Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1858-12-03
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METEOROLOGICAL SURVEY OF THE GREH
AMERICAN LAKEs.-LIEUT. MAURY's LEcTURl
BEFORE THE LIBRARY AssocIATIoN.-The Melo
deon was last night filled with eager listeners t
Lieut. Maury's interesting and instructive remark
upon the importance of extending to the Lakes
system of Meteo illogical Surveys, similar 10 thos
carried out upon the oceans. The importance Q
the subject demands more than a passing notice
and We subioin a review of the lecture from tn
Chicago Tribune, upon the occasion of its beinl
in that city before the Mechanics Institute
as giving clearer idea of the main points than w
could give in the limited time at our command sub
sequent to the Lecture.
The lecturer commenced by referring TO the mag
nitule of the chain Of lakes containing as they dit
ole third ol the fresh water the surface of thu
globe.
The entire surface of the earth was divided as fol
lows;
SQUARE MILES
Land AMI Water. l97, 100000
Sea las 100000
Land and Fresh Water ....... 52,OOO,OOC
MAGNITUDE OF THE LAKES.
The great chain of Lakes have been estimated tC
contain eleven thousand cubic miles of fresh water
To give an idea Of the amount Of this vast body o
water after EXPLAINING the mode of The careful meas
lIements OF the Mississippi river at Memphis, the
lecturer said that the lakes contained more water
hanthe Mississippi discharges into the Gulf of Mex
cn in one hundred years. In other words, were al
waste from the lakes by evaf oration and other
causes 90 be cut off and sluice be opened the size
1f the Mississippi channel, it would iow for cen.
.ury, in draining these vast inland seas.
The lakes themselves contain a surface Of 9 O0C
square miles, and they drain territory or theiI
Of 1000 square miles.
THEIR INFLUENCE ON CLIMATE.
From the above figures it may well be imagined
that this vast extent of fresh water maintains and
subserves most important influences and purposes
rs pertaining to the climate temperature, and hy-
giene of their vast surrounding or tributary region
There is 4 difference not universally well under
stood between the effects climate incident to their
being salt or fresh. Were the lakes salt water
like the Caspian they would give to their region
warmer temperature. The winters, the latitude re-
naming the same, would be mider, the summers
more sultfy. This arises simply from the effects of
Fresh water, according to the obser-
vatiOns of Prof Chapman at Montreal, eyaporates
faster than salt, carrying of more heat.
EVAPORATION AND ITS EFFECTS
The amount of the vapOTaton of the lakes was
illustrated as follows The Cataract of Niagara
represents the excess of the accretons by rains to
the lakes and therein water shed over the effect OF
evaporation. Bnt the observations on the Missis-
sippi indicated that but one-siCth or one seventh
Of the water that fell upon the water shed of that
river were discharged by it, leaving the remaining
larger share to be accounted for by evaporation
Thus in the lakes the evaporation may be repre-
sented as five or six times the amount Ofthe water
1T Niagara, and TO produce this evaporation re-
4uires the same amount of heat that would suffice
to RAISE the Niagara to boiling point, if such a
thing may be imagined, and imagining this we
may conceive of what is actually going on The
loss of this amount of heat, parted with by the
akes leaves them and their region colder in the
summer and winter.
WATER SALT AND FRESH
In salt lakes, the water enters the winter warm
er than does fresh water from this loss of heat TO
the latter. And in winter there is further differ
ence. When fresh water is exposed TO q change
of temperature it grows denSer until it reaches 30
rising TO the surface. These lakes in winter have
their coolest water at the surface. With salt wa
cr the reverseis true and the water continuing to
grow denser with lower temperature sinks and
caves the surface water the warmest.
Were the lakes salt water, navigation would con-
inue the entire year round.
IMPORTANCE OF LAKE COMMERCE.
These preliminaries passed, the speaker connect
ID them with the interests of the lake regions, Of
which he proceeded to speak. Quoting freely and
with honorable mention Of their author, the full
and clear reports of Col. Graham of this city, he
reviewed fully the perils TO which lake fleets are
exposed.
According to Col Graham's Report for 1855 to
he Department at Washington, the value Of the
shipping and commerce interested in the cOnstruc-
ion of a single breakwater at Michigan City, was
S2lS, 100000.
According to observations taken, the value OF
Ihipping and commerce passing the fats of the St
Jlair on an average of 230 days for the busy sea
ION, reached the daily average of 81, 1892 The
sntire value of the Lake commerce was S200,000,.
300 TO each Lake, varying, more to Lakes Huron
md Michigan, less to Lake Superior, and as Lake
Erie is an outlet to Others the amount on that lake
Sas S300,000,00O.
And it is not the shipper, the vessel owner and
he mariner who are alone interested, but it is The
producer, the farmers of Illinois, Missouri, Iowa
md their sister States, and the consumers of the
Ea stern States
The effect Of the commerce of the lakes, and
heir improvement even thus far, has turned the
Mississippi upside down. 1t has actually placed
1ne oil its mouths at Sandy Hook. So that the
people of The Mississippi Valley have no slight in
crest in lake improvements.
Study the rat 5 of Lake Insurance; their figures
should have spoken in tones that should command
attention. The losses have been in millions of
money. The shrieks of victims by disasters should
have been heard, and iproiuced the required sys-
em of improvements to Lake Navigation long
since.
The nation is enlightened. Our rulers never OBJ
ect to appropriations for scientific subjects on sci
entiic grounds only.
OCEAN NAVIGATION.
The speaker referred at length and in a most in
IerestiDg manner TO the great Improvements insti-
uted in ocean navigation as the fruits of careful
scientific and meteorological observations. Voy-
ages had been shortened, tracks marked out,