tic, seers of visions, and
believers in miraculous cures, heavenly voices and direct
revelation. The boy's father was a digger for hidden treasure,
and used a divining rod to find the proper place to dig wells. He
taught his son crystal gazing and the use of the "peepstone" to
discover hidden treasure. Young Joseph was good-natured and lazy.
Early in life he began to have visions which were accompanied by
epileptic "seizures." One night in 1823, according to his story,
the angel Moroni appeared to him three times, and told him that
the Bible of the western continent, the supplement to the New
Testament, was buried on a hill called Cumorah, now commonly
known as Mormon Hill. It was not until 1827, however, that he
discovered this new Bible. Smith's story was that on the 22nd of
September of that year, he dug up on the hill near Manchester a
stone box in which was a volume 6 inches thick made of thin gold
plates, 8 inches by 8 inches, fastened together by three gold
rings. The plates were covered with small writing in characters
of the "reformed Egyptian tongue." With the golden book Smith
claimed he found a breastplate of gold and a pair of supernatural
spectacles, consisting of two crystals set in a silver bow, by
the aid of which he could read the mystic characters. Being
himself unable to read or write fluently, Smith dictated a
translation of the book from behind a screen. Soon afterwards,
according to Smith, the plates were taken away by the angel
Moroni.

370 M. ROCHESTER, Pop. 295,750. (Train 51 passes 4:05p; No. 3, 5:25p;
No. 41, 9:56p; No. 25, 10:23p; No. 19, 2:11p. Eastbound: No. 6 passes
12:59a; No. 26, 1:51a; No. 16, 6:18a; No. 22, 8:47a.)

Rochester is built around the Falls of the Genesee River, about 7 M.
above the place where the river empties into Lake Ontario.

[Illustration: Rochester in 1812

Settlers from New England made a clearing at the site of Rochester
about 1810, but growth was slow until the railroad--now the New
York Central--was built connecting it with Albany and Buffalo.]

The Genesee River rises in Pennsylvania and flows nearly 200
miles in a northerly direction through western New York. Within a
distance of 7 M. between Rochester and Lake Ontario the river has
a fall of 263 ft. The principal falls consist of three cataracts,
96, 26 and 83 ft., respec