The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1872-07-20

From the Manufacturer and Builder.

| From the Manufacturer and Builder
A careful survey has shown that while
Lake Michigan has aVDverage depth Of
1900 feet, Lake Superior Of 900 feet, and
Lake Ontario Of 500 feet, Lake Erie has
an average depth Of 12O feet while the
upper part above Point Pelle Island has
an average depth of but thirty feet. The
middle position between Pelle Island and
Long Point is but 60 feet deep, while the
lower part below Long Point averages
only 100 feet
of all thei great lakes, Erie, owing to
its shallowness, is the most treacherous to
the navigator. A severe storm lashes its
waters into the utmost fury, and woe 10
the luckless sailors who find themselves ON
q lee shore. So great is the commerce
carried over this lake, that there is scarce
ly . storm which does not find vessels in
this unfortunate position.
The bottom Of the lake is quite level
and composed Of soft clay. This clay is
constantly accumulating, from sediment
and carried down by tributary streams
The south shore is composed Of eslsily dis
integrating, blue, gray, and olive shoals Of
gray sandstone. The western and north
ern coasts are made up Of limestone of the
Heidelberg group, which quickly yields to
the action Of the waves. Consequently
both shores constantly are contributing to
fill up the bed Of the lake, The work is
not rapid, but it is as certain as fate.
There are frequent land slides on this
shore, which are quickly taken up and de
posted in sediment beneath the blue waters
Indeed, along the shore, especially after
storm, the water can hardly be called
blue. 1t is brown as far as the eye can
reaSh, with the clay washed down from
the hills and taken up along the shore.
The time must therefore come when the
upper part Of the lade, which is scarcely
navigable now in rough weather, will
cease to be navigable except through mar
row channel, when even the middle and
lower portions will cease TO he covered
with sails, and become "A vast marsh where
the wild alder and swamp whortleberry will
grow. Even if this did not come through
the filling up process, Niagara is slowly
but surely cutting ditch that will one
day drain Lake Erie. Every observing
man who has visited the great cataract
knows that it has cut it's way up from Lake
Ontario to its present position. 1t is now
many feet further up the river than some
years ago. The soft limestone that lies
beneath the "table rock is constantly
dissolving, and this undermining the table
rock, which cracks and drops away.
When the cataract shall have worn its
way back to the head of the rapids, its pro-
gress will be much faster than it is now
1t is easy to see that it will one day reach
the deep waters of the Niagara River.
Then Lake Erie will be effectually drained,
and there will be only deep river flowing
through its central channel. Then there
will be some digging and boring to find the
treasure that has gone down in sinking
ships, and will yet go down.
But the worst thing will be the fate Of
the cities Of Buffalo, Cleveland, ETC., which
will lose their present water-fronts. Cleve-
land will be at distance from the naviga-
ble stream, while Buffalo will be at the top
of bluff 200 feet high, and the New York
and Erie Canal will have to be provided
with descending series of locks, so rs to
allow those canal boats, which have to
reach the remnant of Lake Erie, chance
to get there As the descent Of the lake
will be gradual, there will fortunately be
time to keep arrangements up, according to
the slowly changing requirements Of the
situation