The other remedy is to remove the Inclined Railway altogether, and in its stead install an electric elevator, built into the face of the cliff. The first cost of the elevator will be much more than that of a new inclined railway, but the advantages will more than offset it. The power for operating the elevator, for reasons already stated (page 15) will cost nothing.

We respectfully ask for an appropriation adequate either to rebuild the Inclined Railway or to supplant it with an elevator.

Biddle Stairway.

On the western face of Goat Island, near the northwestern point, is a spiral stairway, eighty feet high, called the Biddle Stairs. It gives access to extraordinary views of both the American and Horseshoe Falls to be had only from that standpoint, and to the recess between the falling mass of the Center Fall and the face of the rock over which it plunges, called the Cave of the Winds. A trip to the Cave of the Winds is regarded by many as the most unique and picturesque at Niagara.

The use of these stairs is free; but while the descent is comparatively easy, the ascent is so fatiguing as to be prohibitive to all but the strong and athletic. The present condition of these stairs suggests that the time has arrived for the erection of an elevator at this cardinal point of attraction. The Biddle Stairs were built in 1829, and the original axis of the structure, as well as many if not all of the original risers, are still in use. The experience with the Inclined Railway demonstrates that an elevator would be a paying investment for the State, and the revenue which it would yield, added to that now derived from other sources, would almost, if not quite, reimburse the State for the ordinary

expenses of maintaining the Reservation. We therefore request

that early provision be made for this improvement.

Work of the Year-Ice Formations.

We invite your attention to the recapitulation of work done upon the Reservation during the past year given in the Superintendent's report appended hereto. The Reservation is in as good condition as can be expected from the moderate amount of money expended upon it. The Treasurer's report will show the disposition of the funds during that period. We particularly ask your attention to the Superintendent's very clear and interesting description of the singular process of ice-formation caused by the remarkable physical conditions existing at the Falls. It explains the cause not only of the uniquely beautiful ice-forms of Niagara, but of the continued expense of maintenance in winter and of repair in spring.

Recapitulation of Requirements.

Recapitulating our requests, we ask for the following appro

Requirements for Maintenance.

The first of the foregoing items, namely, that for ordinary maintenance, is required for the following estimated expenses:

Salary of Superintendent, expenses of Commission

The estimated receipts for the current year are as follows:

Niagara, Lockport and Ontario Power Company Charter. On January 18, 1904, the Hon. George F. Thompson, of Niagara county, introduced in the Assembly a bill to enlarge the charter powers of the Niagara, Lockport and Ontario Power Company, to which the Legislature of 1894 had granted limited privileges for