Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1884-06-12
ON NIAGARA'S BRINK.
TFroiu the philalclplia Press.

"Did you ever hear of man standing on
the top of Niagara Falls without losing his
| life ?" asked Mr.. G.. P. Sherman recently.
"Well, / did. You have heard of the mag
nifcent 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.
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 l had
crossed the river by the suspension bridge
crossed the bridge above the American fall
| 10 Goat island, which was covered with
snow and deserted. The shrubbery and
| trees near the falls were coated with ice, i'll
places, on some of the trunks, several inches
! in thickness, looking as if they had been cut
out Of marble, or were the ghosts of dead
trees Wandering across the island, |
crossed over to the Three Sisters and, by
means of a jam of great blocks Of ice, out to
the old canal-boat, past which the water
was rushing swiftly.
Going back TO Goat island, went down
| to the foot. bridge to Terrapin rock, where
| the old tower used to stand, and out on the
| rock. When got there l observed that
| quantity of ice, covered with snow, had by
some means become fixed upon the project
ing rocks on the edge Of the Horseshoe fall
| beyond the rock where I stood, forming
| bridge on the extreme edge of the fall, and
| about 100 feet long by perhaps ten or fifteen
| feet wide. Instantly the desire to go upon
this bridge and look over the fall seized me.
| I dug out a stone from the snow as heavy
| as I could lift, and, stepping out as far as
dare, threw it with all my force upon the
| bridge which stood firm. tho stone sticking
| fast in the snow Then l ran back to the
island and broke Off 4 good staff, and, COM
! ing back to Terrapin rock, commenced the
rather trying journey. The snow which
covered the ice was itself covered with
thin coating of ice, which broke beneath
my feet, thus giving me good foothold;
and as to my head / was sure of that, as
had thoroughly tested its anti-dizziness the
preceding summer Oh shipboard and among
the Swiss glaciers and precipices. Prod
ding 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
erandest and the most awe-inspirng l
have ever behcld. As l looked up the
river the curve on the on-coming water
seemed almost as high as my head, and
steadying my eye upon some floating par
ticle, 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 q swift, Kissing
rush, it swept under me, leaped out, and
with horrible roar plunged into the awful
chasm, whence huge clouds OF spray, like tho
smoke of its torment, ascending, swept back
and over me.
"Steadying myself by my stall, sank
quietly upon my knees, then stretched my
self flat 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 spring
ing out under my very face, could be seen
to fall. at first solid, greenish mass, then
broken into foam, into Il chaos which the
eve could not penetrate. could feel my
bridge trembling with the rush Of the water
and realizing that any moment might see
it and me following the descending flood
arose, took one look up and down-a look
to last for life time-and retraced my
steps. AS passed the rock / had thrown
on the bridge, could not resist the tempta.
ton of dislodging it and seeing it whir
away over the liquid precipice.'