NIAGARA. 
243 
circumstance that although the upper half of the face of the 
precipice over which the water falls is composed of hard lime¬ 
stone rock, the lower half is soft shale, which is being 
continually eaten into and crumbled away by the action of 
the spray from the cataract; this causes a cave to be excavated 
that extends to forty feet depth, and gradually undermines the 
upper rock, which breaks away when unsupported. The cave 
can be entered at each extremity of the great falls, by passing 
behind the sheet of falling water ; but this can only be done 
fora short distance on account of the extreme violence of the 
gusts of wind and spray. In the small centre fall, however, 
there is the means of passing completely through the cave 
behind the fall, which is called the “ Caveof the Winds,” and the 
visitor, after getting through, returns outside in front of the 
fall over an accumulation of fallen rocks that have broken 
away at former times from the face of the rock above. Access 
is obtained by means of spiral stairs down the face of the 
rock on Goat Island, and the visitor has to prepare for the 
purpose by a complete change of clothing to a thick woollen 
bathing dress with an oilskin overcoat and hood. Goat Island 
is reached from the shore by a bridge over the stream of the 
American Fall, crossing a small island that stands in the 
middle of the stream. On the opposite side of Goat Island 
there is also a bridge reaching on to the Terrapin Rock, which 
is in the Horse-shoe Fall, standing on the edge of the fall, and 
which affords a grand view of the great cataract. At the upper 
end of Goat Island there are three small islands, “The Three 
Sisters,” connected by bridges, and reaching out one beyond 
another into the Upper Rapids, of which a striking view is 
obtained from these islands. 
An effective practical illustration of the mass of water in 
the Niagara Falls may be obtained from the dimensions of the 
Birmingham Town Hall. Imagine a sheet of water descending 
in front of the organ and extending in width all across from 
wall to wall, with a thickness of stream as much as the 
projection of the side galleries, but the height of the fall 
nearly three times as great as the height of the hall 
from floor to ceiling. This will represent the small centre 
fall, behind which the visitor passes through the “Cave of the 
Winds,” returning in front over the rocks at the foot of the 
fall, and standing there looking up at the mighty mass of 
water rushing headlong down close in front. Then imagine 
tin’s great sheet of falling water extended to a continuous 
width of nearly half a mile, and increased in thickness to 
twenty feet, and that will represent the great Horse-shoe 
Fall. 
