River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1873-05-09
Prof. TrndalI ON Niagara.

Professor Tyndall recently lectured
at Royal Institution, London; on his
American experiences. Speaking of
Niagara, he said that the general
description of the deafening roar near
the Falls was exaggerated, inasmuch
as the noise experienced at the Devils
Bridge in Switzerland, where the Reuss
made its plunge, was by far greater
This was due to the surrounding noun
tains, whereas the great American
catarac. has no such acoustic
advantage. He described his ex-
plorations beneath the so-called Horse
shoe Falls by far the most formid-
able Of the two generally comprised
under the name OF the Niagara Falls.
Wrapped in several woollen garments,
he had to cross torrents of water and
to pass over the slippery ground
whence he had q view Of the green
masses overhead, the contempt tion of
which gave him one of those agreeable
emotions which he had been told liber-
ated nerve currents and assisted in the
stimulating of the system better than
the chemical preparations used for dis
b HtlAAilA h0AAAf NAoAOtAAOAAos liz DdAAA
that, except the gorge through which
the river rushed, the country around
was a table-land as far as Queenstown
rigde on one side and Lewistown ridge
on the other side of the river. Here
the table-land suddenly descended into
the plain towards the Ontario, and be
drew attention to this fact because it
explained to him the existence and his
tory of the Niagara Falls. Many thou
sand years ago the river probably ran
along that table-land, and the falls
then were exactly at the escarpment OF
the table-land. The erosive power of
the sand and powders carried by the
river however, excavated and cut the
extreme end, and thus caused a retro
cession of the locus of the fall. The
centre of the river, having the greatest
excavating power, managed to keep
ahead of the sides-that is, in going
backwaTds-an thus the horseshoe
form was produced The extraordinary
whirlpools and upshots of masses of
water at one of the bends he ascribed
to the interference OF the central and
latltudinal currents In FIVE thousand
years people would be able to see
/ plainly If this theory were correct, and
he predicted that in time the American
Fall would be abolished, leaving a
whirlpool, and the Horseshoe Fall
would have receded still further back,
at the same time narrowing the bed OF
the river behind it. The tumbhne
over of the barriers had been and
would be FASTENED by the dispo-
sition of the strata Of the table-land,
in which limestone rested ON soft
shale The lecture was illustrated by
Photographic and other views, and by
experiments showing the erosion caused
by blast OF sand impinging on a glass
plate. Some stones resembling flint
implements were shown, the finish OF
which was due to the same influences,
and it was mentioned that the cut on
the neck of the Egyptian Sphinx was
probably owing to the action of sard.
An artificial representation of what had
/ happened in the history of the Niagara
Falls vas also exhibited. Professor
Tyndall concluded by saying that, dur.
ing his recent visit, he had received 8
hearty and most affectionate reception
from the people of the United States
and in lecturing and living among this
other English-speaking nation he haC
felt no break of continuity.