Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-06-26
THE SWITZERLAND WATERFALL IN
 NEW ZEtLAND.

Adventures Of n Party in Search of it.
 Total Height of l.eO4 Feet The
 Scene at the Foot Described-Mac. kenIie's Dangerous Trip.
 New Zealand can still boast of one
 natural selecrity, which will compensate
 in a measure for the loss of those unique
 marvcls of nature the pink and white terraces. which were so suddenly de- stroyed by the disastrous earthquake of
 1886. The credit of the discovery of the stupendouS waterfall, which is still un-
 known to the world at large, but which is now found to be the highest of any
 any hitherto brought to light in any other portion of the globe, rests with a
 MT. Sutherland wcll-known explorer of the west coast sounds.
 X few months aSoa small party of gen. tlemen of scientific tastes started on an | expedition, not free from danger, with the object of reaching and, if possible, measuring and fixing the position of the
 Sutherland waterfall, so called after is
 discoverer, who up to then was the only
 human being known to have accomplished
 the feat. The first step on their journey Milford sound, was reached on the 27th
 of September, and here were landed all the necessary swaSs, the colonial term
 for a knapsack, and provisions, together
 with material for a canvas boat for use
 inland in crossing Lake Ada. The fol- lowing account of their adventure is
 taken from notes by one of the party.
 Mir. Mackenzie, NJ. H. R., and published
 ill the Otago Daily Times:
 In passing mention must be made
 that the grandeur of this spot can hardly
 be realized by those who are not ac- quainted with the New Zealand bays.
 Lovely as is the peculiar beauty of tho Swiss Alps, and reminded, as one con-
 stantly Is in this country, of the unspeak- able charm of it's picturesque valleys
 and snow-laden mountains, yet there Ia
 an immeasurably awe-!nspirinS grandeur in this unknown region, where the foot
 fall of man Is unhenrd, and the only sounds arc the songs of strange and beautiful birds, and the ripping or roar of waterfalls and courses.
 From Milford sound. each party pro eeeded to Lake Ada, to which stores. swags, boat, etc, had to be carried bod fly through the bush no easy undertak-
 ing, through Its unyiclding and prickly
 tangle. However. the lake was reached : and next day saw the frail canvas craft put together which was to carry the ad- vcnturers across it, Fms trip. says Mir.
 Mackenzie, proved d very danger | ous one, the whole surface of the lake being mass of snags. Accounting for this he says that at some carly period, Il | heavy avalanche is supposed to have come down and formed moraine across the
 mouth of the Arthur river, thus trans | forming comparatively level flat of | high birch trees into a lake of from ten
 to forty feet deep. The trees have de- | cayed between the air and the water | line, the water preserving the timber, so
 that now the lake simply bistles with
 sharp edged tops of huge trees. some q
 foot above water, other six inches some just tipping the surface, and others ut
 all depths. The wind was blowing a | little fresh, Just causing a ripple sufi-
 eient to prevent our seeing the sub
 merged points. As conseuuence, we
 were continually getting on to them but
 fortunately none came through, although
 the sixteenth of an inch of cotton canvas
 was was all that was between us and | them.
 | The lake Is about four and half miles long by mile to mile and half wide. On either hand huge mountains rise al- most perpendicularly from the waters waterfalls come tumbllng down on all sides. On the right, Terror Peaks and 1 Giants Gates c ,OOO feeD are the most remarkable features. Ducks of every l variety skim upon the surface of the lake
 such as paradise, blue mountain. gray l ahu toaA' AAese dpouuu anu pay llttle 1 heed to strangers. Several gigantic mountains-among them the Castle, the | Danger, Mount Hall and Mount Daniel- surround us, rising from six to seven thousand feet high, and we saw some dne avalanches coming down the Barron | slopes with laundering roar. Several | rivers fall into the head of the lake. We | selected the center one, which turned out | to be the Poseidon, and, after rowing ahOllt fw0 nilaa riohf Ntro A,, kn | party camped.
 1 "l must leave to some able writer" MT. Mackenzie says, "the work of pic- turing to the world in suitable language
 the grandeur of what will soon be known ss the highest waterfall in the world. It consists of three leaps in an almost di-
 rect line but when standing about a quarter of mile away, it has the ap-
 pearance of a straight leap with two | breaks. The two upper leaps are equi- distant, and the lower one shorter" From more detailed account the fol- | lowing is taken: '.The water issues from
 narrow detile In the rock at tho top of
 the precipice; it then makes one grand | leap of Sl5 feet into rocky basin on the face of the cliff; issuing forth once more. 1 1t makes another fine leap of 751 feet i; and then goes tumbling headlong in one Wild dash of 33S feet into the pool right at the foot of the precipice. It will be seen the | total height of the fall is l BOA feet, thus
 making it the highest waterfall that has yet been discovered in the world Pro- | cecding right on to the pool at the foot -hewn out, we are told. by the heavy fatl of water from the mound of stones and debris projected over in times of
 ilood-at the expense, however, of get ting drenched with the spray, q splendid
 view of the whole is obtained; and when
 the sun is shining. the effect is enhanced by beautiful rainbow of colors of the most brilliant kind conceivable This bow is nearly full circle; and tn. closer you get to 1t the smaller 1t grows till 1t Is right in front of your face-a brilliant hGcd ring yard in diameter"
 Many uncommon ferns and plants as
 Well as rare birds were met with in this solitary region; among the latter was lovely bird, the scarlet wattlecrow. also the New Zealand thrush and the saddle back. kiwis, rowas (the wingless birds),