The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-03-15
FACTS ABOUT LAKE SUPERIOR
Peculiarities OF Largest Body Of Good
Drinking Water In the World.

Peculiarities OF Largest Body Of Good
Drinking Water In the World.
Lake Superior Ia. to begin with, the
largest body of fresh water In the world.
It Is water Of wonderful purity. which IL
holds too; and some time and In the not
very distant future. keither, the people
who live in the large cities to the west
and south will ecome co this lake TO get
the water tor their homes. IL will not be
90 remarkable an Ell sineerlng feat TO pipe
the water of this lake, pure and spark
ling and fresh Ifrom It's cold depths to
these cities which are now struggling
with the question of their water supply
and meeting all sorts OF difficulties In
their efforts TO get water fit to drink.
All down shrough this thousand feet
Of tlue there Is u peculiar coldnsss. At
the very most the Temperature varies
through winter snt summer not hore
than 9 degrees. Winter ana summer this
great lake never changes tu any appreci-
able extent SO that II you dip your nnger
tips In the blue surfaos on q day In
July, or II you test IL some day In the
early winter when you have besn out on
some belatei, ice mailed fishing smack.
OF when you have gone out 20 watch the
fishermen spearing their supplies through
the thick ioe In mid January, you will
lind but triting difference In tho tempera
ture. Away down at the bottom, too.
there IL but little variation In the temp.
ersture for it stands at Learly 40 degrees
Fahrenpeit at tho bottom, and varied
from 40 to 90 degrees, winter and summer.
at the surfsce. The other lakes, though
cold. are not In this respect like Superior.
The whole bottom OF the lake IL be-
lieved TO he strong rock tasin, though
IL would seem that there must be great
springs at the bottom to help keep mp the
enorn Gus volume OF water. From the
north there is q large amount OF water
pouring into the lake year In ana year
out, the swift-Iushins narrow-bsn ked
NipiRon and other streams furnish ing
TO small part of the supply. These
streams in large measure make up for
the loss from the surface. One of the
old lake Captains n bronzei, kindly faced
man. who mad been for 30 ysars on tho
lakes and had faced doath many time
In the frIGhtfal storms which somtimes
sweep across these beautiful toiies of
water, tod me, ~ We were PASSING along
one cay near the north coast of Superior.
with the hesdlau auds and inlets and glossy
green bluffs of that most picture sque
shore In full view, that tie theory that
tie lake was slowly going down In size
was trte. lie mair tained that ne could
| tell from certain landmarks along the
shores. with which Le is AS familiar as
he would le with the streets Of bis old
scottish birthplace. that the lake was
lo~ly-ver- slowly = but sureiy rec, ding
| However it will te some centuries Get
before there will he any appreciate les
seniny OF tae great iaseS 50 that we
| meet not be- con erned.
| straDge as 10 may seefn, the lake has
| tioes, two ~ell.Cedued tides, discovered
in 1850. ~ II what h rAllet self reg istcr.
| ing tide, wits regular fiux and ieiiux
wave cuuseJ, 40 the scientific mel say.
by the sun end moon Tie hvuafe rise
| nd fail every % tours IL i4.iO1 of n
| fcot the maximum tide ~ rev anu full
1 moon is 1 2S-iV0 OF q foot. ST. Nicholas.