The sun., 1901-06-30
NIAGARA WILL RUN DRY
AVID rHE GREAT LAKES WILL DRAIN
INTO TEE NLSSISSIPPI.

four feet q yoer, roeon tno ueao " ooso
Island lees Man Ave miles away. there viii
be no NIAGARA Tho whole system Of the
Great Lakes u changing. Tho wates OF
lake Michigan at Chicago are slowly rising.
and Lake Erie ID growing shallow.
Eventually. unless dam b built TO pre-
vent it, a has Sssn proposed. Lsks Mohi-
ran will overflow 10 The Illinois River. - It
did centuries ago in The Ast prs-ghcial
ner,od: tho basin ol Lake Eris Win b tribu-
tsrv 70 IAks Huron. ths current VII b
reversed IN the Detroit and ths st Clair
channels. and chs whole lake systsm will
drain souxhvard into de MiasassippL
Then NAsars wfl vanish. From ma
s,ssao css.Saos &hs Salh VII dwindls to
NV threads Of wstar falling ovsr prsoi-
plcs. a. may be sssn IN the summer season
IN the uppr falls Of the oensses at Roohsstsr
Al dat tAsy vii oaTry win b tho drainage
~ <hs immediate nsdshborhood.
Th~s isn't any ooossion for alarm for
thu pressnt however. for al this will take
nlaoe IN from two to three thousand ysan
nom now. and many thinss may happen
before then. Also. a. II 70 e1trsmsly un.
,Ikslv that the elixir OF lie VII be discovered
IN tha generation, nobody now altvs nesd
worry much about II. But that b what
the great lake system Is tending to. a. 70
set forth In an interesting Guide to the
Geology and Paleontology OF Niagara
Falls and Vicinity by Prof. Amadeus W.
Grabau, 8. D., Of Rensselaer, Polytschnlo
institute srransSea Sa eH% 1Sbb NJ Clarke % the
State Paleontologst, as bulletin OF the
New York State Museum. ,
The book. which Is handsomely Illus
trated with Photographic plates, has been
prepared, so Mr. Clarke says In q priei
preface. with the especial purpose OF an noIu,
Of the Pan-American Exposition a guide
in their tours through this region, re-
nowned for its scenic features and CLASSIC
in its geology. The ground has been the
sub jecf Of multitude OF scientific ueauses'
but in no single place before has their gen,
eral purport been brought together. and
Mr., Clarke thinks that they cannot fail
10 prove serviceable TO large element
Of the public.
the tendency OF the lakes TO new drainage
bed is plainly manifested. according 10 the
authorities cited by Prof; Grabau. The
rising OF the waters Of Lake Michigan at
present is at the rate OF nine or ten inches
century. The first water TO overflow will
he that at some high stage OF the lake and
the discharge may at first be intermittent
For a mean lake stage such a discharge
will begin In about 1000 years. but after
1900 years there will be no Interruption
In about 1900 years the Illinois River
and the Niagara will carry eQua! shares OF
the surplus water OF the Great Lakes. and In
$500 years. for certain. there will be no
Niagara
That Is II man. In the shape Of the United
States Government. does not interfere.
The shoaling Of Lake Erie at Cleveland
and AZ other points on the Ohio shore has
already given cause for alarm and the
stoppage Of this natural movement in the
general drainage system Of the lakes. which
u attributed TO the gradual fitting OF the
land In the Northwest. has been seriously
considered
The plan proposed to stop the tendency
Is TO erect an immense dam In the Niagara
River above Buffalo. with the object OF
checking and eventually decreasing the
outflow. 1t is argued that this would not
greatly decrease the power OF Niagara,
now valuable. but there are authorities who
contend that this argument Is absurd and
the plan is opposed on that account
This fitting Of the territory in the north
west is curious phenomenon for which
the geologsts cannot wholly account.
II is plainly recorded in the beaches OF the
old glacial lakes, which had a uniform
elevation while forming. but now are no
longer Of uniform height above the sea
level, rising progressively toward the north
east The movement Is still going on.
Prof G.. K Gilbert has made an extended
study Of the problem and he has been led
to the assumption that the whole lake
region Is being lifted on one side. or de
pressed on the other, so that it's plane Is
bodily canted toward the south-southwest.
The rate Of change. he estimates. Is such
that the two ends Of line 100 miles long
and lying in ,south-southwest direction
are relatively displaced to the extent OF
four-tenths Of foot In century. From
this it follows that the waters OF each
lake are gradually rising on the southern
and western shores or falling on the north
ern and eastern shores. or both.
Niagara Falls came into existence when
the waters Of Lake Iroquois, which in ages
long past was the predecessor Of Lake
Ontario. fell beneath the level Of the escarp-
ment al Lewiston. At tlrst the Falls
were only a small cataract. but year by
year rs the lake subsidized the cataract
gained in height and consequently in force
of fall AZ well a. efficiency in cutting It's
channel The Niagara gorge from Lewis
ton to the present Falls Is believed TO be
wholly the product Of river erosion.
Before the advent Of the Falls the Niagara
was a placid stream from lake to lake much
IA 1t is to-day from Buffalo to the northern
end Of Grand Island. 1t cut shallow hanks
into the gacia till and their traces are
seen now in some places a mile back from
the edge Of the gorge which the Falls have
tince cut.
II has been patiently cutting that gorge
for thousands of years. how many the geolo-
gists cannot tell. but they place the total
at not less than 10000 or more than $4,000
One geologst. Prof. Hitchcock. puts the
beginning Of the great cataract at 1929
Is. C., which II 800 years before the time
Of Romullis, or about the period in which
King David reigned in Jerusalem
As long as river Is narrow and vigorously
undercuts its banks the latter will be steep
and the river channel will have the character
OF a gorge. This continues rs long as the
river Is cutting downward, that Is, til the
grade of the river bottom IL a very gentle
one. Then the spreading OF the current
undercuts the banks, and atmospheric
degradation quickly destroys the cliffs,
which the river does not keep perpendicular.
Niagara gorge changes greatly even in
q century. Below the falls the river flows
In channel In places only ten feet wide
and 100 feet below the level OF the platform.
which was its bed century ago
There Is a theory that only part, the
southern or later part OF the gorge OF tho
whirlpool rapids. was carved by the Niagara,
the volume OF which was at one time re-
,iuced by the buried ST. Davids Gorge,
since swept away In a glacial period. and
that the greater half OF the gorge was pre-
glacial. All the authorities agree. how
ever. that the broad and deep gorge from
Clifton 10 the present falls was fna n by a
cataract carrying the full supply Of water.
- LN.l L. xt.,s..