New-York tribune., 1902-08-10

rock front " strewn about the rock ledge gal
lery Cor The wind has no more respect for
things in the Au Sable Caasm 'postoftice" than
il has al other places
The fame o. The '-.3ostof=7ce' ranks next to
that Of the chasrn itself. The other day a
woman surprised the clerk at the hotel by ap-
proachng him with a sealed and addressed let
Ter which she said She wanted 10 mail at the
~postef1c-r n Ire chasm. lie tried 70 explain
1T tl= postmaster vas away but l.2aIy had
10 explain -he joke.
Located at a sharp turn in the narrow rock
path running along one side OF the chasn TIE
"Dost01tice" 5 one OF the most conspicuous and
interesting spots n the ChasIn. 1t Is here that
one Of The few accidents in the history OF the
chasnl occurred. Years ago a young woman
going through the chasn with some friends
thought II would De a great joke TO sit on the
edge Of The lat tablelike rock just below the
-postcrtice." She did So and in the midst Of
the f0Cllng that followed the foolish feat slipped
over the edge. dropping fully fifty feet into the
swift current beneath. Fortunately her screams
We're heard. and she was rescued by some Of
the boatmen below, without having sustained
serious injury
Rainbow Falls. al the head Of the chasm. is
the 1--st point Of interest greeting the eye Of
Pulp Rock, towering high overhead as one
gets deeper into the chasm Then comes Ele-
pt4nt-s Head. one Of the wonders of the chasnl-
Just around the bend, little further down, are
The Devils oven and Jacobs Ladder. Then
come the Fernery, the Devils Punch Bowl and
finally Jacobs Well, where years go some uys-
terious force Of nature fashioned a well N the
sold rock twenty-three feet deep. Down past
Mystic Gorge Cape Eternity and Hydes Cave
the Grotto and along SmuggIers' Pass, one
comes to the -postoffice," and then, with heart
in mouth and tight grip on the rail, passes
through the hanging gardens. where a view Of
Table Rock. with Cathedral Rock and the Sen
tineI towering high overhead on the opposite
side. is 10 be had.
The descent TO the level Of Table Rock IS not
bad, and the roaring stream Is crossed on a
stout wooden bridge.
They stiI tell the story Of d tragedy enacted
years ago at this point That was before a
bridge had been thrown across, in fact. before
the walk through the chasm had been con-
structed- young couple. soon to be married.
made the then periloUs descent into the chasm
al Table Rock. They conceived the idea of
crossing TO the other side Of the chasm, and
found plank which they threw across The
young man went over safely. but on the sec
ond trial the plank broke and the young woman
he. and after brief struggle with the swift
current he drowned while the young
woman taken out more dead than alive.
Now there IS a little store on the huge rock
al he foot Of the towering walls On either
sd 4 fight Of steps leads down from Table
Rurs 10 the level II the water. where the boats
t>kec for The dash through the rapids.
A woman visited the chasm the other day
Et0 had visited il ffty-five years ago. when the
CRY SPOT accessible from the upper world was
Ta.-- Rock Then she was a gay young girl.
Tha nature woman marveIed at the changes
she saw Cn every hand.
~Ch. dear. no I can't ride in these boats" she
protested wh=n Table Rock was reached, but
at-er The exciting dash through the spray, Il the
boac swung around into the quiet poOI at the
toc- = the chasm, she remarked We'll. I
5=-iare. II wasn't so bad after all"
The chasrn Is owned by the same company
that Owls the hotel property. 1t was purchased