Niagra falls by Sonali Senthil

INTRODUCTION

Imagine you’re standing, leaning over a metal railing, absent-mindedly staring at the beautiful thing in front of you, drinking it all in, while the guide goes on and on.  The only thing you’ve caught is, “some people think Niagara Falls is a boring old waterfall.”  You’re thinking, “How could they!” “But it is not” says the guide, going on and on.  “Because it stretches over two countries, has two power plants and lots of stunts done on it.”

This is the Niagara Falls.  Want to find out more?  Read on.  (Don’t worry, I’m not as boring as the guide.)

All Falls:

-       Horseshoe Falls

-       American Falls

-       Bridal Veil Falls

BUT WHERE IS NIAGARA FALLS?

Niagara Falls is amazing.  It stretches over two countries and begins on the humongous Niagara River.

The Niagara Falls begin on the Niagara River (picture above).  The Niagara River, is a massive river that flows from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario.

The Niagara Falls are on the border of Canada and the United States of America.  The falls are 27 km NNW from Buffalo, New York and 21 km SSE of Toronto.

The Niagara River, after it reaches the falls goes in to the Saint Lawrence River and finally drains into the Atlantic Ocean.

The Niagara Falls is the fastest moving waterfalls.  It has moved back 11 cms in 12,500 years.  Seems like a little?  But it is a lot for a waterfall!

THE AMAZING SIZE OF NIAGARA

Many people think Niagara Falls is one big waterfall.  But it is not.  Its three little ones.

All of the waterfalls start from the same river, the Niagara River.  The Niagara River is a massive river that is not very deep but very, very long.  Near the falls, its depth is 57m.  Its length is 58 kms.  The Niagara River actually has islands in it!  The biggest islands are Grand Island and Navy Island.  The Niagara River also has a whirlpool.

  The Whirlpool (picture left), known as the Niagara Whirlpool is located in the Niagara Gorge and its greatest depth is 38m.  That’s pretty deep for a whirlpool that was formed 4,200 years ago.  It usually spins counterclockwise but when the powerplants take in more water, it reverses.  Amazing, isn’t it?

The three waterfalls are the:

-       Horseshoe falls on the Canadian side

-       American falls on the American side

-       Bridal Veil falls on the American side

The falls are not very high, but very wide.  This means that they have a lot of water coming down but its not crashing down. 

 Horseshoe Falls (picture left) is 57m high but 790m long and is the biggest.

  The American Falls (picture left) are only 25m tall, but 320m high and are the second biggest

  The smallest fall is the Bridal Veil Falls (picture left), with only a 24m height and only 17m wide.

But the combined falls have the highest flow rate in the world  .  At high flow , 1,68,000 cubic metres of water come over.  That’s enough water for 1.5 billion people. 

On average, it is 1,10,000 cubic metres of water.

POWER PLANTS ON THE NIAGARA

There are two main power plants on the Niagara River.  The Sir Adam Beck power plant and the Robert Moses power plant.

 The Sir Adam Beck power plant (picture left) is a big power plant but it is not as big as the Robert Moses power plant.  It produces a large number of Megawatts (MW).  Megawatts is the way to measure electricity.  The full name of the power plant is Sir Adam Beck Hydroelectric Power Plant.  That is a long name but suitable for a power plant that produces 1,997 MW.

This amazing power plant was built in 1954 and it is still standing today. 

But if that’s not enough, it makes enough power to power 19 lakh homes in India.  This power plant supplies power to Canada.

  The even bigger power plant is the Robert Moses power plant (picture above).  This is also a hydroelectric power plant.  This means that both power plants use the force of the water to produce electricity and that’s what they do!  It produces 2,525 MW per day.

One of the reasons this power plant produces more because it was built in a later day.  It was built in a later day in 1961.

This amazing power plant produces enough electricity to supply 25 lakh homes in India.  This power plant is in America.

But the most amazing thing is how both work. 

In order not to spoil the natural beauty of the Niagara Falls, they divert water from the Niagara River, use it to produce power and let the water back into the River.

AMAZING STUNTS ON THE NIAGARA

Did you know you could fry an egg on a tightrope?  Well, the Great Blondin did just that and Nathan Boya went over the falls and came back alive.  Annie Taylor was the first person to go over the falls.

Ever seen a cat in a barrel?  Well, the barrel that Annie Taylor used to go over the falls was tested by a cat and it came back alive. 

  Annie Taylor (picture left) was a 63-year old schoolteacher who went over the falls in search of fame and fortune.

On October 24^th 1901, Annie Taylor went into her barrel, which had been tested by a cat.  She went into the barrel with only herself and her heart shaped pillow.  17 minutes after the plunge she came close enough to shore to be pulled back to land and she was actually alive.  She said, “If it was with my dying breath, I would caution anyone against attempting the feat.”  She meant, if she dies, nobody else will try to do what she did because she died doing it.  She didn’t get the money she hoped for.  She died poor and penniless.

Jean Francois Gralid, also known as the Great Blondin was a tightrope walker who first walked over the Niagara Falls in 1857.  On June 30^th, 1859, he did his first tightrope walk across the Niagara Falls and after that, many others.

This great man also crossed on a bicycle, blindfolded, cooking an omelet and pushed a wheelbarrow with his hands and feet tied.

  But by far his greatest feat was when he crossed carrying his manager on his back (picture above).  This was his hardest feat.

 Nathan Boya(picture left) went over the falls on July 15^th, 1961.  He managed this by going in a sphere covered with steel and rubber.  He made sure to have enough oxygen for 30 hours.  But he was fined $100 for illegal stunting. 

Stunting is now illegal on the Niagara so nobody does it anymore.

CONCLUSION

So now you know why Niagara Falls isn’t a boring old waterfall.  Now you realize why I’ve told you so much stuff like where it is, how big it is, power plants and dare devils.  BRILLIANT DEDUCTION!  I want you to visit Niagara Falls.  So, hop into a plane and get there right now!

But I wonder if Niagara Falls will become a victim of pollution?