The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-03-13
FACTS ABoUT LAKE SUPERIOR.
PecuIinrIties or the Largest Hody or Good
Drinking Water Ia the World.

ff''' 49, '"'N
Lake Superior Is. to begin with, the largest
body of fresh water in the world. 1t is water of
wonderful purity. which ii holds. too: and some
time, and in the not very distant future, either,
the people who live in the large cities to the
west and south will come to this lake to get the
water for their homes. 1t will not be so remark
able an engineering feat TO pine the water of
this lake. pure and sparkling and fresh from its
cold depths, TO these cities which arc now strug-
Cling with the question of their water supply
and meeting all sorts OF difficulties in their
efforts to get water 1T to drink.
All down through this thousand feet of blue
there Is Il peculiar coldness. At the very most
summer not more than q. Winter and summer
this great lake never changes to any apprCcis-
BILE extent, so that II you dip your finger tips In
the blue surface on "a day IN July, or II you test
II some day in the early winter when, you have
been out on some bclated, leo mailed fishing
smack, or when yon have gone out to watch the
fishermen spearing their supplies through tho
thick leo in mid-January, you will lind hut n
trihing difference in tho temperature. Away
down ut the bottom. too. there is but little va
ration in the temperature, for IT. stands at
nearly 40 Fahrenheit at the bottom, and varies
from i0 to AZ. winter and summer. al the sur,
tacc. The other lakes, though cold, are not in
fhis respect ike Superior.
The whole bottom of the lake is believed to be
a strong rock basin. though 1t would seem that
there must he great springs at the bottom to
help keep mp the enormous volume Of water.
From tho north there - q largo amount OF
water pouring into tho lake year in and year
out, Inc Swllt'fushlnR nHrrOW-DanReu NlpiROn
and other streams furnishing no small parto of
the supply. These streams in II large measure
make up for the loss from the surface. One Of
the old lake Captains. u bronZcd, kindly faced
man, who had been for thirty'iive years on the
lakes and had faced death many a lime in the
rtT!Shtful storms which sometimes sweep across
these beautiful bodies OF water, told me. rs we
were passing along. one. day near the north
coast Of Superior, with the hcadlands and in.
lets and glossy green bluffs OF that most
picturesque shore In fun view, that the theory
that the lake was slowly, going down in size
was true. lie maintained that he could tell
from certain landmarks along the shores. with
which he is aSfnmiliara as ,hc would be with the
streets OF his old Scottish birthplace, that the
lake was slowly very slowly--but surely Feced.
ing, However, II will be some centuries yet be.
fore there will be any appreciate lessening of
the great lakgs. 30 that we need not be con-
cerned.
Strange MS II may seem. the lake has tides.
too. well-detined tides. discovered in 1850. IL 10
what is called a seltrogistcring tide, with a
regular huN and refuX wave, caused, so tho
scienkhc men say, by the sun ana, moon. Tho
average rise aud fall every twenty-four hours is
/ Ii.iOO OF y foot the max tide at new
and full moon Is :s'lO0 Of a foot