New-York daily tribune., 1858-09-02
TIE LEVEL OF THE LAKES.


To Ire E9aor If TIE " L. Tribune.
SIR: | sm grati;ied that 80 accurste All scisrshs
az obssiverss DIR. Dewey, of tee Rochester Usivsr
sy has recorded bis facts o. the ie and ~, Of water
in L,Ae OatsIio il bic letter 70 yol q .-e llts
instant.
regret, however, that such record doss 70. rspre-
sent the level Of the present. year az elnvisssd WIN
that Of seyers yesrs past al the ams dse, ;sst the
present rcre ased hi ht OF t1e water ia oys<t
depression 81 spy given time msy be un'e's.osd snd
which the government officer VINO keeps tne rssstsr,
Goes not record the table presentsd oy DE- Dewey.
| am deficient in accurately recoIdet Bteas ~ leHs
by feet and inches 10 Lake Erie and tae NiigTx
Riy.r; but Of icatcr marks l have many % witess
the facts stated in NY communication reiered cooy
Professor Dewey. lie says tbat " Lake Ont~fo a ous
inches higher han Oc,o66r leJ1 the higaest
before known in eleven years. Ihs prealnedto 70
be So but he fails TO give the bighes. ab jge TIE mn
mum elevation at the season Of high water for the
year 6ufrg any f those eleven yesrs or soy pre-
yOus ear, which is Important n ascertaln,g The
trene fluctuations OF that Lake which might shcv,he
difereIcs u i've or \ ieet, a. have stated.
In 1893 or 80, the late Alfred Barrett, OF LccSccTt,
then Resident Eogneer OF the Western Sscaon OF the
Erie Canal, instituted series OF examinations fes-
tive TO the Iise and fall Of Lake Ere which 70 bsse
certain levels connected with the euls cement 5 the
Erie Cspa then about to be commenced az tns port;
and 10 prove them Lake Erie lie procuFsc Al exam
ls.Cp 90 Lake Osisrio pear the mouth OF 40 sas-
"a he,P nj Fort Niagara TIE resul. OF ME na1riss
was thst ST the then very high stage Of tbs hke
waer.-th9 highest yet known, at taat tme srd oily
ceeded by that of tie present year. Lake Oa.sro
stood the maximum hight Of near siX feet ABOVE he
lowest depression ltoI the ssaOn OF olsn rsts.l Of
sCne years before; thus showing the Go.u sious OF
Lake Ontario 10 be greater than Lake Erie. t,c nstn
rel cor quence OF is fma,er area than the lser,
with no increased width OF outlet by Tie s.. LsSrencs.
This report If Mr.. Bsuett was msda ID tie Csasl
CommitsCnsr ard published IN their 9Th Is ISpGt OF
The ycar now file in tne Canal fiics At AlDacY.
That the present elevation Of Lake On,ayic s bot
ever inches sboye that OF lsst October esiGY &C.
oubted for by the fact that the akes az rose rspdy
uricg rte Spnrg, Summer aud Au'umn months o!eae
ear 1857, byreason of the extraordinary fall dsnov In
the Winter Of 1886 81 aid the rains OF 1857, making an
eegsgste Of 81. .oSbcbes sganst the aver see OF So
increose Of about fifty per csnt-secortiag 70 tne
ststemert Of your ccrespondert "O Owahsens, IN
TIE TRIBUNE Of the oh irst. (Dr. Dewey does hot
give the preSeut elevation CT Ontario above thA Of
JuLe July 10 1871, which, presume, will shos hS
than in OcU beT the lake was constantly the ro
throughout the sessor. Consequently tho s'si beds
Of tie lakss were ntInualy swelling up wiL1 IAs e2
trsordrsIy inpouring Of the streams o. ther bEas,
tshiI months t. I'll 10 their MAXIMUM lsVs.s. Ins,
think, explains the present elevation OF the sAss ss
plainly as tie hood in spy COMMON brock orrTsr akr
en- dInsIy rain; ant tee no reasoo Why tne tIhr
ordinary ire Or isl Of the lskes should be imputed 70
any other agency than that of An ordinary setn ~asa
! their formation and geography are properly uhdsf'
stood.
Dr. Dewey ssys: "Tbe AXES seem TO be under very
siD gulsr lave, cecovery very difficult OF reception
ara beEef by multitutss" do not ary s.nsllx
lave either natural Artificial IN their government,
ss is evident from the ~h!ch We, 10 conGop,
admit other ,bsn from q possible fluctuations the
nnerss tpriDgs, wbicn uggested mey feed the beds
Of the upper lsk s-SupsrioI h.csisaa srd II Ilron-
sId Ghich, oy the say, y OEabgsoa coutrovsrt. IhG.
tue traditional y rOdcal elevations AID deyr=ssioas,
70 which both d.. Dewey aid myseh have referred
- c0Lirss TIE .ut Jet tas minds Of t1cse gho do
TO, NV yeatls -te H. rs posfibe. Indeed referring -
bis Dnys,e letter 10 e t. which hereters, Dr. Dewey
MiIen'iely ecmits ny position, t1st the ZYptT akes
nisy oe fso ~ thLse vas. iubserranesn spntg'
caanot argue tnis subJ bJect vita Owabgeas seesase,
althoUsb lie msy BE- ctuec; ir his thaOry ta-. " The
water she'd of every ba.n must DO tue Doug isryd
tie supp Of ely spfiog which mSy feed s collections
Ct wsisr there sti may exist broad basins beyond at
g much higher elevation shose .ters lor ssa. ofs
suII ce e.CS pe, may sIk and fad 81 Oate. through
luneIss t.t2es q rcck earta in the psds of The
lower hasias 90 strangely hlsd Ike the vppe- .kee
Ire subject ID 10 broad acd pfo5smsl;s taiI VII
Lot pgrsle i.
While OF the subject, will record ~ ,hsr fse: or
.wo about the rise Of the laIes. Ig.n'J''9-r or
t1sDJ -dvs yesrs sgo after p.,hsps do5so !.-gs
ftrst!dng warehouses wsre bulk 0a Bahaio os-oor,
where or three OF th5 essisr eDss n s,5ot :9r
meDy Yeas Sihort irccny I,nce tE3m AKA F,,ef,
every of tIen had % be tastd thee or az .se,
beCauie tie va'er cs0e up ca swell so,vs tse
lrCuDd hoOrs, aud cduegsS Ine goods u them sl1
ssrsb0u-es tiFce built zSe b. sn on Ligaor eysl
even than ;beI S1ca those Escstseo f.iasl. Ssee
then. TIE water II TIE nsfb)- y TINES hss ak
q
ecsices thee i-ei.
a g-ltlenal y.sterisy tod 100 that lsg sesk 70
WAS o. tte -. L-vr'n,e, Jol. below 10 I,oa.sn1
I-l4Ids, ard Was there snow. rocks wlcl lsi, %
yesrs ttocd four ss,tcut Ct water coz eoTsrs1
en;iy ~ithtte s'sndirs food. Anoths. l,, r-..fsed
from B.cekvle, nesr 0sdersoaggn, o. toe g. Law.
reIce, Z 10 ne that oe wstT thsIe Was sSo i-ss
biSbsr thso last yssr, 1871.
The eVe O! toe w.ier IL t5s river, BE- ~ lsrS.3,d
celefcs fOmeshst GA is width sLd tle vei,e.,y ots
current. u "a riie AID dep essicD, Affected oy Lhe
s.eee u atsr n .Se lake OF which !. i ~ c.,l.
lie Ni5gaTs river just belos Lske Ere, "a .9r Az
nf-its level beiog fur inches lees than lts Gs1'naa
elOuth sgo. :,
10 Obtain az sccurs.e level Of the L.kss, ]. sSoS1
&c naked II calm sealBer, Two or tnIee days BIZ
TIE sub.eeEee Of any coEs5srsb Wind, a. ga ess.S
vino msy :epTess their level. ct ocs end sni f.s
them az the other, or t0s orpcsite, by tbrosnst.s
water back or forward. Oar slosD Aa'1'oea T.,
have sOrrs mes raised Lsks EIis a. B0lso ak -
il q Il holIs, bat hsIclT ever holding AS. eh]"
ciIsry elsy s,iOo for Twelve hcurs.
| 9 lisss % tee erfer Osahgsns de'scts 70 -
s,sie.sL. 81 tAe sySPoEstis1 esog equA! 70 ''s