River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1894-03-08

ARTIFICIAL WATERFALLS.
Description of Several Constructed In
Southern Europe.


In the town of Nice. ON the Mediter-
ranear coast. there Is very fine arti-
fetal yaterfall something over twenty
feet in height. 1t is exceedingly beau
tiful, although there is not much water
coming over 1t, and il hangs above the
town like silver bell. 1t .umbles
over rock in the public park. IL nice
and Nice were pronounced the same l
would endeavor to make a pun about
that waterfall
The waterfalls of Tivoli, near Rome.
are practically artificial. for although
there existed waterfall that VAS
natural before the tunnels were made
through the rocks. vet three or four of
the present falls that form the attrac-
tion to that pretty little italian town
are artificial. | have no data as to
their height, but it seemed To me, look
ing at them from across the valley,
that they are at least three hundred
feet from top 10 bottom.
The prettiest artificial waterfall that
ever saw is in the Engadine. The
surroundings are SO natural and SO
beautiful that no one would ever sus-
pect that it was artificial were IT not
for the huge stone dil0es at the foot of
the Alps. down which IL tumbles. built
toward the lake into which it empties.
II is situated about one hours walk
west from st. Moritz No guide book
l have ever seen makes any mention of
IL, and do not know whether the cat
aract has n name or not 1t tumbles
down from a glacier on the Surlej Alp
and empties into the Sivsplana lake,
opposite the pretty little village of the
same name. which stands at the bottom
of the Julier pass. | estimate tho
heis ut of this artificial cataract TO he
one thousand feet, but il does not tum-
BILE down in one straight fall, but forms
cascade after cascade until IL reaches
the lake. l tried to climb 40 the top of
it, but the way was rough, there being
no path, and by the time had got half
way up l realized that instead of being
one thousand feet high il was nearer
that number of miles, so gave up the
climb in despair.
I suppose it ought to he called the
Surlej falls. or the Surlej cascades, for
the Alp down which IL comes bears
that name, and the ruined village at
the lower end of the lake is called
il
An event in the year 1884 led TO the
formation of this artificial waterfall: a
tragic event which is only to common
in Switzerland.
The rivulet at that time ran through
Surlej One night the water stopped,
being damned mp by landslide high
up the mountains When the avalanche
came down the village was swept away.
On the principle of locking thu dooi
when the horse isstolen, the inhabitants
then detected the course of the stream,
and thus formed the artificial waterfall.
Although most of the village was car
ried away some remnants are still
there. The stout walls of the church
are standing, roohess ,.oorless and
windowless. The remains of the fres-
Goes are still to be seen on the plaster
inside. ''he place is just as the flood
left il, IL . ground all around it being
a wilderness of stones. large and small.
as if some great paving contractor had
intended to macadamize the whole
place and had left the material scat
tered around.
A few inha live in the village
and one house is built on huge bowl
der that has come down from the
mountains. If another flood should
happen along. it, at least, will be safe.
Even in the dryest weather there is
good volume of water coming over the
Surlej water fall, and in spring it must
be cataract well worth seeing.-De-
troit Free Press.