The west shore., July 01, 1885, Page 208, Image 14

208
THE WEST SHORE.
witnesses. In that awful moment they all arose and
stretched their arms toward Heaven in a fruitless appeal,
and in an instant were hurled by the relentless waters
into Hm ahvM Mow. FUvrnl wks afterward the bodies
of the heathens were recovered by their countrymen, but
there were no vigilant tearful eyes to seek the remains,
no saddened hearts, no mournful sighs over the tragic
fate of poor Thomas BelL
Passing on from Bell's cabin wa soon reached the
bluff overhanging the south side of the falls. From this
point all of the rapids and cascades above, as well as the
entire falls, are embraced in one view, which is indescrib
ably grand and infinitely finer than thnt from the north
side. The river bank is a precipice worked out into tur
rets and alooves. Cedars cling here and there in apparent
desperation and doubtful tenure, and add to the pictur-
esqueness of the scene. The bottom of the falls cannot
1ms seen for the spray that drifts out like snow before a
blinding storm, and rising upward produces in the morn
ing sun from every standpoint the most perfect rainbows,
while to the westward the river, deep and green as eme
rald, flows peacefully away between the basaltic walk
Looking downward from this spot, upon the narrow
twaoh, a quarter of a mile distant, a thousand or more
railroad ties that bad escaped a boom on the upper river,
and were washed ashore here, appeared like so many
pieces of stove wood, and upon examination afterward we
found them rounded like polished stones by the friction
encountered by bulfoting with the rocks in their wayward
journey.
The rlver'i edge below the falls on the south side is
accessible only at one point, and the descent through a
defile formod by the course of a springlet is very diffloult,
but onoe down, the visitor may easily approach verv close
to the falls. The noise is deafening, and the excessive
moisture baa caused a luxuriant growth of grass and
lerns, ana me air is fragrant with mint
Near the middle of the cataract the volume of water is
very great, and it conies tumbling over in great whits
masses, resembling, more than anything else I can ima
gine, huge bunches of cotton incessantly falling over a
precipice. A large abutment near the south side Uiwr.
and narrows toward the top, as though placed there to
support the mighty preoipioe, and down its face the water
trickles with apparent leisure, in contrast with the tu
multuous volumes on either side, in a thousand silver
inresua.
In this vicinity there is a cavern where the revrW
ating noise of the falling water resembles the puffin of
. 1 ...: l ! .-i . ..... ... 1 e
. at mgu speeo. a little farther below and
in the face of the cliff, is situate Diana's Bathroom
which is an ear-shaped grotto, 200 feet high, and sun
mounted by a donie-an isolated, needle-shaed rock
almost as high, standing sentinel at the entmnn. p !
the very dome falls a little thread-like streamlet, which is
broken into minute drops era it reaches a square cut
basin at the bottom. The tiny, ios-oold drops descend
with dewy softness and impart a refreshing coolness all
roana n s lurnsa rsjucunuy Ixom this chsrmiog spot
The day following we set out in the early morning to
visit the Twin Falls, three miles above. The first half of
the journey we made on the water, and the river, being
quiet, is woll adapted to boat riding. Our attention was
called to a most remarkable echo on the right wall, and
farther on we passed the Devil's Corral, a deep gorge
that makes back from the river. Above this we reached
the rapids, and were obliged to tie up our little boat and
oomplete our journey on a very irregular and rooky trail
There was among the party a gentleman from Iowa, the
father of our hostess, seventy-five, years of age, and when
we remarked the facility with which he clambered over
the rocks, he replied that the invigorating air of the
country had rejuvenated him and made , him feel like
riding a stick. Now and then we discovered a group of
Chinamen crevicing in the rocks on the shore for the
precious gold, and passed their dug-out habitations near
by.
The Twin Falls, ninety feet in height, are wonderfully
grand, but have less variety of form and feature than the
lower onea The river is divided by a large island, and
that section on the north side (the Bridal Train) ap
proaches the brink in a series of cascades, and the per
pendicular descent is less than that of the south section
(the Bridal Veil), where the channel is very narrow
and deep and the current breaks over with awful force.
The surrounding features are similar in general appear
ance to those below the very picture of desolation. Look
where you will, the vision is confronted with perpendicu
lar basaltic walls, laid up apparently with architectural
design, as though Nature would jealously guard with im
pregnable barriers of massive rock this majestio exhibi
tion of her handiwork
FIRING OF BLASTS IN MINES.
THE blasting arrangements adopted recently in the
uuB swne arm or gallery at a mine in St Etienne,
France, appear to be nncnlinrlv 5 nnnninna atn1 tfFs4iA
The length of this gallery, when completed, will be nearly
w ,tub, ana as it is desired to drive with all possible
speed, light machine drills are employed 'for the boring
and electrio ignition of the shots for the blasting. The
cables are carried up to within about six yards of the
face of the work, and are protected by gas pipes through
out a length of six yards; from the ends of these cables
bare iron wire carries the electric current to the fuses,
from ten to twelve in number. The firing machine is of
the Siemens class, and is very compact and powerful,
and is contained in a box of about one cubic foot capa
city. Instead of the usual winch handle, a draw-bar is
used to give a rotary motion to the armature; this bar is
Pd!? w,th Hte a rack, and with a cross-head,
which the operator seizes with both hands, while holding
the machine down with his feet-an arrangement which
enables a great power to be exerted upon the armature.
Ihe machine is capable of firing a dozen shots with cer.
twnty, and failures are of very rare occurrence. Fully
twenty per cent of the labor of boring is said to be saved
of the adoption of thia method.