SCENERY OF COOS COUNTY. 64 1 



is one hundred and fifty feet. Besides the general rapids, 'there are per- 

 pendicular falls of from three to ten feet. South-west of the same 

 mountain there is a fall on Muggins's Branch. For half a mile there are 

 rapids, before we come to the falls ; then there is a slope of fifty degrees 

 and a fall of fifteen feet; then there is a fall twelve feet perpendicular; 

 then there is a slope of forty-two degrees and a fall of about forty feet, 

 confined between nearly perpendicular strata of rock, and water is thrown 

 in spray against the wall ; and finally it rests in a great basin at the base. 

 A few rods below, the stream turns to the east, and has another fall of 

 ten feet. Altogether, it is a beautiful cascade, and well worthy of a visit. 



DixviLLE Notch. 



Dixville Notch is regarded by many as one of the most remarkable 

 exhibitions of natural scenery in the state, perhaps e'^en surpassing the 

 famous Notch of the White Mountains in picturesque grandeur. The 

 angular and precipitous appearance of the rocks, rising hundreds of feet 

 almost perpendicular on either side, is strikingly different from the 

 rounded and water-worn appearance of most of the crystalline rocks 

 throughout the northern part of the United States, and seems to come 

 nearer to the scenery of the Alps than anything else in New England. 

 This Notch is easy of access, being only ten miles from Colebrook vil- 

 lage ; and although the highest point in the road through the Notch is 

 830 feet above that village, yet the ascent is so gradual that few would 

 believe they had reached so great an elevation. Approaching the Notch 

 from the west, the road passes through a forest which in summer en- 

 tirely obstructs the view, and the slow progress we are able to make 

 causes now, for the first time in our journey, a sense of weariness. It is 

 only for a very brief space, however, for scarcely have we time to com- 

 plain before we reach an opening in the woods, and the grand view pre- 

 sented in the heliotype bursts suddenly upon us. 



It surpasses most other notches in the vertical height of its walls, one 

 point being 560 feet above the highest part of the road. Some of the 

 highest precipitous masses stand out in bold relief from the sides. Table 

 rock,— shown on the right in the heliotype,— projects 167 feet, while the 

 ragged serrated edges everywhere form projecting points. One can 

 easily imagine that he sees here the turrets and spires of some ruined 



VOL. I. 83 



