Elk City mining news. (Elk City, Idaho) 1903-1913, 1911-09-14
INFORMATION ABOUT LARGER
BODIES OF WATER In IDAHO
and WASHINGTON.
Chelan Is Deepest, 1903 Feet-Coeur
d'Alene is 200 Feet Deep-Examina-
lions Made by Profs Kemmerer and
Interesting Data Given
About Water, Fish and Plant Life.


John Freeman Bovard, professor in
zoology at the University of Oregon,
who recently completed a series of in
vestigations on lakes in eastern Wash
ington and northern Idaho for the
United States bureau of fisheries, were
entertained at luncheon by the Spo
kane Chamber of Commerce recently, |
when they gave condensed reports of
their work.
DIR. Kemmerer said, in part:
"The depth of the lakes is one of
the first things we have to determine.
Although one of the simplest tests, it
often proves highly interesting. The
people living around lake usually have
vague idea of its depth. In many
cases they are reported 1000 or more
feet in depth and even bottomless.
Occur 'Alene was reported to be 14OO
feet. Hayden lake was thought to be
more than 1000 feet. Even the national
forestry men at Priest lake expected to
find 1900 feet of water where they were
LAYING a telephone cable in one of the
narrowest parts of the lake. Pend
Oreille and Chelan lakes were reported
as bottomless. On the former the
Northern Pacific railroad company
men were reported to have failed to
find bottom off Granite point with $500
feet of wire. The deepest water we
have found in the lakes of the district
is about as follows:
Depths of Different Lakes.
UChelan. 1908: Pend Oreille, 1890;
Priest, $50; Sullivan, 315; Occur
d'Alene, 200; Hayden, 1876; Clear, 10;
Loon, 1O5; Deer 80; Spirit, 80; Silver,
GO; Twin, &c; Williams, so; Newman,
80; Calvert, 80, and Liberty, &c.
'sThe bottom of most lakes, contrary
to the general opinion, is fiat. Small
deep holes are seldom present. In Hay
den lake there is a square mile which
does not vary a foot in depth.
Seasonal Changes Interesting.
"The seasonal changes in lake are
interesting. When lake is frozen
over the water is quite constant from
top to bottom, both as to temperature,
oxygen and carbon dioxide contents.
When the ice goes out in the spring a
change starts The water at the sur
face warns up from 32 degrees Fahren'
heit to 1872 degrees, where 1t reaches
its greatest density, when 1t settles to
the bottom, and the lake is said to turn
over. AS the season proceeds the sur
face is stirred by the waves and warns
UP for a depth of from rs to 40 feet
Below this the water usually stays quite
cold. The line between this warm anC
cold water is called the thermocllne
This continues as the season advances
until the surface has temperature o.
from 60 to 20 degrees, while the bottom
stays near 1872 degrees
"Hayden lake, on August 70, wa
found to have a surface temperature o
67.9 degrees, the temperature at .
feet was 55.4 degrees, at 50 feet, 5O'
degree. at the bottom 40.3 degrees. BE
fore the lake freezes it turns over again
the surface, cooling, reaches tempera
ture of 1872 degrees, when it settles I
the bottom, while the warmer waite
rises until the entire body turns owe
and the water becomes constant frol
top to bottom.'
Plankton of the Lakes.
Discussing the biological lnvestig'
t;ons. Prof. Bovard said that the chic
study is the Plankton of the lakes, ad(
inc that for his work the microscopy
animals and plants alone are neede'
edding:
"The purpose of this study is tw
fold. First, it indicates the amount
oxvoen and carbon dioxide in the waite
and thus is a check on the chemlc
ANALYSIS. The small animals demar
oxvgen to breath the same as hlgh'
animals. so where there is no oxygen
the water we find the Plankton vel
scarce, and again where there is anu
dance of oxygen we expect to ma apu
dance of Plankton.
Plant Life.
-rThe study of the plant life in
lake explains the absence and presen
of oxygen. During the summer, wn
the plant life is growing rapidly In t.
lake water we find a small amount
carbon dioxide and much oxygen. Som
times the water is supersaturated WI
oxygen. Then, toward the close OF t
summer, this abundance of plant II
dies and falls to the bottom of the lai
where it decays and forms carbon dc
ide. Thus, late in the season, we n
4be water at the bottom of lake m
have but a small fraction of per &c
of oxygen, where early in the season