Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-02-01
Explanation of the Lake Mystery.
THE BOTTOM HASN'T DROPPED OUT.

To the Editor Of The EVENING STAR:
JANuARY 81, 1855
Noticed In your issue OF yesterday an article from
the Philadelphia Press, being special from Cleve-
land, Ohio" and headed, "where Has the Water
Gone?-Seeious Consequences Threatened by the
Swallowing OF the Great Lakes" The special then
goes on 70 say that 'rron observations made along
the entire chain OF lakes the startling discovery has
been made that the surface or all the great inland
mas pe AND ha
10 inches lower than It Was a year ago at this
time, aud is 2 feet lower than II was lost july"
"If the water does not rise enormous appro-
pnations from Congress viii be needed at once to
commence dredging operations. The cause OF this
some immense subterranean outlet has suddenly
been afforded for the vast body OF water or
whether the tributary streams have been affected
by drouth, is matter for scientific men TO deter
The idea OF s'some Immense subterranean out-
let" to account for the alternate lowering and
%rsmsrSabis state Of aSaips and would I p2pSs
bly, remain a mystery" in6eed until possible
"blow up" came 70 dissolve It
But there Is no mystery about this long known
fact. A very full and complete article on the very
subject appeared IN the Popular Sctence Monthly
for january Of this year. written by Bella Hub
high waters OF the lakes from rar back as 1877.
Mr.. Hubbard shows conclusively that the .inter-
walls between extremes high and low water levels)
"vary from eight TO fourteen years, the general
mean being eleven years" "That rise and fall OF
the waters OF the lakes extending through several
years, and amounting 10 an extreme difference OF
yeet' is historically true, and depends upon tenn
perature and the consequent rainfall The
years Of heavy rainfall are always followed
with lag OF two years. by high-water levels And
the reverse occurs following seasons OF drought q
small rainfall Thus 1.-THE true relation (depen-
dence, OF the lake peodicties upon those OF rain.
fall is clearly shown"
The article then proceeds to show by meteoro.
logical records that the periods OF high tempera-
ture (hot years. correspond with small rainfall
periods, and vice versa, showing that Temperature
governs the condition or the Watersheds OF the
lakes. II Is then further shown by o table OF
'sun-spots running back TO 1869 that the sua-spot
and lake periods approximate In length, the mean
OF each being nearly identical The CONCLUSION OF
the whole discussion being shat the periods OF
maximum and minimum suD-spots temperature
and rainfall have an intimate relation 70 each
other, and that this relation appears in the re-
spectfve periodicites, which differ but little while
the means are nearly Identical" In other words,
our hot and cool seasons, our wet and dry seasons
and our high and low water levels, have q cycle OF
eleven or twelve years In which the Variations are
accomplished and all the result or the suns power
and condition. Prof. Tyndall was not wrong, %
far a. the material world 10 involved, when be
said that he found "all potency and power In the
sum trust my friends Randall and Holman may
be comforted by this short explanation, as they
see the groundless fears OF the special" about
enormous appropriations IRON Congress for
drsdgtng." Lw d.