The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-09-20
ORIGIN OF NIAGARA.
A Biologists Theory as to How the Cataract
and Gorge Were Formed.

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A Biologists Theory as to How the Cataract
and Gorge Were Formed.
Buffalo Courier.
A reporter of the Courier. who was at Niagara
falls yesterday, was more than ever impressed
with the grandeur of Niagara's chasm. He saw
long black lines marking off the various forma-
tions of the mighty abutments, and could not
help wondering at the enormous length Of time
the watering forces of nature had required to
dig out that solid rock, and make the dizzy
gorge.
The desire to obtain accurate information on
the subject directed his steps to the Office of DR..
julius PoElman. in the Lewis Block. DR.. Pohl-
man IS one OF the most prominent biologists of
these parts.
With great pleasure, 1 will tell YOU anything
l know about Niagara said he. sin tracing the
origin of this river, about whose banks cling
such recollections of mystery and tragedy, we
must 60 away back into the pre-glacial times,
a river, and T~onawanda valley Contained a lake
hfty miles III length, and from ten to twenty
miles IN width, with a possible maximum
depth OF sixty feet. The northern barrier
OF the lake was of limestone formation. Being
about fifty feet lower than the southern one, the
overflow OF water was toward the Ontario val
ley. Inc outlet found its way into the present
channel OF Niagara river somewhere near the
upper rapids of the river, above the falls.
From here the waters met no obstacle, and
In their How predetermined the river gorge be-
tween the falls and the whirlpool, and continued
IN a straight course north, through the side of
the Whirlpool and thence through the valley of
81 Davlds, IN Canada, and onward through the
Ontario valley. / have made careful searches,
and lind this track of the river from the whirl-
pool through Canada. BY and by the Tona-
wanda lake began to subside, and finally was
reduced to a river, with a wide, low valley on
each side. The course of the river in making
its way out of the valley Of the ancient lake
changed. 1t flowed into the channel of the
present Niagara where the present Tonawanda
! river nnfaro pnvu IL o,,wuol ..- -.A
ern margin of Grand island, which formed a
swallow part of the northern margin of the lake,
ana had risen as a peninsula in the course of
tIme, and then flowed north into the original
channel OF the outlet, thus determining the two
branches of the present river. The branch of
the Niagara river which separates the island
from the main land is of quite modern origin, as
testified to by soundings. Well, the erosion
across the thin bed of Niagara limestone natur-
ally cut one or the other parts of the outlet
deeper than the rest, and, combining the smaller
channels, gave birth to a number of larger and
smaller islands, known at present as Goat, Bath,
Luna, the Sisters, and so forth.
The branches of the river Joined again into
one stream as they approached the heavy
Niagara limestone, at about the site of the new
suspension, or foot bridge, and rushed north for
ABOUT three quarters of a mile, where they fell
over a preclplce of about one hundred feet.
Goat island extended northerly in a triangular
prolongat1on, with its apex somewhat abreast of
the northern end of the present American fall.
Below this tall of one hundred feet that 1 have
Just spoken of the river descended in rapids over
shale until it encountered the Clinton limestone.
near the railway suspension bridge, where it
took another leap. From here a short rapid car
RED 1t to the entrance of the whirlpool, where
another TALL was caused by quartzose sandstone
of the Medina group. Thence there was a
rapid current 70 Ontario basin. The volume of
water then was exceedingly small as compared
with the estimated twenty million cubic feet of
the present. Nov, at the time of the glacial
J. period the m0VnTnnnf nf tho ioo chaaA rua1 - n
nor5neasterly direction. The channel of the
great river which l remarked about in the be-
ginning was excavated deeply, and the
valley Of the great lakes was
changed into a temperate one, the ice sheet re-
treated northward and in it's melting spread over
the land all the ground up material as well as
the rocks which had been caught up and carried
under, and the valleys of st. David's, Tonawan-
ia, and Others were more or less completely
filled up with drift. The channel of the old
Tonawanda river from the whirlpool was also
included in the filing process. After long ages
the ice disappeared and the bed it had occupied
became the seat of the chain of great lakes. At
this time Lakes Erie and Ontario formed two
large bodies of water and were at the same. level
that is, their surfaces were even with Lewis
ton heights. The waters in the lakes began to
subslde and a mud fiat appeared between them,
extending from Buffalo to Lewiston. An outlet
from Lake Erie was formed through this fiat,
and we have the present Niagara river"
Il have always been taught that Niagara falls
were originally at Lewiston, and wore their way
back" said the reporter.
THAT is the popular theory, but it is erro-
neous. In that case we must suppose that Lake
Ontario was lower primarily than Lake Erie. 1t
was not | have found traces of the beach
which its surface touched up on the mountain
side. Both lakes subsidized together, and Niagara
river wore out its present channel in flowing
from one lake to another. OF course. you under
stand it has required ages, thousands of years,
to accomplish this work"
why didn't the river follow the old channel
and empty through st David,s valleyY
Because the valley was drift-flled, and there
iston. The erosion was very rapid. 1t was the
the river at right angles at the whirlpool is
accounted for. As the excavation Of the
lower gorge was progressing the falls of
the pre-glacial river came again into action. The
two lower falls became rapids and the upper
fall began to recede in horseshoe form. The
retrocession brought tito the apex of Goat is
land opposite Prospect park, when the cataract
divided and formed the American and Horse
shoe falls. The northern margin of Goat island
was quickly undermined and destroyed by the
combined action of the waters. and was COM
PEELED to recede with the Canadian fall.p
Have the falls reiterated recently, and if so,
how far2n
1--WE have few measurements, and it is a great
pity. By comparing a survey made by Professor
Hall, in 1847, with one in 1875, we find that the
Horseshoe fall has retreated one hundred feet
in thirty four years.
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