The Washington herald., 1922-04-27
MAN WILL REGULATE
LEVEL OF GREAT LAKES.

| iate the leNel OF the Great Lakes a
will and SO save millions in trans
portauon charges is the prophecy
of Prof. John F. Hayford Of North
western University. made at IN.
meeting OF the National Academy
OF Sciences. For eleven years
working with the aid Of grants
from the Carnegie Institution OF
washington. Prof Hayford has
been studying the levels and evan
oration Of the Great Lakes.
| II the depth of water at the 81
Clair Flats in the path Of the bf.y
lake freiEhters above Detroit vere
raised only one-tenth OF a foot ~
dam at Niagara River. IL WouId
save more than half a million dol
lars to the people Of the I-nItsd
states by reducing the cost Of carl
rying freight" Prof. Hayford said
i11 giving one example. The iuTyrl
nation that Prof. Hayford ha
gained will be OF great aid ID
power development and the ST. Law i
renee River project.
Prof. Hayford has been studyins
The erect Of wind and barometric|
pressure on the levels OF water In
the Great Lakes.
The surface OF the water 81 any
ore Of the Great Lakes Is never
sIeNel except by accident" he says
IT always has a slope in some d.
rection. produced by the wind l,v
oarometric pressures. or by the
water OF the lake oscillatinc as #
II were In a great wash basin. The
correct knowledge OF these things
Is key TO various scientific prob-
: lens and ultimately will prove 10 he
worth millions. in their application
10 the people Of the United States
IL has long been known that q
wind blowing over a lake tends 60
pile up the water on tine Ice shore
and TO pull il down on the wind
ward shore. How large is this sf-
+ iect. Is the response Of tho water
10 the wind immediate? II has nor
been possible TO answer these qt,es-
IONS confidently ia the past. No.
ls known that the response is
prompt and that the effect -
/ given wind in disturbing tho vs,o-
: IeNeI at any point in the world may
be computed in. advance. n iS
known that the strongest winds thai
I blow have almost no effect IN
! changing the water level p: variors
: points, as. for example at Al
waukee on Lake Michigan and Ma
! klnaW city on Lake Huron. or tn.
] othe= hand. IL is known that a wind
3 OF nifty miles an hour from fl.
southwest piles up the water \ r.,f
at Buffalo and pulls IL down sim
{ ultaneously more than a foot AZ -.
west end Of Lake Erie. The r,sso-,
/ for this extreme contrast he.-eep
different places and for the fact tb,f
the wind effect is greatest in lon,
SHALLOW bays is now accurately
Z known.
The lake surface is also ro-.
tinually fitting up. FIRST in ono d.
rection' then in another. in reSpons.
70 varying barometric preSsurss
Inc water tends 10 go toward a
region OF low baronet-ic pressure
and pile up there.
Just as a piano string struck
once, o. the air in an organ pin-
continuously ag!tated by a reed NJ
brates with its natural period. SO
the water of each Of the Great
Lakes under the many Impulses
given IL by the winds and haron-
etric pressures oscillates back ana
forth. Sometimes the whole OF a
lake is concerned I'm an oscillation
and sometimes the lake oscillatcS in
parts. Such oscillations in lakes
are called seiches
The water OF Lake Erie fire.
Quently oscillates back and forth
lengthwise the lake with a swing o.
Ing motion like the water IN a
wash-b1sin. IT takes l3l hours fn~
complete oscillation OF this Kind
An oscillation once started sor---
times continues for several day
In contrast to this deep bass note.
So TO speak, Lake Erie has two
Tehle notes. The deep part in tr-
eastern one-third Of the lake uerfr-
lates by itself with a short period.
81 hours. Near ClevelanH IN.
water frequently osciuatoS hack
and forth crosSWise the lake he.
tween Cleveland the Canada ~
shore"
4 Pref. Hayford can now make a'.
se.vations for one day that 's'f
as much about the level OF the Lake
as sixteen days work formerly aif
The thirst Of the sky has ais
been measured by Prof. HayfnrH
He finds that on many summer dsvs
more water - evaporated from I.al r.
Michigan and Lake Huron thar
hsvs past Detroit on that day.
A substitute for the gasoline e-.-
Eine in aeronautical work has heer
developed by modifying the Liberty
engine So that IL will use fueI oil
instead OF gasoline. DR.. Ames an
nounced.
"A Liberty engine has been MOD
ihed so as to work by an injection
OF OIL. DR.. Ames said, In telling ~
the studies that are being made ~
the national advisory committee f"r
lAeronautics at its laboratories AZ
Langley Field. The piston has bcSr,
Increased in size in order 20 pro-
duce a suitable compression. Air
Is admitted, rapidly compresscd
thus raising the temperature sun -
ciently TO ignite the oil. which Is
admitted as Jet, the pressure thus
produced driving the piston back.
etc. The advantages are: Small
weight OF oil required for a given
distance, small cost. and diminution
or hre risk. The horsepower per
cylinder thus far obtained is not a.
great as that OF the ordinary In
erty; but with an engine designed
for oil injection. better results will
be obtained"
The perfection of this engine.
which is being accomplished. is ca -
pected 10 result in motor for
hghter-than-air craft that will he
safe from fire danger and economI-
cal. This new aero engine. operst-
ing on the same kind Of ruel a.
now used by Diesel engines in ships
and stationary power plants. to-
gether with non-fsmable helium a.
the lifting gas. will make dirigible
transportation practical In war ana