The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1892-08-23

get ripe. 1t is nearly two months after
harvest is over in North Carolina be-
fore it begins in New York.
We arrived at Chatauqua Lake in
time for breakfast the following morn
ing. This lake is 20 miles long and IL
wide. Many steam pleasure boats
glide over it's smoothe surface. The
coast is covered with hotels and sum-
mer boarders. The great Teachers
Assembly meets on this lake every
summer. ChataUqua Lake is nearly
north from Cleveland, Ohio, and is
near Lake Erie,
In going from Chatauqua Lake to
Niagara, we passed through the great
East Buffalo train yards, now the scene
OF bloooshed between thousands of
soldiers and striking railroad men.
Niagara Falls is a city of hotels and
money traps. 1t has electric street
cars and all modern conveniences.
Opposite, on the Canada side, is Clifton,
a large city. Below Clifton the town
of Suspension Bridge and Lewiston are
located.
Niagara Falls is a railroad centre.
The New York Central, Michigan Cen
trail, Rome, Watertown and Ogdens-
burg, Lehigh Valley, New York, Lake
Erie and Western and Grand Trunk
systems all run there. The New York
Central and Michigan Central each
cross the river two miles below the
falls on their own bridges. Both bridges
are over the Rapids, about three hun
dred yards apart. One is a cantilever
bridge, the other a suspension. Each
are about 900 feet long and 258 feet
above the river.
There are three parks at Niagara
two on the American and one on the
Canada side. Prospect Park is on the
American side. Goat Island has been
converted into a park with beautiful
drives and walks. Both are owned by
the y. 8. Government. Queen Victoria
Park contains 154 acres and is on the
Canada side. 1t belongs to the English
Government. All of them are well
kept.
THE GREAT FALLS.
No pen can describe Niagara Falls.
Niagara River is a river between two
great lakes. It's source is Lake Erie,
and its outlet Lake Ontario. The first
pen description on record is one writ
ten by a Catholic priest, Father Hen
nepin, in 1878. make the following
extract from his quaint description:
"Betwixt Lake Ontario, and Erie,
there is a vast and prOdigious cadence
of water, which falls down after a sur
prising and astonishing manner, inso-
much that the universe does lot afford
its parallel. IT'S true, Italy and Sued
land boast of some such things; but we
may woil ray they are sorry patterns,
when compared to this of which we
now speak"
Again he says:
This wonderful Downfall is COM
pounded of two cross streams of water,
and two Falls, with an isle sloping
along the middle of it. The Waters
which fall from this horrible Precipice,
do foam and boyl after the most hid
eous n imaginable, making an
outrageous Noise, more terrible than
that of Thunders; for when the Wind
blows out Of the south, their dismal
roaring may be heard more than FIT
teen Leagues Off"
At that time the Falls were wild and
free. The enterprising Yankee had
not set foot on the soil adjoining. The
river is navigable for steamers above
and below the Falls. But for some
miles above and below no craft can
stand the current. The water above
the falls rushes along at a wonderful
speed until it dashes over the perpen,
dicular precipice 100 feet high, then it
"boyls and foams," as Father Henne-
pin says, until the rapids are reached.
For two miles below the Falls the river
runs between walls of v~ariegated slate
$50 feet high. The bed of the river
gets narrower and narrower until it is
only 24O feet wide and the water is
several hundred feet deep. All at once
the channel of the river turns to the
right at sharp angles. The mad waters
seem to be unable to turn at once and
rush straight forward and pile up and
become a mountain of whirling water.
This is the whirlpool" In it Capt.
Webb, the famous English swimmer,
lost his life. But Graham went over
the Falls safely in his barrel, and after
going through the Rapids and being
whirled around in the whirlpool" fol-
half an hour was rescued. I saw his
barrel. 1t is small in diameter-twc
feet-and about seven feet long. En-
| trancn is made at q LARGE chung hole >