The Billings herald. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1882-1885, 1884-09-13
LAKE MYsTnRIns.
A Subterranean River Between 0ups1loe
and Ontario.

AAAO "a SI661041
A Subterranean River Betwsen supss1os
II and Ontario.
| "If you are ever drowned In
/ Cayuga Lake you. friends need not
go through the expense or trouble
Of dragging the lake for your body
for they'd never find it."
| This was the cheerful remark
made BY a resident of Ithaca, who
has taste for geological research,
and who has INDUCED it during the
last few years in investigating tho
bottom Of Cayuga Lake.
'From all that / have been able
to discover" said he, "the bottom
of Cayuga Lake is a series of large
openings and cavities, many ofthem
resembling the craters of extinct
volcanoes. Some of these are 100
feet in diameter, and are all sur
rounded by raised rims, like the
sides of a milk pan. These craters,
as believe they are, lie at different.
depths, or, rather, are of different
heights. Their depth l have never
been able to sound, although l have
lowered many hundred feet Of
plumb line into them. They are
undoubtedly fathomless, and have
become receptacles of the bodies Of
the hundreds Of persons who are
known to have been drowned in the
lake during the last half century,
and of the undoubted thousands Of
persons killed in the fierce battles
that were frequently waged on the
shores of the lake between hostile
tribes of the original people years
before the white man appeared on
this continent.
1T was on Cayuga Lake that the
wretch Ruloff lowered the bodies Of
his wife and child, enclosed in q.
chest, after he had murdered them;
twenty years ago. The weeks that
were spent in dragging for the
chest, was time thrown away, for it
had sunk into the mouth Of one Of
these dead volcanoes. and, if it il
not sinking yet, it is no doubt float
ing about in the bottomless depths
where in ages past fire and smoke
and ashes were the dominant Gle.
ments.
"Within forty years between 200
and 300 persons have been drowned
in Cayuga Lake, to recover the re-
mains Of whom the graphing iron
and drag have been used indus
triously, but in vain. If it were
possible for one to make the rounds
of this lakes crater-like bed he
would beyond doubt encounter
hideous charnel-houses beyond
number-caverns where thousands
of grinnlng skeletons have found
their own sepulchre, subterranoan'
catacombs without end. Water
taken from a depth of 300 feet in
Cayuga Lake-which must have
been from one of these cavities-is
strongly charged with sulphureted
hydrogen. nitrogen, carbonic acid,
and the carbonates of lime, potash,
soda and magnesia.
"Cayuga Lake has also a myster-
ious tidal motion. It is irregular
III its occurrence, but very decided.
The phenomenon has been known
to appear twice a year, and then
two years or more have elapsed be-
tween its periods. The water fre-
quently recedes fifty feet. The ebb
is gradual, but the food tide comes
in with considerable force and !.
rapidity. This phenomenon is also
noticed on Seneca Lake, which is
divided from Cayuga by the high
Seneca county hills. The surface
of Seneca Lake is sixty feet above
that of Cayuga Lake, but l believe
it's bed is of the same remarkable: !:
character. Seneca Lake rises and
falls as much as three feet during
the time of its tidal commotion,
which is also irregular in it's periods.
Il believe there is a subterranean
river running from Lake Superior
through Lake Huron, under Lake
Erie, and emptying into Lake On
tario. There is no other way in
which to explain certain mysteries
connected with our great lakes.
There is a continuous fall from
Lake Superior to Ontario, and all
the outlet that the upper lakes have
that is known is the Comparatively
Insignificant Detroit river. That
stream never can care for all of that
great pressure and volume from
above, and the theory of an under-
ground river such as I mentioned
seems to be most reasonable. All
the St. Lawrence fishes are taken
in every one Of the lakes but Lake
Erie. Why? Because they follow
the course of the subterranean
stream, passing 800 feet beneath tho
bottom of Lake Erie, and enter tho
water of the upper lakes. The
great lakes above Lake Erie have
an occasional fux and reAux Of
their waters, corresponding witk
ocean tides save in regularity.
'The subterranean river, accord
ing to my theory, becomes occasion
ally obstructed by great obstacles
that are constantly moving down
from the lake bottoms. Then the,
channels or outlets are insufficient
to carry of the great volume se
water, and they are damned back,
and the lakes rise. Finally these
obstacles are swept away by the il
resistible pressure, the river f1owss