Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1897-06-12
WALLED LAkss N rHs wssr.


LA
when the Western country was Arst set
tied the newcomers. unAccuetomed. v the
glacial lakes OF the West, were nstonished 70
mud many OF them walled along parts OF the
shore and some completely about their Dor
dera. -Vhesa wallis are constructed Of the
Iboulders 10 common everywhere, laid dry
or bedded with earth, OF more on less regu-
OF the stones, except that they 1T well and
IRE 80 placed as 10 maintain their equiiib-
Iium.that ~ stand irm, says the Mnwan-
known whose shores are thus walled all
around with the mechanical perfection be.
longing 10 the cyclQpian period: The walls
are banked up with earth OH the land side.
This bank frequently has trees growing on
II. All THIS Is very Wonderful. and excited
eIers. This curiosity Is not yet dead. Only
recently it has questioned the walls along
a part Of Eikhart lake, and the subject has
got INTO local papers with a brief proper ex-
In early university days. when the boys
went In swimming, instead of bathing, In
Lake MENDOZA, there were certain large
boaldfrs fFC ~ which lasy We're wont xe 80
OF tons weight, some projected above the
water, aud some were under. The place OF
every one, was known o'the swimmers. IL
was found the next season that they had 70
se,,a loca saor, over ~ again yi n"', ws,s Gnan ms1e l po
difference; they all had To move. IL was
plain to see that the ice did 1t, crowding
them huuItWNfu whenever II coulu fthcl
them. But rs the bank there was steep, at
. the foot OF the, blum, they slid or. worked
back more or less. In places, however they
were piled on the shore, as where University
drive comes 10 the. beach.
When the Milwaukee and WATERFOWL
plank road was made II skirted Oc0nonlO-
woe lake, There was n lake wall there OF
modest pretensi0ns, aud this was made part
Of the bank holding the roadbed. The next
season 1t was found the wall had been
showed under the roadbed 30 as to lift the
vlnnE uWlN from the lake. To a boy OF an
inquiring turn OF mind the whole operation
was plain. The expansion of the ice had
done Il. The bank there was sloping. quite
SO; II was easy for this great force to slide
the wall along. At Madison. however much
II might slide the bOulders against the
blum, they fell back into the water.
Now suppose the slope to be Just the right
angle between these two, so that the force
would lift the stones by sliding one under
the other. and yet not let them fall back.
you will have the conditions for n lake wall.
anced will fall one Side or the other; those
balanced will retain their places. Those
falling into the water Will have TO try
again till they are rightly placed and re-
main. Meanwhile the whole structure has
been pushed back TIL the force and resist
ance are equallzed, making the bank Of
earth behind. which In turn helps sustain
the wall: The water should shoal slowly. so
as TO bring many rocks within reach of the 7
the wall. and the operation Will cease When
all the rocks have been worked into the wall
and the Increased shoaling provides friction
enough to check the Ice. The wall then be-
comes permanent. and the forest covers the
strange work with Its glory. t3f l1N