The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1906-01-18
VICTORIA FALLS.
One of the Most BeautifuI spectaeIeu
In the World.

In the World.
There is a fine description of Vic
toria falls In the Zambezi river in Z.
F. Knights South Africa After the
War" The author says: ''The nature
Of the extraordinary volcanic fissure
that created the falls cannot easily be
realized without reference to map,
but at the point under consideration
the mighty Zambezi flows, roughly,
from north to south. At about half
mile above the falls the river Is a
mile and half in breadth. Then II
contracts, and the breadth at the falls
themselves Is little over a mile, or
TO be exact, 1885 yards. And here,
to one looking over the edge, the great
river seems suddenly to come to an
end, no continuation of its channel
being visible. The Zambezi for its
whole mile Of breadth thunders down
precipitously into comparatively mar.
row, profound trench or canyon, which
extends at right angles to the rivers
course from shore to shore. Beyond
the falls one is faced by the perpen.
dicular wall Of the canyon. Below the
madly whirling spray obscures the
view Of the bottom of the canyon,
and 1t seems as If the whole mighty
dood were falling into the center Of
the earth through this awful chasm.
But the river has its exit, a preclp-
itous cleft, only ten yards in breadth,
near the eastern end of the CANYON.
through which the whole of the con.
tracted Zambezi rushes with incred
ible speed, fury and confusion, form.
ing at this point what Is called the
Boiling Pot, surely one of this earth s
most terrific scenes.
Il believe" the author adds, that on
that day l was gazing at the most per-
fectly beautiful spectacle Of all this
beautiful world. 1t was the lovely
tenderness of the rich coloring, bathed
In that translucent atmosphere of thin,
pearly haze, rather than the awful
majesty Of the scene that impnessed
one. At our feet, far below. rag
Ing food Numbered away down the
canyon toVthe exit In the misty dis.
tance. On our left the line of the cata-
ract, plunging into the swlrling spray
beneath, was clearly visible for some
way out with Its white avalanches and
coruscathg spray, and then gradually
became less distinct In the thin haze
until at last far off beyond Livingstone
island 1t disappeared from our vision
in the luminous pearl-like mist that
formed the background to all the land
scape.
"On our right, facing the cataract,
loomed the 500 foot high wall of the
canyon, topped by the lush green Rain
forest with its ever dripping branches.
And as we looked new wonders be.
came gradually revealed to our won.
dering gaze. began to perceive in
hooks of the black precipices halfway
down strange plants growing, as In
happy confidence their fragile rainbow
hued blossoms ever shaking In the
wind and driving spray, but safe and
unharmed amid this eternal storm.
And down the black cliff wall on my
right / saw hundreds of tiny white
Streamlets pouring, formed by the re.
turning spray from the Rain forest,
And as l watched them discovered o
strange thing.
These falling streams never reached
the bottom Of the chasm. They dropped
into little cascades to about third OF
the way down, and then, as If defyinG
the laws of gravity, they literally turn.
ed round and came back again, mount,
ing vertically. 1t was curious to see
these cascades, after breaking into
spray, appear to hesitate and falteI
and then begin to rise, first slowly, but
soon rapidly, shooting upward in whirl
ing foam columns and feathery foun.
tains, being carried up by the fltful
blasts Of cold air that the dropping cat
aract forced out Of the narrow chasm
into which 1t thundered."