Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1889-01-30
MiGATIER THAN NIAGARA.

- -- So $50 -s-
M,GATIER THAN NIAGARA.
Strange Stories of a Wonderful Cataract
In the Hvilds of Labrador.
Marvellous stories are related by the
few Montagnais and Nascapee Indians
who have penetrated far into the iu-
terror of Labrador respecting q cata-
ract, beneath whose terrific leap
Niagara pales into insigniicance.
But one white man has ever seen
these falls. and the Indians ideas of
measurements and distances are so
imperfect that, even where their
stories agree, it is exceedingly difficult
to deduct from them any thing like
reliable data. An expedition lately
undertaken by Randle F. Holme, F. r..
q. S., and H. Duff, fellow of All Souls
College, Oxford, to explore the in
terror of Labrador and investigate
these falls unfortunately failed in it's
object. the explorers having been mis-
led by erroneous calculations as to dis
tances and the exact location of the
cataract, and compelled to return in
consequence of running short of pro-
visions. They got 50 near to the OBJ
ject of their expedition, however, that
they were enabled, from the general
conhguration of the country, to form
what must be tolerably correct esti-
mate 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 imme-
diately above the falls at 1900 feet,
but says that the cataract itself is not
more than $50 feet across. The height
of the falls he estimates at 1000 feet.
This estimate is endorsed by half
breed named Kennedy, met by Messrs.
Home and Duff in the interior. and
who, thirty years ago, was in charge
of Fort Nascapee, on Lake Petchi-
kapou. One of the chief difficulties
encountered by explorers DESTROYS of
eaching the falls is the obstinate re-
lsal by the Labrador Indians to ap-
proach them. They believe them to
be haunted, and think it impossible to
look upon them and live. Kennedy
was conducted to them by an old In
dian named uis-Over-the-Fire, who,
being an 1roquois. did not share the
.superstitious belief Of the Montagnais
and Nascapees. Messrs. Holms and
Duff were principally misled by the
erroneous statements and calculations
as to distances contained in Prof.
Kinds Labrador" the leading au-
thority upon this virtually unknown
country.
The falls are on the Grand or Petchi-
kapou river, which flows into Hamilton
Inlet. They are thirty miles above
Lake Waminikapou, a body of water
which is itself forty miles long. and
situated $50 miles inland from the
mouth of the river. Prof. Hind gives
this lake as only 100 miles 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 any thing but
reliable data. They agree. however,
with Prof. Hind that the elevation of
the immense tableland which forms
the interior of Labrador is about 2,24O
feet. On this height of land are sue
cession of great lakes joined by broad,
placid streams, and when these
reach the edge OF the tableland
they commence their wild career
to the sea. The Noise and the Cold
water rivers descend by successive
falls, but toward the southeast the
descent 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 miles
commencing with the falls and ending
at Lake Waminikapou. There is a
slight rapid below the falls, but none
near the lake, and every thing goes to
show that the height of the grand falls
is very little. if any thing, short OF
1900 feet.
They are by a great deal the highest
falls in existence that are composed of
any great volume of water. There are
mere mountain torrents that fall from
a greater height, and the great fall of
the Yosemite Valley measures $3.50
feet, but it is broken into three dis
tinct leaps. Niagara, on the other
harl, has a height of 164 feet only
Quercc Cor Boston Herald.
A Singular Case.