Winds," from the south, looking at the Centre and American Falls, down
the river as far as the Suspension Bridge, about two miles below, and
the Lower or Long Rapids, for there are rapids both above and below the
Falls. In this we succeeded tolerably well, and without any difficulty.
Then, descending the "Biddle Stairs" to the foot of the two American
cataracts, we tried the "Cave of the Winds" itself; but, our process
not being a "wet" one, had no sympathy with the blinding and drenching
spray about us. However, I secured a pencil sketch of the scene we
could not photograph, and afterwards took one of the most novel and
fearful shower-baths to be had in the world. Dressed--or, rather,
undressed--for the purpose, and accompanied by a guide, I passed down
by the foot of the precipice, under the Centre Fall, and along a wet and
slippery pole laid across a chasm, straddling it by a process I cannot
describe--for I was deaf with the roar and blind with the spray--we
reached in safety a flat rock on the other side, and then stood erect
between the two sheets of falling water. To say that I saw anything
while there would be a mistake; but I know and felt by some
demonstrations, other than ocular, that I was indulging in a bath of the
wildest and grandest description. Recrossing the chasm by the pole, we
now entered the "Cave of the Winds," which is immediately under the
Centre Fall. The height and width of the cave is one hundred feet, and
the depth sixty feet. It takes its name from the great rush of wind into
the cave, caused by the fall of the waters from above. Standing in the
cave, which is almost dry, you can view the white waters, like
avalanches of snow, tumbling over and over in rapid succession. The
force of the current of the rapids above shoots the water at least
twenty feet from the rock, describing, as it were, the segment of a
circle. By this circumstance only are you able to pass under the Centre
Fall, and a portion of the Horse Shoe Fall on the Canadian side. To
return, we ascended the "Biddle Stairs," a spiral staircase of 115
steps, on the west side of Goat Island, crossed the latter, and by a
small bridge passed to Bath Island, which we left by the grand bridge
which crosses the rapids about 250 yards above the American Fall.
Reaching the American shore again in safety, after a hard day's work, we
availed ourselves of Mr. Babbitt's kindness and hospitality to develop
our plates in his dark room, and afterwards developed ourselves,
sociably and agreeably, refreshing the inner man, and narrating our
day's adventures.
I shall now endeavour to describe our next trip, which was to the
Canadian side--how we got there, what we did, and what were the
impressions produced while contemplating those wonderful works of
nature. In the first place, to describe how we descended to the "ferry"
and crossed the river. On the north side of the American Fall a railway
has been constructed by an enterprising American, where the "cars" are
let down a steep decline by means of water-power, the proprietor of the
railway having utilized the very smallest amount of the immense force so
near at hand. Placing our "traps" in the car, and seating ourselves
therein, the lever was moved by the "operator," and away we went down
the decline as if we were going plump into the river below; but at the
proper time the water was turned off, and we were brought to a
standstill close by the boat waiting to ferry us across. Shifting our
traps and selves into the boat and sitting down, the ferryman bent to
the oars and off we dashed into the dancing and foaming waters, keeping
her head well to the stream, and drawing slowly up until we came right
abreast of the American Fall; then letting her drop gently down the
stream, still keeping her head to the current, we gained the Canadian
shore; our course on the river describing the figure of a cone, the apex
towards the "Horse Shoe." Ascending the banks by a rather uphill road,
we reached the Clifton Hotel, where we took some refreshments, and then
commenced our labours of photographing the Grand Rapids and the Falls,
from Table Rock, or what remained of it. On arriving at the spot, we set
down our traps and looked about bewildered for the best point. To
attempt to describe the scene now before us would be next to folly, nor
could the camera, from the limited angle of our lens, possibly convey an
adequate idea of the grandeur and terrific beauty of the Grand Rapids,
as you see them rushing and foaming, white with rage, for about two and
a half miles before they make their final plunge over the precipice.
Many years ago an Indian was seen standing up in his canoe in the midst
of these fearful rapids. Nearing the brink of the terrible Fall, and
looking about him, he saw that all hope was lost, for he had passed
Gull Island, his only chance of respite; waving his hand, he was seen
to lie down in the bottom of his canoe, which shot like an arrow into
the wild waters below, and he was lost for ever. Neither he nor his
canoe was ever seen again. In 1829 the ship _Detroit_, loaded with a
live buffalo, bear, deer, fox, &c., was sent over the Falls. She was
almost dashed to pieces in the rapids, but many persons saw the remains
of the ship rolled over into the abyss of waters. No one knew what
became of the animals on board. And in 1839, during the Canadian
Rebellion, the steamer _Caroline_ was set fire to in the night and cast
adrift. She was drawn into the rapids, but struck on Gull Island, and
was much shattered by the collision. The bulk of the burning mass was
swept over the Falls, but few witnessed the sight. Doubtless no fire on
board a ship was ever extinguished so suddenly. The view from Table Rock
is too extensive to be rendered on one plate by an ordinary camera; but
the pantascopic camera would give the very best views that could
possibly be obtained.
Taking Table Rock as the centre, the entire sweep of the Fall is about
180 degrees, and stretching from point to point for nearly
three-quarters of a mile--from the north side of the American Fall to
the termination of the Horse Shoe Fall on the west side. The American
and Centre Falls present a nearly straight line running almost due north
and south, while the Great Horse Shoe Fall presents a line or figure
resembling a sickle laid down with the left hand, the convex part of the
bow lying direct south, the handle lying due east and west, with the
point or termination to the west; the waters of the two American Falls
rushing from east to west, and the waters of the Canadian Fall bounding
towards the north. By this description it will be seen that but for the
intervention of Goat and Luna Islands the three sheets of water would
embrace each other like mighty giants locked in a death struggle, before
they fell into the lower river. The whole aspect of the Falls from
Table Rock is panoramic. Turning to the left, you see the American
rapids rushing down furiously under the bridge, between Bath Island and
the American shore, with a force and velocity apparently great enough to
sweep away the bridge and four small islands lying a little above the
brink, and pitch them all down on to the rocks below. Turning slowly to
the right, you see the Centre Fall leaping madly down between Luna and
Goat Islands, covering the Cave of the Winds from view. A little more to
the right, the rocky and precipitous face of Goat or Iris Island, with
the "Biddle Stairs" like a perpendicular line running down the
precipice; and to the extreme right the immense sweeps of the Great
Horse Shoe.
Doubtless this fall took its name from its former resemblance to the
shape of a horse shoe. It is, however, nothing like that now, but is
exactly the figure of a sickle, as previously described. Looking far up
the river you observe the waters becoming broken and white, and so they
continue to foam and rush and leap with increasing impetuosity, rushing
madly past the "Three Sisters"--three islands on the left--and "Gull
Island" in the middle of the rapids, on which it is supposed no man has
ever trodden, until, with a roar of everlasting thunder, which shakes
the earth, they fall headlong into the vortex beneath. At the foot of
this Fall, and for a considerable distance beyond, the river is as white
as the eternal snows, and as troubled as an angry sea. Indeed, I never
but once saw the Atlantic in such a state, and that was in a storm in
which we had to "lay to" for four days in the Gulf Stream.
The colours and beauty of Niagara in sunlight are indescribable. You may
convey _some_ idea of its form, power, and majesty, by describing lines
and giving figures of quantity and proportion, but to give the faintest
impression of its beauty and colours is almost hopeless. The rich,
lovely green on the very brink of the Horse Shoe Fall is beyond
conception. All the emeralds in the world, clustered together and bathed
in sunlight, would fall far short of the beauty and brilliancy of that
pure and dazzling colour. It can only be compared to an immense, unknown
brilliant of the emerald hue, in a stupendous setting of the purest
frosted, yet sparkling silver. Here, too, is to be seen the marvellous
beauty of the prismatic colours almost daily. Here you might think the
"Covenant" had been made, and set up to shine for ever and ever at the
Throne of the Most Mighty, and here only can be seen the complete
_circle_ of the colours of the rainbow. I saw this but once, when on
board the _Maid of the Mist_, and almost within the great vortex at the
foot of the Falls. A brilliant sun shining through the spray all round,
placed us in a moment as it were in the very centre of that beautiful
circle of colour, which, with the thunder of the cataract, and the
sublimity of the scene, made the soul feel as if it were in the presence
of the "Great Spirit," and this the sign and seal of an eternal compact.
Here, also, is to be seen the softer, but not the less beautiful Lunar
Rainbow. Whenever the moon is high enough in the heavens, the lunar bow
can be seen, not fitful as elsewhere, but constant and beautiful as long
as the moon is shedding her soft light upon the spray. On one occasion I
saw two lunar bows at once, one on the spray from the American Fall, and
the other on the spray of the great Horse Shoe Fall. This I believe is
not usual, but an eddy of the wind brought the two clouds of spray under
the moon's rays. Yet these are not all the "beauties of the mist." One
morning at sunrise I saw one of the most beautiful forms the spray could
possibly assume. The night had been unusually calm, the morning was as
still as it could be, and the mist from the Horse Shoe had risen in a
straight column to a height of at least 300 feet, and then spread out
into a mass of huge rolling clouds, immediately above the cataracts. The
rising sun shed a red lustre on the under edges of the cloud, which was
truly wonderful. It more resembled one huge, solitary column supporting
a canopy of silvery grey cloud, the edges of which were like burnished
copper, and highly suggestive of the Temple of the Most High, where man
must bow down and worship the great Creator of all these wondrous works.
It is not in a passing glance at Niagara that all its marvellous
beauties can be seen. You must stay there long enough to see it in all
its aspects--in sunshine and in moonlight, in daylight and in darkness,
in storm and in calm. No picture of language can possibly convey a just
conception of the grandeur and vastness of these mighty cataracts. No
poem has ever suggested a shadow of their majesty and sublimity. No
painting has ever excited in the mind, of one that has not seen those
marvellous works of God, the faintest idea of their dazzling beauties.
Descriptive writers, both in prose and verse, have failed to depict the
glories of this "Sovereign of the World of Floods." Painters have
essayed with their most gorgeous colours, but have fallen far short of
the intense beauty, transparency, and purity of the water, and the
wonderful radiance and brilliancy of the "Rainbow in the Mist." And I
fear the beauties of Niagara in natural colours can never be obtained in
the camera; but what a glorious triumph for photography if they were.
Mr. Church's picture, painted a few years ago, is the most faithful
exponent of nature's gorgeous colouring of Niagara that has yet been
produced. Indeed, the brilliant and harmonious colouring of this grand
picture can scarcely be surpassed by the hand and skill of man.
After obtaining our views of the Grand Rapids and the Falls from Table
Rock, we put up our traps, and leaving them in charge of the courteous
proprietor of the Museum, we prepared to go _under_ the great Horse Shoe
Fall. Clothing ourselves in india-rubber suits, furnished by our guide,
we descended the stairs near Table Rock, eighty-seven steps, and, led by
a negro, we went under the great sheet of water as far as we could go to
Termination Rock, and standing there for a while in that vast cave of
watery darkness, holding on to the negro's hand, we felt lost in wonder
and amazement, but not fear. How long we might have remained in that
bewildering situation it would be impossible to say, but being gently
drawn back by our sable conductor, we returned to the light and
consciousness of our position. The volume of water being much greater
here than at the Cave of the Winds, and the spray being all around, we
could not see anything but darkness visible below, and an immense moving
mass before, which we knew by feeling to be water. There is some
fascination about the place, for after coming out into the daylight I
went back again alone, but the guide, hurrying after me, brought me
back, and held my hand until we reached the stairs to return to the
Museum. On our way back our guide told us that more than "twice-told
tale" of Niagara and Vesuvius. If I may be pardoned for mixing up the
ridiculous with the sublime, I may as well repeat the story, for having
just come from under the Falls we were prepared to believe the truth of
it, if the geographical difficulty could have been overcome. An Italian
visiting the Falls and going under the Horse Shoe, was asked, on coming
out, what he thought of the sight. The Italian replied it was very grand
and wonderful, but _nothing_ to the sight of Mount Vesuvius in a grand
eruption. The guide's retort was, "I guess if you bring _your_ Vesuvius
here, _our_ Niagara will soon put his fires out." I do not vouch for the
truth of the story, but give it as nearly as possible as I was told.
Returning to the Museum and making ourselves "as we were," and
comforting ourselves with something inside after the wetting we had got
out, we took up our traps, and wending our way back to the ferry,
recrossed the river in much the same manner that we crossed over in the
morning; and sending our "baggage" up in the cars we thought we would
walk up the "long stairs," 290 steps, by the side of the railway. On
nearing the top, we felt as if we must "cave in," but having trodden so
far the back of a "lion," we determined to see the end of his tail, and
pushing on to the top, we had the satisfaction of having accomplished
the task we had set ourselves. Perhaps before abandoning the Canadian
side of Niagara, I should have said something about Table Rock, which,
as I have said, is on the Canadian side, and very near to the Horse Shoe
Fall. It took its name from the table-like form it originally presented.
It was formerly much larger than it is now, but has, from time to time,
fallen away. At one time it was very extensive and projected over the
precipice fifty or sixty feet, and was about 240 feet long and 100 feet
thick. On the 26th of June, 1850, this tremendous mass of rock, nearly
half an acre, fell into the river with a crash and a noise like the
sound of an earthquake. The whole of that immense mass of rock was
buried in the depths of the river, and completely hidden from sight. No
one was killed, which was a miracle, for several persons had been
standing on the rock just a few minutes before it fell. The vicinity is
still called Table Rock, though the projecting part that gave rise to
the name is gone. It is, nevertheless, the best point on the Canada side
for obtaining a grand and comprehensive view of Niagara Falls.
The next scenes of our photographic labours were Suspension Bridge, the
Long Rapids, The Whirlpool, and Devil's Hole. These subjects, though not
so grand as Niagara, are still interestingly and closely associated with
the topographical history and legendary interest of the Falls. And we
thought a few "impressions" of the scenes, and a visit to the various
places, would amply repay us for the amount of fatigue we should have to
undergo on such a trip under the scorching sun of _August in America_.
Descending to the shore, and stepping on board the steamer _Maid of the
Mist_, which plies up and down the river for about two miles, on the
tranquil water between the Falls and the Lower Rapids, we were "cast
off," and in a little time reached the landing stage, a short distance
above the Long Rapids. Landing on the American side, we ascended the
steep road, which has been cut out of the precipice, and arriving at
Suspension Bridge, proceeded to examine that wonderful specimen of
engineering skill. It was not then finished, but the lower level was
complete, and foot passengers and carriages could go along. They were
busy making the railway "track" overhead, so that, when finished (which
it is now), it would be a bridge of two stories--the lower one for
passengers on foot and carriages, the upper one for the "cars." I did
not see a "snorting monster" going along that spider's-web-like
structure, but can very well imagine what must be the sensations of
"railway passengers" as they pass along the giddy height. The span of
the bridge, from bank to bank, is 800 feet, and it is 230 feet from the
river to the lower or carriage road. The estimated cost was two hundred
thousand dollars, about L40,000. A boy's toy carried the first wire
across the river. When the wind was blowing straight across, a wire was
attached to a kite, and thus the connecting thread between the two sides
was secured, and afterwards by means of a running wheel, or traveller,
wire after wire was sent across until each strand was made thick enough
to carry the whole weight of the bridge, railway trains, and other
traffic which now pass along. We went on to the bridge, and looked down
on the rapids below, for the bridge spans the river at the narrowest
point, and right over the commencement of the Lower Rapids. It was more
of a test to my nerves to stand at the edge of the bridge and look down
on those fearful rapids than it was to go under the Falls. To us, it
seemed a miracle of ingenuity and skill how, from so frail a connection,
a mere wire, so stupendous a structure could have been formed; and yet,
viewing it from below, or at a distance, it looked like a bridge of
threads. During its erection several accidents occurred. On one
occasion, when the workmen were just venturing on to the cables to lay
the flooring, and before a plank was made fast, one of those sudden
storms, so peculiar to America, came up and carried away all the
flooring into the Rapids. Four of the men were left hanging to the
wires, which were swaying backwards and forwards in the hurricane in
the most frightful manner. Their cries for help could scarcely be heard,
from the noise of the Rapids and the howling of the wind, but the
workmen on shore, seeing the perilous condition of their comrades, sent
a basket, with a man in it, down the wire to rescue them from death.
Thus, one by one, they were saved. Leaving the Bridge, and proceeding to
the vicinity of the Whirlpool, still keeping the American side of the
river, we pitched the camera, not _over_ the precipice, as I heard of
one brother photographer doing, but on it, and took a view of the Bridge
and the Rapids looking up towards the Falls, but a bend in the river
prevented them being seen from this point. Not very far above the angry
flood we saw the _Maid of the Mist_ lying quietly at her moorings.