The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-07-07

for the present, however, for all this
Will take place in from 1900 to 5000 years
from now, and many things may happen
before then. Also, as it is extremely
unlikely that the elixir Of life will be
discovered in this generation, nobody
now alive need worry much about it.
But that is what the great lake system
is tending to, as is set forth in an in
teresting Guide to the Geology and
Paleontology of Niagara Falls and vi
entity by Prof Amadeus w. Grabau,
S. D, of Rensselaer, Polytechic institute
arranged and published in most complete
form by John NJ Clarke the state
paleontologist, as a bulletin of the New
York state museum.
The book, which is handsomely Illus
trated with Photographic plates, mas
been prepared, so Mr. Clarke says in a
brief preface, with the especial purpose
OF ahording to visitors to Buffalo during
the season Of the Pan-American expo
sit-on a guide in their tours through this
region, renowned for its scenic features
and classic in its geology. The ground
has been the subject of a multitude OF
scientific treatses, but in no single place
before has their general purport been
brought together, and Mr.. Clarke thinks
that they cannot fail to prove serviceable
to large element Of the public.
1t will be from 500 to $50 years before
the tendency of the lakes to new drain
age bed is plainly manifested, accord <
to the authorities cited by Prof. Grabau
The rising Of the waters Of Lake Michi-
gan at present Is at the rate of nine or
ten inches a century. The first water 10
overflow win be that at some high stage
Of the lake and the discharge may at frs
be intermittent. For a mean lake stage
such discharge will begin in about l.
900 years, but after 1850 years there will
be no Interruption.
in about 1900 years the Illinois river
and the Niagara VIII carry equal shar es
of The surplus water of the Great Lakes
and in $3.50 years, for certain, there Will
be no Niagara
That Is if man, in the shape Of the
United States government, does not inter
fere. The shoaling of Lake Erie at Cleve-
land and at other points on the Ohio
shore has already given cause for alarm
and the steppage of this natural move
ment in the general drainage system Of
the lakes, which is attributed to the
gradual fitting of the land in the North
west, has been seriously considered.
The Ilan proposed to stop the ten
dency is to erect an immense dam in the
Niagara river above Buffola, with the
object of checking and eventually de-
creasing the outflow. 1t is argued that
this would not gueatly decI ease the power
Of Niagara, now valuable, but there are
authorities who contend that this argu-
ment is absurd and the plan is opposed
on that account.
This fitting of the terr tory in the
Northwest is a curious phenomenon for
which the biologists cannot who ly ac-
count. 1t is plainly recorded in the
beaches of the old glacial lakes, which
had a uniform elevation while form g,
hut now are no longer Of a uniform
height above the sea level rising pro-
gressively toward the northeast. The
movement is still going on.
Prof C. X Gilbert has made an ex-
tended study of the prob EN- and he has
been led to the assumption that the whole
lake r. gion is being lifted on one side,
or depressed on the other so that it's
plane is bodily canted toward the south
southwest The rate of change he es i
mates, is such that the two ends OF a Inc
100 miles long and lying in south south
west direction are relatively displaced to
the extent of four-tenths of a FOOT in q
century. From this 1t follows that the
waters eff each lake are gradually rising
on The northern and eastern shores, or
both
Niagara Falls came into existence when
the waters of Lake IrOQuOis which in
GgeS long past was the predecessor of
Lake Ontario, fell beneath the level of
the cscarpment at Lewiston. At first the
Falls were only a small cataract but
year by year as the lake subsidized the
cataract gained in height and consequent
y i'm force of fall as well as efficiency
In Gu ne its channel. The Niagara gorge
from Lewiston to the present Falls is be-
loved to he wholly the product of river
erosion.
Before the advent of the falls the Mag
ara was a placid stream from lake to
lake much as It is today from Buffalo tc
the northern end Of Grand Island. II
crt shallow banks into the glacial till
and there traces are seen now In some
Ilaccs a mile back from the edge OF
the gorge which the falls have since cut