Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1857-10-08
Rise and Fail of our Lakes.

In the American Association for The Ad-
vancement of Science last week, Col. Chas.
Whitt.esey, of Cleveland, read paper on
the ..Fluctuaiion of Level, N the North
American Lakes"
He said he mad been observing tie huctu-
alton of level on Lakes Erie and Huron
since 1888. He had also collected the opin-
ion of others. The results of observations
were in course of publication, he therefore,
only called attention now to one phase of
the fluctuations. He had procured daily IN
formation as to the level of the water, and
sometimes even tridaily Three different
and distinct kinds of fluctuations had been
observed-secular, annual, local or tenn
porary. The secular variations were those
which took place during the mean level OF
the Lake during series OF years. twas
due probably to the diff, renee in the mean
amount of rainfall during the Ieriod, for
The lakes might be regarded as great river,
which took years to rise and tall--just as
the Orinoco or the Mississippi took months.
The create, range of secular fluctuations
was feet 6 INCHES, taking the yearly mean
as datum of calcu, tiun. Then as TO the
amount of fluctuations from temporary
causes The greatest in Lake Erie, between
June, 1898. and June. lS49, was feet On
Lake Huron there we're indicatio us on tim
Der now growing that the variation had
been IL feet but since 1899 the difference
had been only six feet. On Superior since
lS45 it has been three feet On ontario
the greatest rarge was feet 8 inches. He
could find no indications that the popular
belief was correct that the lakes rose peri
odIcally in term OF five, seven or nine
years. On confirmation he read FROM the
registers of Detroit and Cleveland
The annual variation did no; reach its
maximum and minimum at the same time in
different lakes Superior was highest in
September and lowest in February and
March, Erie and Ontario were highest IN
June; lowest in February or March. The
lateness of the lhaw in Superior and neigh
boring streams, was perhaps the cause Of
the lateness of it's filling up. He would
next speak OF the irregular, temporary and
| fitiu pulsatious, WHICH SO frequently occur
red and which had attracted the notice even
of the earliest explorers. They had been
described as filling the imagination with
teri r, and as fraught with danger TO the
marine. He had never seen The waves more
than two feet in height, but It not danger
ous they were certainly remarkable, for
sometimes on calm day they would be
found to rise suddenly and beat regularly
against the shore. This occurred in all con-
ditions of the a,mosphere--by night as well
as by day-in calm and in stormy weather,
and lasted from four tn ten hopps At a tme.
They occurred in all ,ne great lakes ana
even in the small lakes OF New York and,
tor aught that was known they might have
occurred on the sea cDsst. They occurred
in summer, sp, ing, aulum, and possibly in
winter, although on account o! the ice they
had not been observed. There was no ap-
parent connection between the waves and
the Northern lights, although they were
probably connected with electric rather
then barometric causes. They were more
frequent in Lake Superior, perhaps on ac-