The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1875-08-12
The Changes In Niagara Falls.

A correspondent of the New York
Times writes as follows from Niagara
Falls:
The inquiring and speculative visitor at
Niagara has read many items in the pa.
pers about changes in the physical aspect
of the falls, and from the appearance of the
irregular line of the American fall and the
deep angle of the Horseshoe he is apt to
imbibe erroneous notions in regard to the
rapidity of the change. He often sup
poses that if he were to return here next
year, and annually for years following, he
would be able to mark the progress of the
cataract on it's backward journey toward
Buffalo, to the extent Of some feet. But
this is erroneous. The oldest residents Of
the vicinity can see hardly any appreciable
difference between the falls as they now
are and as they were fifty years ago. 1t is
true that the constant friction of the water
loosens and ,chafes away the limestone
rock at the edge Of the fall but the proc
ess is so slow that its effects cannot be said
to visibly alter the general appearance
At rare intervals great masses OF rock are
detached, and piles of them may be seen
below, except, of course, within the Horse.
shoe, where the water is of vast depth and
the mist is always hanging like curtain
But the general effect is always the same
1t is difficult for an old habitue of the place
to point out any particular feature in the
whole face of Niagara that is substantially
different from what it has been in the past.
Biologists tell us, taking a long series OF
years together, the rate of recession may be
about one foot per year, but, considering
the stability Of the present location for a
very long series of years past, this seems,
after all, little better than mere conject-
ure.
The earliest visit to the falls of which
we have any record was that of Father
Hennepin about 200 years ago. The good
priest was so wonder-struck with the sight
that he estimated their height at about four
times the actual truth. He left sketch of
the scene, showing their appearance at
that time, and it does not materially differ
from the views of Niagara at the present
day, excepting as to one feature, described
as follows: "This is third fall from the
Canada side toward the east, facing the
line of the main fall, and caused by a
great rock that turned the divided current
in this direction" In 1856, Swede, one
Kahn, visited the place and found that
this rock had fallen, and that this side
channel had been thereby turned back in
to the great stream. And this is really the
only marked change in the appearance of
Niagara that can be discovered from the
first day that it was known to@white men !;
and this made no difference in the position
of the cataract. The rude sketches Of the
French missionary exhibit the same Mag
ara which we see to-day, and apparently
in the same place. do not apprehend
that our elaborate engravings of the scene
will lose much of their fidelity when ex-
amined two centuries hence tits unques-
tionable that at some time, cycles ago,
the falls were seven miles north Of
their present position, and poured their
waters over the face of the mount
ain ridge at Lewiston; and the best
contemporary authorities ..agree that
cyclcs( ence they will have worn their
way to a point about four miles up the
river, where, in the course of other
indefinite cycles, their character will en-
tirely change. The wearing-away process
will then be confined entirely to the crown
of the fall so that after the lapse of suf-
ticient number of hundreds of centuries
there will be no cataract at all, but an i'm
mcnse inclined plane, down the bed of
which the water will shoot with an amaz-
ing velocity unknown to the rapids of the
present Niagara.
These are the well-founded speculations
of geology, which are supposed to be we'll
known to every hotelkeeper, hackman,
guide and trinket-seller here, and which
are regarded by them with smiling CON-
placency. They should be no less CON-
forting to the general public of tourists
and sight-seers The stability of such
grand works of nature is not the least
wonderful of their attributes Were Me-
thuselah himself alive, and permitted to
approach Niagara by way of the Prospect
Park entrance ION payment of 25 cents), it
would be great satisfaction to him to
know that he could return in 500 or 900
years and find no especial change in the
appearance of the cataract; and, in less
degree, we may enjoy the same assurance.