The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-09-28
ARE NIAGARA's FALLS DOOMED.
Professor Spencer Allows the Falls
5000 More Years to Exist.

5000 More Years to Exist.
If His Views be Correct the Great Lakes
Will Then Drain into the Mississippi
Biologists Interested.
For the last fifteen years biologists
have given attention to certain problems
connected with the drainage of the chain
of great American lakes, and incident
ally with the probable age of the gorge
of Niagara. A week was devoted to
them at the Buffalo meeting o. the
A meriean Association fer the Advance
ment of Science, including an explora-
ton of Niagara river by a party of thirty
biologists. The conclusion then arrived
at was that while the lower lakes may
have always been drained through the
valley of the St. Lawrence, the upper
lakes had probably found an outlet
at one time by way of the Mississippi
valley, and that the whole chain might
do so again, should there ever he a bar
rier, natuarl or artificial, across the in
let of the Niagara near Buffalo. it was
thought that dam 2 feet high might
bring about this result and cause a
grander river than any now on the con-
tinent to flow out from Lake Michigan
near the city of Chicago.
As To the age of the Niagara gorge, the
conclusion was that Y, 500 years met all
requirements; while few deemed $500
sufficient. As the age of Niagara has
been regarded as a kind of geological
yard stick for measuring off the age of
the human race, Importance was at
tached to the conclusions. Biologists,
however, have since then been making
further study of the problems indicated
And while some Of them adhere to the
ground just stated, others materially
modify their opinions. This fact gave
special interest 60 three papers read at
the recent Tneeting of the A. A.A.S.
In one paper Prof. j. W.Spencer stated
the case and reported progress. The
story of these remarkable lakes tells OF
former high continental elevation. The
present bottom of Ontario is 49i feet
below sea level; of Huron, l6S feet; of
Michigan, 282 feet, and of Superior, AGO
feet. II these were once erosion valleys.
they must have been at an altitude such
as to allow their drainage to flow down
to the sea. In keeping with this theory
we ind that the lower st. Lawrence river
is submerged channel, increasing from
depth of 1000 feet to 1850 feet. land
with deep tributary canyons. The sub
merged esearpment of the existing lake
basins were described, proving buried
valleys that connected them. The gla-
citation of the region was not in the line
of these escarpments, nor do their verti-
cal walls show signs of having been
shaped by glacial action. Between the
Georgian Bay and Lake Ontario lies a
deeply buried VALLEY, as found by series
of borings, through which the ancient
Laurentian river must have flowed.
There was a southern branch crossing
the Michigan peninsula and the Huron
basin, to which the name HurOnin river
is given. Through the Erie basin flowed
now submerged river, named the Erigian,
which crossed the great canyon at the
not then being in existence. 1 hese an
Gent valleys were broader than the
modern streams, which have made for
themselves new channels, instead of re-
opening the old ones filed with drift.
In certain in, tances, indeed, the river
drainage has been actually reversed. This
was shown by the studies of DR.. New
berry, I. Sterry Hunt and Mr.. J. F. CARL.
The theory is confirmed by recent in
vestigations. The Susquehanna and it's
tributaries flowed into Lake Ontario,
while the Ohio river, above Pittsburg,
flowed into the Erie basin. All this sys-
TEN of ancient drainage was constructed
by drift, and also by the warping of the
earth's surface. rs shown by deserted
beaches, terraces and sea cliffs, some of
which have been followed for hundreds
of miles. The open water within these
contracting beaches has been named by
Prof. Spencer Warren Water,n which
may be regarded as the mother of all
the lakes, and which at one time must
have covered 200 900 square miles. When
the level Tell $50 feet the three highest
called algonquin Water" While Lakes
Erie and Ontario were within the
"Lundy Water" A further subsistence
of 800 feet brought the waters to what
is termed the lroquois level, after which
episodes of movement and repose formed
the modern lakes.
The highest deserted strand in Chicago
is is feet above the lake level Accord
ing to the canal survey the divide is 455
feet above the lake level. Acand is only
eight feet above the lake. From, meas
urements of the sets of deserted beaches
the depth to which they are depressed
can be calculated The indications are
that the ssubsiding waters Warren,
and Huronian) were drained
through Guo OtIaWh Vdllty lOr aDOuI
"a, 900 years. This outlet was closed by
the rim being raised SO as to turn the
overflow into the Erie basin, whose out
let was also affected by the same uplift,
SO as to drain all the upper lakes into the
Mississippi valley. The su bsiding of the
waters lowered the lake level sufficient
to turn the volume through the Niagara.
But as the terrestrial upIift of the
Niagara region is about one foot and a
quarter century, the drainage of the
upper lakes will, in about 5000 years,
be diverted back again into the valley
of the Mississippi.
The Niagara river came into existence,
according to Spencer, upon the dismem-
berment of the "Lundy Water" and for
/ 900 years drained the Erie basin with
out cascade. AS the Ontario basin
slowly sunk the falls were made, until
the total descent was 42O feet, there be-
ing at one time three cascades, and after
ward one grand united fall. Finally, the
Ontario waters began to rise again and
reduced the height of the falls at first
to 365 feet, and then to 800 feet.
Mr.. Spencer computes the entire age of
Niagara river at about 1900 years. This
ia based on the art If re-