New-York daily tribune., 1858-08-09
THE FLUCTUATIONS OF THE LAKES.

THE FLUCTUATIONS OF THE LAKES.
To tie Rdto, sv The N. y. T'ibsns
SIR: From very interesting letter from Mr.. Lewis
+. Allen on this subject from your paper Of the Sd
inst, Gu: this paragraph:
The great Of the Akes Is It brosdess
.CaI Like sRsc Its m T sed oat iIS sas hS ~ ~. % free
quent AID FULL pouring in steady currents Of wse but not
must be largely supplied b. VS.. springs bors gU from its deep
and almost bed: St Mays the outlet Of Superior
scaceiy les, IL area Superior and each osns much in
creased Of water by evaporation therefore Prob.be
ils, they both contain immense springs which supply portion
Of tlis volume"
This idea that lakes are often fed by large springs
in their bottoms prevalent one, but it seems to me
without legitimate foundation can conceive OF no
existing eource Of supply for spring, except rain va.
ter Temporarily held back in such natural reservoirs as
gravel and clay beds or pervOus rocks; and this sup
DIV of course can only be drawn from definite basin
of drainage 70 that whether it dow through springs or
open brooks and rivers, the supply OF any lake SIM
ply the rair fall Of tina. basin bounded by tue wa
teIshed wherce the streams run in different dlrec
ton. know it ia common TO hear springs spoken OF
ss If they drew their waters from some unknown
DEPTH like the fountains Of the great deep OF which
we read in the oldest accounts Of high wster extant
but cannot see tnst any hydraulic processes are IN
yolyed. tsye the evaporation Of water from sea and
land to the air. its condensation and fall in rain and
s flow by it's own gravity through open or subtsrra-
Ieoue channels to the deepest depression.
For another resscn believe that few springs exist
ur der ceep water. l have noticed spring 10 the
edge ef brock 70 changed by the RISING OF mill.
dam over lie original site to be set back and
bresk out anew at the margin OF the pond The pres
ture o the the pond couhterb anclng that OF
the water in the lower channel of the sppg, the lster
ceased 10 flow below the level Of the pond. 50 with
lake. the natural level ct which springs fed from the
surrt lands break out s s or near the water
edge it is cnly in exceptional cases that some Pecu-
liarity in their con6uts them 70 row oenea0
tie still waters and discharge themselves 10 the
Such cases may occur where the strata OF rock incline
toward the bed Of the lake, and openings IN them
exist only in lie bottom, Ike natural Arsssn wells,
ptrmtiig the waters impruoDed between the layers
only there TO escape. have therefore believed that
the accounts Of lakes fed by springs c,ncessd deep
18th their surface are generally erroneous quite s.
doubtful if no, poetic as the classic fable OF Are
buss ard that where such cases do occur tnese hid
der fountains can contribute 10 their lakes no.hng
more than share Of the rains which fall within their
ercirclirC basins.
Mr.. Alien manuscripts probably misprinted where
ne is made 10 say
The .yesse fa Of AID rain 10 the latitude ei Lsse Ee
.boat h:y hsstee eySps.sor aba. ie faHs a.
.o,cicf 10 wtll.rSed ts1ess
sr he certainly does ro. represec. he evspo-son
.orsl 70 me f.ll Of rsin SID Sow Tue proportion
hs,w,.n the ss,er which II in streams anita, II
xSish r.:rIas to he atmosphere by a.c, eSsaor%
p tror, tie es,th "a q, iI.eerins "a c3t se.ssi