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Show 184 THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. dark reddish-bt:own. ~ side-view of this projecting rock, near thf-! peak of the mou~Itain, .lookJng fr?m tile north, exhibits a profile of the hum! lu face,.tn which P.vcry. hne and feature are distinctly markC:d; but after passtng the mountan1 to the south, the Jilwness is lost. RouTES T~ THE WHITE MouNTAINS.-The route by way of Portland may be consHlererl one ?f ~he most eligible, and for beautiful scenery cau.not ~e s1:1rpassed. Th1~ city, the commercial mf!tropolis of the State of Mall~e, ts stt~ated ~05 miles from Boston, from which it mav be reached by railroad, either VIa the Eastern or the Boston and Maine ·R R Fro Portlan~l, the Atl~ntic and St. Lawrence R. R. is rapidly ap.pn;aclJi ,:!~ co.mpletwn, and WJIJ be opened this season to Gorham, n5 miles, and fivZ nules from t.he base of Mt. Washington. In order to accommodate the travel. by this route, a ~otel has been en~cted, and a road laid out to the su~m1 t, ?n the north sHle of the mountain. 1 here Is another route from Portland open to the traveller which · a}s~ v~r~ d~light.ful. From Portland, by stage, to Standis/i,, at the fo~~ g ~b~g~ ~ ond, thence, by steamer, over the romantic Jake, throucrh roo <e JVer, an(~ over Long Poud to Bridgeton Centre,· thenc~ !; ~t~gc, t? Q_omoay, VIa Fryeburg. On the road between llriugetou -~n~ FJ yeb~tgfJs P_leas.ant .Mt., an isolated peak, some 2000 feet l1igh 011 the sumuJJt o wh1ch JS an hote l, recently e rected, which is 110w a st~ in11. ~ace for many travellers, the view from it bPin{f very fine At c pp !:'1 · II., p~ssengers stop for the night at HiJl's Peq;_awket Hou.se whe~1~ ';h~ ~1 eet With every attention and comfort; and the next mornina proceed 1 ( ~~ge, throug.h B.arllett to the Notch, passing successi veJy Old Cra.u'~ f~r d's, n~ar 1 wh1ch IS Crawford Mountain, the Willey !louse (Torn Craw in ~h s, 'c': 1~ 1as recently erected .an extensive house,) and' arrive ea;·Jy. , e a te1 noon at Fabyan's W!tzte .Mt. House. 1o r~acl~ the "Franconia Notch," visiters should hire an · . f(~bf,an sJ' for. Bethlehem, and thence to Gibbs' Lafayette House 1e6x~:l7leat w. atte1 place a conveyance may be hired t Tt.,r• ' s. five miles, passing the Old Mu.n of tiLe .Mount .. o tlaJt~F~umellouse, Flume. Returniugto"G'bb ,, , azn, 1e aszn, and the tleton 12 n1·Je '1 I s' passengers may take the stafre to Lz"t ' 1 s; t 1ence to Well, R' 20 ·1 . t- • necticut and Passum · R" :s zver, mt es , theuce by the Con-there is a railroad ccfr~;~lU~~r~; tf~nRt~ &J~' :o Be~ows Falls; and thence From" Gibbs'," persons may also reach C~~~~rd ew York, Albany, ~c. the stage, passiriO' throuo-h tile Franc . N h' Doston,&c., bytakJng n ~ t C o "' J onia otc to Ply l' ( h O,::, on, .oncord, and Montreal R R ) th . mou a. on t e places. · ., ence, by razlroad, to those Another route from Bo~ton is b ·z to Ply,moutll 51 miles Th y raz road, to Concord, 76 miles thence Passengers dine at tile p:~~r~s reach the latter placP, ahout one'o'clock. stage., up the romantic valle z~~~~lssct 1-I~usc; after dinner proceed, by 24 tnJles, situated near tho y .· e Penugewasset, to the Flume !-louse, the Pool; and thence tht~~~~~l;lu~Jus ~a~ural att.ractiolls, the FJume and ,, flnsi n," and the "Olcl M· f leh ' ran coma Notch.,, pas~i n u the nror use, dJ' stant from Plymouthtl'n> !)o m·tJ e Mfi ounBta ·I n, " t o G'zb bs ' Ln.fo~. yelle Jers nwy proceed the sarnc .... . J es, rom oston J:53 miles. '[,ravel- ,, Fl t J evenin" or the next . ti i u me House , ot· "o.· bhs' " t o•F • mornIng, rom the W . ' o " i ·tbvan' '' '1, c II Icy lJouse, or Old Crawford's ~ ' - c • om ra wford's, the ceed to Conway via the White M Fro•.n t~e latte r place they may proPassengers t~kinu the Lak Rounta;n Notch, and thence to Portland. Mon.treal R. R., at Wci1·'s S~a .oute, eave the :Sosto~, Concord, and mediately on board the stea twn, on Lake WJnnepJ~scogce go immiles: and arrive at noe'" l·r l mt etr,lcross the lake to CPnlre Ha;bou.r 10 . vi .. zo ,c a J• · M .,. mak·t ng tl1 e tn.p 1{:' rom Boston' in NIAGARA FALLS. 185 5-!- hours, and frotn New York in 19 hours. From Centre flarbour the traveller is conveyed, by stage, to Conway, 30 miles, passing Red Hill, Sand'wich, Ossipee, and Clwcoruo .Mt., arriving there-! before dark. The next morning leave for Old Crawford's, 24 rui les; the Willey Ifouse, 6; through the Notch of the White Mountains to Tom Crawford's, 2, and Fabyan's, 4. From Boston, 182 miles. Shoulrl the traveller be disposed to tarry awhile at Centre Harbour, he wi 11 find opportunities for trout fishing, and making excursions upon the beautiful Lake Winnipisseogee, wit.h its 365 islands, resembling, in many respects, the lovely Lake George. It would he advisable for the traveJler to take either one of these routes to the Mountains, and return by the other; by doing so he will have the best opportunity for enjoying all the varied scenery of this wild, picturesque, and healthful region. Passengers leaving New York can take either of the routes, Yia Boston; or may proceed by railroad, via Nf!W Haven, Hartford, Springfield : Brattleboro', Bellows Falls, to Wells River, on the Connecticut aud Passumpsic Rivers R. R.; thence by stage to Littleton, N. H., and Fabyan's White Mt. House. NIAGARA FALLS are situated on the Niagara River, 14 miles above Lake Ontario, and 23 below Lake Eric, on the New York side. The river forms the outlet ofthe great lakes. which are estimated to contain nearly oue-half of the fresh water on the surface of the globe. Threefourth "' of a mile above the Falls the river beains a rapid descent, which at that place forms a powerful current; it then turns at a right angle to theN. E., when it is suddenly contractP.d in width from tl1ree miles to three-quarters of a mile. Below the Falls the river is on ly J1alf a mile wide, but its depth excec<ls three hundred feet. 'l'he cataract is divided into two parts by Goat or Iris Jsland, containing about 75 acres; IJut the principal channel is on the Western or Canadian side, and forms the Great Horse-shoe Fall, over which about seven-eighth of the whole body of water is thrown . The eastern channel uetweP.n Goat Island and the State of New York is again divided by a small island, nallled Prospect, forming a beautiful cascade. The fall on the Alllerican s i df~ is Hi4 f<:>e t, and on the Canadian 158 feet. The amount of water passingover the Falls has been computed at 670,000 to11s per minute. The best view of the Cataract is that from Tahle Reel\: on the Canada side; of the Rapids, from Goat Island; and of tlle .llmeTican Fall, from the ferry. The best view of the Horse-shoe Fall, is from the Canada side. A bridge connects Bath and Goat Islancls with the lllain land; on the former is a toll-house, \Vhere visitors inscribe thei r names, and pay a ff!C of25 cents, which entitles them to visit all the islan ds, d uring their visit , \Vi thou t ad eli ti on al charge. Guide-boards w i 11 be found on Goat Island, <Tirecting visitors to the most interesting places and object around the island. Terrapin Bridge projects ont about :300 fee t from the \Vest part of Goat Island, at the end of which is Prospect T ouJer, a stone b11ilding erected in 1833, 45 f<~et high, with stairs le a ding to an open gallery 011 the top, sn rrou nded by an iron bat ustrade, from which the view is very grand. rrhe visitor, from this h eight, can look down into the boiling cauldron of waters. On Goat Island is the "Diddle Stairs," "''hich lead to the bottom of the Falls, affording an opportunity of descending below the hank, and passing some distance behind thr. two m!lin sheets of wate r. A co.mmou tlight of steps leads down 40 feet, runn1ug to th~ head of the st~trcuse, which is about 80 feet, having 90 steps; from th1s down to the nver the 16* |
