The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1908-02-20
Two Trips Around the World
Milford and its Surroundings.
BY o. E. HAMILTON

Mll1OrO 0hO It's SuEAOsAANAlA8o.
In the classification of the worlds
scenery there is little with which to
place Milford. 1t l believe could not
be excelled along Norways coast. 1t
may be a fond thought to Zelandia,
that while there is little room for vast
amount and great variety of scenery;
tor it's kind, it can at least equal the
best. There is no haven like it "safe
from the "rocky bastions of the Shore
The overland journey begins at the
mouth Of the Arthur river and follows
it for thirteen miles. One Of the most
interesting points along this river, is
where the Mckay falls empties from =
side gorge into the Arthur valley and
river. A hugo volume Ct water con-
stantly leaps and broils. About two
hundred yards from the falls and little
to one side from where the stream now
runs is large rock about 20 feet each
way. 1t is so perched on the bank that
one can crawl under from the river
side. Doing so, you discover the under
side is hollow and just the shape Of the
inside of bell. The wall is smooth.
Several people can stand erect inside
side by side. The top can not be touch
ed by raising the arm above you. I'm
douhtedly at one time this rock was the
base of the falls and this side dished
out by the wear of the water. An
earthquake or other disturbance, has
caused it to tumble from it's place. At
any rate, it now lays to one side sill
emily like an inverted basin. Above
the falls the trail crosses the river.
At this point there is a cage in which
the traveller passes. 1t is fastened to
rollers, which run on strong wire
cable, stretched from shore to shore.
There is large number of cage and
wire bridges in the mountainous steep
country, over which shepherds cross
the streams. Some consist merely of
two wires stretched across, the one
being about four feet in length and
directly above the other. There is a
trick in walking the latter, to be OBJ
served.-else the feet and the head will
be bobbing back and forth in see-saw
fashion and the danger of the rider
dropping into the river for cold bath
and bruise from the rocks.
What . panorama Of water slides!
Turning bond the trail leads stealthily
out of the bush, and before the eye, all
at once, on both sides of the canyon are
at least 10000 feet of cascades, winding
reptile fashion, and Kissing resentfully
down the majestic walls! Here the
walls are nearly bare. The falls all be-
gin from tho very skyline. What a
Spectacle! Could one take balloon
ascent above the canyon, say 1000 feet,
he doubtless would find snow acres
and acres OF it, fathoms in depth, along
the higher lodges, which feed these
numerous cascades.
7 AL sor I, oh al
Zealander with a bantom rooster
movement in Invercargill, about the
natural features of the country. "Ah
YES! Ye know-a-theres no 'doot' about
I it, we've got the highest waterfalls in
the world" And when New Zealandel
once works out his argument, there is
no turning him. His father came from
..Ye banks and Brae's" so he is not re.
sponsible altogether. He is effected
with "hiter-a-dittery." 1t is not a bad
characteristic, albeit, for he is no turr
coat without a reason.
The Switzerland Fall is short way
Il from the Trail, little beyond where
the track turns out of the Arthur Can
Won. bound for McKinnon Pass, out o
open spaces in the bush, frequently. il
can be seen nearly an hour away. The
bush is heavy up to within a few yards
so that the intruder is upon the leap
when the first short distance view il
obtained.
It is fed from glacier supplied dixie
There are two breaks in the falls. Th'
first fall is distance Of feet: thu
second feet: the-third feet. The en-
tire volume of water falls into hug
rock basin in the canyons side iron
which it. springs in two parts-the mail
body and small side stream. The sec
ond plunge is into another a simila
basin, and from the latter to the river
IA Zealandian author writes as follows
ssThe claim that this is the highes
fall is disputed on the ground tina
there are two breaks and not one in
terrupted fall. But it will be note'
that there are no streams between tn
falls, therefore there are not falls, bu
one" A splendid sample of cunning, t
drive a point! The writer forgets tina
the presence Of a stream between eac
waterfall produces 8 falls rather tina
one.