Adieu, Niagara! I’m off for New York,
To measure out sugar, molasses and pork,
Next year I’ll return if I crib enough cash,
And it won’t be my fault if I don’t cut a dash.
I put up at the “Cataract,” but could not stop there —
The landlord and I were too much of a pair.
The owner of the Cataract House Hotel from 1825-1845 was Whitney Pankhurst, after that by son Solon Whitney and sons-in-law James Trott and Dexter Jerauld.
Read about the role of the Cataract House Hotel in the Underground Railroad.
Source: Table Rock Album and Sketches of the Falls and Scenery Adjacent. Buffalo: Steam Press of Thomas and Lathrops, copyright by Jewett, Thomas & Co.,1856c.1848
This link takes you to the scanned version of the 1855 version of Table Rock Album from the Hathi Trust
See the Table of Contents of the Table Rock Album on this site.