The Lancaster gazette. (Lancaster, Ohio) 1846-1852, 1847-11-05
From the Southport Americdn.
The Great Lakes.


The chain Of Fresh Water Mediter.
raneans" that go so largely towards d.
viding the territory of Uncle Sam" from
the domain fMrs Vic" are geograph.
ical wonder. Extending from east 10 wes1
over nearly fifteen ga half degrees of lon
gitude, they seem, regarding them upon
the map, 10 rest like crown of waters
upon the head of the Union. their centre
Of gravity the Island of Macinack, bal
ancing upon the meridian which sepa-
rates Indiana and Ohio, equ.diyides X Ken-
tucky and Tennessee, and passes between
Georgia and Alabama, and East and
West Florida into the Gulf of Mexico
The difference in the latitude of the north.
ern and southern extreme points of the
Lakes is not far from eight and a
half degrees. The estimated area of
country draining into them is 100000
square miles the extent covered by the
waters of the whole is $4,000 square
miles, divided as follows: Ontario, $500;
Erie, $500, st. Clair, 800; Huron, 90
400; Michigan including the Bay, a..
400; Superior, 32,260. The waters of
the Father of Lakes" (Superior) are
62S feet above Inc levil of the sea; which
elevation is attained by equal gradations,
each lake rising above the previous one,
from Ontario to Superior. The surface
of the waters Of Ontario is 232 feet above
the tide water of the St. Lawrence-Erie
rises 333 feet above Ontario-St Clair
feet above Erie-Huron and Michigan
are 13 feet higher than St. Clair. and Su-
perior rises "A feet above those.
The ST. Clair is by far the shallowest of
any Of the lakes-the average depth be-
ing about20 feet-Erie averages in depth
about 81 feet-Ontario 5O0-Superior
9OO-Huron and Michigan 1000, as near
ly as can be arrived at. The deepest
soundings are found in Lake HIron.--
OFF Saginaw Bay, we are told. leads have
sunk. l.SOO feet or 200 feet below the
level of the Atlantic Ocean, without
reaching bottom.
Great difference is observable in the
transparency and purity of the waters OF
the several lakes. Those of Ontario,
Erie, and the Southern part of Michigan
have no peculiar excellence-while those
Of the Northern part of Lake Michigan
and of Lake Huron, surpass in clearness
and flavor any waters of which we have
ever drank, though still greater;purity
and higher relish is said, by those who
have visited that lake, TO distinguish the
waters of Superior.
So completely transparent are the wa
ters of Huron, that the rays of the sur
are said to pass through them as through
the cloudless atmosphere. without meet
ing with solid matters in suspension to
elicit their heat Thus DR.. Drake &C.
counts for the fact, which he ascertained
by experiment, that the water on the
surface and that two hundred feet below
the same spot, had precisely the same
temperament, 6fty-six degrees.
Through the Welland Canal the navi-
CATION is uninterrupted for the distance
of S44 miles from east to west-the dis
tance north and south is, of course, vari
Gus, ranging from 347 miles as the ex'
treme distance. The country to which
these waters are the great highway ol
transport, has often been the theme Of
high wrought eulogium, for the variety
and richness OF its sell, and the extent OF
its resources. AS well as the justness
of these praises, as the extent To which
this fertility is being subjected to the
hand of culture and the rapidity with
which these resources are being develop
ed, under the life-bringing touch of the
enterprise which peculiarly character
ICES its inhabitants. is gathered from {
bare glance at the fact that the commerc,
of the four lakes, including all capital a
float, during the year 1S43, was estima
ed by the Typographical Bureau at sos,
100000.
The total amount expended by til,
general government on these lakes TO
the improvements necessary to protec
and conveniencethis commerce, is state'
by Mr.. Whittlesey of Ohio. at S2,1OO
900.
When the project Of ship canal aroun
the Falls of Ste. Marie, shall be- compile
ted the wide expanse of Lake Superio
will be added to the present extent {
the lake navigatiou-allowing the adver
turous commercialists to crowd some II
miles farther North and several hundred
farther West. The length of the rout
proposed to be cut by the canal is sal
! to be but three: fourthS of a mile, and Ii
whole expense Of the improvement
estimated. if we rightly remember, at
bout S230,000. By this comparative
small outlay, less than the cost of ,hrt
months congressional black. guard, a
/ = Na-. m - ~.