Niagara Falls 



1834 particular spot, — where you tread upon the roots of a juniper, 

 L,eber overhanging the fearful precipice, — from which you can see far 



under you, and there have a view of the waters precipitating 

 themselves in one great mass after having tumbled over the 

 many cliffs between Goat Island and the main. It is one of the 

 finest situations for the sight. They might have called this island 

 the Islet, par excellence; Prospect Island sounds a little of the 

 show-case. 



Let me now rapidly sketch out the upper line or edge of the 

 end of this ravine, which forms the Falls. Schlosser, or the 

 American Fall, as it is sometimes very loosely called, the most 

 northern of the three, is about fifty-six rods in width, and one 

 hundred and sixty-seven in perpendicular descent. Prospect 

 Island is about ten yards in width, and the Central Fall also 

 about ten yards. The edge of the ravine, which is formed by 

 the north-western limit of Goat Island, is eighty rods, and the 

 Crescent or Horse-shoe Fall, extending from Goat Island to the 

 Canada shore, " is about a quarter of a mile in a direct line, or 

 about half a mile following the curve " ; which, though Crescent 

 Fall is a fit name, and a thousand times better than Horse-shoe 

 Fall, resembles more a parabolic line, the longer leg of which 

 lies toward the Canada shore, and the apex of which gives way 

 to a sudden angle receding to the south-east. This angle and the 

 comparatively straight line close to it on the west, are the causes 

 of the production of one of the sublimest spectacles in the world, 

 as you will see from the sequel. The whole Crescent is lower 

 than the eastern bank of the ravine, which causes a much greater 

 body of water to roll over it than over either of the other two 

 falls. The perpendicular descent of the Crescent Fall is one 

 hundred and fifty-four feet, therefore, thirteen feet lower than 

 the Schlosser Fall. 



From the shore of Goat Island, a bridge, called Terrapin 

 Bridge, of three hundred feet in length, is built, leading to a 

 point north of the receding angle of the Crescent just mentioned, 

 and projecting over the falls about eight or ten feet. It ends in 

 a point, and this point, (from which you can see perpendicularly 



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