Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-11-22
ing is somewhat of a curiosity: "Croc-

0dlle soup, tiger, nSn, cTuHlDeu ieop-
ard outlets and tomato sauce, deviled
hippopotamus heel on toast" I con-
fess to having approached these luxu-
ries with some misgiving, but prejudice
soon vanished and a more appetizing
meal I have rarely made in my life.
The first impression one gets Of III"
falls themselves is a sense Of utter
amazement. You feel you are quite
unable to drink in the majesty and
splendor Of the sight; the dictionary
could be ransacked in vain for adjec-
tives to describe what the eye sur
veys. Magnify the well-known poem
anent the cataract of Lodore a thou
sand times and you are a long way
from doing justice to the fascinating
and sublime spectacle before you. AS
one eminent enthusiast has remarked,
you seem to have entered a universe
where the phenomena are so far vaster
and more majestic than those of any
previous earthly experience that ones
limited mundane senses fail to grasp
them at first, and can only gradually,
by extending their perception, adapt
themselves to that large nature" I'm
agine a cataract a mile and a quarter
in width, with the full force Of the
river Zambesi behind it, tumbling in a
ceaseless, roaring, seething torrent in
to an abyss 400 feet below. An Ameri-
can facetiously remarked on one occa-
sion, Il guess Niagara is only the
sweat of these falls"-an expressive,
though grotesque, tribute to their vol
ume and character. During the flood
season the clouds of rolling, powdery
spray take the form of an inverted
pyramid measured by the theodolite
to reach a height of 5000 feet. Gener-
ally, in the daytime a beautiful rain
bow breaks up the prismatic colors
with wonderful charm; while at night
when the moon is about full, lunar
rainbow steals over the scene, produc-
ing atmospheric effects which battle
description and make a picture which
clings forever to the memory-the
most beautiful gem Of the earth's
scenery.
What are known as the Rain Forest
and Palm Grove, adjacent to the falls
are aptly styled Natures Cathedral
the prevailing moisture ministering to
the most uxuriant growth. Here
may be seen beautiful tropical palms
and every description of fern, from the
fragile, delicate maidenhair to the
sturdy tree-fern towering up some 20
to so feet. One cream Of tartar tree
saw measured no less than eighty-sev-
en- feet round the trunk. All around
you the grass and the vegetation gen.
orally are vividly green, the fronds OF
the feathery palms overhead glitter
with the continual rain upon them
Nature Is adorned in her best and rich
est garb, and everywhere, year in and
year out, is the ceaseless, insistent
sound of many waters.
I might go on to describe the charm
ing and picturesque island above the
falls-one of them, named Kandahar
in honor of Lord Roberts's visit some
little time ago, full of the most inter-
esting vegetable growths, lovely flow
ers and peculiar indigenous fruits
Just as the writer landed here a croc-
odile sprang off the bank into it's ma
tive element; away across the river a
huge hippopotamus was conspicuous;
while seals and other animals are to be
found in abundance.
What may be called the lip of the
falls is subdivided by several natural
features, each Of which has its distinc-
tive name. There is, for instance, in
the great series Of cataracts, the Leap
ing Water; then the great Fall, 573
yards broad (divided) from a second
fall of 325 yards by projecting rocN !;
then the Rainbow Fall; and, finally the
Eastern-all blending, more or less, in
one mighty whole, laundering into the
obscurity of the dark craven below
Each section of the colossal phantas-
magoria possesses it's peculiar charm
and even at the very edge may be seen
trees and bushes which have success
fully resisted the impetuous, maddened
onrush of the waters. At the extreme
eastern end they enter a narrow gorge
called the Boiling Pot; and the canon
is at this point spanned by the hand
some railway bridge over 400 feet above
low water level, the highest in the
world. The main parabolic arch is a
500-foot span, and the total length OF
bridge $50 feet. 1t is a triumph of en-
gineering skill, and was carried to
completion with only one accident. II
is, of course, one of the main links in
the great Cape-to- Cairo line (Which
by the way, has now reached the Con-
go border), and was officially opened
to this point on the 18th Of December
last with befitting eclat.
Before returning the visitor should
not fail to pay a visit to Livingstone
seven miles distant by rail from the
falls, where will be found many feat
ures of interest. 1t is the seat of the
government Of Northwestern Rhode
sia, and has several fine buildings; in
deed in the near future, as population
increases and trade develops, it is des-
tined to become an important center
of the subcontinent.
But must bring my notes to con-
clusion, content if 1 have whetted the
appetite of any tourist in search OF
fresh fields and pastures new to ex-
Journal.
EAMOUS SWORDS,