This small but pleasant little islet divides the American Fall into two
sections, the stream over which we cross from Goat Island constituting
what is known as the Center Fall, beneath which is the Cave of the
Winds. The island lies low, and the visitor may touch the water with the
hand. The verge was formerly unguarded, but an iron railing now prevents
a repetition of the melancholy accident that occurred here on the 21st
of June, 1849, when the family of Mr. Deforest, of Buffalo, in company
with a friend, Mr. Charles Addington, were visiting the scene. The
latter, playfully catching up Annette, the little daughter of Mr.
Deforest, said, “I am going to throw you in.” With a sudden impulse, the
child sprang from his arms into the water. Horrified at the result of
his pleasantry, Mr. Addington sprang after her, and both were
immediately carried over the Falls. The mangled remains of the child
were recovered the same day, in the Cave of the Winds, and the body of
the unfortunate young man a few days later.
Returning to Goat Island, a short walk brings us to the building used as
the dressing-room in which to prepare for a visit to the
“CAVE OF THE WINDS.”
This trip is made by ladies as well as gentlemen, water-proof suits
being provided for any who wish to explore the famous cavern, and
experienced guides are in readiness to accompany the visitor. The
descent to the foot of the cliff is here made without the aid of
machinery, by means of a spiral staircase known as
“BIDDLE’S STAIRS.”
This structure takes its name from the Hon. Nicholas Biddle, the
well-known president of the United States Bank, at whose expense the
enterprise of building it was carried out in 1829. The bank at this
place is 185 feet high. Part of this descent is accomplished by an open
stairway, of ordinary inclination, and the remainder by the
perpendicular shaft or tower, which is 80 feet high, the whole
comprising 147 steps.
From the foot of the tower, a pathway to the right, under the shadow of
the overhanging cliff, leads to the Center Fall, which constitutes the
aqueous curtain of “Æolus’ Cavern.” A secure stairway leads to the
entrance of the Cave, and the visitor passes under the Fall, into the
stormy recess made in the solid rock. The Cavern derives its name from
the peculiar atmospheric effects produced by the action of the falling
water, the compression of the air establishing a perpetual tempest, like
that in which Æolus, the god of the wind, is said to dwell.
The Cave is 100 feet high by 100 deep and 160 long, and its existence is
due to the action of the waters upon the shale, leaving the more solid
limestone rock overhanging.
[Illustration: UNDER THE CATARACT.]
As one of the many novel experiences to be met in a visit to Niagara,
the trip through this Cave will leave a lasting impression upon the
memory. The sensations which wind and storm will always produce are here
intensified by the novelty of the surroundings, and the realization of
the fact that the forces of Nature are perpetually accomplishing here
what they occasionally produce in the outer world. Add to this the spice
of personal risk, really less than it seems to be, and the recollections
of the occasion will be vivid and enduring.
From the foot of the stairway, another path leads to the river in front,
and still another toward the Canadian or Horseshoe Fall. The latter is
but little used, and is not kept in good condition. From a scaffolding
100 feet high, erected near the stairway in 1829, Sam Patch made his
famous leap into the river, successfully accomplishing a feat, the
repetition of which at Genessee Falls, shortly after, cost him his life.
Returning to the bank above, and continuing the walk along the brink,
the next interesting point of observation is