Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1885-05-28
THE MYSTERY oE NIAGARA.
Sounding the Canon-Tremendous Depth
Of tn Water at Whirlpool Rapids.

| OF IN Water at Whirlpool Rapids.
New York Times.l
The mysterious AMI awful depths of Nj.
agara's canon are fruitful subjects Of COM
ment Some portions Of it are reasonably
supposed to be bottomleSs When the first
railway bridge was constructed here some
ambitious persons attempted to sound the
canon directly beneath it They filed
large tin pail with stones and lowered it
The currents merely played with it Then
they took stronger cord, attached bar Of
railway iron to it, which actually foated,
owing to the fierce counter currents
A few years ago the United States lake
| survey came here, and, as recorder Of the
| survey, know OF the remarkable data OBJ
| tanned We saw at once that the current
would buoy up large sinker, and proposed
to test the smallest possible surface with
the greatest possible weight We took lead
weight in the form Of a plumb bob. weigh
ing thirteen pounds, and attached it to
small but strong cord. Then we secured tn
services Of one Of the ferry boatmen an
started out into the stream The boatmar
was ordered to row as nearly under the falls
as possible, and the result will never be for
gotten by a member Of the party in that
skiff
As We approached the falls the roar be
came more and more terrible until we wer
not only unable TO hear, but the lips posi-
lively refused to open and utter a sound
For several days afterwari some Of the
party were SO deaf as to be unable to dis
tIngulsh one word from another The lead
was cast first near the American falls, where
bottom was found at eighty-three feet
Near the main falls we found 100 feet Of
water. Here the oarsman's strength failed
and the little craft began 20 dart down
stream
At every cast of the lead the water grew
deeper, until in front of the inclined railway
the old guide and most Of the party became
terror stricken and refused to go further
down stream. Here the lead told off 1913
feet We were then able TO compute the
depths lower down by simply ascertaining
the width of the stream. Directly under the
lower bridge the water narrows considerably
and deepens to 2l0 feet Lower down, at
the Whirlpool rapids, the gorge becomes
very narrow and the currents terribly fierce.
Here the computed depth was $50 feet One
place in the gorge is still narrower, and
would exceed depth of 400 feet
When the depth of water is taken into con-
sidera:ion the height Of the canon walls
above the surface must not be forgotten.
These walls range from 270 to so feet in
height, often perpendicular, SO that the total
depth of the canyon ranges from $50 to 200
feet This great depth of the gorge leads
directly in imagination to the canon's wear.
Novel Features of n ..Taiiors' Reception
ISt. Louis Globe Democrat
A firm of London tailors for women arc
giving reception in the New York estab-
lishment. The evidences are many that they
have reckoned on taking very profitable ad-
vantage Of the Anglomania among our
women Of fashion and wealth, for they take
especial pains to announce their employment
at home by aristocrats. A feature Of the
occasion is the exhibition of garments on
living models-not pretty girls hired here
Tor the service, but genuine English
beauties. imported 50 freshly that their Lon
don accent is not yet in the slightest degree
impaired There are fifteen Of them, and
ali young. with handsome face AMI slender
1.-THE, shapely figures. on which ths clothes |
are displayed to the best possible advantage. |
They chat agreebly with the crowd Of shop
pers, strike effective attitudes, and walk
about with a gait presumably that OF the |
most approved London bellies
But there is a still more remarkable de- |
vice for catching the fancy of New York /
wearers Of fashionable garments. In the /
center Of one room stands a hobby horse as /
big as life, covered with real equine skin. /
and supported in such a way on springs as to |
rise and fall like galloper in motion. The |
sides of the apartment are mirrors. This is
the department for riding habits. The |
woman who seeks a new costume for eques-
trianism is asked to select several models, |
and these she may test as to effect by donnins
them, taking a seat on the back of the imi-
tation steed, and contemplating herself in
the mirrors while in a saddle In case she
does not care to mount the hobby-horse ner-
self, one of the imported girls corresponding
most nearly TO her si1s and shape performs
the feat