The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1905-09-13
VICTORIA CATARACT
IT IS ONE OF THE NOTABLE WON,
DERS OF THE WORLD.

IN wv n IN
sibility OF Companion 1t
and Our own Niagara.
1t vas on the ed of November, 1855,
that the friendly natives with whom he
was travelling brought DR.. David Liv-
tngstone for the first time within sight
and sound Of the wonderful cataract
ON the Iambezi river, now known as
the Victoria falls. Before finding II,
the good missionary had journeyed for
nearly w years, and from his point
OF departure at Thurman, I'm Cape Col
ony, had trayersed quite 1000 miles OF
hitherto unknown country.
Today II takes the train at Cape
Town on Wednesday, passes through
Kimberley on Thursday, reaches Bulu-
wayo on Saturday, and late in the aft.
ernoon of Sunday begins to SEQ In tho
distance the rising pillar OF mist from
the great cataract.
h natives call 1t "Mosi-oa.tuni."
meaning 1.-The roaring smoke" Twenty
miles away the spray thrown back
from the depths of the tremendous cav
ern into which the river tumbles APP
pears X a column of smoke rising
from n burning village. and during the
last mile of the railway journey the
roar Of the falling water becomes no
ticeable. Finally, when the edge of
the chasm is reached, IL the river is In
flood, he eye and ear are assailed by
II combination of phenomena that prob
ably cannot be duplicated as marvels
anywhere else on the planet.
The first question that is asked of an
American who has seen this African
wonder generally Is, How does 1t com
pare with Niagara" There is no pos
siDility of comparison. The two arc as
different rs day and night. Niagara Is
II perfect picture in n lovely natural
framework. Every point and line and
curve of motionlcss rock, trembling
Nerdure md gliding water Is n touch of
majestic beauty. Victoria is simply a
phenomenon, n terrific cash IN the floor
of an apparently unending plain, which
as II gazes simply swallows n river
In n II that produces almost a
thrill of horror.
The Iambczi valley for n hundred
miles or more in every direction from
the cataract Is n rough and broken
plateau covered with low brush and
stunted trees, with here and there an
outcrop OF somber baspltic rock. all
thoroughly embarrassing. Tho herbagc
is but family green and the tropical
sky only family blue. 1t il II hazy
half tone landscape. wanting I'm clear
cut Ines In every direction and lacking,
above everything else, that element
We always unconsciously seek In a
nature picture-life. The absence of
this produces In the mind II feeling of
loneliness and often of fear. Across
thls solemn scene appears II river that
In flood time is perhaps half n mile
wide. If n deaf man were following
down one of Its banks he would notice
little but the quiet water and the odd
looking column OF smoke ahead. AS
this column was approached lie would
expect to see the river banks bending
and the water flowing away TO one
side or the contiagration and might
glance to the right II left to note the
direction taken. But the panorama
changes as he gazes. Tho river Is no
more, II there, where II should be,
is only the brown plain, as lonely,
II covered and monotonous us ever.
one must go twenty miles farther be.
fore the vanished water and the sur.
race of the land again comming!c, be.
rore 1t VIII be possible to walk along
the bank In company with the river.
SO sudden Is the transformation.
Meantime the pillar OF smoke has re.
solved itself into n dense mist forced
upward In terrible puffs from Il yawn.
ing cash stretching directly across the
bed of the river. This fearful abyss Is
every second swallowing thousands of
tons of green II white water and
Delching mp blasts OF mist that rise
hundreds OF feet into the air and hurry
away with the winds as II rejoicing
at their escape from the inferno be-
low. And somewhere, nearly 400 feet
below, the entrapped river is fighting
It's way between sheer walls of black
rock toward n narrow cleft I'm the
eastern wall, whence it escapes, foam
Ing and boiling, through tho zigzags
curves OF n deep gorge leading off
TO the eastward. One goes to an edge
OF this delivering chnsm and looks
down upon the tossing waters, ever
pressed from behind by other floods
struggling out Of the narrow black
gateway, and perhaps the most prom
inent mental sensation Is that of thank.
fulneSs that wen In such a grim and
CHASTITY way nature has provided q
means by which the fearful slit OF q
throat above that has swallowed tho
stream can disgorge It again without
causing an overwhelming catastrophe.
The Victoria cataract should be VISIT
ed ut least twice before one Is compe-
tent to pass an opinion upon It. When
the river is In flood July) tho scene IS
simply terrible. One sees nothing but
an enormous sheet Of water disappear
ing into the bowels of the earth with
a noise as Of mountains falling upon
one another, while from the awful cash
comes bach in fierce gusts and swirls
the foaming breath of the tortured ele-
ment below. But in December, when
the water Is low, the edge of the cata.
Pact shows as a long, creamy film of
lovely lace; the rising mist flows soft
ly away through the little rain forest
below the cayern's lip; the gigantic
vault itself becomes n wonderful spec
tacle, q dream Of neutral tints, n cave
of beauty. Far down in it's dark
depths the waters, gliding along the
rocky walls and bending gracefully
around the corners toward the narrow
outlet pass gayly and laughingly to
freedom. For a time the demon of the
cataract is Observation-Disclosures Il. Van