Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1909-01-15

yet, by the increasing drop, it's speed
is constantly accelerated, and when
passing the island its rush and roar is
awe-inspiring, and shows the utter fulfil
ity of any effort of man to curb it. 1t
is estimated that nearly fve-sevenths of
the waters of the river go over the
Horseshoe Falls.
Scientific men say that the 420, 600
tons of water, which leap each minute
160 feet over these Falls in their mad
rush down hill, equal in energy more
than six million H. P, which is FIVE
times greater than all the combined
water power now used in the United
States, and equals the steam power
of zoo, 900 tons of coal, which is the
average daily output of the world.
The American Falls show a front
breadth of 1000 feet, and the
Horse Shoe $500 the latter being
also much deeper in volume. About
one-half of the former falls upon i'm
mense boulders, which have split off
the face of the cliff. The Horseshoe
falls mainly into water 200 feet deep.
Immense clouds of vapor and mist are
formed by the collision of these falling
waters on the rocks and river below.
In calm weather these clouds ascend to
great heights, and when there is a
breeze, it is drifted to long distances,
completely saturating everything, and
when it is cold enough, it collects on
houses; trees, bridges, etc. has sleet,
sometimes six incnes thick.
Scientific men-Pohlman, Spencer,
Upham and others-widely disagree as
to the age of these Falls, estimating it
anywhere from $500 to 100, 900 years,
but all agree that the water started
this way on the melting of the ice cap
which at one time covered this part of
the world to the depth of several
thousand feet. They are also agreed
that these Falls first formed where the
river flows now into Lake Ontario,
about eight miles below the present
location. This recession has been ac-
complished by attrition.
By comparison of an accurate sur
vey made in 1886 by board of Engi-
neers, with a like careful survey made
in 1927 by Capt. Basil Hall Of the
British Navy. it was found that the
Horseshoe Falls were receding at the
rate of about feet in a century; the
American not so fast. Through vari-
Gus natural causes the bed of the river
is full of boulders of all sizes, which
being whirled about by the violence of
the river, become in themselves hercu-
lean hammers in wearing deeper the
river below the Falls, il being in many
places 200 feet deep or more; and as its
width in some places is less than 500
feet and the drop of the river below the
Falls about 80 feet in the eight mile
run. it follows that it goes on with ter
rible force, dashing against its some
times almost perpendicular rock-walls
and projecting crags, being by its own
mighty force in many places thrown
from side to side, producing waves that
are sometimes 20 feet high and chop
sea that would make old Hatteras quite
envious even in one of her ugly moods.
Only two boats haveEsuccessfully drifted
down from the Falls to Lake Ontario,
and only two men have attempted to float
down by the aid of all sorts of life
preservers and belts. One of them
got through, though he was picked up
in an insensible condition, from having
been thrown about and banged and
beaten by the awful seas.
The other. was Capt. Mathew
Webb the famous English swimmer,
who tried the trick July oath, 1888, and
had life knocked out of him at the very
outset of the trip. Several have es-
sayed to make the tumble over the
Horseshoe, protected by life RATS or
otherwise, but only one lived through
the plunge. That one was a woman,
who went over in large cask, some
what air tight and heavily padded on
the inside. She was Immediately
picked up and found to be nearly dead.
She bungers no longer for glory, if the
path takes her over the same old route,
as she declares she would not again suf.
fer the horrors of that awful fall OF
160 feet into the depths of 200 feet 70,
ali of this vain ant. SINFUL world.
Victoria Park, on the Canadian side
and Prospect Park ON the American
occupy each river 'front.'. The former
contains 154 acre. and the latter 1Ot
ac-es. Bot. are kept in fine condition
and are adorned by beautiful trees
shrubs. driveways, walks, bridges
etc., are well policed and free to al
who come.
Some f.the aforementioned scien
tific gentlemen also aver that the cas-
end of Lake Erie and contiguous ter
ritory on both sides is being elevated
and that if this process continues tn
time will come when it will be tilted S
high that these waters will find a
outlet to The Gulf of Mexico via til
Mississippi
None of US, however, need to II
awake o'nights in order to study ou
some preventive for this. Our mind
may be quieted by remembering tn
wall that went up from Dan to Beer
sheba few years ago, when a tin
fraction of the 420, 600 tons of wate
which passes each minute wa
sought to be used for light and pows
purposes. The claim was made that