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THE GREAT CATARACT.
MUCH has been written concerning the wonderful Falls of Niagara, but still the subject is not exhausted.
Thousands from all parts of the world annually visit the place to witness the rush of waters in the rapids above and below the falls, to watch the volume of water in its awful plunge over the precipice, and to be inspired by the emotions which the scene excites in all who behold it. Many tourists visit the Falls year after year, and spend days and weeks in gazing upon scenes grown familiar by frequent observation, only to more deeply wonder and admire as a more thorough acquaintance gives a better idea of the sublimity of this great marvel of nature.
It has been the privilege of the writer to make three visits to these Falls, and, aside from the curiosity gratified at the first view, the interest has increased at each succeeding visit, for each has revealed new beauties, and given a deeper sense of the awful grandeur of the scene.
There are so many points of interest above, below, and around the Falls that a single visit leaves a confused impression of immensity, from which mental pictures may with difficulty be singled out. Subsequent visits, however, will separate these pictures, and group them in a panorama, which will linger long in the memory. The view presented in our illustration is that of the American Fall as seen from below. Although less comprehensive than many other views, it gives, better perhaps than any other, an idea of height, which can only be bad by looking up from a near view at the great volume of descending water. Standing amid the spray which fills the air, nearly deafened by the incessant roar, and with the rushing waters dashing around the rocks at his feet, the observer is overwhelmed with the emotions that fill his soul, as he considers that for centuries the great lakes above have been flowing over the precipice, and still the fountainhead is supplied by the mysterious processes of nature.
On the same side of the river, a few rods above, is the celebrated "Cave of the Winds," into which, clad in waterproof garments, the visitor goes, behind the great sheet of water which pours over the overhanging cliff above.
The compression of the atmosphere by the descending waters produces a constant commotion of the elements, so that a stormy tempest reigns perpetually within the cave, 'while peculiar sounds greet the ear as the concussion of the falling water resounds through the mysterious chamber.
This point is one of the few places in the world from which can be seen the complete, or circular, rainbow.
The volumes of spray, which continually rise from the river refract the rays of the sun, so that at certain hours of the day this wonderful phenomenon is to be seen in all its beauty, and amply repays the visitor for the inconvenience or discomfort attending the view.
No description can give an adequate conception of Niagara. It must be seen to be appreciated, and such of
our readers as cannot visit it may get a faint impression from the engraving given herewith.
W. C. GAGE.
