The Labrador Area. 213 



other large rivers of Labrador, flows in a distinct valley cut down 

 far below the general level of the surrounding country. If 

 Hamilton Inlet, which is only a portion of the ancient valley now 

 sunk below sea level is included, the main valley extends in- 

 land nearly four hundred miles, and its present bottom is from 

 600 to 1,200 feet below the surface of the surroundmg tableland. 

 The upper portions of the river flows nearly on a level with the 

 lower portions of the central tableland, and like the Kanapis- 

 kan spreads out into lakes, or in other places is broken into 

 several channels by large islands, so that it is often difficult to 

 define or follow the principal channel. Near the Grand Falls, 

 the river changes from a meandering stream, that follows the 

 lower levels of the general surface, and contracting into one 

 channel, is percipitated into the ancient, deeply cut valley. In 

 twelve miles this great river, with a volume nearly equal to that 

 of the Ottawa where it flows past the Capital, falls 760 feet from 

 where it issues from a narrow canon into the wider valley. 

 The first part of the descent is seven miles of rapids with 

 a total fall of 200 feet. The river then contracts into a 

 narrow inclined, rocky trough down which it rushes with a 

 tremendous velocity and is spurted out in a solid mass over a 

 steep precipice into a circular basin 300 feet below. The mighty 

 roar of this falling, seething mass of water, which can be heard 

 ten miles away as a vibrating rumble, the mighty display of 

 power and the whole grandeur of the scene tills the beholder 

 with awe so great that the poor Indians of the region cannot be 

 induced to look at it. The basin into which the river falls is 

 about two hundred yards wide, and is nearly surrounded with 

 vertical rocky cliffs, that rise 500 feet above the water. The 

 bottom of the cliffs are lashed continuously by the mighty waves 

 generated in the basin by the fall ; while rising high above the 

 walls of the basin is a column of spray that forms a conspicuous 

 mark visible from any hill within 30 miles of the falls. From 

 the basiri the river rushes Out through anarrow canon cut verti- 

 cally into the rock at right angles to the falls. This canon, on 



