The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1935-09-26
Mghlights of AnAuto Tour
Continued from page u

river between Lake Erie and Lake On
tario is 36 miles and in that distance
the river drops 326 feet.
Biologists tellus that the falls were
originally at Lake Ontario, but in the
past ages the mighty river has gradual
" cut its way back toward Lake Erie
and in doing so has cut out a gorge
about 100 feet deep and some 5000 to
1000 years old. although the authority
giving this data said one guess IS as
good as another. Since 1912 a scientific
attempt has been made to study the
rate of erosion at the falls. 1t has been
determined that on the American side
the erosion is from seven to eight inch
es a year; on the Canadian side,
it is &c inches annually The gorge IS
seven miles in length and it is said 1t
will require only a few thousand or a
few million years for the river to cut
its way back to Lake Erie and drain
that lake.
Private interests have developed
powerful hydroelectric plants on both
sides of the river, with a capacity OF
SOC, 900 horsepower, and an annual
gross income of $4,000, 900. 1t is said
the amount of water now withdrawn
for power purposes lowers the river
two-fiths al an inch. A strong attempt
is being made to make impossible any
further withdrawal Of water.
One should not leave Niagara without
mention of the Maid Of the Mist a
small excursion steamer that takes
tourists right up to the foot Of the falls.
As you all know. the falls are sur
rounded by large, modern cities on
both sides. of the river They are a
necessary evil but they detract from
the beauty of the scene. So Sublime
a spectacle as the roaring, raging
Niagara should be left in all its wild
beauty. but5it is not Instead, on the
banks Of this marvellous stream there
are all the drab buildings usually found
in our ugly cities. It's too bad they arc
there but we suppose it has to be.
Grapes by the Acres.
Finishing our visit to Niagara. We
again started westward on our journey
homeward We drove back to Buffalo,
passing many large industrial plants,
skirted that city through the outer en-
virons and headed westward along
Lake Erie This was another delightful
drive On our right as the car sped
over fine highway. was the neauti-
fully blue water Of the lake. much the
same in appearance as the ocean. On
our left was fertile farm land and a
type of agriculture different from any
we had encountered elsewhere on the
long trip. The land here was decidedly
billy, but the hills were small and
rounded 1t was the naturally broken
land to be found along the shores of
large lake. And over all of these hills
grapes we're being grown There were
acres upon acres of them. mile after
mile Of vineyards The grape vines had
been cut back for the winter to a mere
prong that barely reached up to low
horizontal wires, the highest of which
was not much more than three feet
high. When we passed through there
in late May these branches or bare
prongs were Just beginning to send
out leaves. This industry must be an
immense one and undoubtedly brings
hundreds Of thousands Of dollars into
that section.
Before we get farther along on this
journey, must tell you Of one incident.
We had thought we were going to be
fortunate enough to reach home after
these thousands of miles of travel with
out seeing the slightest accident. So
far we had not seen even a fender
scratched But few miles out from
Buffalo, we came upon terrible ac-
cident just after it had happened. Two
cars, one 1885 Oldsmobile sedan, the
other an old sedan of uncertain make,
had collided at an intersection out in
the country. The intersecting highways
were wide and smooth and in level
country There was nothing to Hide
the view except possibly signboard
\ set back some yards from the inter