THE WEST SHORE.
207
feet in height This farseeing .knight of the whip pro
ceeded to locate all the available land on the north bunk
and broke a road through the sage brush and lava beds.
The south side was already claimed by a young marriod
couple, who had built themselves a rude cabin, within
whose walls their firstborn in vain tried to drown the
mighty cataract's roar with its infant yelk These two
parties combined their claims and for a time held posses
sion, but afterwards disposed of their interests to a com
pany of gentlemen, who desired to make suitable provi
sion for the accommodation of visitors. Those gontlomou
located all the available land about tho great falls, also
the Twin Falls, three miles above, made a gxxl Btngo
road to Shoshone City, put on a line of stages, built a
small hotel and made many improvements about the falls.
This has not been done for speculative purposes, but be
cause of their admiration for and pride iu those great
wonders of Nature, and a desire to preserve them from
vandalism and render them easy of access to every one.
They have already expended $18,000 in improvement,
and are preparing to erect this summer a largo hotel.
The present accommodations are for only fiftoon to twenty
guests, but they will soon be prepared to entertain sev
eral hundred at a time. These gentlemen are Motors. W.
A. Clark, of Butte City, and John A. Creighton and
Charles H. Dewey, of Omaha. Great praiso is due thorn
for their efforts to rendor a vmit to this attractive K)t bo
pleasant and inexpensive. From Fortland the fare to
Shoshone Junction is $33.75, boing $10.20 to Huntington
over the O. R. & N. Co.'s line and $17.55 over the Oregon
Short Line from Huntington to Shoshone. Stages run
daily from that point to the falls, tho fare for the round
trip boing only $3. Through passengers going eithor
west or east can spend from one to throe days at tho falls
at an expense only of stage fare bmI hotel accommoda
tions. Passengers on the Utah & Northern can stop over
at Pocatello and make the round trip to tho falls for $18.
The Union Paoiflo possesses in this great attraction some
thing that will make it a favorito route for tourists, aside
from the many other advantages it offers.
The following comprehensive description of the falls
was written originally for the Butte City Miner by a
gentleman who made a thorough exploration or them: A
few hours' ride through the desert, where we saw no liv-
inir thimr save now and then a half famished rabbit,
brought to view a dark line produced in the great lava
plain by the first glimpse of the edge of the preoipioa on
the farther side of the river. Several miles before reach
ing the falls a heavy sound like distant thunder is heart!,
and on a clear day the spray rising upward is clearly
Been. Udoii arriving at the brow of the precipice th
horses were detached from the coach, and they and the
passengers entered a narrow gateway where the wall was
hmlan down a little, and began their descent over a dif
ficult and precipitous trail to the river at jxint just
above, but not in view of, the falls. As we approached
nwvW hotel bv a eroat spring, and near a little mea
dow, the air was redolent of cooking viands, and never
ampler justice done, tuan by our nine pany wim
was
whotted appetites, to an excellent dinner of which fresh
tront w the rnni delionta fnatnrA,
After dinner and a brief repose we walked out a few
hundred yards to see the groat cataract, and I am free to
confess my utter inability to oonvey with words even a
faint impression of the matchless beauty and majesty of
the scene that burst upon my vision as I aaooudod a table
of trachyte a hundred feet alxive the brink of tho preci
pice, over which the nvor fulls 210 foot porpondiaularly.
The face of the falls is in Uie form of an obtuse angle,
the side toward the south being much tho longest Above
this, for alnmt 1,500 foot, extomls a group of rook islands,
which divido the stroam into sovoid channels and pro
duce two series of rapids and cascades, comprising a great
number, all varying iu height and force, and which
heighten the offoot of the scene, and break the water into
'oamy whiteness preparatory to its final lea). Among
those islands the water descends alxmt 100 feet
On this side of tho river, and 150 foot alwve the main
falls, is a faithful representation of Niagara iu miiiiaturo,
(.ixty font in height with a wedge-shaiied island dividing
it into two most graceful shoots. Looking across the
river and beyond this is an island rook, fifty foot wide,
then a cascado eighty feet in breadth, which is not per
pendicular, the water rushing down iu a thin sheet over
the rounded face of tho nxik. Further on is largo
island, eighty foot high, then a narrow fall of a largo
volume, then a low rock island, another narrow fall simi
lar to the last described, then a large island, loyoml
which is found tho main Ixxly of tho river broken into
cascades, which front in almost ovory direction owing to
the distorted condition of tho lava ohaiiuel.
The next morning we crossed tho river altovo tho
group of islands iu a littlo boat and wore surprised to
find the stream flowing gently and placidly, seemingly
unconscious of the terriblo fury which would in the next
minute mark its descent Near the shore we passed the
ruins of a willow-thatched cabin, arcind whiuh were scat
tered the remains of a gold washing rocker, an improvised
candlestick ami other ovidences of a miner's humble
ahodo. Here, a few years aiuoe, dwelt a sort of recluse,
a Scotchman by birth, who was known by the name of
Old Tom Bell. For a long time lie had lived there,
gaining a precarious livelihood by washing the auriferous
sands, which at this time employ a numlwr of Chinese
above and below the cataract Bell had constructed a
rude boat which served him in carrying his firewood and
in crowning to ono of the islands, where he mined during
low stages of water. One morning in tho spring time,
when the river was much swollen, there apearod on tho
river opsiU Boll's cabin two Chinese merchants, who
had lieeu on a collecting tour among their countrymen on
the river above, who beckoned to Bell to come and set
them over. Bell rowed safely across, but on his return
one of his oars gave way, when, losing control, the boat
sped quickly away in the strong current. He attempted
to reach the nearest inland, but was jMiwerlosa to manage
his earless craft and iu the minute following was swnpt
over the precipice. Two Chine miners were the ouly