Idaho news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1887-1891, 1890-01-11
NIAGARA FALLS.
Description of the Famous River by Sir
Edwin Arnold.

The Nightly Torrent, laundering, Smoking,
Gsittering as It Passed Before Him-A
Sight to Dwell and Linger in the Mind
Forever.
Before the. balcony In which this is
written the great cataract of America
is laundering, smoking, glittering
with green and white rollers and
rapids. hurting the waters of whole
continent in splendor and speed over
the sharp lodges Of the long. brown
rock by which Erie 4the Broad'' steps
proudly down to. Ontario ''the Beauti-
full" says Sir Edwin Arnold ia, the
London Telegraph Close at hand on
cur left-not indeed further than some
GEO or 700 vards--the smaller, but
very imposing. Amerfman Falls speaks
with the loader voice Of the two, be-
cause its coiling spirals of twisted
and furious food crush in full im-
pulse OF descent upon the talus
OF massive powders heaped UP
at it's foot The rebounding i'm
pact of water on rock. the
clouds of water-smoke which rise high
in air, while the river below is churn-
cd into Vhirling cream OF eddy and
surge and backwater, unite in a com
posite effect, at once magnificent and
hewildering. But if you Listen asten-
lively you viii always hear the pro-
found diapason of the great fall-tha t
surnamed the Horseshoe sounding
superbly amid the loudest clamor and
tumult OF its sister, deeper and grand
err note; and whenever for time the
gaze rests with inexhaustible wonder
upon that fierce and tumultuary Amer
lean Falls, this mightier and still more
marvellous Horseshoe steals its way
again with irresistible fascination.
Full in front lies that wholly indescrib-
able spectacle at this instant Its
solemn voice an octave lower than the
excited. leaping. almost angry cry OF
fervid life from the lesser cataract
resounds through the golden summer
morning air like the distant roar from
the streets Of fifty Londons all in full
activity.
Far away. between the darlx-gray
trees OF Goat island and the fir woods
OF the Canadian shore, the Niagara
river is seen winding eagerly TO it's
prodigious leap. You can discern,
even from this balcony, the line of the
first breakers. where the Niagara river
feels, across its whole breadth, the fate
full draw of the cataracts, where its
current seems suddenly TO leap for
ward, stimulated by mad desire. a
hidden spell, dreadful aud irresist-
ible doom You can note far back
along the gilded surface OF the upper
sire m how these lines OF dancing.
tossing eager, anxious and fate-im-
polling breakers and pillows multiply
their white ranks aud spread and close
together their leaping ridges into a
wild chaos of racing waves as the
brink is approached. And then. at
the brink there is q curious pause
the mementary peace Of the irreVoca-
BILE. Those mad upper waters-reaeh-
ing the great leap-are suddenly all
quiet and CLASSY aud rounded and
green as the border of field oil rye,
while they turn the angle of the dread
full ledge and hurl themselves into the
snow-white gulf OF noise and mist and
mystery underneath.
There is nothing more translucently
=
lovelier than Niagara the Greater. At
this her awful brink the whole archi-
traye OF the main abyss CLEANS like a
fixed and glorious work wrought in
polished acquamarine or emerald.
This exQuisitely colored cornice of the
enormous waterfall = this brim of
bright tranquility between fervor of
rush and fury Of plunge-is its princi-
pal feature, and stamps it as far more
beautiful than terrible. Indeed, the
whole spectacle of the cataracts is one
of delight aud Of deepest charm, not by
any means of horror or of awe: since
nowhere are the measureless forces of
nature more tenderly revealed more
softly and splendidly clad, more de-
murely constrained and docile be-
tween its steep confines. Even the
heart of the abyss. in the recess of the
Horseshoe, where the waters OF Erie
and Superior clash together in ire
mendous conflict, the inner madness
and miracle OF which no eye can see
or ever viii see, by reason of the wells
of milky spray ard OF the rolling
clouds of water-drift which forever
hide it--even this central solemnity
AAd W ltAG
Inonstrous uproar and glory is rendered
requisite, reposeful and soothing by the
lovely rain bows hang over the turmoil
aud clamor. From its crest OF chryso-
praise and silver. indeed to its broad
foot Of milky foam and of white stunned
waves, too broken and too dazed TO be-
gin at first to float away, Niagara APP
pears not terrible, but diyinely and de-
liciously graceful, glad and lovely Ia
specimen of the splendor OF water Mt its
finest Ia sight to dwell and linger in the
mind with inetTaceable images of happy
and grateful thought by no means to
affect il either in act or seeing, or to
haunt 1t IN future days OF memory, with
any wild rcminiscence of terror or OF
gloom.
''Breakiar into Society,"