Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1867-05-01
THE GREAT LAKES.

Waters Of the Great Lakes. A superb
cial observer would naturally suppose
that these sources are to be sought in the
thousands Of lakes and streams which are
found IN the States OF Wisconsin and
| Minnesota-in the Wisconsin river, the
Black, chippewa, Fox and Rock rivers
The writer, however, calls attention to the
fact that all the waters Of the former
State are tributaries of the Mississippi,
and flow southwark to the Gulf of Mexi-
co, while those Of the latter State that
are not likewise discharged iato the
Father of Waters, empty into the Red
river of the North. AS corroborative of
this, he further adds, that if the borders
of our chain of great lakes be followed
around, it will be seen that the tributar-
les for supplying the immense body of
water which pours over the falls of Mia
CARA are few in number and trivial in
volume. Lake Superior, for instance,
the largest body Of fresh water in the
world, with an area of $4,000 square
miles, and mean depth of 1000 feet,
receives intosits bosom no rivers, and only
a few Insignificant streams, the largest of
which are the St. Louis and Ontonagon.
! Lake Michigan also, with an area Of a.
900 miles and mran depth of 900 feet,
receives It's sources OF supply in few
small streams flowing into it from the
State OF the same name. Yetssbake Mich
lgan furnishes large proportion Of the
|
thence down the St. Lawrence into the
ocean. Whence, then" he asks "comes
this great volume and uass of water?'-
This question he answers by showing that
the crust of the earth is penetrated in all
directions, and at all depths, by immense
bodies Of water The artesian we'll in
London furnish, at the present time, H.
600, 900 gallons of water daily. Nor does
it appear that there are any considerable
streams in the vicinity Of that city, since
the underl ylng gravel beds appear to be
saturated with water The wells of
GreneIle and Passy, in the Paris basin,
discharge from a depth Of 1900 feet be-
low the surface 6 100000 gallons per day,
thus affording strong evidence of a large
underground stream at this point And
the great wells of kissingen in Bavaria
Munde in Hanover; Louisville, KY,
and Charleston, S. c., also furnish several
millions Of gallons But in addition to
all this, it is we'll known that large rivers
on the Western Plains suddenly disap-
pear through assures ana chasms, never
again to reappear on the surface. What,
therefore, becomes Of the mass of water
which is thus turned into the interior OF
the earth, not to speak Of the mass OF
water which year. y falls upon the earth,
and IS absorbed by the soil below the beds
of rivers and streams? The crust Of the
earth abounds in water to unknown
depths, and from the nature of the ele-
ment it must create for itself ways and
sources of travel as plainly beneath as up
on the surface. of, therefore" says the
writer, ''the great lakes are not supplied
by means which are upon the surface and
and apparent to the eye, it follows, as a
natural consequence that their sources of
supply must be underneath the ground.
The water probably finds inlets at differ
eat Joints On the bottoms of the lakes,
and maintains the supply with as much
certainty and regularity as if the S reans
were running on the surface of the
| ground" The writer then proceeds to
| demonstrate the truth Of his theory by
the great mass Of water which at the pres
ent time is beingss discharged by the Chi
cage artesian wells. He says:
''These are over 100 feet deep-nearlv
penetrating the earth to line parallel
with the bottom Of Lake Michigan-are
located IN no great valley or depression,
such as the basins of Paris or London
The water has head of nearly 125 feet
above the level Of the lake; is much cold
err than the mean temperature of the wells.
being now 81 degrees Fahrenheit; these
facts tending to show that it must come
from more elevated region of country,
and also from a higher latitude. There
are two other facts corroborative OF this
point. Wen the water was first struck
the temperature vas 50 degrees Fahren-
heit; it has fallen two degrees, or to 81.
Then the first analysis OF the water ex-
hibited Y grains to the wine gallon OF
mineral matter. These facts taken in con-
nectop with the great head of ter, seem
to establish exclusively that it comes from
some remote region of the North Or North
west" III. . s
Whether these speculations are correct
or not, the subject is one Of the exceeding
interest, and will repay what further
efforts may be made to solve the problem
as5to the source whence the great lakes