Niagara Falls

4.5

The Niagara Falls are on the Niagara River between the United States and Canada. The Niagara Falls are the largest waterfalls in America. The Niagara Falls are very beautiful. Thousands of tourists come from all over the world to see them. Today the Niagara Falls make electricity, which goes to towns and cities in the United States and in Canada.

The noise of the falling water is so great that it is heard as far as twenty-five kilometers away. The water of the Niagara River is falling from a hill fifty-seven meters high. The falls can move very large stones and throw them into the water.

Once an old ship without any people on it was put into the Niagara River. The ship sailed down the river like a toy boat. When the ship came to the falls, it went under the waters and was never seen again.

Some people have tried to swim in the falls. They wanted to become famous. Most of them have lost their lives. One of them was Captain Webb. He was the first man who swam across the English Channel. In July, 1883, he came up to the Niagara River and jumped into the water. Many people were watching him from the banks. Soon the captain was swimming in the middle of the river, then the river carried him over the falls. The people on the bank shouted, but a moment later the man went under the water. Thousands of eyes were looking at the river, but the man did not come up.

In 1902 a young woman decided to go over the falls in a barrel. A lot of pillows were put into the barrel and she got into it. The barrel was closed and thrown into the river. The barrel was carried down the river very fast. When it had gone over the falls, people caught it and pulled it on to the bank. When they opened it, the woman came out, but she was very frightened.