The Monte Vista journal., 1911-06-24


These words we're written before
the full diversioa authorized BY the
Burton bill haa bssn effected. To
day oeaait1oAs are worse than they
were 1t The time q this report, and Il
The bold attempt 70 increase the skin.
ming Of the talls By 10 per cent. on the
American s3ds. and to double 1t on the
Canadian side. should be allowed to
slip through without check, It 10 the
opinion Of experts that . considerable
portion a The Horseshoe fall lust b.
yood Tsrrapln paint. and we'll within
the American boundary line. would bs
dried up altogether.
Reelss Barely Covered.
Even today with the possible maxi.
mum limit not yet being distracted,
kssn Observers have noticed that hun.
dreds Of feet Of rock here and there
along ths break Of Horseshoe fall are
barely oovsrsd with water. The
Bridal Ven IL considerably lessened in
volume. and those who have visited
The fall most recently have not been
able to avoid commenting on this fact
Portions OF the rapids have also bssn
affected and have lost good deal Of
their former impressiveness.
Those who have calculated that .
diversion Il Is per cent would not
materially change the form of the cat
aract to the eyes have been basing
their figures on the erroneous theory,
% II IL asserted. that the falls of Nj.
agra are Ike . canal, with an even
depth and . smooth bottom and sides.
Nothing could be further from tho
truth. The wild glory" Of the falls
results. not entirely from the er.
roneous amount Of water plunxinx
over the great natural dam. but from
the uneven character OF the bed of the
river. set with boulders. and also from
the jagged edge Of the cliff over which
the surplus from four great lakes tum-
bles . hundred and sixty feet into the
rugged cauldron below. Fortunately,
for The power companies, the amount
Of water 20 far diverted for manufac-
turing purposes has not been notice.
able. but the fact remains that every
further diversion. no matter how
slight. viii increase the risk of ruin.
ing the falls forever.
In connection with their study of
the Niagara situation. the government
engineers discovered that the water
in tho great lakes is not q constant
quantity. but that 1t apparently in
crsases and diminishes In recurrins
cycles Of high and low. Between 1854
and 1874. for example. the water OF
the great lakes was materially lower
than It 10 today. Between 1874 and
1856 It reached the highest recorded
points. From 1856 on during the mex,
decade there was \ drop. reaching its
minimum In 1895. and since then there
has been . gradual rise to q SUNNI,
point In 1903. II looks. therefore. q
II another recession Of the waters had
Just started. and - this cycle Of Low
water develops II IL well within tn,
bounds Of possibility that parts Of IN
American rapids viii lose much o.
their beauty. and that parts of tn,
Horssshos fall may - Likewise ssri
ousiy damaged. The fact that III,
large power dsvslopmsnts have takss
place during the period Of The up
ward tendency Of tie water has MAD.
The results Of the drains upon the fall,
lees disastrous. for Tie simple reason
that therS was more water passins
over the falls than he average mean
II 10 With q full realisation Of ~
situation outlined above that the
American Civic associatioa has under
taken . campaign which. II successful
should result in ths lasting prsssrva
tion Of the falls 70 Tie real owners. :
The American peoplo.