Norwich bulletin., 1919-09-05
AiRPLANES TO WHIR
 OVER THUNDERoUS FALLS

While Niagara Falls will continue to hold their own as mecca for honeymooners and other travellers they must henceforth submit to comparison with another natural wonder, the Nic- toria Falls of the Zambesie, as Africa becomes freqlented by tourists" says a bulletin from the National Geo. gra phic Society.
 From being a place of mystery, so feared that Livingstone. who discoH- = cred the Falls in 1855, had great diffi- culty in persuading his followers TO accompany him; the Fall now are visible from railway that crosses the river half mile below them. and they lie under the proposed route Of the Cape to Cairo aerial service which is to be cstab blished this autumn.
 Louis Livinston Sea aman, in com munication to The Society, rescribes a visit to Victoria Falls and contrasts them with Niagara as follows:
 @our approach was made by rail from the Indian Ocean at Beira. near the mouth of the Zambesi 1that hotbed of micro organisms, described by James Bryce az the most deadly in Africa) and across the narrow belt of swamp and jungle forming the coast; thence up the gradual slopes to the volcanic plateau that forms the real continent of Africa.
 By morning an altitude of nearly 009 feet was reached, and a transi- tion from the excessive heat and moisture Of the lowlands was cxperi- a'-S-ed that was most grateful and ex- hilarating.
 This section still abounds with an teope, elephants, lions and other large game, which find excellent cover in the tall elephant grass Or the dense forests still gambol and flouncer in ungain- ly herds amid the floating islands o~ rank vegetation Of Nile reeds and pa pyrus.
 with the altitude, however. came another and less grateful change. dence. but in their stead wo~@ Nas- arid birdlcss plains, with parched and hungry vegetation whose anaemic and stunted growth bears witness to the scarcity of moisture that so se- vereyl affects Rhodesia and the great stretches of Veldt far away to the Transvaal.
 Early in the morning of the third day we were sGOue; .,,,..,e
 the guard and treated to a scene of beauty never to be forgotten. Some 10 miles distant five enormous columns Of vapor were shooting their roseate tinutcd shafts hundreds or feet heav enWard. while the faint roar of the Falls told us the Mosioa Tunga-the smoke that sounds-was no longer d mystery.
 Each moment i,,rroa cod tho h~~-'+v and VivdneSs or the scene. With ths
  picture of color of ~ondrous loveli- ness. Delicate tints of violet. crim- son. and beryl played through the mountain spray as it shot higher and higher, ultimately disappeari1g as virgin clouds in heaven while the ever-increasing thunders of the waters lent an added solennity to the view.
 Hardly could we wait to reach our destination, so great was our enthus- iasm But our hopes were doomed to 1 f1srT IH more than realized after a study of the environment, for. uorWithsta nding their r'agnitudc the first view of Vic toria Falls is decidedly disappointihs.
 Although nearly miie in width and 400 feet in height the grandeur of their proportions is eclipsed by the sudden 6isa ppearance of the river. it plunges into narrow, rocky fts- sure extending across it's entire width. Only a a single central point is there a breach in th's Assure through which the Falls can be seen and appre- ciated in their full proportions. where the converging waters rush madly to the zigzag canyon below So re- entire absence of that awe inspiring and almost paralyzing effect which strikes the visitor dumb with wonder and amazement when Niagara bursts on his near vision. On first sight of the Victoria Falls one involuntarilY exclaims. oh. how beautifuiH but they lack the majesty of our grand Mia gara.
 ''No single visit can adequately re- veal the fullness of their charms but repeated excursions must be made to their islands and precipices, their srottos and palm gardens. their rain forests and projecting crsgs, their rain bows and cataracts and many sided views of their exquisite setting in the emerald framework of tropic forests. befOre their iudeScr}hah1e beauty can be appreciated. The fascination of new and hidden cha mrs from different points of view grows on the visitor and becomes one of the greatest attractions.
 Had the Falls been in America. the Indians would surely have named named them Minnehaha, Laughing Waters: for like a GOV alden are their fascinations. half copceAlinG. half hetraying their beauties, and re- 1uirine much wooinR before re"Hal- l ng all their loveliness Of hidden | treasure and charm.