Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-09-10

t1ollSu NY WIZ diC uCoiloub
of seeing this greatest of natures
marvels, and doing" the grand tour
of the st. Lawrence. Leaving the
falls of Niagara, then crossing Lake
Ontario by steamer, or rounding its
western extremity by rail, Toronto,
the second city of Canada, is reached;
then embarking on one of the magnift-
cent new steamers OF the Richelieu
and Ontario Navigation Company, fol-
lowing the course of the lake to King
ston, thence down the st. Lawrence
river, threading in and out OF the
Thousand Islands, shooting the rapids,
stopping over at Montreal and Quebec,
and finally reaching the Saguenay riv-
er, the Incompatible grandeur of
which forms the browning glory of
this grand trip.
Having previously visited Niagara
Falls, and having two years ago seen
Quebec and the Saguenay, our present
steamer trip was confined to the lake
and river ride from Toronto to Mon
treal.
"Queen City of the West"
Leaving Chicago in the Canadian
Pacific's through Montreal sleeper,
which runs via the Wabash railroad
as far as Detroit, we reach Toronto
at s o'clock the next morning. Our
steamer sails at 4 in the afternoon and
we have the day to see beautiful To-
ronto, which the people of Canada
with good reason call the Queen City
of the West" 1t is modern city of
100000 inhabitants. is the capital of
the province, the seat of several col
leges. and has beautiful streets, parks
and buildings. It's municipal building
is the finest that 1 have seen in any
city. A day in Toronto is day of
pleasure and four O'clock, the hour of
sailing, comes all too quickly. One
stop is made during the night at Char
lotte, the lake sport of Rochester,
N: Y, and at o'clock in the morning
we find ourselves at Kingston, Ontario
at the outlet of the lake and the head
of the St Lawrence river. Kingston
was first settled by the French 231
years ago, and here it was that the
brave and intrepid, Count de Frontenac
built massive stone fort, giving it
his own name, which still attaches to
the county. The fort was alternately
seized and occupied by the French
and English. until it was destroyed by
the latter under Colonel Bradstreet in
1858. 1t was again rebuilt under the
name of Fort Henry, which it retains
today. Leaving Kingston in the early
morning we launch out upon the silent
bosom of the majestic st. Lawrence.
Before us lies the entry to the sinu-
Gus channels of the famous archipel-
ago of the Thousand Islands," The is
lands, divide the river into three chan
nels-one on the Canadian side. the
middle channel, and one on the Ameri-
can side. SO that some of the islands
are in the United States and some in
Canada. They extend down to Brock
vile, distance of some fifty miles.
They number in all about LOO, vary
ing in size, shape and appearance
from a small barren rock projecting
from the surface of the river to large
fertile areas of land crowned with
richest of foliage and lofty trees.
Many of them are ornamented with
summer residences. varying in style of
architecture from the modest cottage
of the camper to 9nthe magnificent
castle of the millionaire The beauti.
full and romantic scenery of these is
lands, the advantages Of boating, fish
| ing and camping, and the, purity of the
atmosphere. contribute towards max
| ing this region one of the most delight
| full of Americas summer pleasure
grounds.
Stop at Clayton, New York.
| We stop at Clayton. New York and
at Prescott. Ontario. The latter city
| is nearly opposite the city of Ogdens-
burg, New York. At Prescott passen.
gers change from the lake steamers,
which are too large to run the rapids,
| to the river steamers, with commodi
Gus observation decks. Between Pres,
colt and Montreal there are no less
| than seven rapids in the ST. Lawrence
river, varying in length from two to
ten miles. The shooting of the rap.
ids as the descent by boat is called
| is most exciting experience and must
in fact be experienced in order to be
fully appreciated A contemporary
writer describing this experience says:
Before us is seething mass OF
| churning waters, rushing with head
| long speed down declivity, which
stretches ahead, apparently without
| termination. Each moment we fee
ourselves being farther drawn into the
| Charybydis jaws of the mighty current
among its angry darkling eddies, past
jutting headlands, close to insiduous
rocks; while the roar of the surges
the foaming spray that dashes over the
vessel, intensifies the excitement caus
ed by her swift downward and undu
lating movement. With her steam
almost shut off, she dashes in among
the waves that seem to advance up
hill to meet her, and she Is carried
along by sheer force of the current, al
. a speed of twenty miles per hour, pas
what seems to be dangerous places
amid the ocean roar and tumult of the
flashing SURF
4 Safety Insured.
Four men are kept at the wheel tc
4 insure safe steering, and as result
| of the precautions taken, fatal acct
4 dents are unknown. The steamers ir
returning up stream go through locks
/ and canals, which are provided a,
4 each of the rapids, as it would be i'm
4 possible for them to stem the current
i The most exciting of all the rapids
are passed just before reaching the
4 city of Montreal. They begin below
the town of Lachine, which is nine
| miles above Montreal. Lachine is Of
special historical interest because it is
1 associated with the name of LaSalle