SCENIC MARVELS OF THE GREAT NORTHEAST.
[Illustration: STARVED ROCK, ON ILLINOIS RIVER, NEAR OTTAWA, ILLINOIS.]
Our circuit of the West had now been completed, and having surrendered
the camera car which we had chartered, we made hasty preparations for a
grand tour of all that section lying east of the Mississippi. Before
departing for the East, however, we made a flying trip over the St.
Louis & San Francisco Railroad to Eureka Springs, a popular health
resort in Northern Arkansas, surrounded by some very beautiful scenery
that spreads away through the Ozark and Boston Mountains in picturesque
grandeur, diversified by swift-flowing streams, deep gorges, terrible
bluffs and immense caves that are gorgeously embellished with gigantic
stalactite and stalagmite formations. If these magnificent scenes were
not so conveniently near a large city, they would be a hundred-fold more
famous, for it is human nature to yearn for the least accessible and the
most difficult of attainment. In short, we rarely appreciate the things
that we have, and exaggerate the importance and attractiveness of places
which are remote. It is this peculiarity of the human mind that makes
heaven a necessity and immortality a natural deduction, the irresistible
conclusion of human reason.
We tarried one week in St. Louis before departing for the East, and then
again divided our party, one of our photographers proceeding to
Pittsburgh, and thence through Pennsylvania and Virginia, taking views
of the famous scenery of those States, while the other two whose travels
we will now describe, passed northward to Chicago, and thence east by
way of Niagara. Having heard much of a celebrated point known as Starved
Rock, on the Illinois River, a place of commanding interest in the
history of La Salle and his adventurous companions, we resolved to stop
at Ottawa, en route to Chicago, and make a photograph of the historic
rock. We reached Ottawa by the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Road, and
thence by driving ten miles in a spring wagon we gained the spot made
celebrated through a tradition which is as romantic as it is tragic.
Starved Rock is now the property of a company, and is situated on the
left bank of the Illinois River, near the foot of the rapids. It is a
perpendicular bluff of limestone, one hundred and fifty feet high, and
is crowned with oaks and other forest trees. The water front presents a
precipitous wall, but there is a slope towards an adjoining bluff by
which it is alone accessible. The summit has an area of about one acre,
but is a natural stronghold; and perceiving its advantages, La Salle, on
his first return trip to Canada, ordered his Indian lieutenant, named
Tonti, to fortify himself upon the Rock, supplying him with one small
cannon for that purpose. Tonti carried out these orders, and, it is
said, died and was buried upon the Rock. Years afterward, the place
became conspicuous in the Indian wars; and it is related that after the
killing of Pontiac, chief of the Ottawas, in a drunken row at Cahokia,
some of his people charged the Illinois tribe with the crime and made
war upon them. Being feeble in numbers, they were driven before the
Ottawas so remorselessly that as a last resort they took refuge on
Starved Rock. Here they were able to hold their enemies at bay, but
their distress was none the less because of their ability to prevent a
scaling of their stronghold, for the Ottawas besieged the Rock and
effectually prevented the Illinois from securing any supplies. Water was
for a while procured by means of vessels attached to ropes of bark,
which were let down into the stream. But this device was presently
discovered and prevented by the Ottawas coming under the bluff in canoes
and cutting the ropes. Unwilling to surrender and run the risk of
torture, the unfortunate Illinois remained in the place of their retreat
until one by one they died of starvation. This is the tradition current
in La Salle county, and the finding of many Indian relics and bones on
the Rock tend to confirm its truthfulness.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Illustration:
BASIN SPRINGS, EUREKA SPRINGS, ARKANSAS.—Arkansas is famous for her
life-giving and health-supporting springs, and among these none are
more celebrated than those at Eureka, in the northwestern part of
the State. The location is picturesque and mountainous, the
atmosphere clear and invigorating. A few years ago the place was a
wilderness, and the waters wasted their treasures of good health in
untrammeled mountain rivulets. By the merest accident their curative
powers were discovered, and immediately the sick and the afflicted
from all parts of the world began to flock thither, like pilgrims to
a newly discovered Siloam. At present there is a thriving city of
4000 inhabitants located on the mountain sides, with many thousands
of invalid guests constantly coming and going.
]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Illustration: THE LOOKOUT, ON THE ROAD TO HOMER.]
From Chicago we went east over the Michigan Central to Niagara Falls,
that greatest of natural wonders, a sublime apotheosis of omnipotence, a
glorification of the immeasurable power that nature possesses, in whose
roar we distinguish the hallelujah chorus of centuries and peans of
praise to the mightiness of Deity.
Niagara Falls, the supreme natural marvel of both continents, is divided
into two cataracts, viz.: American Falls, flowing towards the American
or western side, and Horseshoe Falls, which discharges towards the
Canada side, the two being separated by Goat Island.
[Illustration: BARN BLUFF, NEAR RED WING, MINNESOTA.]
The height of the former is one hundred and four feet, and the latter,
owing to a limestone stratum not worn away, is one foot higher, by which
it is reasonably concluded that at one time nearly all the flow was
towards the American side, because the discharge over the western fall
is not now so great as that towards the Canada side. This tremendous
flood of waters is from Lake Erie through Niagara River into Lake
Ontario, and the retrogression of the cataract, caused by the wearing of
the limestone ledge, inclines geologists to the opinion that the flow
has continued for a period of not less than thirty-seven thousand years.
The width of Niagara River at the falls is forty-five hundred feet, of
which American Falls occupies eleven hundred feet, Goat Island fourteen
hundred feet, and Horseshoe Falls two thousand feet, though the deep
curve in the latter, whence its name is derived, makes the line of fall
more than three thousand feet. It has been estimated that the discharge
exceeds one billion gallons of water every twelve hours, and that the
force thus developed is equal to something more than one million horse-
power.
The landscape on either side of the falls has little of the picturesque
or tumultuous about it, being generally slightly rolling, and giving no
indication of eruptive disturbance; so that scientists are still
searching for a plausible theory upon which to base a conclusion as to
the cause that produced this sudden dip in the limestone formation.
The astounding power displayed by the river dropping over a wide and
lofty ledge is scarcely more bewildering than that exhibited by the
Rapids, which extend for half a mile from the point of descent, and
meeting a swift current, the flood is lashed into a fury that is
frightful to behold, rising in the center like huge beasts in combat,
and tossing wave-caps nearly fifty feet above the surface. At times the
spray rises in such clouds as to completely obscure the falls, and borne
some distance by the winds is condensed, and a long-continued rain
follows, which renders a considerable stay in the neighborhood somewhat
disagreeable.
[Illustration: VIEW OF FORT SNELLING FROM THE MISSISSIPPI.]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Illustration:
HARDING SPRING AND ROCK, EUREKA SPRINGS, ARKANSAS.—The ruggedness and
beauty of the scenery in and around Eureka Springs, and their
pleasant influence upon the minds of invalids, causing them to dwell
upon other things rather than their ailments, no doubt have
something to do with the marvelous cures that have been wrought
here. Nature, aided by the embellishments of art, has made the place
an exceedingly attractive resort, which grows in favor with each
passing year. No imaginary picture, be it ever so attractive, could
surpass in picturesqueness the scene so beautifully photographed on
this page.
]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Illustration: AMERICAN FALLS, VIEWED FROM GOAT ISLAND.]
While an admirable view of the falls may be obtained from many points of
observation on the bridge, or along both shores, the greatest interest
attaches to a visit to the noisy caverns that are behind the descending
flood. These may be reached by means of spiral stairways built for the
purpose, but the visitor must prepare for the trip by investing himself
in a suit of oil-skin, and for a while must assume the character of an
amphibian. At the bottom of the deep descent are stones in great
confusion, over which we must scramble to reach the Cave-of-the-Winds, a
watery grotto indeed, in which the air is agitated by the thundering
cataract that fairly envelopes you. The scene here is beyond the scope
of pen or brush, for these appeal only to sight and understanding, while
the awful presence conjures all the senses. Behind the giant curtain of
waterfall is a greenish reflection, weird in its intensity and
unnaturalness, and to the ears there comes a muffled roar which, while
not jarring, yet seems to pervade and penetrate like the dull rumble of
an earthquake. This uncertain disturbance, which confuses with strange
noise, is intensified by a wind that is here created by what appears to
be some mysterious agency; and other curious things are noted that
suggest to the imaginative mind a region of the supernatural, where
indistinct voices warn and then invite, but are always clamorous, like a
crowd of bedlamites.
Below the falls the river narrows to eight hundred feet, between
precipitous walls, which add swiftness to the current, and three miles
from Horseshoe Falls the impetuous stream strikes a point of projecting
land in such a manner that a terrible whirlpool is created, capable of
sucking down a large steamboat. By means of a car, which is controlled
by a cable, visitors may ride down the very steep incline to the edge of
Whirlpool Rapids and view in safety the awful, mad-lashing waters,
swirling with extraordinary rapidity and throwing high the tousled heads
of ravening waves, which appear to be lusting for victims and bellowing
for vengeance. It is gratifying to know that the almost incomputable
power of Niagara is soon to be transmitted, through the generation of
electricity, to mills and machinery, and thus utilized to the honor of
human genius as well as to the glory of God.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Illustration:
NIAGARA FROZEN.—Niagara is grand at any and all times, but if you
would appreciate the sublimity of its grandeur in the fullest
degree, you should visit it in winter, when it is covered with icy
fringes and stalactites, and you can approach close to the roaring
fountain on the mound of ice formed by the spray which rises from
the foot of the precipice. It is only on rare occasions, during very
severe winters, that such opportunities are afforded; but when they
do occur they attract thousands of visitors from many sections, who
come in crowds to witness a scene that has no equal among all the
wonders of the world. On such occasions the Falls themselves seem to
be a mass of liquid ice, while the shores, the trees and the cliffs
are clothed in sheets of white, and made ornate with columns that
rival alabaster in their transparent beauty.
]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Illustration: BRIDAL VEIL FALLS, NIAGARA.]
Great changes occurring in Niagara Falls, which though slow and
remittent, are no less certain to destroy the grandeur of that
incomparable waterfall some time in the very remote future. It is a
well-demonstrated fact that Niagara River has excavated the gorge
through which it runs, and within recent years such immense masses of
the ledge-stone have been detached by the gnawing waters as to cause an
appreciable recession of the cataract, and a corresponding lengthening
of the gorge. It is recorded that in 1818 very large fragments of
limestone were wrenched from the surface-bed and cast over Horseshoe
Falls, and another similar result occurred in 1855. But each year, and
constantly, the erosion is marked, so that Table Rock, formerly a
striking feature of the river, has been worn away so completely that no
present sign of it now remains. It has been computed by Sir Charles
Lyell that the average rate of recession is about one foot annually,
counting for the past thousand years; but as before stated, the erosive
results are spasmodic. There is now eighty feet of hard limestone
composing the surface-rock, and it will probably require ten thousand
years for the rushing waters to eat this away; after that, however, the
wear will be rapid, and in course of centuries the falls will have
disappeared, and only a tremendous gorge will remain in their stead.
Many wonderful spectacles have taken place at the falls, the most
interesting of which was the sending adrift of a condemned lake vessel,
drawing eighteen feet of water, in 1829, which passed over the brink
without touching bottom, and was dashed in pieces on the rocks below.
This experiment was made to test the depth of water on the brink of the
precipice.
[Illustration: HECTOR FALLS, WATKIN’S GLEN, IN WINTER.]
There is a weary sameness to the generally level or prairie scenery
which lies between the Mississippi River and New York State, if we
except the rather pleasing diversity of well-cultivated farms,
prosperous towns, and evidences of thrift that are everywhere
noticeable. But there is more than the greatness of commercial and
industrial empire to recommend New York to the sight-seer, for some of
the most charming scenery to be found anywhere in the world is within
her borders, matching for sublimity even the most marvelous views which
we have described. And additional fascination attaches to many of her
noted places on account of the Indian names which have been jealously
preserved in her geography. The Mohawk Valley is at once a lovely vale
and a reminder of Cooper’s “Leather Stocking Stories;” and so are her
hundred rivers and lakes that bear the designations bestowed upon them,
either by some of the once-powerful tribes, or which perpetuate the fame
of their great chiefs, the shades of whom seem to linger about Seneca,
Cayuga, Oneida, Oswego, Canandaigua, Chautauqua, Keuka, Skaneateles,
over which they once skimmed in light canoes. The romance with which
these beautiful waters are invested would draw us irresistibly to their
shores were there no other attractions; but to these delightful
traditions of a vanished people are the added charms of sylvan glades,
exposing vistas of exquisite landscape, blue waters dimpled by soft
winds, swift-racing streams dashing under overarching shades, and wild
chasms that imprison echo and exhibit some of the most astounding
results of glacial action, abetted by upheaval, depression and erosion.
After picturing the wonders of Niagara, therefore, two of our party made
a trip over the New York Central Line and its connection, to Geneva, a
beautiful town on the north shore of Seneca Lake, which in many respects
is one of the most remarkable bodies of water in the world. The lake is
about forty miles in length, but it is a mere strip, rarely exceeding
two miles in width, yet has the extraordinary depth of six hundred feet,
so that it is evidently a basin created by the same convulsion that
wrought the surprising results which render the Glens at the south end
famous beyond comparison, as will be presently described. It is
particularly strange that such a tremendous cleft should be made without
showing a wider extent of disturbance, though the shores are a
succession of promontories, sweeping back in graceful undulations and
well-wooded slopes, save where industry has converted the hills into
fruitful fields.
[Illustration: CAVERN CASCADE, WATKIN’S GLEN, IN WINTER.]
The trip from Geneva to Watkins, which covers the extreme length of the
lake, is comfortably and enjoyably made by means of fine steamers, which
land at many intermediate points, and give summer tourists opportunity
for thoroughly examining the towns and beautiful banks along the way.
Watkins, which is the objective place of all pleasure travelers, has its
feet bathed by Seneca Lake, and its head shaded by the brow of Buck
Mountain, at whose base is the main street, running parallel therewith.
Following this street a short distance, the visitor reaches a bridge
that affords passage over a small stream, and proceeding along the banks
of this little water-course for less than half a mile, he is suddenly
confronted by a massive and lofty natural wall that prevents further
progress. Stairways, however, have been built, by which we mounted to
the summit of this wonderful masonry, and from that eminence surveyed
the matchless scenery of Watkin’s Glen. But the view is interrupted by
intervening precipices and densely wooded copses, so that to see the
amazing wonders and the bewildering beauties of this marvelously
diversified region a tour of its many attractions is necessary. To do
this requires a pair of strong legs and good breath, for the climbing is
severely taxing, though owing to the substantial and well protected
stairways is never dangerous.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Illustration:
TERRACED FALLS, WATKINS GLEN, NEW YORK.—The most eloquent pen pauses
in its futile efforts to depict the marvels, and the wonders, and
the glories that are presented on every hand in Watkins Glen. In all
the varied scenery of the world there is nothing to be compared to
this, for here Nature seems to have done her utmost in fashioning
something new and novel in the line of her handiwork for the
admiration of mankind. At every footstep, for a distance of three
miles along the gorge which cleaves the earth to a depth of 300
feet, some new wonder or marvelous creation is presented, each
seemingly more superb than its neighbors.
]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Illustration: WATKIN’S CASCADE FROZEN.]
Passing through Glen Alpha, where the awful sublimity of a tremendous
chasm oppresses the visitor on first view, we caught sight of Twin
Falls, where the waters pour down in two great sluices and become wedded
in a swirling pool that pours out the overflow through a cañon whose
walls have been scarified by the teeth of centuries. Below the falls is
Whirlpool Gorge, an amphitheater that is striated and terraced into
forms so variable as to please every conceit and yet arouse amazement.
The stream dashes into this capricious auditorium at a maddening pace,
but encounters resistance in the curving walls, and is thus thrown into
a rapid, whirling movement like a maelstrom; and this rotary action of
the waters has worn the half-encircling walls into many singular, though
usually symmetrical shapes.
Climbing out of Whirlpool Gorge and moving southward a short distance
along a railed ledge, we come in sight of Peek-a-boo Falls, a beautiful
sheet of water plunging over a precipice fifty feet high, and scattering
its spray along the walls that confine its descent, for the chasm is
very narrow here, and charming for its sylvan weirdness. The cliffs are
very pictures in stone, rising in tiers and carved into fantastic forms,
while the overhanging trees, graceful ferns and velvety mosses make the
place a bower in which fairies might delight to dwell.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Illustration: GIANT’S GORGE, IN CHATEAUGAY CHASM.]
[Illustration: WHIRLPOOL GORGE, WATKINS GLEN.]
These excellent photographs afford a splendid conception of the grandeur
of the scenery where these points are located. The winding chasm, the
rushing torrent, the glimmer of the sunlight above the tall cliffs, the
bold, serrated rocks—all these tell us of the splendors which Nature has
fashioned and deposited in this favored region.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Illustration: PORTLAND CASCADE, HAVANA GLEN.]
Though both Watkins and Havana Glens are gems of nature in summer-time,
their rarest robes of beauty are worn in winter, when the Ice King takes
them in his embrace and bejewels them with crystals more exquisite than
ever graced a royal bride. For the winter views which are here presented
we are indebted to other photographers, as we are also for the frost
pictures of the Lake Superior coast, as our visit was made in the
summer-time. Examples of the sublime magnificence, the divine-like
embellishment of Watkin’s Glen, when the lips of winter have kissed the
noisy waterfalls into frozen silence, are seen in the illustrations of
Cavern Cascade, and Hector Falls, and Watkin’s Cascade, where the frost-
sprites and the little children of the snow hide beneath opalescent
icicles and light the lamp of joy in grottoes that open toward the
voiceless gorge.
Further up the chasm, where the broken fronts of vertical walls begin,
is a quiet retreat known as the Council Chamber, spanned by a pretty
bridge that is hung upon opposite ledges and conducts to a passage that
runs along a shelf, then down a stairs to a path that leads from the
water’s edge to the town. The walls that enclose this strip of river are
exceedingly beautiful, built up as they are with thin layers, of a few
inches’ thickness, each strata being very distinct, and the face of the
cliffs wrought into lovely shapes, with a shelf here and there as if
inviting lovers to seek them for the delightful seclusion which they
offer. The glen is about three miles in length, and the walls frequently
three hundred feet in height, with enough variableness in the scenery to
make it a source of unwearying admiration.
Three miles south of Watkin’s Glen, and properly a continuation, for
there is really a very brief interruption in the rugged character of the
valley, is Havana Glen, quite as famous as its adjacent brother. The
cliffs here are scarcely so vertical, but the general formation is
practically the same, and similar means are provided for viewing its
wonders to advantage. Bridal Veil Falls is Havana’s most alluring
object, and well do they repay the tourist for his visit. The water at
this point falls thirty feet down a very steep slope in a great column
that, contracted at the plunge, spreads as it flows over a succession of
terraces and dashes into the deep stream below with sullen roar.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Illustration:
PEEK-A-BOO FALLS AND PICTURED CLEFT, WATKINS GLEN.—This romantic scene
is thus beautifully described: Climbing out of Whirlpool Gorge and
moving northward a short distance along a railed ledge, we come in
sight of Peek-a-Boo Falls, a beautiful sheet of water plunging over
a precipice fifty feet high, and scattering its spray along the
walls that confine its descent, for the chasm is very narrow here,
and charming for its sylvan weirdness. The cliffs are picturesque in
stone, rising in tiers and carved into fantastic forms, while the
overhanging trees, graceful ferns and velvety mosses make the place
a bower in which fairies might love to dwell.
]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Illustration: EAGLE FALLS, HAVANA GLEN.]
Portland Cascade is another charming fall, but the chasm being wider at
this point and broken by many shelves, the water flows with less
turbulence, though the cascades are made more beautiful by spreading
into thin, veil-like sheets, so transparent that the wall behind them is
visible. A bridge is thrown across the leaping stream, from which a
glorious view is had of the chasm as it winds away towards the south,
while the copse which fringes the western edge constitutes a bower of
extraordinary loveliness.
Eagle Falls, a hundred yards below the cascades, is, perhaps, the most
daintily exquisite object in all this vale of natural wonders, a very
poem of beauty and charming sequestration, where the brown cliffs sleep
to the lullaby of flowing waters, and the wild flowers listen to the
murmurs of the breeze. Stairs lead to the brink, under overarching trees
that provide a delightful nook, but a more entrancing view is obtainable
from the bottom of the charming dell into which the waters fall. There
is neither grandeur nor sublimity in the sight afforded, but a soft
witchery, a gentle soul-rapture that is kin to inspiration in the monody
of the stream as it pours over the ledge in a rhythm that is as musical
as April rain upon a cottager’s roof, and shimmers in its fall like a
lace curtain stirred by the wind. Eagle Falls is plainly a misnomer, for
the name suggests a thing of prey. The Nymphs’ Bath is more appropriate,
for here it would seem that all the little people of the water and the
wood might find what Titania and Diana longed for—a place of absolute
seclusion, “where the bright eyes of angels only might behold a paradise
so pure and lonely.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Illustration:
COUNCIL CHAMBER, WATKINS GLEN, NEW YORK.—This is one of the most
imposing and impressive points of the Glen, and has been well named
the Council Chamber. The walls that enclose this strip of river are
exceedingly beautiful, built up as they are with thin layers, of a
few inches’ thickness, each stratum being very distinct, and the
face of the cliffs wrought into lovely shapes with shelving spaces
here and there as if inviting lovers to seek them for the delightful
seclusion which they offer. The chamber is spanned by a rustic
bridge that is hung upon opposite ledges, affording a safe passage-
way and a desirable point of view.
]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Illustration: GIANT FALLS, AUSABLE CHASM.]
Having feasted our sight, and caught the spirit of inspiration that
haunts the romantic retreats of Havana Glen, we departed northward and
took a train on the Rome, Watertown and Ogdensburg Railroad for Clayton,
situated on the south bank of the St. Lawrence River, near where it
receives the flow from Ontario Lake. At this point steamer was taken for
a ride among the Thousand Islands to Ogdensburg, a trip more charming
than our remembrance of love’s first dream. This part of the river is
broken into many channels that meander through avenues worn in the
granite which confines its course. The Thousand Islands is no misnomer,
for they seem to be beyond number, scattered like a myriad of emeralds,
with deep water between, and yet so close together that they may almost
reach hands across the breach. Every islet is a dome of rock, ground
into symmetrical shape by glacial action long ago, then covered by a
sediment from the river sufficient to support a profuse vegetation. The
Canada pine is conspicuous, lifting its scraggy head to a great height,
and pointing its stout branches in every direction, a stately figure
among the brushwood that surrounds it.
Many of the islands are only little green dots scarcely large enough for
a fairy’s bower, while others are of considerable size, occupied by
lovely villas, the resort of those wealthy enough to own beautiful
summer houses where the air is fragrant with sweetest odors, and the
gamest fish invite the enthusiastic angler.
Departing from Ogdensburg, one of our party proceeded to Montreal, by
way of Ottawa, to photograph some Canada scenery in the vicinity of
those cities, while the other took train for Chateaugay, each mapping
out for himself the work to be done in the regions which he had chosen
to picture. Chateaugay is in the extreme northeastern part of New York
and about thirty miles from Lake Champlain. A river of the same name
flows by the place and through some scenery which is almost matchless in
marvelous grandeur, probably excelling in extraordinary cleavage that
found in Watkin’s and Havana Glens. Giant Gorge is one of the first
tremendous rents which we observe in the chasms of Chateaugay River, but
several other precipitously walled cañons occur between that point and
Chateaugay Lake, twenty miles below, where the Adirondack Mountain
region begins, with its wilderness of untamable savagery, as wild now as
when its rugged solitudes were first disturbed by an invading Indian
seeking the game that there abounded. This darksome haunt of nature is
cleft by the Saranac, Raquette, Boquet and Ausable Rivers, and in these
gloomy recesses whence the day is dispelled are the lake sources of the
noble Hudson.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Illustration:
BRIDAL VEIL FALLS, HAVANA GLEN, NEW YORK.—Havana Glen is three miles
south of Watkins, and is properly a continuation of the latter. The
cliffs are scarcely so vertical, but the general formation is
practically the same, and similar means are provided for viewing its
wonders to advantage. Bridal Veil Falls are Havana’s chief
attraction, and they merit the distinction. The water at this point
falls thirty feet down a very steep slope, in a great column, which,
contracted at the plunge, spreads as it flows over a succession of
terraces until it dashes into the deep stream below with a sullen
roar.
]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Illustration: ELBOW FALLS, AUSABLE CHASM.]
Crossing over to Lake Champlain, we took a Delaware and Hudson Railroad
train at Plattsburgh and rode down to Port Kent and thence visited
Ausable Chasm near-by. Indian Pass is also in the same vicinity. The
scenery is a repetition of that in Watkin’s Glen, with the added
interest of a more considerable stream, upon which boating is a royal
pleasure. The freshness which description by another writer may furnish
is my excuse for introducing the following from the pen of Alfred B.
Street:
“At North Elba we crossed a bridge where the Ausable comes winding down,
and then followed its banks to the northeast, with thick woods
continually around us, and the little river shooting darts of light at
us through the leaves. At length, a broad summit, rising to a taller
one, broke above the foliage at our right, and at the same time a
gigantic mass of rock and forest saluted us, and we stood before the
giant portals of the Notch. As we entered, the pass suddenly shrank,
pressing the river into a deep and narrow stream. It was a chasm cloven
boldly through White-Face, so that on each side towered the mountain
escarpment; on the left, the range rose in still sublimer altitude, with
grand precipices, like a majestic wall or a line of palisades, climbing
sheer from the half-way forest upward. The crowded rows of pines along
the broken and wavy crest were diminished to a mere fringe. As we rowed
slowly through the still narrowing gorge, the mountains soared higher
and higher, as if to scale the clouds, presenting truly a terrific
aspect. I shrank within myself, and appeared to dwindle beneath it.
Something akin to dread pervaded the scene. The mountains appeared to be
knitting their brows into threatening frowns at our daring intrusion
into the solitudes. Nothing seemed native to the awful landscape but the
plunge of the torrent and the scream of the eagle. Below, at our left,
the dark Ausable dashed onward with hoarse, foreboding murmurs, in
harmony with the loneliness and wildness of the spot.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Illustration:
VIEW OF THE THOUSAND ISLANDS IN ST. LAWRENCE RIVER.—The Thousand
Islands is no misnomer, for they seem to be beyond number, scattered
like myriads of emeralds, with deep water between, and yet so close
together that they almost clasp hands across the dashing channel.
Every islet is a dome of rocks, ground into symmetrical shape by
glacial action long ago, then covered by a sediment from the river
sufficient to support a profuse vegetation. Many wealthy persons
have purchased possessions in these picturesque islands, upon which
they have erected stately and imposing summer residences, some of
them rivaling in splendor the ancient palaces of Venice.
]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Illustration: THE SUMMIT OF WHITE-FACE MOUNTAIN.]
From the top of Mount Marcy, overlooking Indian Pass, the view is
inspiring in its expansive and tumultuous grandeur. Towards the
southeast gleams the white crest of Boreas Mountain, and rising beyond
is the leaning tower-like peak of the Dial, which pays its obeisance to
Dix’s Peak, that from afar exhibits the form of a crouching lion.
“Thence stagger the wild, savage and splintered tops of Gothic Mountain,
at the Lower Ausable Pond, linking themselves on the east with the Noon-
Mark and Roger’s Mountains, that watch over Keene’s Valley. To the
northeast rise the Edmonds Pond Summits—the mountain-picture closed by
the sharp crest of Old White-Face, the stately outpost of the
Adirondacks.”
A trip through Ausable Chasm is one of unspeakable delight and
enrapturing surprises. Just above the point where the chasm begins there
is an old mill, once run by a wheel driven by a sluice connected with
the river, but steam has superseded this natural power and detracted
somewhat from the interest which would otherwise invest the place. The
dam is still there, however, and over its brink the water flows in
softest measures, to strike the rocky shelves below, where it boils and
brawls in confused dismemberment until joined again in an unbroken
stream. The banks rise rapidly, while the river draws deeper into its
bed, until presently making a leap at Giant Falls it plunges into a
great gorge whose walls have been eaten by the floods and ice of
centuries. But it is by a succession of falls and cataracts that the
stream reaches its greatest depression, which is known as the Grand
Flume. Elbow Falls scarcely deserve to be dignified by so large a title,
as they are rapids rather than falls; but for beauty they are almost
incomparable, and afford an opportunity for the painter’s brush as great
as may be found anywhere in the Adirondacks.
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[Illustration:
AUSABLE RIVER, NEAR THE HEAD OF THE CHASM.—The old mill reproduced in
this photograph was at first supplied with motive power by one of
those old-fashioned, picturesque water-wheels, which, however, has
given place to the more energetic and less artistic steam engine.
The dam, originally built upon the rapids, is still there, however,
and over its brink the water flows in softest measures, falling upon
the rocky shelves below, where it boils and broils in confused
dismemberment until joined again in an unruffled stream a few yards
below. This point is just above where the royal chasm begins.
]
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[Illustration: KAATERSKILL FALLS, CATSKILL MOUNTAINS.]
[Illustration: AUSABLE CHASM, BELOW THE OVEN.]
A trip through Ausable Chasm is one of enrapturing pleasures and
unspeakable delights. Every step and turn brings some new and surprising
wonder into view. The banks rise rapidly until they tower into immense
cliffs, between whose crenellated jaws the rays of the sun can penetrate
only when it is near the meridian. The stream reaches its greatest
depression by a succession of cataracts and falls of the most admirable
and diversified character, embracing nearly every phase of the
picturesque and beautiful in this class of scenery.
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[Illustration:
GRAND FLUME IN AUSABLE CHASM.—It is difficult to describe so grand and
splendid a scene as this. The Grand Flume is the most admirable part
of Ausable Chasm, the most picturesque section of this wonderful
river, sublime in its grandeur, yet idyllic in its poetic and dreamy
beauty. Here the Oreads might have sported while Diana pursued the
untamed deer that have for ages made their favorite pastures in
these mountain fastnesses and green valleys, where the grasses grow
with ever-increasing luxuriousness each succeeding summer. Lovers of
the grandly beautiful in nature can find no more desirable resort
than Ausable Chasm.
]
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[Illustration: BOGG’S RIVER FALLS, ADIRONDACKS.]
The chasm rapidly deepens and narrows below Elbow Falls, and becomes a
wild gorge of intricate mightiness at a point called the Oven. The walls
are lifted so high above the stream, with their crenated fronts
exhibiting so many quaintly distorted and terribly jagged projections
that the effect is most bewildering, while in places they are opposed
with only a few feet between, giving to the passage the oppression of a
prison. Hell Gate is not inappropriately named, because it is in a way
begirt with difficulties that render boating dangerous. The river is
here greatly compressed, but the channel is not sufficiently deep to
hide the sharp-pointed rocks that split the stream and convert it into a
rapid, but by means of stairs this interrupted water-way may be passed,
and below are boats in which the pleasant passage may be continued
through Grand Flume. This is the loveliest part of the chasm, the most
picturesque section of this wonderful river, sublime in its grandeur,
yet idyllic in its poetic and dreamy beauty, where the Oreads might have
sported while Diana pursued the deer that have for ages made these
mountain fastnesses their favorite haunts, for
“Here were her orchards, walled on every side,
To lawless sylvans all access denied.”
From Ausable station, which may be reached by rail, a road leads
southward through Ausable Forks, by White-Face Mountain, and thence into
the very heart of the Adirondacks. This remarkable tract lies
principally between Lakes Champlain and George, and covers an area of
nearly 5,000 square miles, with one arm reaching northward to the St.
Lawrence and another southward as far as Saratoga. Within this district
there are said to be no less than 500 mountain peaks, several of which
are 5,000 feet high, measured above the sea level, and as many as 1,000
lakes. Owing to the ruggedness of the country, its dense forests,
numerous water-ways and prodigious chasms, the region was a
comparatively unexplored wilderness forty years ago, and until its vast
lumber interest attracted the attention of capitalists.
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[Illustration: MOUNT MORRIS, FROM TUPPER LAKE, ADIRONDACKS.]
[Illustration: BUTTERMILK FALLS, ADIRONDACKS.]
Those who visit the Adirondacks in search of the wildest beauties of
nature will not make the trip in vain. Within this district there are
said to be no less than 1000 lakes, and 500 mountain peaks, several of
which rise to the height of 5000 feet. It is the Switzerland of America,
in the same degree that America is greater and grander in all respects
than any of the countries of the Old World.
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[Illustration: ADIRONDACK LODGE AND CLEAR LAKE.]
Some of the loftiest peaks are Mounts Morris, Marcy, White-Face, Seward,
Pharoah, Dix and Snowy Mountain, and of the lakes there are Tupper,
Saranac, Long, Avalanche, Clear, Henderson, Raquette, Newcomb, Pleasant,
and many others scarcely less in size and famous for the game-fish that
swarm in their transparent waters. As a hunting-ground the Great North
Wilderness, as it is often called, is probably the best now to be found
anywhere in the United States, abounding as it does in deer, bear,
panther, wolf, wolverene, and immense numbers of smaller game, so that
whether lost or found, a man with a loaded gun need never go hungry in
the Adirondacks.
It is not surprising that a region noted for its mountains, lakes and
dense forests, should abound with features magnificently picturesque;
and those who visit the Adirondacks in search of the wildest beauties of
nature will not make the trip in vain. It is the Switzerland of America,
equaling the best scenery of that country, and exceeding it in some
respects, notably its intricate chain of lakes, its flaming chasms, and
the solitudes of its deep wildernesses, so tangled and intricate that
more than two-thirds remain yet to be explored. Night in these
fastnesses is inexpressibly doleful and at times fearful. The Black
Forest of Germany is not nearly so lonely, nor is the Brocken so ominous
with its colossal specter as the mountain summits of the Adirondacks,
clothed with evergreens and groves of birch, maple, beech, ash and
cedar, in which the bear, wolf and wild-cat have their lairs. In these
wild seclusions, the recesses of dark valleys and the dreary isolation
of soaring peaks, darkness is enthroned and veiled by shadows, amid
which savage animals and dusky night-birds hold their carnivals. The
catamount sets up a chilling wail that brings response from the deep-
voiced loon that keeps his lonely watch on a lake far below; then across
a stretch of deep wood falls the hooting echo of a solemn owl, whose
complainings excite condolement of whip-poor-will and katydid, and the
chorus thus begun is taken up and joined in by a thousand whimpering,
screeching, strident and wailing things that make the lonesome forest
their assembling place.
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[Illustration:
WEST POINT FROM EAGLE’S NEST.—This view of West Point, as all who are
familiar with the scene will readily perceive, is taken from the
opposite side of the Hudson River. It is historic ground, close to
the place where Arnold lived and plotted his treason; where
Washington passed so often to and fro during the times that sorely
tried men’s souls; and in the immediate vicinity of many other
incidents that brighten the pages of our country’s history with the
glory of their renown. West Point and the picturesque region around
it must forever hold a high place in the esteem and love of the
American people, both for their historic associations and artistic
beauty.
]
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[Illustration: RAINBOW FALLS IN WINTER, ADIRONDACKS.]
But when the sun is above the mountains and setting the landscape aglow
with cheerful beams, these same fastnesses are a realm of romantic
delight, for every peak is reflected in some lovely lake, while
waterfalls appear to be pouring out of the sky and go chasing down the
verdant slopes playing high-spy among the coverts and making the woods
musical with their laughter. Near Ausable Ponds, guarded by Mount Marcy,
are the beautiful Rainbow Falls, a very flood of opals, so iridescent
does it appear when its waters catch the sunbeams. And near Tupper Lake
are the Bogg’s River Falls, or cascades, that make the surrounding
forest resound with their roaring, for they discharge an immense flood
over a rock-infested course, and swell into a river a mile below.
Near the western margin of the Adirondacks is Long Lake, narrow as a
river and many miles in length, but so still and crystalline that the
lordly lake-trout may be seen sporting in its deepest water, as if
challenging an angler. Its outlet is by way of a stream that flows by
Owl’s Head and into Forked Lake. Between these points is Buttermilk
Falls, stately and impetuous, but symmetrical and rhythmic, as it
courses over gentle terraces and drops, step by step, into the rapids
which crowd from shore to shore and keep the stream in a state of
constant agitation.
Northeast of Buttermilk Falls is Adirondack station, on Henderson Lake,
which is the central point of this whole mountain region, and a place
where tourists are usually found in large numbers. Near the north end of
the lake is Wall-Face Mountain, commanding an extensive view, and midway
is Indian Pass, which is a tremendous chasm through what is known as the
Dismal Wilderness. Notwithstanding the large number of visitors who
annually summer in the vicinity, so dense is the forest and jungle-
growth that surrounds the Pass, and so inaccessible the deepest portions
of the gorge, that very few explorers have succeeded in making their way
through it, and no one is sufficiently familiar with the region to act
as a competent guide. It has been ascertained, however, that within the
Pass, which is intersected by several streams, are springs which are the
source of Ausable River, which, emptying into Champlain, finds an outlet
into the Atlantic by way of the St. Lawrence, and also of the Hudson,
whose drainage is in the opposite direction; and yet so close are these
springs that it is possible to drink from each without shifting one’s
position. In this vicinity is Gill Brook, which is picturesquely broken
by Surprise Falls, composed of a succession of sharp leaps over
limestone ledges, but so narrow that the forest trees form a perfect
canopy above, excluding a sight of both river and falls until the
visitor approaches within a few feet of the stream. But the entire
region so abounds with lakes, mountains, gorges, waterfalls and
cataracts that to describe all its attractions would be wearisome
iteration, for there is an unavoidable sameness in the pen-pictures of
scenery, however variable in character.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
[Illustration:
THE HUDSON NARROWS, NEAR PEEKSKILL.—In the whole world we do not
believe there is another river which shows such a diversity of
splendid scenery as the Hudson. There is hardly a point or bend in
the river that does not present a view worthy of an artist’s
enthusiasm. Commencing high up near its source in the Adirondack
Mountains, where it is broken into many beautiful rapids and
waterfalls, and continuing on down past Troy, Albany, the Catskills,
famous in legend, poem and story, to the celebrated Highlands, there
is a constant succession of splendid and ever-varying scenery,
unsurpassed by any other water-course in the world.
]
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[Illustration: SURPRISE FALLS AND GILL BROOK, IN THE ADIRONDACKS.]
[Illustration: BRIDGE OVER GLEN’S FALLS, NEW YORK.]
Having made a tour of the Adirondacks, and taken many photographs of the
superb scenery which distinguishes it, we took train at Saranac Lake
station, the southern terminus of the Chateaugay Railroad, and returned
to Plattsburgh. From that point we proceeded south by the Delaware and
Hudson Railroad, along the west shore of Champlain, by Ticonderoga, and
thence to Glen’s Falls, to obtain a picture of the Hudson where it pours
over rocky ledges in great volume and is converted into a terrible
cataract that is worth many miles of travel to see. Our way was then
continued southward to Albany, and thence into the Catskills, which
begin about one hundred miles south of the Adirondacks. These mountains
are unlike any others in America, in that while every other range
possesses peaks with jagged points, generally of stones tumbled in
confusion, the Catskills have gracefully rounded summits, which, though
sometimes rising to a height of four thousand feet, yet exhibit few
effects of aberrant forces; nor are they covered with huge rocks, such
as characterize all other ranges. The scenery, therefore, while grand,
is very tame as compared with the Adirondacks, and but for the fine
drive-ways through the valleys and over their crowns, would be
monotonous. But this sameness is occasionally diversified, and the
visitor is led on to expect more beauties than he really finds. The one
attractive and justly famous feature of this mountain region is
Kaaterskill Falls. These are reached by the Catskill Mountain Railroad
from Catskill, on the Hudson, stopping at Mountain House station, from
which eminence, 2,250 feet above the river, an extensive view may be
had, taking in Albany, the Hudson Highlands, Berkshire Hills and the
Green Mountains. It is even said that by means of a good glass on a
clear day portions of Massachusetts, Connecticut and New Jersey may be
descried, but during our visit the atmospheric conditions were
unfavorable. Two miles from the Mountain House, and reached by a
beautiful road, are the celebrated Kaaterskill Falls, at the head of
which is located the Laurel House, from which a fine view of Round Top
and High Peak may be had, as well as of the falls themselves. But the
best sight is obtained by descending a spiral stairway into the gorge
below and looking upward. The falls are formed by the overflow of North
and South Lake, which pours through a double cleft and descends in two
cascades, the first having a drop of 180 feet, and the second eighty
feet; but a short distance below there is another fall, known as the
Bastion, which has a further descent of forty feet. Beautiful as they
are, candor compels the statement, however disparaging it may appear,
that the falls are remittent, and that people may visit them without
seeing any such display of waters as we have described. The supply being
limited, a dam has been constructed across the verge of the cliff, and
is opened only on special and rare occasions, when the number of
incredulous summer visitors is great enough to make it necessary to turn
on the water, to show that the falls are still active. There is some
very pretty scenery in the region of Kaaterskill Clove, notably Hains’
Falls, Fawn-Leap Falls and High Rocks, but a fee is charged at every
point of interest, and the visitor is so harrowed by the showmen of
nature that he is in no disposition to appreciate the view which he pays
to see, and is almost certain to leave the Catskills with a bad
impression—even worse than the mountains deserve. It was with such
feelings that we set out by rail for Kingston, and there took boat down
the Hudson River for New York, but stopped for a while at West Point en
route.
[Illustration: LOOKING NORTH FROM WEST POINT, NEW YORK.]
The scenery about West Point is of almost matchless grandeur, and every
consideration is present to confirm the wisdom of the Congress of 1812
in establishing a military training-school at this point. The fort on
the river-shore is in a position to command the approaches north and
south, while at the foot of the highlands is a level stretch, as though
prepared by nature for a Champ des Mars, or parade-ground. The hills
rise abruptly from the rear of the training-plaza, and from their
summits an inspiring view is to be had. Sweeping the horizon, we clearly
discern the Break-Neck, Crow’s Nest, and Storm King Mountains, with blue
valleys stretching away between, and the majestic Hudson washing the
feet of these and many other noble hills. The academy, besides being
scenically and advantageously situated, is in a very realm of romance,
around which cluster many memories of the greatest writers of fiction
that our country has the honor of claiming. It was the Crow’s Nest that
gave the inspiration to Joseph Rodman Drake for his exquisite poem
entitled the “Culprit Fay,” so charmingly realistic that the fairies of
his verse still exist in fancy, just as the mountain spirits who tricked
Rip Van Winkle still haunt the deep forests of the Catskills and play at
nine-pins on the peak that overlooks the faded village of Falling Water.
Near Cold Spring, which is in this same historic land, was “Undercliff,”
the home of George P. Morris, and where he wrote that patriotic and
moving tribute to a sheltering tree, the figure of our American Union,
“Woodman, Spare that Tree.” So was “Idlewild,” the villa of N. P.
Willis, close-by, and hereabout also Washington Irving spent much of his
time gathering traditions from descendants of the old Dutch colonists
for his imperishable “Sketch Book” tales. But history as indelibly fixes
West Point in the minds of Americans as the stories of famous fiction-
writers, for the site of the training-school was, in Revolutionary
times, occupied by Fort Putnam, erected under the direction of
Kosciuszko; and it was at West Point that Benedict Arnold consummated
his traitorous deal with Major Andre, to deliver that post into the
hands of the British. On the opposite shore is the mouth of a pretty
stream called the Mooda, but which in earlier times was known as
Murderer’s Creek, on account of the slaughter by a band of lurking
savages of eight soldiers who were sent with buckets to fetch water for
the camp near-by. A little way below is Milton’s Ferry, a spot famous as
the place of residence of a patriot blacksmith who made the great chain
that stretched across the river at old Fort Montgomery, to prevent the
passage of British ships. For this service he was taken captive shortly
after and kept in close confinement on an English ship until his death.
Newburgh is also only a few miles away, smiling benignly from terraced
banks upon the river below; and conspicuous among its old houses is one
in which Washington had his headquarters in 1780, and which is changed
but little in appearance since he occupied it.
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[Illustration:
BREAK-NECK HILL, ON THE HUDSON RIVER, NEW YORK.—Break-Neck Hill is on
the east side of the Hudson, north of West Point, and is a
continuation of the Highlands. It is 1220 feet high, and one of the
most commanding features of the splendid scenery of this region. Its
rock-ribbed and serrated sides present a scene of imposing grandeur
as they are observed from the decks of passing steamers; and in the
summer season, when the sloping sides, from the water’s edge to the
summit, are clothed in emerald green, with the gray rocks peeping
out here and there, disclosing shaded nooks and sylvan glades where
the birds sing and the squirrels play and frolic, the scene is
inspiring enough to arouse the enthusiasm of a stoic.
]
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[Illustration: TROPHY GARDEN, WEST POINT.]
It is below West Point that the principal places of scenic and historic
interest occur, and these crowd rapidly upon one another until Yonkers
is reached. At the base of Sugar-Loaf Mountain is a bluffy projection
upon which Fort Independence, of Revolutionary times, was built, and
near-by is Buttermilk Falls, that runs down a succession of sharp ledges
one hundred feet. Anthony’s Nose is on the right, rising to a height of
nine hundred feet, and overlooking beautiful Ionia Island, that seems to
swim upon the glassy surface of the river, like the halcyon isle of
fable; but on close approach its three hundred acres are found to be
covered with vineyards and its shaded margins the favorite gathering-
place of merry picnickers.
The Highlands come next in view, of which Dunderberg Mountain, eleven
hundred feet high, is the most prominent object; and then appears
Peekskill, the prettiest town in eastern New York. Near this place is
Caldwell’s Landing, distinguished as being the immediate vicinity of
Captain Kidd’s buried treasure, which hundreds have searched for with
great energy and at immense expense, but without reward. Remains of
Revolutionary forts are seen at Verplanck and Stony Point, and below
these the Croton River discharges into the Hudson. Sing Sing and Nyack
are passed in order, between which the shores are occupied with charming
villas, and the landscape here is very picturesque. But it is at
Tarrytown that visitors find most to interest them, both for the scenic
beauty of the neighborhood and the historic prominence which attaches to
the place. Here it was that Major Andre was arrested, the identical spot
being marked by an inscription in the village records. The spirit of
Washington Irving seems to pervade the locality, for it was in this
vicinage that the creatures of his exquisite fancy held their lively
revels. Sleepy Hollow is near-by, and the old bridge over which Ichabod
Crane so furiously rode in his flight from a headless specter is still
shown to visitors as a proof of that legendary race. The Christ Church
which Irving attended in Tarrytown has not been suffered to lapse into
decay, and the cemetery adjoining the old Dutch church, in which his
remains find rest, shows the reverend respect with which his memory is
treasured by the villagers, for it is well tended.
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[Illustration:
STORM-KING MOUNTAIN, HUDSON RIVER.—Storm-King is above West Point and
on the same side of the river. It soars to a height of 1529 feet,
commanding from its lofty summit a magnificent view of what is
perhaps the finest scenic region of the world. At its feet reposes
the lovely vale of Tempe, a modest stretch of green meadow-land
covered with gardens and rustic homes, where the weary merchant and
the harassed broker may find relief from the turmoil and the busy
rush of city life. Since our photograph was taken an immense
cantilever bridge has been thrown across the river at this point,
which, while it is a splendid and beautiful example of modern
engineering, is nevertheless an impediment to the artistic features
of the scenery.
]
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[Illustration: LONG GALLERY, AUSABLE CHASM.]
“Wolfert’s Roost,” or Sunnyside, Irving’s villa, is a few miles below,
just within the edge of Irvington, on the river, but it is hidden from
view by the ivy that clambers in profusion over its walls, and the dense
shrubbery that has been allowed to occupy all the ground in the front-
yard.
The old town of Tappan is a short distance from Sunnyside, and is
memorable as being Washington’s headquarters and likewise as the place
of Major Andre’s imprisonment and execution. A monument erected by Cyrus
Field marks the spot where the gallows stood on which that English
officer perished. The Palisades next come into view, and on the west
side is Locust Hill, which was the place where the American encampment
was established in 1781, along the eminences of the Palisades which gave
a commanding position to the troops guarding against invasion of the
British up the river. Yonkers, Spuyten Duyvil, and Mount St. Vincent are
next passed, and the city of New York then looms up, with its wharves
lined with vessels, whose numerous masts make the shores look from a
distance like a forest of pines denuded of their branches. Here we
tarried to await the coming of our two photographers.
In the meantime, however, there were no idle moments, for the work of
developing the photographs which we had taken was now prosecuted with
great energy, and the finished pictures were sent on as fast as made to
our photo-engravers for reproduction. Fortunately, too, we had so
accurately timed the work which each had undertaken that there was only
a few days’ detention in New York; little more, in fact, than was
necessary to complete arrangements for our tour of the South, now to be
described.
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[Illustration: WINTER IN FLORIDA.]
------------------------------------------------------------------------