Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1858-08-04
THE RISE AND FALL OF THE LAKE
-- LEVEL.

Ao 'Oi VI tat , Va AiN'S HSS ''OF'f' VI ''''
curiosity and occupied the a.,crlian II
scientific men for many years. Auo~g
others Colonel CHARLES WmrrLEsEY, cf
this city, has devoted much time ard
study TO the eIucidaiion of the subject,
and from pamphlet by him lying belare
US, we cordense a few Of the facts he has
noted.
From constant aud simutiueaus oh ;er-
vetions by himself and others, OF theslagc
of water daily during series OF years,
Colonel WHLTTLEsEY concludes that there
are three kinds of fluctuations existing,
which are due TO distinct causes--ihe
first being general rise aud fall extend
ing through long periods of time, but
without any regularity in the period; the
second an annual rise and fall that occurs
regularly within the period of each year,
without reference to the general stage of
water; and the third being a local, fi;ful,
irregular oscillation, of a few inches to a
few feet, not TO be predicted; It's period
ofoScillation being from three TO five min
utes, and which continues from one to
twenty four hours.
The first mentioned kind ofauc.uation
is undoubtedly caused by the differences
ofihe Seasons acting through long period
over large area. In short rivers, the
effect Of heavy rains is soon pereepiible;
in long streams like the MISSISSIPPI it is
months before the inhabitants of the lower
portion of the river perceive the rise of
the wafer; in so long line of rivers and
large lakes as that from the head waters
of Lake Superior 10 the mouth Of the
ST. Lawrence, it would take years
before the effects of a wet or dry
season could be perceptible. The great
est range Of this kind of Auctuation be-
tween the most extreme high and low
stage, determined by the yearly mean, is
for Lake Erie, feet D inches, and by
the monthly mean is six feet. The ex.
treme temporary difference from the
highest known stage, June 25th, 1898.
to the lowest known stage in February,
1910 is about seyer feet
From the registers in the possession oi
Col. WHITTLEsEY, it appears that the
popular belief of a seven years rise and
fall of level is erroneous. From 1896 tC
1851 the fluctuations have been in peri
DDS ranging from three 10 nineteen years.
but never once in period of seven
years.
With reference 10 the annual fuctua-
tions, the time of high and low wafer
varies in the different lakes. In lake
Erie, June is the high water month, al
most without exception, and the months
of February and March the low ones.-
This is accounted for by the feeding riy-
ers discharging less in wiater than in
spring.
With regard 10 the third, and as
yet unaccounted for, Auctuation, Colonel
WHITTELsEY has only been enabled tc
give the result of long aud careful oh.
scrvalions.. He rejects the "Baro-
metric" theory which imFuies the
osciAatons to the changes in the atmos-
pheric pressure; and is inclined to
look for electro magnetic causes. In
the course of several years obserya-
tons no wave was seen over too feet in
hight in stormy weather and in calm
weather one 10 one and one-half feet.
Among several hundred observations
upon the time of the oscillation,
the period of a complete movement
from one rehux to another was in average
fur and one half minutes. The vertical
range of the wave in the Lake was about
four inches. 1t always comes in from
the open sea in line parallel with the
shore. The pulsatious are less regular in
Stormy and windy weather than when it
is still, but they occur in all states of the
atmosphere, and never advance other
ihan parallel to the coast line, whatever
be The direction of the wind. These
oscillations have been observed in all
ne greater and less North Ameri-
can Lakes, and it is probable that obser-
rations on the sea coast would detect
them there also. They are more fre-
quent and prominent on the waters of
Lake Superior than elseweere. Colonel
WHITrLEsEY closes his paper by saying:
If there is a barometric wave in the
atmosphere corresponding TO that in the
water, it should, as it seems TO me, be
due 10 agencies thai are seated on the
.and. In cloudy, and especially in foggy
weather., the movements are most strik-
ing. The mountain ranges that approach
the coast no doubt effect the electrical
condition of the atmosphere. They con-
dense its vapor, especially when winds
sweep over their summits The increase
or diminution of vapor changes the guam
,ity and the force of the electrical fluid.
The presence or absence of the sun, pro-
luces the same effect. We observe
every day that storms arise in t'.is way,
particularly in the afternoon of hot days;
the atmosphere is agitated, lightning is
Produced, and rains fall. think it not