Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1894-04-30
out upon it from that vast height, re

splendent in the unclOuded atmO5-
phere of ttat warm afternoon, I saw
other sights which for the moment
shut out the beautiful panorama and
led me to forget the grandeur of those
Falls which roared with we-inspiring
majesty at my feet. I looked out
upon the campfires of the Iroquois,
the once sole rulers of that wild do
main; [ saw the lone Senecas on their
Island home; beheld the council fires
of the great chiefs; saw Joseph Price
and the Indian Masoite as they gazed
awe stricken upon that mighty cata-
ract; witnessed the battle of Lundy
Lane; the siege of Fort Niagara; the
massacre at Bloody Run; and would
have witnessed much more if I had
not been notified at that moment that
it was time to descend.
| After leaving the elevator we re-
turned to the electric cars, were car
ried to Whirlpool Rapids where we
were allowed a short stop, another at
Brooks monument, after which we
were hurried to the wharf at Queens
town to await the steamer. Noticing
several old antique buildings in the
village as we passed through it, and
having pcnchant for old buildings, I
concluded after finding out that the
stea was quite late, to foot it back
aud give some of them a quiet inspec
ton. 1t seems that Queenston was
f0y 1nVaIx1 oe Oh hill
most of which are now deserted and
going to decay, and fast yielding to
the more modern edifces of the pres
ent day. After looking at two square
built stone buildings situated one be-
hind the other and resembling old
forts, turned my attention to the old
deserted stone church which more
particularly attracted my notice; it's
more imposing modern brother occu-
plying the opposite side of the street.
Finding the doors locked, and wishing
to look into the interior, 1 walked
around it until I discovered blind
gone from one of the windows and
pane of glass out. AS the window
stool was extremely high up braced
a board against the side of the build
ing, climbed it, inserted my head
through the open pane, was entitled
to free show. just what some of our
fore fathers would have thought,
could they have seen that head, 1
have no means Of telling; but if I had
discovered some of their heads stick
ing up above those jail like seats
when [ looked in there, could have
described my feelings quite forcibly.
The interior was not unlike all old |
fashioned churches of an early date.
That is, being one vast room, with the
singers gallery in the back end, and
the hallway underneath it containing
an entrance on each side. A large
broad platform was in the opposite
end, some four feet high, in the CEN
ter Of which, standing like solitary
tree in some lone desert, was one lit
tie, inferior looking, rose colored pull
pit without either seat Or bench be-
hind it. Whether the seat had been
removed, or whether the, parsons of
ye olden times were compelled to
stand at all hours during service am
unable to explain. The seats in the
body Of the house were high, closed
with doors, and must have shut the
occupants out Of sight Of erything
but just the speaker, who would be
standing directly in front and some
four feet above them. The great
Of cfO
doors, reached along the sides of the
house above the aisle, thence across
the front end over the pulpit, where
they connected and disappeared up
through the lofty ceiling overhead.
The whole interior of the church was
plastered with the exception OF that
portion behind the speakers desk,
which contained what [ took to be an
old fashioned blackboard upon which
could be written sentences from the
bible or other designs in chalk In
this [ may be mistaken; but it looked
like that. Such is the description Of
the old nearly square built stone
church with it's box shaped belfry. at
Queenston, and which, no doubt, was
as we'll as the other old
buildings, including the cold Forrest
at the time of the battle of
Queenston Heights, if not during some
of the Indian wars of many years be-
fore. Having no more time to risk
to the wharf, boarded the
steamer Chicora, and during that ev-
ening we were riding over the wave
tossed waters Of lake Ontario, and
iStRnad to the beautiful vocal nouria