Niagara Falls 



1796 structed there by the Indians. These ladders, as they are called, 

 of which there are several, one below the other, consist simply 

 of long pine trees, with notches cut in their sides, for the passenger 

 to rest his feet on. The trees, even when first placed there, would 

 vibrate as you stepped upon them, owing to their being so long 

 and slender; age has rendered them still less firm, and they now 

 certainly cannot be deemed safe, though many persons are still 

 in the habit of descending by their means. We did not attempt 

 to get to the bottom of the cliff by this route, but proceeded to 

 the other place, which is lower down the river, called Mrs. 

 Simcoe's Ladder, the ladders having been originally placed there 

 for the accommodation of the lady of the late governor. This 

 route is much more frequented than the other ; the ladders, prop- 

 erly so called, are strong, and firmly placed, and none of them, 

 owing to the frequent breaks in the cliff, are required to be of 

 such a great length but what even a lady might pass up or down 

 them without fear of danger. To descend over the rugged 

 rocks, however, the whole way down to the bottom of the cliff, 

 is certainly no trifling undertaking, and few ladies, I believe, 

 could be found of sufficient strength of body to encounter the 

 fatigue of such an expedition. 



On arriving at the bottom of the cliff, you find yourself in 

 the midst of huge piles of misshapen rocks, with great masses 

 of earth and rocks projecting from the side of the cliff, and over- 

 grown with pines and cedars hanging over your head, apparently 

 ready to crumble down and crush you to atoms. Many of the 

 large trees grow with their heads downwards, being suspended 

 by their roots, which had taken such a firm hold in the ground at 

 the top of the cliff, that when part of it gave way the trees did 

 not fall altogether. The river before you here is somewhat more 

 than a quarter of a mile wide; and on the opposite side of it, a 

 little to the right, the Fort Schloper Fall is seen to great 

 advantage; what you see of the Horse-shoe Fall also appears 

 in a very favourable point of view; the projecting cliff conceals 

 nearly one half of it. The Fort Schloper Fall is skirted at 



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