New-York daily tribune., 1858-08-03
HIGH WATER IN LAKE ERIE.
To the Editor V The y. Y. Tribune
Sir: observe that correspondent Of The Pai"es-
rh. Ttlegrapl makes the following statements, which

Sin: obeerve that correspondent OF The Pdtaes-
r,He Telegraph makes the following statements, which
have been copied into The TRIPrSE:
Lake E higher By a feet ;hsn va. i.o% the s,
52 this the le ha' b,sn ms.ns cen.tu, nrssd. upon
.rn e no, ITes projected By s coast Of which
there comparatively little on the southern shore Tue writer
the Bacs Roet Dam though seasons Of course
tua In 1855 S6 Coussss passed sc aahzios the
survey the cam bad sndtucy to raise Ii. waters Of L.ie Ere
The nsu,er PROCEEDED TO Bun,O for the purpose Of m.ns the
orey had been appropriated to him for HE services
d con y ss II nt ' Soany S s .ss %
subject to and 70 lake such sep: 4. wal secure
TIE AXE snd II the dam toun to be the cause OF
pimann high waer then TO ahe some means TO have the OBJ
stmc,ion removed
That this writer must be grossly ignorant Of
whs. he has said is evident from the single fact, If
uothir ore that L.ke Erie is not than two feet
higher than it has been st different times since the
first settleme ofthe country, instead Of sx feet
when it is the fact that the Niagara River, which is
tie outlet of Lske Erie, and for some miles below
"the Black Rcck Dam, is upgNd of two feet higher
thar it was ever known, except, perhaps in 1888, and
is at this moment eighteen inches higher than at that
mary ssse of high water for the seastn Lake
Ontario is alec resy quite ak feet higher than its
usual or mean annual level, owitg partially to i;s
~
eeves as well as thcse Of numerous rivers of It's own
BASIN ard Which, Of course, pIe up temporarily To
higher level until lie increased outflow can carry OIL
the surplus. "Ihe Black Rock Dan, too, has about
as much il ueIce in backing the waters OF Lake Erie
az a bowlder of half tun would have II lodged IN
the rapid bed of q common mill stream or trout brook
some two TO three hundred feet Only OF the sha
lower part of the lake outlet being cut oil for cana
and bai Dor purposes out of breadth of some four
thoussI feet of much deeper and swifter water con
stitutirg the main bed OF the river.
AZ to the fact that Congress authorized the Pres-
dent 10 appoint a competent engineer TO ascertain by
sctua survey if the dam had tendency to raise the
waters OF Lake Ene We exceedingly douot II, for the
simple reason that TO such authority wss necssaryi
ard if the necessi'y produced by the high ws.er ex
s.ed Of appointing en- engLeer 70 ASCERTAIN us cAuse
that authority existed with the Typographical DepSt
neLt, havirg charge for msLy ysaIsof the surveys
ard public soiks OF the lake., IN which competent
and accom she'd ,ilcers OF the epgnser corps have
been employed.
As after Of information however, we remark
d at the late Capt Williams, VINO fifteen years sgo
hsd charge cf tie United States Government works
on Like E,ie, made rate examination, pro
ioIged We believe through two CT three successive
seseoIs az TO the fact whether the Black Rock Pier
did anenily raise the leve OF Lake EIle and to
gbst extent and he came TO the conclusion based on
accurate measurement and ejaculation. that the pier
had such eject TO the extent OF about three inches
nuo no more; While apy one Will readily understand
that when a part Of sny outlet OF body OF water
shall be obsructed, the remaining part, by small in
creased he sd, and Of consequence more rapid low,
will psss Fl the whole volume az readily as 6eiJre.
Touching this matter little further, trust that at
the proposed public meeting OF the ONO lake suffer
ere they will take in hand the arrangement OF the
whole meteorological affairs Of the lake country, up to
the respective heads Of Superior and Michigan, ana
see at the exraOfC mary raIs and snOwe, as we'll as
tse diouti ind evaporation, are kept in ue suboc
,iop as W. Il az the Is ack Rock DsD, over which
we ad sut posed the State Of New York to have some
lit iurisGiotonit happening that this structure
A.. ~ Fla with ats al ~
aid without it cur Ohio friends would be somewhat at
fault in bostpg their produce TO markets power, we
thirk. which will be exercised by the Aforesaid
"publc meeting" over both these difficulties at
about the sane point of time
Seriously We ale surprised that newspaper in the
locality Il The 'ainsrtHe Telegraph should give
place to such nitga'ed tTaddle a. the above, with
IN sight Of Lake EIe, and the rtcolec.0n-f II nave
suy recollection at s-ttat within the last ten years
Lake Erie has been three feet IOper than il was in
le37 ard %, uLd that IT holds at 10 time Tor three
col Isecuve yeaIs regular annual level, and that lis
rise and falls other than the ordinary annual tdctu
stioIs Of the same seasons IN every year are cause9
solely by the quantities or less, OF the shows and
rains of the great bssn ing them, and whoee
sire ans are their tIbuares-which We shall show 10
be the fact.
We have known Lake Ere and its outlet, the
Nas ara River for forty years our rst luantaIce
eoumereipg in the month Of March, 1918, TO that OF
November, ls2l, during which time We lived on rs
bafksvest CT Cleveland and again IN April lo|' 70 inc
preseft tine, with continuous residence AZ the I'M
mediate outlet, q space Of 81 years. We have not
curate measured data OF the altles ia Tue
hight Of the lake during al that time, but some
water marks which We have made, ard the recofueo
Memoranda Of others, have assisted Us 10 @nvps
very Satisfactory cluson a the Influences Oh luo
sesscns upon the water, sId inc ini"ouio'' '"NN''
sfectirg its b gter or lower eyes. u,u;.u
IL fortunately hsppeLs that Col. CheiIes nIss1.J
of Ckvelsrd, Ohio, has kept accurately c1mPnoI
tables Of the various eVes oil Lac L%, ~. 80
,Iee tie wear 1884 to the pfssent time, Including also
,be marked depessiop (ibe lowest ever known 10 tne
m.moty az mar oftte year 1872 aid the lees tnan
average nee iam srce then of lsS From ne TAD 90,
the ear Of 1919 wae 30 feet. aud that Of 1913 iD
let sss than that Of June 1893 THE months OF June
ard .JuIv bspg the maximum nights for the year,, by
20 feet the latter being slise oi oo ieet
tie deprs ssor Of August 1879. The summer Oh iol'
IVES r.nsIksbe througbou. ali the Lske Erie BORDERS,
xIsrs low aa6s existed either the immediate lake
shore or the rugEi.h bays and streams connec'eo Win
i for the wild spre ad sckIess and mort shty OF the
re. nle settl.o upon and adjacent 10 them. There
wee ttep no artificial bsrbois at the mouths ef ths
str, anywhere sie now the principal co nmercla
towIt-to keep the cbaLnes open, and most Oh tnem
were dsn utd throughout the Summer oy the snnuns
sI6s blow Ing scro.s their outbs, go as 10 Ilequeu'
irs,stcts 10 be crcssed drysbo by foot passengers
eortequsIty missmstic vspors arose and p'lsonsc
the air. Al er that year, with the returning hAee'
waters Of the lake Il seasors were uniformly nesuy
snd such d. preston that OF 1913 Is si'Se =.
cuIed. We Tecoll.ct, however, slthol2h o'i' " A'o y
ils.y has data Ct that year that lsll vas one Q
tjeb water. In 1884 the water again 1859 gradual y
uIlil .s ou!uinsiBg point 40 reached 10 ioo - oe
fore staief, VIXEN II gradually fell N loii, torlo
Jure ofths, yesr. Snce then !, hss ri-:n, is,as M
tD.ly 10 cif.ersn. yesrs beirg ~ IN May, iof. sn'
gong ccvnto 2 81 10 June, leit, hoi1lcs soou' "
ssms lev.l uItil Jots, 1851, ~h,o ;eaehe1 70;