VICTORIA FALLS

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 89, 14 April 1923, Page 18

VICTORIA FALLS

SCENERY IN RHODESIA

RAILWAY SET AMIDST NATURAL BEAUTIES

BRIDGE THAT TRIUMPHED OVEE : NATURE.

Like breakers on a wild sea shore is the greeting- given when after four days and nights from Capetown the train pulls up at Victoria Falls station, which is removed one mile from the falls. The Rhodesian Government is alive to the advantage of having a great natural wonder within its borders. Their railway management runs most comfortably appointed trains of corridor type, well lighted by electricity, a light being disclosed for the' under berth when the back of the- seat is raised to form the upper berth for sleeping. The windows have full-sized screens of fine wire gauze, so excluding dust, etc. An up-to-date dining car is on every train, and each car contains'a couple of coupes for two persons, 'and the luxury of shower and spray baths. 'The Victoria Falls'settlement contains of station master's office, post office, four houses, two curio huts, some native huts, and compound, and the hotel, which is a white palace set down in a wilderness. It is set down to gciod'scenie purpose five minutes from the railway on-a plateau' facing one of the few slopes in the 1 sheer cliffs, exposing the first great buttress of the gorge round which the Zambesi winds after leaving the falls. Just by such multitudinous thrusts and twists for ii miles, between vertical gullies 450 deep, does the river pursue its journey of many hundred miles to the 6ea.

For ■ background, airily suspended, is the_ railway bridge, over which passes the train on its thrice-weekly journey of linking up the Congo with the south, writes Janet Gaff in the Melbourne "Argus." About three-quarters of a mile from the hotel is the western bank, where the Zambesi, at this point one mile and a quarter wide, is cleft at right angles by a great irregular chasm, over 400 feet deep, and varying from 50' to 80 feet in width. Here the Devil's Cataract, a tearing, roaring cascade, is the first of the west side falls. Cataract Island now intervenes a wedge between this and No-. 1 main, falls, a great irregular shallow horseshoe, where an immense volume of water sends clouds of spray hundreds of feet into the air Another small island perching on the brink separates this from No. 2 main falls over the long straight rim of which a .^tremendous sweep of water thunders into the abyss. Spray from both these sections, combining in a tropical downpour, drenches the Bain Forest on the opposite brink of the abyss. . Intervening on the brink is Livingstone Island, where, guarded by a rail, the tree still stands-bearing the great missionary and explorer's name, carved by himself on the occasion of his discovery of the falls The 300JJ feet of Rainbow Falls, in volume like the ocean, now comes over, reaching the chasm in lively lacelike formation. When it nears the eastern end, which it faces, it goes beyond BoilinoPot, which is the 100-feet-wide gap in the opposing wall of chasm by which the water escapes. Another small island separates Rainbow Falls from the thundering Eastern Cataract, so a seething macs of waters converging from two points makes a very turbulent exit from the abyss at Boiling Pot. . The Bain Forest, beginning opposite Devil s Cataract, ceases opposite the eastern end of No. 2 main falls, while sodden grass, broken by rocky outcrops, continues a track to Danger Point. From this slopes down Knife Edge, forming the western buttress to Boiling Pot. Duplicate and triplicate vivid rainbows, rising in and spanning over Boiling Pot, rest on the falls of their name. From Danger Point a path of about 200 yards leads along the gorge side to the railway bridge, from the middle of which is a superb view of Boiling Pot, a section of Rainbow Falls, and the. beginning of the,;gorge. If,near noon the tri-weekly tram from the Congo slowly passes along While on the other, side, the white hotel, set a .mile /away on its terrace, makes a bright picture. On the other side, about a quarter of a mile along the edge of the gorge, is the path to Palm ( Grove, and one leading to view the Eastern Cataract, which terminates the falls.. The chasm.here is about fifty feet wide, and the ground trembles under one's feet, as the thundering water goes by. Carefully peering over the edge, the bottom, much boulder strewn, and tlie racing, churning water, are seen between the vertical cliffs. Cautiously following the ledge it is possible to reach the great, buttress forming the eastern side to the gap, while on the right a section of Rainbow Falls, all garlanded with bows, makes a splendid sight.

Returning to the road, and reaching the otlier path, a semi-perpendicular rock-strewn descent is made through Palm Grove. .Finally, vegetation ceasing, and about thirty feet of steep boul-der-covered shore reached, the river, just escaped from Boiling Pot, swirls past. All around are the 450 feet of towering cliffs, and further down the aerial-look-ing railway bridge, while for background a mile away gleams the hotel set so picturesquely on its plateau, and over .all the hot. Rhodesian sun. Toilfully negotiating the upward path, again gaining the road, we go back over the bridge, where at the western end a trolley, pushed by natives, conveys us back to the .Hotel. By following the edge of the chasm from Danger Point toKain Forest, the visitor 'being well waterproofed, the most superb views of the falls may be, obtained. Treading on soaked vegetation and rocky outcrops, in a continuous downpour caused by the falling spray, the falls in their majesty, all rainbow garlanded, are just separated by the varying 50 to 80 feet of the abyss. This widens and slightly twists, thus the whole mile and a quarter cannot be seen at one view, but must be followed on the opposite lip from end to end. The Rain Forest being set opposite the Devil's Cataract, and the first and second main falls, the roar of the waters drowns speech, while here the rainbow-tinted spray rises highest: When the river is high, the islands intervening between the falls shrink to tiny islets, some being entirely under water, then only as the wind shifts the spray can views of this tremendous ocean of water b6 obtained. At low river the spray being less dense, the views are superb, but five different viewpoints must be visited to see the whole. About 100 yards from Devil's Cataract are the canoe sheds from which, at low river, there is exposed a chain of islets which form a breakwater to Devil's Cataract, so making possible a voyage to Cataract Island. Four stalwart, highlyexperienced natives paddle the canoes over, a journey. of five minutes being charged for at the rate of 2s 6d per person. A path leads right across the island, and we stand by the seething waters, as they glissade down the cataract. Then across some grass and very ancient lava, past a maliogohy tree to an outcrop.of rock alongside which No. 1 main falls, is making its terrific plunge. Lying prone on the rock, worming our bodies forward, at last "it is possible to peer cautiously into th« chaos of the abyss. With- ths

rushing roar of the water alongside, and seething 450 feet below, it is absolutely bewildering. Becoming bolder, and taking a good look as the depths show out of the spray, there sheltered by the eastern buttress, tearing round which come the waters of Devil's Cataract,' on a heap of fallen boulders two trees-have grown to a fair height, while a cactus clings -precariously to the face of the cliff.' Rainbows in triplicate start in the tumultuous depths, and arching UP> go through the spray, and rest on the falls alongside which we are lying. Just 80 feet across is the rain forest, all drippirfg.in the sunshine. A voyage by many previous channels on the island-studded Zambesi by oil launch to Livingstone landing stage, makes a delightful interlude to gazing on the wonders of the falls. From the landing stage the remaining four miles is made on trolleys, pushed by natives, to the quite interesting and very loyal British town of Livingstone. The streets, well shaded by mango trees, show an excellent example of municipal foresight, and many new phases of life are to be seen. Returning by the same means, and regaining the launch, a couple of islands are visited, where lunch and afternoon tea are served, the meals having be.en sent on from the hotel. While cruising on the river by launch and canpe many orocodiles are seen basking on rocks and stumps of trees. The hippppotomi, being dangerous, have been driven up stream, so one picturesque element haa been eliminated.

The most bewitching of all experiences of this unique world's wonder is. to view the sparking silvery cloud-like water of the falls by moonlight, spanned by the lunar rainbow, a band of pearly white, in size like the solar rainbow of the day. but changing to a pale yellow, and as one continues" to gaze, being tinted somewhat of a pale pink. So unaccustomed is the eye to such a scene, the first thought is of the supernatural, and a feeling of profound awe is inspired, 'ere the vision becomes familiarised, with so strange a, sight; then does the exceeding beauty of this scene touch one's senses. The tremendous force of the falls is quite palpable in the earth vibration a mile distant at the hotel, and for this reason a second, story to that building is impossible. Before removing the steam winches on completing the construction of the bridge, an immense weight of steel rails was lowered into the gorjje in an endeavour to plumb the depths of the river, which, treating this as a "plaything, would not even allow the rails to.sink. When Cecil Rhodes, with, his . wide outlook of linking the Cape with Cairo by railway, launched his great railway scheme, the bridging of the Zambesi was a problem condemned by many engineers. The great empire builder, desiring the bridge to be placed where the spray from the falls couldl reach the trains passing across, entrusted the construction to Sir C. Metcalfe, whose genius triumphed over all obstacles on this portion of the Cape to Cairo railway.