Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1888-12-26
A NEW NIAGARA.
Here is Another of Those Attempts tic
Match the Great Cataract.

Here is Another of Those Attempts to
Match the Great Cataract.
Quebec Corr. New York Sun.
Marvellous stories are related by the
few Montagnais and Nascapee Indians
who have penetrated lar into the inte-
rior of Labrador respecting cataract,
beneath whose terrific leap Niagara
pales into insignifcance. But one white
man has ever seen these falls, and the
Indians idea of measurements and dis
tances are SO imperfect that, even where
their stories agree it is exceedingly diff
fcult to deduct from them anything
like reliable data. An expedition
lately undertaken by Randle F.
Hol1ne, F. r. G. S., and Fl. Duff fell
low of Ali Souls College, Oxford. to ex-
plore the interior OF Labrador and in
vestigate these falls, unfortunately failed
in its object, the explorers having been
misled by erroneous calculations as to
distances and the exact location of the
cataract, and compelled to return in
consequence of running short OF pro.
visions. They got so near the object of
their expedition, however, that they
were enabled, from the general confg-
uration of the country, to form what
must he a tolerably correct estimate as
to both the location and magnitude of
the cataract.
This estimate agrees with the de-
scription of the grand falls furnished by
MacLean, who visited them in 1889 and
whose further progress into the interior
was stopped by them. He gave the
width OF the river Immediately above
The falls at 900 feet, but says that the
cataract itself is not more than $50 feet
across. The height of the falls he esti-
mates at 1000 feet. This estimate is in
dorsed by a half breed named Kennedy,
met by Messrs. Holme and Duff in the
interior, and who, thirty years ago, was
in charge of Fort Nascapee, on
Lake Petchikapou. One of the
chief difficulties encountered by eX-
plorers d-sirous of reaching the falls is
the obstinate refusal by the Labrador In
dams to approach them. They believe
them to be haunted, and think it i'm
possible to look upon them and live.
Kennedy was conducted to them by an
old Indian named Louis-Over-the- Fire,
who, being an Iroquois, did not share
the superstitious belief of the Montag-
nais and Nascapees. Messrs. Holme
and Duff were principally misled by the
erroneous statements and calculations
as to distances contained In Prof. Kinds
Labrador the leading authority upon
this virtually unknown country.
The falls are on the Grand or Petch-
Ikapou River, which flows into Hamil-
ton Inlet. They are thirty miles above
Lake Waminikapou, body of water
which is itself forty miles long, and
situated $50 miles inland from the
mouth of the river, SO that the expedi.
ton of Messrs. Holme and Duff has
brought to light the fact that the best
works heretofore published upon this
terra incognita contain anything but re-
liable data. They agree, however, with
Prof. Hind that the elevation of the i'm
mense table-land which forms the in
terror of Labrador is about 2,24O feet.
On this height of land are a
succession of great lakes joined by
broad, placid streams, and when
these reach the edge OF the table
land they commence their wild
career to the sea- The Moisie and the
Coldwater Rivers descend by successive
falls, but toward the southeast the de-
scent from the elevated tableland is
quite sudden. This is particularly true
of the Grand River, which has drop of
over 1000 feet in the thirty mics COM
mencing with the falls and ending at
Lake Waminikapou. There is slight
rapid below the falls, but none near the
lake, and everything goes to show that
the height of the grand falls is very lit
tie, if any thing, short of 1900 feet.
They are by great deal the highest
falls in existence that are composed of
any great volume of water. There are
mere mountain torrents that fall from
greater height, and the great fall of the
I Yosemite Valley measures 1850 feet, but
it is broken into three distinct leaps.
Niagara, on the other hand, has a height
of 1874 feet only.