Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1886-07-15
DOWN TURNER'S POINT.

your right when the Train SetS through
the cut you will have fine view of the
Grand Chasm," says the polite conductor,
lifting his gilt colored cap.
THANK you very much" returned the
quiet little lady in dark blue, quickly rails
ing her eyes from the pages of her guide
book.
ooh, Aunt Tina" says shriII, excited
voice at her elbow, 'let me go out on the
platform, do! I'll be just as careful and
hold on to the brake just as tight"
Don't think of such thing for a
moment!" in quick, decided tones, while
her alert eyes are upon each movement of
the restless bit of humanity by her side.
She is a quiet looking lady no Ion
ger.
The train is approaching Tallulah, Tai
IuIah the Terrible, Georgia's greatest and
most famous wonder, and the passengers
are in a fever of Impotence and to catch
the first glimpse of the tremendous canon
along the dizzy edges of which the rail
road makes its way. No more SO than the
wide awake bit of humanity referred to,
who, bOylike, cannot understand why it is
that his twelve years of life does not en-
title him to greater show of privilege
like that, for instance, of standing on
vhe platform as other men are doing.
He thinks his auntie unnecessarily eau
tious and particular, yet doesn't get ugly
about it at all. He has never been very
head strong nor very disebedient boy
only a somewhat willful one at times, with
strange ideas of his own, the expression
of which, after a passion peculiar to
himself, has gained for him among his
mates the title of "the queer little fel
low
There is nothing in the bare side of the
cut through which they are now passing,
nor in the monOtonOus stretches of pine
barrens left behind, to give even a
hint of the granduer of the scene that now
bursts upon their vision.
Down through gorge 1,300 feet in
depth, and over 1000 feet in width at its
narrOwest point, dashes the Tallulah Riv-
er, over ruggedly massed powders, in
foamtossed cascades that throw their spray
in air nearly 100 feet.
On either side rise sheer walls of granite
worn smooth as polished silver In many
places by the floods of centuries, and like
silver glittering in the SUMS rays.
"That is Turner's Point" says the con-
ductOr, pointing just to the right of
them to a stupendous mass of rugged
granite shelves, soil covered in many
places that jut out more prominently
with but one exception" continues
the conductor, sit is the highest point on
the chasm, and is full 800 feet above the
bed of the river"
"A tremendous fall that" exclaimed
nervous little gentleman behind him,
provided any one wanted to try it."
shouldn't think they'd particularly
want to try it, returns the conductor,
drOly: 'Eyet some of them do
Good gracious!' cried the nervous
little gentleman again; "you don't mean
to say that some one has fallen down
there?"
ooh, no, not that; only that some of
the more adventurous have tried to climb
down by means of the stunted clumps of
Verdure you see."
"And did they succeed?'
Only so far as a partial descent; about
0ne-third of the way, | believe"
Arrived at Young's Hotel about the
first person whose acquaintance is sought
by our restless bit of humanity, other
wise Aunt Tina's nephew, Swain Conner,
is Monk, the veteran guide.
Il say Mr.. Monk" Swain breaks forth
Immediately that he has that worthy Sc
curely penned in an out of the way cor
ner of the verandah, II want you to take
Il
"Pshaw," whistled Monk, thinking this
the queerest one he has had to deal with
yet. Then apparently determining to
treat it all as huge joke:
Yes, certainly; and isn't there some
thing else on the same order that you
would hke-a pleasure ride, for instance
over the hurricane?"
eyes, if you please"
P,-t NIL sas'
cries the excitable little guide, losing con-
troll of himself at once. ''The thing either
way is not to be thought of for q NOM
ent, unless you are extremely anxious to
Quit this world for another"
But the conductor said some of 'em
went down Turner's Point,
Some one or two fo0lhardy ones have,
to a certain distance, but they were glad
enough to get back, [ tell you. As to
going down that way to the bottom of
the gorge-well, if you are extremely
anxious to get rid of yourself, the quick
est way would be to try the Hurricane"
'sThe very terror spot of the whole
river" says Mr.. Monk the next morning,
when exhibiting the awe-inspiring spec
tacle, known as the Hurricane Falls, to
Amt Tina and her attendant, Swain.
They have been afraid to leave the ho
pearance of the sky, but Aunt Tina's
time is limited she has finally decided to
venture. After that luck seems to favor
her, for, with the exception of few
drops, while at the Indian Arrow Rapids.
there has been no further fall of rain. In
deed, the clouds are now passing away,
while already the bright rays of the sun
are struggling forth.
"Oh. what a beautiful little rainbow"
cries Swain, as from rock on which they
are now standing he catches sight of the
exquisite arch, whose prismatic hues
sparkle brilliantly between him and the
dashing foam of the cascade.
''Yes, but yonder is a much more beau
tiful one," says Mr.. Monk, pointing down
the gorge to where magnificent bow, in
tensely vivid in its coloring, spans the
rugged walls of the cannon.
''This is indeed a beautym exclaims
Aunt Tina as she turns around the better
to admire it. 81 don't know when have
seen one of such intense coloring. If