The Republican journal., 1885-07-16
Things Our George Saw at Niagara

one at the falls and the other down the river
about two miles, at the old suspension bridge
AT the present time they claim population of
5000, but think that little large. There is
nothing except dried apples that will swell 50
as the population of town or city, unless the
census is being taken, when it shrinks worse
than kiln dried lumber. There are quite IA num-
Der of mills located here, and Il canal which
taps the river furnishes water power. Below
the upper bridge is miniature waterfall called
the Bridal Veil, which is formed by the waste
water from the mills There are some hand
some business blocks and quite a number of
large hotels here, the most of the hotels being
closed except during the time of summer
travel. Parties who have been here during the
winter tell me that the scenery is even more
beautiful than in the summer, which seems I'M
possible. But the spray and msts freeze and
take the most fantastic and beautiful shapes
and bridge of ice forms just below the fails.
over which visitors can pass. The proprietor
of one of the hotels close to the falls on the
Canadian side, told me that ice formed on the
house nine feet thick last winter. | saw views
taken in the winter that were very lovely in-
deed. | am aware that | have scolded some
about certain manners and customs here. but
don't think that have said a word against the
natural scenery, and the wonderful beauty and
grandeur of the falls and rapids. If ! have. [
am willing to take off my hat and apologize
would not attempt to injure the moral charac-
ter of the falls for the world, for one can well
put up with all the minor dscomfolts for the
sake of the wonderful views he gets. And
VIII 60 farther in my praise, and say that aside
from the natural views the artificial ones are
we'll worth visit. | refer now to the BRIDGES
| doubt if anywhere else in so small a compass
can be seen three such bridges as span the riv-
er at this point. The Old suspension and the
new suspension are wonderful pieces of en-
glneering, but they have been 30 often describ-
Ell that nearly everybody knows how they look
A second rate man like myself can stand ana
look at the suspension bridge and seem 10 see
how one might be made, but when looked at
what is called the Cantever Bridge, owned by
the Michigan Central K; ilroad. | could not
form the slightest idea of how it was built tin a
man cut Il small hole IN me and poured the infOi-
nation III. IL Is an iron and steel bridge. with Il
double railroad track, and was built in seven and
a half months while the suspension bridge was
over three years in course of constructions
with only single track, and was much more
expensive Inc river from shore to shore
al the waters edge was 300 feet wide and the
banks about 240 feet high. As YOU look at Can
lleVer bridge. you see two four legged steel
towers rising from the waters edge, and on
either side of the river, a span of 800 feet in
| length, ana the locker on naturally asks him
self the conundrum> bow did they build it over
this roa ing torrent, when there was no posi-
bIhy of getting any bearing over the river:
once heard OF Il man who shnglrd forty
feet over the edge of the barn roof, out on the
fog. and the building of this span seemed to
me very mech like that feat, only they did not
have the fog to build on. A Cantever bridge
Is tru>sed beam, supported near the center,
with arms extending either wav the shore end
loaded or anchored, to support the other side
This is the scientific definition Now let me
tell you III my clear, terSe way. what "A Can't
lever bridge is. and then Vou'll know. Imagine
a capital letter T. the upright about $50 feet
high. and each arm about 10 feet long one of
| these arms extends from the upright to the
shore, ana was built by artificial support from
below. Then travelling derrick of pr2dgi-
Gus proportions was made, that would hold up
a man weighing thirty two tons by the seat Of
/ the trow>ers. and swing him by an overhanging
arm, forty feet over the river beyond any sup
port. Then hunk Of the bridge - feet long
was built, and the derrick took it by the nape
OF the neck, and swung it INTO position when it
was braced and fastened, and the derrick was
then moved along and another section made and
glued on and so on, Till the river arm of the
i was completed. Now the Shore end is an
chortd or weighted, that the river end will
not tip down when fly happens to light on ii i.
In other words suppose that a man weigh
az r7 VIA i'',ai i po''i''e' supu'" ~ uo"
o 80 to sio'O wy, Wy can rs VA nouerale
on"P uo'''t "'iE out "N'i ane lltet wan
would not get up. A. it is rot intended that
one million pounds viii be on the Cantilever at
one time, this bridge j. really safer thana man :
w P"'i' ~ ~ mus VI o,' pahhS' we nave NOW
coNeira ,.le l,.tI VIZ lne exception 81 l2oltet
NJ '',', as ;' Iooh US oll'Se
80 N i''h as - t'iti u was ouiit oul
~ ~ ~ :" ''i' T. - l, III II
tu tmv SHp. ~ 'ne t''iie 'iils oflu2e was ouit
nIa T. ft, ~ ;'iit ~ ~ tlit
ti 49, - psa'Nr.'! soti' Nunout lhe way
in;, ana' CIV """!s iee's ", Suspension
,a;'7,, "nu W - ~ III l.Loiu iMo
ieiTn' "ine' lt.'chhS lnt eht'le ithSll OF the
piIus'' uth"h ~ NY VI 'he lafStst slz',a en-
~ iye ,",i Dio" iiS ~ iitl.es ah louI'
G; =. 90 80 % q ~ "ntG !"
ls,sia't,t aNHs peIiplss'oil 70 insert ciuef
o ii ~ ,ue n4uoi raw. eApect "heh ine
t,t ;i enSinreiS lea a NY description 81 tnis
pilu-' 'u"' IN, WIZ pts''i me 10 ueAth WIN
~ ~ ~ ti i9'F iiis i''i9""5' ih'9 p'i"SF
$500 ~ lIi , 10; ~ 'o.Vu OotiN ',ei "p't
spIoo ~ 'I'i''iI "pout ny wien perhaps 0u2ht
~ 90 'o,n LOU ~ n"lui q WonueIS Hut
dns and ..'ts anI ..mo., ~ "ilu va
- w., ~ ist u n' y il"ii' Y -
WI Il. 10y iiiolI "o'i''ei it' than t'e Juinpos
"iN ~, N'e i'i'n's ~ NC eeei insioe iht eau
M W. 81 ~ tahe naluits Woh"trlul
as d mater vi course Dut Whth
MAJ uoes I" 'eat pls mug " ieei IKE sleP
~ ny any ta'tinS mn, oh the pach an" ltIl-
II, ni5, "pout ~ .nele,oie "a! WiFh you go 70
oo ioi ~ ~ .ooh a, " oriuges' ahI
=. IN I'm =; ~ " ~" N,ilou''ioS tu"t h'u
~ pe ofeieoile III oui'!hS 'heh, aha 'ht GENT
Us 81 tuI az II" mem N'he priuse
NV .he an" SNiI ol those WHO eN-
o'I'eu iic w ishs'
u.s. peiU" tno i"'i oi 'ne oahaol"n Si('t, ,
,Ett unNu " =. an ~ - h"'S.hS STAY caileu
a. 1pi? Io S ~ Inv ;A"'H ol ou' cnis foch
=, ~ ~ ~ ir'D 'i'inN We iFli'ahts VI IL ne on
'e - inu w S"'N' 'H> w iidt parry
~ i>i'ois w.. WI in' Iu'h us' before II zen
LIS ~ - o. 10y "p''s'u ~ pti'eNe ulliess
YOU Mant TO- u' oi'lt a,Nantage IN oeileNlhS IL
- tn"I !pu ~ d >ilu"G'r ia thinking What an
esc'pe 'nes nnu "'i t"a'h. ne water as ~
co CONT ovt. .nc ii".1e 0hoe la Is sala 10 De
oNei ~ leel ueep ~ we centre. hai bll OF
tui ny ny W hho" no" iuuch water went over
w. t laii ~ t'"s"l'u II III upper ana round
.hat aooul nltten hun"ftu ihliiloh CUBIC lect
pass oNel eNetN houl' MS Is more IMAM Is
~ ~ .no IVY ~ nii'hileh ~ Malhe'
. s az ious 't5iils " see On the AileA
view of The American All frnm Which ,,Iare
we first saw il Thern 1ra ns,,iI, -, ,.Sn,t
mont If r.inho,y. 10 La sao,, frnn i w.
were two hpautie> an j :, bili,;n il III, Ill.,, i :
our visit. Evenings the fall is lighted up by
electric lights. There is rock in the river be-
low Goat Island bridge to which the visitors
attention is called. Three men once fell into