, 1866-12-23
UNDERGROUND STREAMS.
The Great Lakes OF the Northwest
Supplied from Invisible
Sources.


Editors Chicago Tribune: .....
:, II VIC taKe DOWN the map or North Amer
lea, and follow around the borders Of our
chain of Great Lakes, We will dnd that the
tributaries for supplying the mighty torrent
OF water which pours in immense volumes
orcs the Falls at Niagara,- and thence
through the st. Lawrence to the sea, Are few
In number and insignificant in effect. Lake
Superior, The largest body Of ffesh water In
the world. has an area Of 81 900 square miles
aud a mean depth Of one thousand feet.
There aIc few small streams. pcne worthy
Of the name OF riyers, which 1nd their out
let In this lake-thc st. Louis and Ontona
gon arc the larEert Of thtsc !; but there IL !.
probably not water enough discharged Into
the lake to make mp for the atmospheric ab-
sorption and evaporation. The entire State
Of Wisconsin, even from the very borders Of
Lake Superior. Is drained By Rivers,
which flon into, and arc tributa-
rics Of the Mississippi. These
are, in chief, the Wisconsin River, the Black,
Chippewa, Fox and Rock Rivers, the waters
Of which all flow southwark, to the Gulf
Of Mexico. The whole State Of Niuuesota
with its thousands of lakes and streams may
be called the mother Of the Father OF Wa
ters--for all Of her waters which do not
snther into the great Red River of the North
arc discharged into the Mississippi, and do
not contribute to Keep up the eupply Of
Lake Superior and -ou the northeEn shore
Of the Lake, In the British possessions, there
are no rivers which floH in this direction.
Here the current Is the other WAY and the
/ steamers Hud their way to Hudson's Bay
and other more norherly seas. The outlet
of Lake Superior Is the River st. Mary'sa
stream OF considerable magnitude-which
| discharges the surplus waters Of the Lake in
the direction of Lake Huron Lake Superior
/ b CT feet above the sea level.
! II we examine the Surroundings Of Lake
Michigan we shall flpd the evidences Of this
theory still more striking, This lake has
an area of 2. 400 square miles. and . mean
depth OF f000 feet. It IL above the sea lcvei
676 feet or forty-uine feet below Lake ST.
perios. It Is Also an immense body Of water,
whose sole apparent sources OF supply are
| found In . few small streams which dow Into
1t from the State Of Michigan,
The largest of these are the Grand and Man.
istee Rivers from Wisconain there Is only
one snall stream, the Milwaukee River 1t
Milwaukee. From Illinois there is only the
Chicago River, sluggish stream without a
current; and indeed there il, at only ten miles
distance rom the banks or the lake sonth
and west, The water shed called the Summit
which separates the waters which flo~ Into
the St, Lawrence from those which flow fntc
the Gulf Of Mexico, and from the southezt
alope ofth1s Summit, lowing south /. th.
Aux PLANES River, tributary OF the Illinois
50 that Lake Michigan gets no water ftou
Illinois, but triac from Wiscunsin a3d yer,
1itt'c from Michigan. Aud vet the Straits q
Mackinaw ca1ry of 1are- qu,n.ity Of wase
from this lake, and Lake Michigan fu,ulshe,
It's due proportion OF the great current VII, c.
passes over the Falls OF Siaeara, Now. HI
question artsss, whence comes thi. great vol
| time and 1uass of running water,
Gco.os'sts arc to1efably familiar With th'
subject OF Underground streams aed wate
coutse9' lhey kao" 1hAt the crust OF the
ea11n Is sa'i ot .oese streams, aud although :
Houl .ne INCL .ast eaes arc generally con
Hes1eo 'tom esgat, there must be consldcrabl
speculation eoaeeFning them, get there Ar
cases sueo IS IN Inc Aammoth Cave In Ken
hocss- tne aoe'soetE Mountains IN s~ltztE
nno' ana numerous arsestan wells scasseFe'
~ over INC world the lost rivers on on
neste1n P.1l'es' &c, from which positive
kno~'eose may DC derived couceFnsns tn
natntc ana history o. these rock~bouu'
: oTe's'
:. The aftestAn wells In London furnish NOS
about l-,uU,oo or gallons OF water dsus
+ This b the seepa2e o: the valley In wh!c
: the great city Is 1ocated. The water fror
the whole country surrounding dnds its VA