Albuquerque evening citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1905-1907, 1905-12-30
Coming End Of
Niagarh Falls
From The Country Calendar.

The generally accepted volume of the Niagara river
at the brink of the falls is $4,000 cupic feet per second.
There are at present two power companies operating on
the American side and three at work, or preparing for
work on the Canadian side. The process of using the
power of the river~produced by its sheer plunge of Iol
feet is to convey water by tunnels, canals or pipe lines
from some point above the brink to- the lower level below
the falls. 1t is obvious that if all the water were thus
conveyed around the brink by subterranean passages or
canals there would be none to make a falls; but it seems
that the American Horseshoe falls probably will disap-
pear when very much less than half the water is sub
tracted. for the brink of the hard dolomite rock over
which the river plunges is no less than ten feet higher
on the American side than on the Canadian, the great
bulk of the water passing on the British side of Goat
Island. DR.. Clark estimates that when 10000 cubic
feet Of water per second has been subtracted from the
river there will be but a thin and pitiful apron of water
remaining of the American Horseshoe falls. He pre-
diets that when $4,000 cubic feet of water are used in
the power plants one may walk dry shod along the bring
OF these falls and an arid waste OF rock bed will be left
between Goat Island and the minland. These five COM
panies now in operation are allowed by their charters to
take $4,000 cubic feet of water per second. So that
there is clearly impending a contraction of the American
falls to a pitiful remnant. But the danger does not
stop here. During the past winter and spring a sixth
power company has been making the hercest of efforts
at Albany to renew an old charter which would allow it
to take away a further quotum of Niagara falls to be
carried by canal across country to Lake Ontario. DIR.
Clark estimates that this company would use not less
than 10000 cubic feet of water per second, bringing the
total to $500 cubic feet. Over and above this, the
engineer of the commissioners of Queen Victoria Niagara
Fall Park has suggested feasible sites for four additional
Canadian companies, to consume 1896 cubic feet OF
water per second. bringing the. total to $500 cubic feet
OF water per second demanded by the work now going on
plus the contemplated operations, Finally, engineers
point out that, even if the power developed is at once
halted at the falls, there is a strong probability that
great quantities of water will be taken from the great
lakes above the river, which would have the same deadly
tendency to reduce the volume of water at Niagara
falls. With a difference in level between Lake Erie and
Lake Ontario of 37 feet, and the distace between the
two lakes only twenty-seven mnes, the engineering OPP
portunity is obvious. Then there are the additional
drafts of the Welland canal, the Erie canal and the
Chicago drainage canal.
The net result of these drains from the water of the
great lakes and from their outlet, the Niagara river, is,
in the opinion of many competent engineers, the certain
doom of the falls.