The Indiana State sentinel., 1879-05-21

Gradual but Notable Changes In the
Subsidence OF Their Waters.
The Reasons to be Found n the Whole
sale Destructioa of the Fofests.
Something About the Sink-Holes in the
Southern Part of Indiana.
[Rover, In Cincinnati Gazette.l

[Fover, In Cincinnati Gazette.l
| A late copy of the Indianapolis News
credits General Macauiey with discovering.
duringa recent visit to Laporte, that the
waters of the lakes in that vicinity are rap
idly subsiding. At one place, he says, the
road led him across q beautiful meadow
where, six years ago, pleasure boats sailed
and fish were captured in large quantities.
The company supplying the city with water
had been compelled to seek a new supply,
and old boat-houses and landings had been
left high and dry. The reason given the
general for this "freak OF nature" seem to
have varied with the intelligence of the
persons presenting them. Some assigned
the cause to the free use of the water by the
city; others thought it due to the large
amount of ice harvested each winter; few
attributed it to evaporation, while others
still land by far the largest number proba-
bly, assigned it to increased drainage.
NOTICEABLE CHANGES.
The subsidence of these waters, though an
admitted fact, is no new discovery. Lakes,
as well as rivers, throughout the Northern
part of the State, and throughout the entire
State for that matter, are constantly chang
ing, and it is not too much to predict that
within another half century many of them,
especially the former, will have been turned
into waving fields of wheat and corn. Fifty
years ago the Indian padded his canoe from
the headwaters of the Maumee to the head
waters of the Wabash. Now these rivers are
so miles apart Travelling from Randolph
/ RI Enrf In Ion
Oliver II. Smith noted that "the streams
were high and the paths for miles at time
we're under water" In making this journey
now one scarcely needs tight boots to keep
his feet dry. large lake at the intersec-
| tion of Huntington and Allen counties was
formerly navigable for the largest peroques,
and afforded abundant fish for the Indians
upon its banks. Mr.. Smith found 1t in the
course OF his journey, referred to above.
An Indian guide had piloted him across the
So for the service, Mr.. Smith says. Il
mounted my pony, and striking the path,
went off at half speed. 1t was after twl-
light when came to large lake directly in
my way. Fearing to go on, rode out into
the woods and encamped for the night. The
last thing l heard as / fell asleep was an old
wolf barking within 20 feet of me-" The
site of this lake is now partially under cul-
tiyation, and dry roads cross and rccross it.
Two OF three bitches would convert it all
|
adjoining county across the Ohio line, has
entirely disappeared, although 40 years ago
it was deep enough and sufficiently large to
bear up good sized vessel. Beaver lake. in
the northwestern part of Newton county,
Ind, until recently was three times its pres
ent size, covering the prairies where now
are rich meadows and fertile fields. So the
rivers which find their source in Elkhart
Kosciusko, and adjoining countless have
been gradually shrinking until, during eight
months in the year, they are hardly worthy
the name.
AREAsoN FOR THESE CHANGES.
The reason for these changes are obvious
The surface of forest in its natural con.
dltion," says DIR. Marsh in his ''Man and
Nature, i" Can never pour forth such deluget
of water as flow from cultivated soil. Hu
mus or vegetable mold, is capable OF absorb
ing almost its own weight of water. The
soil of forest of deciduous foliage Is com
posed of Humus to the depth Of several
inches, sometimes even Of feet, and this
strata N is able to imbibe:all the water which
at any time covers it. The lighter plowed
soils readily imbibe q great deal OF water
yet the graes lands and all the heavy and
tenacious earths absorb it in much smaller
quantities and less rapidly than the vegeta
bic mold of the forest" If this is true, il
follows that as the country becomes cleared
and drained, which. until recently, was Gov
cred with forests the rainfall and snow are
/
channels in the outlet of lakes are cut, and
the surface of their waters is correspondingly
lowered.
Lavergne, the French writer calls atten.
ton to the fact that numerous lakes, (which
nature had constructed on the fianks of oul
Alps" have entirely disappeared since the
forests surrounding them have been des
troyed; and an American writer. speaking
of the lakes of Northern New York and
Maine, adds: when the mountain slopes
- A-s. -k-v1 -. ~
of their woods, the augmented swelling Of
the lakes will deepen their outlets and the
valleys will present SUGGESTIONS of fats with
rivers running through them, instead oi
chains of lakes connected by natural canals. "
DISAPPEARANCE OF INDIANA FORESTS.
During the past 80 years the forests of oul
Northern counties have been rapidly dis
appearing. They were settled late, but by
an active, progressive people who have moi
been content to till a few acres. EARLY and
, late in summer and winter the ring of the
} axe has been heard in the woods, and every
!. year the increasing yield of wheat and corr
has proclaimed the disappearance of 'prIm
I tive forests" Asa natural consequence
9 we must expect surprising and frequen
3 changes. DR.. Bushnell, in sermon on thu
power of an endless life, says that mot all
Z the winds, and storms, and earthquakes
! and seas, and seasons OF the world hav'
done so much to revolutionize the earth a
q man has done since the day he came fortf
J. upon it, and received domino over it.
And to this may be coupled the statemen
of George P. Marsh, that "the telling of th'
woods has been attended with momentu
: consequences to the drainage of the soil, t.
a the external confguration of its surface
!. and probably also to local climate; and tn
t importance of human life as Transforming
+ power is, perhapg more clearly demon
t strable in the influence man has thus ex
!, erted upon superficial geography than il
s any other result of bis material effort
|. When the forest is gone. the great reservoir
b of moisture stored up in its vegetable mol'
d is evapcrated, and returns only in deluge
{ of rain to wash away the parched dust int
q which that world has been converted. .
L 1t appears that the overflow Of river bank
Q was much less frequent and destructive thai