Alida; or, Miscellaneous Sketches of Incidents During the Late American War.
Page 29
CHAPTER XXVI.
From war's dread ravages again is seen, A spacious town, and Buffalo the name, Now rising from its ashes, spreads around. Various new structures fill the empty ground.
From Tonawanta to Buffalo is eight miles, five of which they travelledon the canal which runs along the bank of the Niagara river as far asBlack Rock.
Buffalo was burnt during the late war by the British, but it appeared tobe already rising from its ashes with increased beauty.
This town will soon become an important place, in consequence of itssituation near the mouth of the canal, and its harbour. At the entranceof the harbour is a light-house, and on the lake were seen a number ofwell-built vessels. A steam-boat called the Superior was ready to runwith fifty passengers to Erie, and thence to Detroit. There was anamusing military spectacle. It consisted of a military parade,consisting of thirty men, including seven officers and two cornets. Theywere formed like a battalion into six divisions and performed a numberof manoeuvres.
On the following day, 21st August, the company left Buffalo for thesmall village of Manchester, twenty-three miles distant, and situated onthe right bank of the Niagara, near the falls. As far as the village ofTonawanta, the road passes along the canal. It was in a very badcondition, cut through the forest, and the trees thrown on the roadside. On the left they had a view of the river and Grand Island. Theriver is more than a mile wide below the island. On the Canada side isthe village of Chippewa. From this place, a distance of three miles,they could already see the rising vapours of the falls. The water,however, indicated no signs of the approach to the precipice. It is onlya short distance from Manchester, where you perceive the lofty trees onGoat Island, with its heights situated in the midst of the falls, thatthe river becomes rocky, and the rapids commence; these form a number ofsmall falls, which are nearly a mile long and the same in breadth,running as far as where the two great falls are separated by GoatIsland.
At Manchester they took lodgings at the Eagle Tavern, and hastenedimmediately to the Falls; their steps were guided by the mighty roaring.In a few minutes Alida and her company stood near the precipice, and sawbefore them the immense mass of water which rushes with a tremendousnoise into the frightful abyss below. It is impossible to describe thescene, and the pen is too feeble to delineate the simultaneous feelingsof our insignificance on the one hand, with those of grandeur andsublimity on the other, which agitate the human breast at the sight ofthis stupendous work of nature, which rivals that of all othercountries, in grandeur, beauty and magnificence. We can only gaze,admire and adore. The rocks on both sides are perpendicular, but thereis a wooden staircase which leads to the bed of the river. Theydescended, but in consequence of the drizzly rain which is produced bythe foam of the water, they had by no means so fine a prospect frombelow as they anticipated. On this account, therefore, they soon againascended and satisfied themselves by looking from above upon thissublime and majestic sight. As they returned, full of these mightyimpressions, to the Eagle Tavern, they found to their great joy a fineopportunity to speak of the grandeur and magnificence they had justbeheld. There was another party just arrived from New-York, to renderhomage to this great natural curiosity.
In company with these gentlemen and ladies, they took a walk toGoat-Island, by a convenient wooden bridge, thrown over the rapids aboutseven years since. The first bridge leads to a small island calledBath-Island, which contains a bath-house; the second to Goat-Island,which is about one mile in circumference, and overgrown with old andbeautiful trees.
On Bath-Island a person may approach so near the American falls as tolook into the abyss below. From the foot of the falls you can seenothing of the abyss, inasmuch as every thing is concealed by the smokeand vapour. On Goat-Island a person may in the same manner approach theCanadian falls in the centre of which is a semi-circular hollow, calledthe Horse-shoe, and here the noise is still more tremendous than on theother side. The vapour which rises from the Horse-shoe, forms a thickmist, which may be seen at a great distance. To look into the Horse-shoeis awful and horrible. Nor can this be done but at the instant when thevapour is somewhat dissipated. You stand like a petrified being. Thelevel of Lake Erie is said to be five hundred and sixty-four feet abovethat of the sea, and three hundred and thirty-four feet above the watersof Lake Ontario. Lake Ontario is consequently two hundred and thirtyfeet above the level of the sea. From Lake Erie to the rapids the waterhas a fall of fifteen feet, in the rapids fifty-seven feet, andaccording to a recent measurement, the falls on the American side areone-hundred and sixty-two feet high. From this place to Lewistown theriver has a fall of one hundred and four feet, and thence to LakeOntario, of two feet.
The next morning they made another visit to Goat Island. They afterwardsdescended the stairs to the river, which they crossed in a small boat,at a short distance from both falls. The bed of the river is said to behere two hundred and forty-six feet deep. The current passes beneath thesurface of the water, and does not again become visible till after adistance of three miles. On the Canada side you have a much better viewof the falls than on the American, for you see both falls at the sametime. There is on the Canada side a covered wooden staircase, which theyascended, and approached the falls, amidst a constant drizzling causedby the falling water. The sun threw his rays upon the thick mist andformed a beautiful rainbow. Another winding stair-case leads down therocks near the falls, under which you may walk to the distance of onehundred and twenty feet; several of the gentlemen went in, but accordingto their report, they could not see any thing. They were contented,therefore, to behold the falls from Table rock, which almost overhangsthem. A part of this rock gave way several years ago and fell down theprecipice, and the remaining part is so much undermined by the water,that it will probably soon follow. The whole distance from the Americanto the British shore is fourteen hundred yards, of which three hundredand eighty belong to the American falls, three hundred and thirty toGoat-Island, and seven hundred to the Canada or Horse-shoe falls. On theBritish side, opposite to the falls, are two taverns, in the larger ofwhich, Forsyth's Hotel, they took lodgings until the next day. Duringthe late war a bridge was thrown over the river about one mile abovethis tavern, which, together with a mill, was burnt by the Americans ontheir retreat from the battle of Lundy's Lane. A few years ago a burningspring was discovered here. It is surrounded by a cask, and containscold water of a blackish appearance, and of a sulphurous taste. Withinthis cask is a small vessel which has a pipe at the upper end. If alighted candle be held within a foot of the mouth of this pipe, it willinstantly produce a strong flame, similar to a gas-light. In theneighbourhood of Forsyth's Hotel is the only point from which you have afull view of both falls at the same time, which, however, is ofteninterrupted by the ascending vapour.
On their return to the American shore, they examined a camera obscura,which is situated at the head of the American stair-case, and was builtby a Swiss. This gives a tolerably good view of the falls. Afterwardsthey took a ride to the Whirlpool, which is three miles down theNiagara, and is formed by a kind of rocky basin where the river runsbetween narrow rocky banks. It is singular to see this confusion ofwater, whose appearance cannot be better described than by comparing itwith the flowing of melted lead. The lofty rocks which form the banks ofthe river, are beautifully covered with wood, and present a stately,majestic appearance. In the evening they again went to Goat-Island inorder to view the falls by bright moonlight; in this light they producea peculiarly beautiful effect, which is greatly heightened by amoon-rainbow.
The following day both parties went to the other side of the river, andtook lodgings at Forsyth's Hotel.
High on Hyria's rock my muse repose, While I wild nature's direful scenes disclose, Nor let wing'd Fancy's bold creative aid, Paint beyond truth what nature's God has made; Inspir'd by him let every flowing line, Describ'd correctly, through the numbers shine. Fed by a thousand springs and purling rills, Ocean's internal, the wild torrent fills. Lakes Michigan, Superior, ther
e we see, Concent'ring Huron's flood with proud Erie: The awful stream its wond'rous course began, Roll'd the rich flood before the date of man. From Buffalo to Chippewa bends its course, Full eighteen miles, with calm and rapid force, By Grand Isle passes, where its stream divides, Whose circling course, majestic, downward glides. Meets then again a verdant island long, Gathers the weeping brook, and swells more strong, Widening the swift high-mounted torrent flies Like lightning bursting from the thund'ring skies. The time-worn cliffs, retiring to their source, Shews countless ages it has run its course. The Schlosser fall eight hundred ninety-two Will count the feet how broad this current grew. Two thousand with two hundred crescent line Will the full breadth of Horse-Shoe Fall define. The little fall, with width of seventy-three, Will tell whence Neptune feeds his hungry sea. Tumbling one hundred sixty feet, they all Make one loud groaning in Niagara Fall. Thick hov'ring mists in mountain vapours rise, Bright colour'd rainbows gild the azure skies. The dazzled eye, fill'd with the novel blaze Beholds, astonished, their refracted rays. Nor ends the awful scene, till down the view, Through the dark gulf, these boiling floods pursue. Their course 'tween mountain rocks, which form the shore, Through which, tremendous raging billows roar. Until they form a bay, where tide-worn trees, In conflicts wild rage round the whirlpool seas: Huge splintered logs here twisting round and round, With many a turn before they quit the ground; At length escaping from the circling tide, Side-long slide off, and with a bouncing glide, Head-long adown through rapid streams are toss'd, Until in wide Ontario's lake are lost. Neptune thus roused leaves now the wat'ry plain, To seek the source from whence he holds his reign. Full in the view of this tremendous scene, Adjacent here, a table rock is seen; Where love-sick swains in clambering groups repair, Conducting tim'rous nymphs with anxious care: 'Dew'd with the spray, the wild'red eye surveys, The rushing waters shout their Maker's praise.