deserted The shrubb6Fy and
trees near the falls were coated with ice-iu
places, on some of the trunks. several inches i'm
misunderstanding as if they had been cut out
of marble or were the ghosts of dead trees.
Wandering across the island, l crossed over to
the Three Sisters, and, by means Of jam of
great blocks of ice, out to the old canal-boat,
tast which the water was rushing swiftly
Going back to Goat island, 1 went down to
the foot bridge to Terrapin rock, where the old
tower used to stand, and out on the rock. When
/ got there observed that quantity of ice,
covered with snow, had by some means become
fixed upon the projecting rocks on
the edge of the Horseshoe fall beyond the rock
where | stood, forming bridge Oh the extreme
edge of the fall, about a hundred feet long by
perhaps ten or fifteen feet wide. Instantly the
desire to go upon this bridge and look over the
fall seized me. dug out stone from the snow
as heavy as could lift, and, stepping out as far
as / dared, threw it with all my force upon the
bridge, which stood firm the stone sticking fast
in the snow. Then l ran back to the island and
broke off good stout staff, and, coming back to
Terrapin rock, commenced the rather trying
journey
THE snow which covered the ice was itself
covered with a thin coating Of ice, which broke
beneath my feet thus giving me a good foot
hold, and to my head | was sure of that.
as | had thoroughly tested its anti-dizzi-
ness the preceding summer shipboard
and among the Swiss glaciers and precipices.
Prodding my staff or alpenstock heavily into the
snow before me to try the way, | walked out
until had reached about the middle of my ice
bridge, and then | stopped to look. The sight
was the grandeSt and the most awe-inspiring
have ever beheld AS 1 looked up the river the
curve of the on-colning water seemed almost as
high as my head, and steadying my eye upon
some floating particle, the whole mass seemed
coming down upon me with an irresistible
power that must inevitably carry me over the
brink and into eternity: but, with swift, hiss
ing rush it swept under me, leaped out, and
with horrible roar, plunged into the awful
chasm, whence huge clouds of spray, like the
smoke Of its torment, ascending, swept back and
over me-
Steadying myself by my staff, sank quietly
upon my knees, then stretched myself fiat upon
my stomach and looked down over the fall. You
can imagine what saw When the spray would
clear away the water, rushing so swiftly as to
appear to be drawn into lines and burrows, and
springing out under my very face, could be seen
to fall, at first solid, greenish mass, then
broken into foam, into chaos which the eyes
could not penetrate / could feel my bridge
trembling with the rush of the water, and real