Recapitulation.

A recapitulation shows that the net cost of the Reservation to

THE CASH VALUE OF THE RESERVATION.

The bald statement of the State's appropriations and receipts on account of the Niagara Reservation, however, conveys an utterly inadequate idea of the actual cash value of the investment to the people as a whole.

In the first place, by giving the public free access to Niagara, the visitors save the amount that they formerly paid for the enjoyment of privileges under much less agreeable conditions. As soon as the Reservation was thrown open the number of visitors more than doubled, and by the end of the first five years the number of visitors was estimated at 500,000 per annum. At the present time, the number under ordinary conditions is estimated at 750,000 per annum. In 1901, which was an exceptional year. on account of the Pan-American Exposition at Buffalo, the number of visitors ranged from 10,000 to 50,000 a day, between May 20 and November 1, and for the year is estimated to have reached the enormous aggregate of 3,000,000.

* Interest on bonds, etc., would probably raise the total expense of the Reservation to about $2,500,000.

Assuming the very conservative average figure of 500,000 visitors per annum since the Reservation was opened, and that there has been saved to each the amount of the tolls formerly charged upon the grounds now included in the Reservation (namely, 50 cents admission to the islands, 25 cents to Prospect Park, and 25 cents for the use of the stairway at the Inclined Railway, aggregating $1.00 for each visitor) there has been saved to the public by this means the amount paid by the State for lands, improvement and maintenance four times over.

In addition to this, the amount of money brought into the State and left here by tourists drawn hither from other States and countries is very large; and merchants, hotels, railroad companies, and many other interests derive a large revenue from the patronage attracted by the Falls. A single railroad company, for example (the New York Central and Hudson River), received $170,000 in fares during three summer months of 1902 on account of its Niagara business alone.

With the knowledge of these facts, we have no hesitation in declaring that entirely irrespective of its aesthetic and educational aspects, the Reservation has been a most profitable investment for the State and has afforded a practical demonstration in this country of a principle long acknowledged in European cities and countries, that the preservation of the beautiful, the picturesque and the historic "pays."

A SCENIC DRIVEWAY.

These demonstrated facts warrant the Commission in recommending to the Legislature an extension of the facilities for viewing the scenery of the Niagara river, by the construction of a scenic driveway along the river on the American side from the

Reservation to Fort Niagara on Lake Ontario. The distance between the points named is about 16 miles. Along some portions of the route it would be necessary to build a new roadway; along other portions, however, existing roads could be improved and incorporated into the drive at comparatively small expense. By means of this drive, and the bridge at Lewiston, visitors could return on the Canadian side, thus making almost a complete circuit of the river below the Falls.

This drive would possess great scenic and historic interest. For reasons previously stated, the Commissioners, in locating the State Reservation originally, deemed it wise to be as moderate in their plans as possible, and selected only such land in the immediate vicinity of the Falls as was absolutely necessary to the preservation of their scenic environment; but there are many beautiful scenes along the river outside of the Reservation which are integral parts of the Niagara spectacle.

The precipitous river bank along the gorge through which the Niagara torrent flows to the whirlpool is very picturesque. Beyond that are the Whirlpool Rapids, through which the tumultnous waters rush at the rate of over twenty-eight miles an hour. Below the rapids is the Curious Devil's Hole; and from that point north to the lake is a succession of extremely interesting geological formations.

The whole route on both sides is replete with historic interest. The Niagara river early became one of the routes of French exploration and discovery to the far west; and during the French and Indian war and the wars between the Colonies and Great Britain, the Niagara frontier was the object of desperate contention.

The Devil's Hole, more than half way to the lake, possesses a sanguinary interest as the site of the massacre of the British by the Seneca Indians in 1763. Three miles to the eastward is the Reservation of the Tuscarora Indians. Six miles from the Falls is the bluff which marks the shore of ancient Lake Ontario. Here Hennepin and La Salle stood in the course of their famous journey of 1678. In 1764, a frontier block-house, one of a series of eleven, was located here. On the top of the adjacent mountain was Fort Gray, in the War of 1812. The village of Lewiston. half-way from the Falls to the Lake, is replete with historic interest. Two miles below Lewiston is the point where the British crossed the river for their night attack on Fort Niagara in December, 1813. Fort Niagara, at the mouth of the river. is one of the most historic spots in America, its annals beginning with the landing of La Salle in 1669, and running through every important period of American history since the discovery of Lake Ontario by the French.

On the Canadian side are many more points of similar interest. The village of Niagara, on the Canadian side near the mouth of the river, is older than any settlement on the American side, and is the site of many events of historical importance. The earthworks of Fort George, built in 1796, are still plainly visible. This fort was captured by the Americans in 1813. During the War of 1812, the river bank for a mile above Niagara was lined with earthworks. A mile back, some wooden barracks occupied during the Revolution are still standing. At Queenstown Heights, half-way back to the Falls from the Lake, was fought the battle of October 13, 1813; and a mile west of the Falls, was fought the battle of Lundy's Lane, July 25, 1814.