Identifier: americapicturesq03cookuoft (find matches)
Title: America, picturesque and descriptive
Year: 1900 (1900s)
Authors: Cook, Joel
Subjects: United States -- Description and travel
Publisher: Philadelphia, Coates
Contributing Library: Robarts - University of Toronto
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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hn for several yearsfrom 1 780. A Monument in King Square commem-orates the landing of the loyalists and the grant ofthe charter. Being built largely of wood, the citysuffered from many disastrous tires, the worst beingin June, 1877, when one-third of the place was))urnt, involving a loss of over sixteen hundredbuildings and nearly $30,000,000. St. John rosefrom the ruins with great vitality, the new construc-tion being largely of brick and stone. The popula-tion now exceeds forty thousand. THE IMVEIi ST. JOHN. The great curiosity of St. John is the reversiblecataract in the river, caused in the gorge just westof the city by the enormous tides of the Bay ofFundy. The great river above the city is a wideestuary, but before entering the harbor it is com-pressed into a short, deep and narrow gorge, barelyone hundred and hfty yards wide in some places, andobstructed by several rocky islets. As this is thebest crossing-place, two bridges are thrown side by mi^Qt over tbc St. Jobns, IW. J5.
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THE KIVKK ST. JOIIX. 283 side over the eliasin, one fur a railway ami the otherfur a street, resting upon the limestone cliifs a hun-drctl feet above the Avater. As the tide ebbs andflows, tlie rushing river currents make the reversiblecataract, almost luider the bridges, with the waterpouring down both ways at dirterent tidal stages.Through this contracted pass the entire crrrent ofthe vast 8t. John valley linds its outlet to the sea.AVhcn the ebb tide quickly empties the harbor below,the accumulated river Avaters cannot get into thegorge fast enough to reduce as rapidly the level ofthe broad basin above, and they consequently luslidown, a cataract, swelling sometimes to ten or twelvefeet at the upi)er entrance to the gorge, and makewlurling, seething rapids below. When the tide turns,this outflow is gradually checked by the rise in theliarbor, but soon the tremendous incoming flood fromthe Bay of Fundy overpowers the river current, fillsup the gorge, and rapidly rising in the gorge

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