Morning journal and courier., 1891-09-12
THE LEGENDARY GRAND FALLS.
Exploration by a Bowdofn College
Expedition-The Progress Through
the Thick WoOds-Height of the
Falls-The Rapids.

exploration by bO"uOIn college,
Expedition-The Progress Through
Falls-The Rapids.
PORT HAwKEsBURY, g. S.. Sept. IL
Messrs. Gary and Cole, members of the
Bowdoin college expedition, have per
formed the hitherto unchronicled feat OF
exploring the Legendary Grand Falls on
the tablelands of Labrador. They started
out with two companions, in boats on
July 20, and found little difficulty in
navigating the river until August s., when
they had reached a point five miles in
advance of that reached by DIR. Holme in
1888. Young, one of the explorers, dis
abled an arm and with a companion
turned back. Cary and Cole pushed on
fifty miles further, when the swift current
forced them to leave their boat and pro-
coed on foot. Their progress through
the thick woods was slow, while
mosquitoes and black flies pestered
them greatly. On August Is they could
hear the roar of the falls. Their pro-
been cached on the way up, but they
pushed resolutely on to the height of the
Labrador plateau, called "the Height of
Land" This plateau is the source of the
stream, and the descent of the liver to the
sea forms the falls and rapids. AS they
neared the falls a magnificent sight was
spread out before them. The spray, which
was visible twenty miles, rose in cloud
from the descent of the water, and the
solid rock beneath their feet trem bled pre-
ceptibly. From the falls the water flows
through a rocky canon, the sides OF
which rise to heighth of 500 feet and are
heavily wooded at the top. Thr ough this
canon the water flows with terrific force.
The heighth of the falls has been grossly
exaggerated and while presenting grand
| and beautiful sight measure only 200 feet
| in perpendicular fall, the rapids leading to
| this fall increasing the total altitude to SOC
feet. Above the falls the average width of
| the river is 500 yards, narrowing until it
reaches the falls to width of only fifty
yards, when it plunges with terrific roal
over the rapids and falls into the narrow
gorge below.
Mr.. Cole descended to the foot of the
| falls and succeeded in obtaining some
| good photographs of them. Having com
| pleted the observations of the falls, they
| kept on few miles above to the height OF
land, where from peak, christened by
them "Mount Hyde Bowdoin," they had
| fine prospect of the surrounding country.
| At this point their provisions being all but
| gone they set out for return. On reach
| ing the point, where they left their boat
they found that their camp fire which they
had built had consumed the boat and with
it their stock of provisions, a gun and ar
octant. Their position was now some,
what critical With small Ratchet they
built raft of logs bound together with
spruce roots and started on their voyage
Of three hundred miles down the river.
Five RATS were necessary to complete
the trip and they suffered great hardships
subsisting part of the time on squirrel.
killed with small revolver. They reached
their vessel September 1. The falls which
they discovered are reported to have beer
seen by two employees of the Hudson Ba.
company, but no authentic account of an.
such discovery has been given before.