The Twin Falls times. [volume] (Twin Falls, Idaho) 1905-1916, 1914-01-20
SHOShONE FALLS
FAME RECORDED
Senator BOrah introduces De-
sCription in Senate
WONDERFUL PEN PICTURE BY
JUDGE GOODWIN CHEERED.
Beauty Of Idaho's Niagara Recorded on
Congressional Files as a National
Wonder.

Wonder.
Senator William e. Borah read be-
fore the United States senate Decem-
ber 9Th, Judge C. G. Goodwin's descrip-
ton of Shoshone falls, Idaho, written
by the dean of western editors in his
book, The Comstock Club" twenty
five years ago. The Record printed
the excerpt in full, giving official gov
ernmental recognition of the beauty of
the description. The following is
taken from the Compression Record
of December g.:
Mr.. Borah-Mr. President, l am go
ing to take the liberty of reading to
the senate a description of one of the
great scenic displays of this country,
about which very few people know
anything, and which, too, is going the
way of others--i. e., to destruction. |
want to put in the Record as per-
manent piece of literauiS@a descrip-
ton of this piece of gre i natural
scenery from the gifted pen'uf the vet
eran editor of the west G. G. Goodwin.
This is a description of what are
known as Shoshone falls, in the state
of Idaho:
"They are the rivals of Niagara.
Never anywhere else was there such a
scene; never slywhere else was so
beautiful a pict.,ee hung in so rude a
frame; never sJywhere else on a
background so fforbidding and wierd
were SO many glories clustered.
Around and beyond there is moth
ing but the desert-sere, silent life
less, as though desolation had builded
there everlasting throne to sorrow and
despair.
Away back in remote ages, over the
withered breast of the desert, a river
of fire 100 miles wide and 400 miles
long was turned AS the fiery mass
cooled it's red waves became trans
fixed and turned black, giving to the
double desert an indescribably blasted
and forbidding face But while this
river of fire was in flow river of wa
ter was fighting its way across it or
has since made the waw and forged
out for itself a channel through the
mass This channel looks like the
grave of volcano that has been rob-
bed of it's dead
But right between its crumbling
and repellant walls TRANSPORTATION
appears. And such a picture! A river
as lordly as the Hudson or the Ohio
flowing from the distant snow-crested
Tetons, with waters transparent as
glass, but green as emerald, with ma
jestic flow and ever-increasing vol
ume, sweeps on until it reaches this
point, where the august display begins
Suddenly, in different places in the
river bed jagged, rocky reefs are up
raised, and these, in mighty plune
of eighty feet downward, dash on theil
way. OF course, the waters are churn-
ed into foam and roll over the preci-
pice white as are the garments of the
morning when no cloud obscures the
sun. The loveliest of these falls Is
called The Bridal Veil,' because it is
made of lace which is woven with E
warp of falling waters and woof O
sunlight Above this and near the
right bank is long trail of foam, ant
this is called The Bridal Train" The
other channels are not so fair as the
one called The Bridal VAIL" but they
.are more fierce and wild, and carry IL
their furious sweep more power.
"One of the reefs which divides the
river in midchannel runs to peak
and on this family of eagles have
through. the years, maybe through cen
their young, on the very verge of tn,
abyss and amid the full echoes of tht
resounding boom of the falls. Surel,
the eagle is fitting symbol of perfec
fearlessness and of that exultatiOl
which comes of battle clamors.
But these first falls are but be
ginning. The greater splendor sue
ceeds With swifter flow the startled
waters dash on, and within few fee
take their second plung in solid ere
scent over sheer precipice, 21O feet
to the abyss below. On the brink Their
is rolling crest of white, dotted her
and there. in sharp contrast, will
shining eddies of green, as might
necklace of emerald simmer on
throat of snow and then leap and fall
Here more than foam is made
Here the waters are shivered Int
fleecy spray, whittier and finer thai
any miracle that ever fell from Indi
loom, while from the depths below al
everlasting vapor arises--the incens
of the waters to the waters God. Fin
ally, through the long, unclouded days
the sun sends down bis beams, and t
give the startling scene its crownin
splendor wreathes the terror and tn
glory in rainbow halo. On eithe
sullen bank the extremities of it's ar
are anchored, and there in its man
clouded robes of light it stands Out
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