The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1873-04-12 00:00:00

PROFESSOR TYNDALL ON NIAGARA.

A crowded audience assembled on Friday night at the
Royal In4titution to hear Professor Tyndall's lecture
I m some of his recent experiences in the 'United States,
and especially at the Niagara Falls. Sir Henry Hol-
land occupied the chair.

The lecturer stated that the general description of the
deafening roar near the Falls was exaggerated, inas-
much as the noise experienced at Devil's-bridge in
Switzerland, where the Ileum made its plunge, was by
far greater. This was due to the surrounding moun-
tains, whereas the great American cataract has
Imo such acoustic advantage. He described his
explorations beneath the so-called Horseshoe Falls,
by far the more formidable of the two generally
comprised under the name of the Niagara Falls.
Wrapped in several woollen garments, he had to cross
torrents of water, and to pass over the slippery ground
whence he had a view of the green masses overhead,
the contemplation, of which gave him one of those
agreeable emotions which he had been told liberated
nerve currents, and assisted in the stimulating of the
system better than the chymical preparations used
for dispelling bodily discomforts. He said that,
except the gorge through which the river rushed,
the country around was a table-land as far as
Queenstown ridge on the one side and Lewiston ridge
on the other side of the river. Here the table-land
suddenly descended into the plain towards the Ontario,
and he drew attention to this fact because it explained
to him the existence and history of the Niagara Falls.
Many thousand years ago the river probably ran
along that table-land, and the Falls then were exactly
at the escarpment of the table-land. The erosive
power of the sand and boulders carried by the
river' however, excavated and cut the extreme end,
and thus caused a retrocession of the locua of the
fall. The centre of the river, having the greatest
excavating power, managed to keep ahead of the
sides—that is, in going backwards—and thus
the horseshoe form was produced. The extraordinary
whirlpools and upshots of masses of
*water at one of
the bends he ascribed to the interference of the cen-
tral and latitudinal currents. In 5,000 years people
would be able to see plainly if this theory were
correct, and he predicted that in time the American
fall would be abolished, leaving a whirl 'OOl, and
the Horeeshoe Fall would hays receded still further
hack, at the same time ni rrowing the bed of the
river behind it. The tumbling over of the barriers
had been and would be hastened by the disposition
of the strata of the table-land, in which limestone
rested on wdt shale. The lecture was illustrated by
photographic and other views, and by experiments
showing the erosion caused by a blast of sand imping-
ing on a Ow plate. Some stones resembling flint
imp'ements were shown, the finish of which was due
to the same influences, and it was mentioned that the
cut on the neck of the Egyptian Sphinx was probably
owing to the action of sand. An artificial representa-
tion of, whet had happened in the Ilistory of the
Niagara Falls was also exhibited. Professor Tyndall
concluded by saying that, during his recent visit, he
had received a hearty and almo4 affectionate reception
from the people of the United States, and in lecturing
and living among this other English-speaking nation he
had felt no break of continuity.