Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1859-01-07

THE LECTURE OF Coz. CHARLES WHITTLEsEY
before the Working Mems Association last evening
was full of local interest, and should have been
heard BY every citizen of Cleveland.
The first part of his lecture embraced the subject
matter of the inroads heretofore made upon the
lake front Of our city Within the last hafcentury,
previous 10 the protection being completed, at least
two hundred feet of land had been carried away by
the gradual inroads of the lake. At this rate
would require but 500 years to bring the shore
of the lake to the center Of the public square, and
another 500 would place the mouth of the river
near the head of Ontario street. and the lake shore
would range about as far back as Huron street
Thanks to the science and skill Of the age all fur
ther inroads from this cause have ceased the pling
and cribbing seem to present a buwark against the
element.
The blue clay which undellies the city is off sin
gular nature, imperviOus to water when dry. and
is of about 40 so feet In thickness above the lev
el of the lake When this strata of clay becom es
saturated it has the appearance ofquicksand. Thus
resting upon such an unreliable lid, the abrasion
that had so frequently taken place at the bank is
easily accounted for. Taking the natural slope of
the earth from the Court House to the edge of the
bank and continuing the same line into the lake, it
would strike the water three or four miles from
the shore; it is supposed by Biologists that the
lake has been thus gaining upon the land for many
centuries, and the same encroachments are observ-
ed on the Canadian shore. The Col. exhibited
specimens of wood found by John Wills, on the
surface ofthe blue clay, while grading the grounds
Of the Marine Hospital, also specimens of wood
found on the same strata at the foot of Wood st.
These specimens resembled common white cedar,
and had the appearance ofhaving been washed by
the water.
In 1888 the Col was employed in making gen
Cral survey of the Lakes, and he made it a special
point to take observations Of the rise and fall ofthc
water, and by many thousand registries he has
been enabled to arrive at definite conclusions in
relation to the general change observable in the
mutations of the lakes surface. The sudden and
remarkable rise and fall that has been often observ
ed-many days rise oftwo feet without, in sin
gle day, when there was no storm or other known
debating cause-these phenomenon the Col. could
not account for, but the annual changes, gradual
ly rising until the middle of summer, and then
gradually falling until the middle ofwinter, were to
be only accounted for in the fact of the immense
watershed surrounding it, supplying the reservoirs
in the colder season, when the hot summer month:
absorb by evaporation, and lessen the volume of
ter Dec being the lowest level and July the highest
He was not able to substantiate the theory that
the remarkable rise in the lake of the present yeal
was periodical return of the phenomena,-there
being no regularity in these food tides. The yeal
1919 was observable for the lowness of the water
the lowest of which there has been any record and
the highest stage was that of 1888 until the past
year of 1858 overtops all else in high water LAKE
Onta,io had its lowest stage in 1868. The many
Observations made by De Witt Clinton, between
the years 1910 and 1917, concerning the variable
hight Of our lake were for the purpose of making
practical use in the construction of the Erie Ca
nal; and his record has been of great service il
the endeavor TO continue the system adopted BY
him in obtaining a knowledge of the laws ths
govern this phenomena.
The lecture was fnll of interest, and was listeLeC
to by an audience of laboring intelligent men, tina
can well appreciate the practical science displayed
by the intelligent lecturer, and we hope to hea
Col Whittlesey in continuation on the subject o
Storms, Waterspouts and Tornadoes," of ..whicl
he spoke, but had no time to treat at large.