Grand Rapids morning telegram., 1885-07-22
The MAID OF THE MIST.
Description OF Her Initial nip
Close % the Falls
Ths >rs Steamer Jast Punished - tsks
ths Ft.ee "a shs Ori sis.l Md >.si-
.4tlssa "a Nt<S.r.'s >aacea-ry
a Sssghie Recital

artef. ts.o satsrgffsillg elEizsls 5f Clli-
.on, Ontario. decided that &c ~ouli -
paying Investment % hazard tbout $1,000
So nss Maii ef tie Mist - theF sent
ahead ald tlhG the boat a. TIE fo0J ~ the
steep r4ai - as ahich leais Io~n 10 tie
aatsrs e,i % % tbe Chftaa House. The
s-sl 4as lald August = last. The plans,
which have been followed, called for
b84I seventy fsst long, sixteen iset team
and seven feet hold The huA > all Of
white oak, and Is uot uhliks large tug.
except that the lines are straighteF The
nold - IA islded into three water-tisht CON-
partmsnts. lle cabin. the piiot-houss aud
every thing above the deck are built ike
enc upper works 0f gentleIuan's Yacht,
aud are painted ia white aud green. with
trimmings u vermiliion, aud pilot house
roof II blue. With = smokestacz 0f shining
black and cleaning red, vita brass stair
rails ant gay ratings ami goodness knows
y bat, the very apotheosis II the rainbow
made up into jolly little excursion boat.
And this is the Maid II the Mist. Very
pretty she hooked yesterday she lay
under the green Canadian bank. The boat
was a a~futtsr With 1ags The British cOlOrs
American fag vas raised and red and
white pennant on the wheelhouse bore the
name II the boat To test her engines two
1r three days ago the new Maid stole out
from her dock at i've o'clock In the morn
ins and ran a little way up stream But
40 regular trip over this strange route was
attempted until yesterday. At - she
blew her whistle and east of.
10 took Just two and a half minutes for
her 20 reach the new dock on the Ameri-
can side az the foot OF the inclined railway.
Then she swung out into the stream and
started on the course which Captain Webb
surveyed Many people watched her
from the cliffs Carriages and pedestrians
halted on the upper suspension bridge and
cheered the gay little boat as it glided
down stream, l40 feet beneath them.
The passenger is likely 20 experience a
singular sensation at this turning point.
Not many feet distant, almost under
the cantilever bridge, the water breaks
into agrsat rapid and the river falls away
as at the crest Of a cascade. The great
descent OF tho water at this point can not
be seen or realized from above, on bridge
or banks. One realizes that be has vent
ured in probable safety between termini
OF appalling possibilities. Wsat an excur-
sion route il Is. At one end fall into
seeming oblivion; at the other end "A
mighty-but we won't describe il until we
get there.
The Maid turned as il IN stillest water,
though the fast-passing cliffs showed that
she went down stream at a speed scarcely
realized No one could think seriously Of
danger with 50 steady, stanch a little craft
under him. Up stream she went. easily
defying the current. The green or rocky
walks Of Niagara. from the river, present
many views of surprising beauty. From
the steamers deck the familiar falls
framed IN unfamiliar setting. took on new
beauty. Beauty, however. was a second
thought with the passengers. The condi-
tion OF a drowned rat IS not conducive 70
q rapturous observation of beauty. There
was a strong wind down the river yester-
day, and the exhaustless u.ists Of Niagara
were trailing down stream in endless
clouds and sheets of spray. The passen-
gers were wrapped in oilcloth and rubber
but the boat steamed up 10 the foot of
the American fall mists by the measureless
gallon fell on them. wrapped them about
and soaked into them Even in this Turk
sh-bath condition the passengers found
new beauty aud grandeur in the view be-
fore them. From the deck Of little steam
er. under the American fall, the cataract
seems to come FROM the clouds
The Maid ran straight up into the Horse
shoe Fall. up past Terrapin Rock. up into
the foaming caldron where form and color
die. and only the volume Of great sound
the tone ~ the grandest Orgau-p pipe in
creati0n-falls on the ear. while the shift
ing mists nosv hide and now reveal the
looming crest Of the mi shty fall, appalling
Ira IFS volume.
This IL as far as the old Maid Of the
Mist ever ran," said Captain la Blond. the
spray dripping from his beard. as the boat
met the foam a hundred yards OF So above
Terrapin Rock on the distant banks
many carriages were seen 70 have stopped.
There were people. TOO. on every point of
view. Ths whistle gave three toots Of
exultation. The engineer looked nc his
steam gauge. 10 registered eigh five
pounds. the wheel was pounding in tho
water and the boat was just holding her
ovsn sgains- the currents which boiled
around her The man az the wheel vip.d
the water rom his ewes and rang ths bell
eco ahead 4" The Maid went uD into the
caldron. crest Of water. more the spent
force = a "ho iar'' than a wave. fell over
the bow. and there was a retreat amid
ships The boat crept on. The distant
banks were lost to sight. The build
iugs on the Canadian shore. the
great precipice IF Tsrrapin Rock. faded
from sight in the oblivion ~ mists Th-
water boiling uader the b,..t vas tbe color
az hnttermus river 0f nHlkv foam, with B.
ont surface currents. hut telling of terri
hle force Far below Al around was the
dsnse OPAQUE atmosphere of mist. an be-
fore sni abovs. when the variable wind
parted Che veil. doomed Niagara. awful in
its immeusity while almost straight
shova The deck II the littia boat the crest
Of the mighty food n0vs 'amy white and
now emerald green. seemed e. roll from
she very heavens ~Ns ara further M
thar hoat svar ran before" ssid an old
river quite The whistle gave three
saucv toots Niagara roared On IN
dsunted
The getting back was a raomentous qges-
tion. Nobody wanted to s@e the hrat turn