The Andrew County Republican. [volume] (Savannah, Mo.) 1871-1876, 1872-07-26

ludcd to are the results OF considerable
investigation; and should any of our con-
temperaries he inclined to question our
theory, we venture to express our hope
that they viii be pleased TO submit that
which. ID their Judgment. is more prob .
iable or more correct
J In foemers ages the whole Of Upper
Canada and a considerable portion of
the adjoining States were under water,
and formed the bed of a vast lake or in
land sea, more than three times the
size Of Hudson Bay. The surplus waters
Of tins lake escaped to the sea pia the
st. Lawrence. In doing SO they thun-,
dered over a cataract of much greater
width and height than the modern Falls
of Niagara. Ages passed away, and at
last Upper Canada slowly arose above
the waters. The Niagara river then
came into existence, being at first a
broad, shallow channel devoid of falls
or rapids. During the early ages of
this period the waters of Ontario were
on a level with the escapement at
Queenston, being between two and three
hundred feet higher than at present.
The country between this line of cliffs
aud shore was a portion of the ancient
bed Of the lake. ..l. ,...
Other ages Tass away, during which
The Falls OF the St. Lawrence gradually
disappeared. As they diminished in
height the lake diminished in area and
depth, until its waters attained their
present level. q.
;. As these ancient falls disappeared in
times past, so will those of the Niagara
disappear in time tn come-when its
waters have eaten their way back to
Lake Erie. More than two thirds of
that lake will then became dry land,
and falls viii in all probability be form
ed in the Detroit river. In the course
Of. other ages gorge similar to that be
tween the Falls and Queenston will be
formed, in that and the St. Clair rivers.
Then Lake Huron will be contracted in
dimensions as the lakes Ontario and
Erie have been. As the Falls of St.
Lawrence disappeared those of Niagara
came into existence st Queepston.; and
/ 4s heshve4 of Untario sieereased, the
baieht ofsshe newly sforned- cataract in
creased.
The Niagara river flows over two
fat table lands. One OF these is of con-
siderable extent, embracing large por.
Gons of Ontario and adjoining States.
II terlninates suddenly in an abrupt
line of cliffs at Queenston or Lewiston,
when the second table land commences.
The latter extends sll around the
shores of Lake Ontario, its breadth
varying from few feet TO several miles.
The escapement which forms the line
of ,demarcation between these table
|}aodssa Nas, - sHfesssaid, the former
shcee sf the lalRlE The Naters-o Of On
tasio wsse then nany yards higher
ihsn they are e pscse.t and o. their
81. lawrence which were of sreater al
titude than are those Of Niagsra. The
Lochine Rapids may be the modern
REPRESENTATION Of theao defunct"
catarsc3s. Lake Erie, sitnsted in a de
preston Of the first and hfger of the
two table lands alluded To Had an eie-
yatiun of about l20 feet nm Lake On
tario. That is to ssy, the Niagara river
from it's source in Erie 70 Its termint
fioa In Ontario, had descent (plus a
lsnaa I'll It QueenstoHnl of more than
90 yards. There were then mo falls in
tie NiasaxA river, but e the level of
ne iake decreased the falls at Queens
| lfu 1nnseased in height from . few feet
10 nsefe than one hundred yards. There
are numerous indications on either
hank Of the existence of an ancient
river bed, more than 800 feet sbove the
Mater mark in the present gorge The