The San Francisco call. [volume], July 21, 1901, Image 2

About The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913

Image provided by: University of California, Riverside; Riverside, CA

                
ARE NIAGARA FALLS TO BECOME A THING OF THE PAST?
gEFPRE Niagara Falls, which are
now cutting their way backward
along the bed of the river to Lake
Erie at the rate of about f ouiTfeet
a year,' reach the head of Grand
Island less than five miles away, there
will be no Niagara. The whole system of
the great lakes is changing. The waters
of Lake Michigan at Chicago are slowly;
rising and Lake Erie is growing shallow.,
\ Eventually, unless a dam Is built to pre
vent it, as. has been proposed. Lake Michi
gan will overflow to the Illinois River, as
it did centuries ago In the last preglacial
period; the basin of Lake Erie will be
I tributary to Lake Huron, the current will;
be reversed in the Detroit and the St.
Clair channels, and the whole lake system
will drain southward into the Mississippi.
Then Niagara will vanish. From a ma
jestic cataract the falls will/dwindle to
a few threads of water falling over a
precipice," as may be seen In the summer
season in the upper falls of the Genesee at
Rochester. All that they will carry will
be the drainage of : t;he immediate neigh
borhood, v;.;. - /'"' '¦ " r U .
..- There isn't 'any occasion for alarm for
the present, however, for all-this will take
place in from 2000 to 3000 years from now,
anu many things may happen before then.
Also, as/It is extremely unlikely that the
elixir of life will, be discovered in this gen
eration, nobody now "; alive need j worry '
niuch about it. But , that is what the
great lake system is pending" to, as is set
forth in an interesting "Guide to the Ge
ology and Paleontology of Niagara Falls
and Vicinity," by Professor Amadeus W.
Grabau, S. D., of Rensselaer Polytechnic
Institute, arranged and" published In most
complete form by John M. "¦ Clarke, the
S.tate paleontologist, -as a bulletin of the
New. York State -.Museum. '-' : ''?;¦ ,'
'•.The- book, . which is handsomely; IHus-'
trated with photographic plates, has been
prepared, so Mr. Clarke says lir'a brief
preface, with the .especial purpose of .af
fording to visitors to Buffalo during the
season of the Pan-American Exposition. a
guide. In their tours through; this -region,
\ renowned for its scenic features and class
ic in its geology. '', The ground has been the
subject' of a multitude of scientific treat
ises, but in no single place'bef ore has their
general 'purport been' ' brought vtogether,
and Mr. Clarke thinks that they cannot
fail to prove serviceable' to. a /large ele-'
ment of the public. .•,';.. . '.'.''-.> ''..-.' '..
It will be from" 500" to 600 years before the
tendency of the lakes to a new drainage
, bed >s pla'nly manifested! according to the
| authorities cited Y by Professor :Grabau.
, The rising of the waters of Lake Michigan
I at ; : present | is at »the fate* of ; nine or • ten
inches a century. 'The first water to over
flow will be that at \ some high stage of
the lake and the discharge may at first
be intermittent. For a mean lake stage
such a discharge will begin in about 100)
years, but after 1500 years there will be" no
interruption. ; . . . / •
In abflut 2000 years the Illinois Riveriand
the Niagara will carry equal »shares of the
surplus water of the great • lakes, and in
?500 years for certain*, there will be . no
Niagara.. ¦ " - • ."/•
That is if man. In the shape of the
. United States Government, does not inter
fere. The shoaling'of Lake Erie at Cleve
land and at othei* points on the Ohio shore
has already given cause for alarm,, and
the stoppage cf this natural movement, in
the general drainage system of the lakes,
.which is attributed to the gradual tilting
of the land in the northwest, has been se
riously considered. '..-">..'
* The plan proposed to stop the tendency
is to erect an immense dam in the Niag
: ara River above Buffalo,' with the object
of checking and eventually, decreasing the
outflow. It is argued that' this would not
greatly decrease the power of Niagara,
now valuable; but there are authorities
who contend that this argument is absurd
and the plan is opposed on. that account, g
I ' This tilting of the territory in the
Northwest is a curious phenomenon, for
which the 'geologists .cannot wholly ac
c6unt. It is plainly recorded , in . the
beaches of the j old ' glacial lakes, which
had; a uniform elevation while forming,
but now are no longer of a uniform height
above the sea level, rising progressively
. toward the northeast. The movement is
.still going on. '-•>•" 7 . — - ;
Professor G. K. Gilbert has made an ex
tended study of the problem, and he, has
been led to the assumption that the whole
lake region is being lifted on. one side or
• depressed on the other, so that' its plane
is> bodily/canted toward the south-south
-west.; The rate of change, he estimates,
' is. such .that the two ends of a. line 100
miles long and lying in a south-southwest
direction, are relatively displaced to , the
•extent of four-tenths of a foot in- a cen
tury. From this it T follows that the waters
of? each lake are gradually rising on the
southern and western shores or falling on
Uhe* northern- and eastern shores* or both.
Niagara Falls came into existence when
. the I waters .= of ' Lake Iroquois, which ¦ In
( age's ' long past was the; ; predecessor' of
"Lake Ontario, fell beneath the leveFof the
I escarpment at ; Lewistoh. At first the falls
-were, only a small cataract, ; but - year by
year v as .the llake subsided the cataract
gained in height and consequently in. force
of 'fall, as well as efficiency in cutting "its
channel. , The Niagara gorge' from Lowis
ton to the present falls, is_ believed to be
wholly the product of river erosion. ; . ."
Before the advent of the falls the Ni
agara was a placid. stream from lake to
lake much as it is to-day from Buffalo
to the northern end of Grand Island. It
cut shallow banks into' the glacial till
and their traces are seen now some
places a mile back from the edge of the
gorge which the falls have since cut.
It has been patiently cutting that gorge
for thousands of years, how many the
geologists cannot tell, but they place
the total at not less than 10,000 or more
than 50,000. One "geologist. Professor
Hitchcock, puts the beginning . of the
great cataract of 1025 B. C, which is 30)
years before the time of Romulus, : or
about the period in which King David
reigned in Jerusalem.
As long as a river Is narrow and vig
orously undercuts Its banks the latter will
be steep and the river channel will have
the 'character of a gorge. This continues
as long as the river is cutting downward,
that is, till'; the grade or the *river bot
tom is a. very gentle _pne. Then the
spreading of the current undercuts the
banks, -and atmospheric, degradation
quickly destroys the cliffs,' which the
river does not keep perpendicular. Niag
ara gorge changes ;greatly even in a cen
tury, Before the. falls the river flows in
a channel in places only ten feet wide and
100 feet below the level of the platform,
which was its bed a century ago.
There is a theory that only >: a part, the
southern or latter part of the gorge. of
the whirlpool rapidsrwas carved by .the
Niagara, the volume of which was at one
time reduced by the buried St. David's
gorge, since swept away in a glacial pe
riod, and that the greatest half of ,the
gorge was preglacial. All the authorities
agree, however, that the broad and deep
gorge "from Clifton , to the present falls
was made by a cataract carrying the full
supply of water. This, which geologists
say Is the most readily, interpreted part
of the gorge, has now corner to an end at
the present falls, and the-character of the
channel hereafter can: only .be con
jectured. *
.-. Niagara, it seems, is; now at a critical
stage. • The river has reached the second
of the points where a rectangular turn la
made, and the gorge behind the falls Is
changing. .. A short , canal,
narrower than that of. the last section, is
being cut by : the Horseshoe fall, and that
fall itself ti . narrowing. This narrowness
of the channel is due to the* concentration
of water in the- center of ; the stream.
Goat Island, : which divides . the Horse
shoe from the ; American fall, and the
other islands as well, owes its existence
tp this concentration of the water, for at
one time all of these inlands were sub
merged by. the _ current." The channel
above the Horseshoe fall has been cut to
more than fifty feet below the summit of
Goat Island at the falls, while tha upper
• end of the island is still at the level of
J the water in the river. The effect will be
that the island as an island In time will
disappear.
It lies on one side of the main mass of
water which, rushing forward., passes it
and strikes the * Canadian bank, from
which it is deflected toward the center of
the cataract, that portion being thus
deepened and worn back most rapidly, as
may be observed from the upper walks of
the Canadian park, where In many cases
the shores have been ballasted and other
wisaproteeted from the current.
In an earlier period, when the falls were
farther north and before the central part
of the stream had been deepened to It3
present extent, the water, then at the lev
el of the river above Goat Island, flooded
what is now Queen Victoria Park and
carved, from the glacial hill the pro
nounced concave wall which now bounds
the park on the west. A local eddy, prob
ably in very recent times, carved the steep
and semi-circular cliff which Incloses the
Dufferin Islands.
In 1000 years from now and at the pres
ent rate of recession of the falls it is cal
culated by the geologists, whose views are
set forth by Professor Grabau. that the
Horseshoe Falls will have reached the up
per end of Goat Island, and that will end
the American Falls. These having a
I smaller erosive force will have receded
only' about half way to the Goat Island
bridge in that time. The Horseshoe Falls*
will draw off the water from the Ameri
can Falls, and all of the-lslands will 'then
be joined by a dry channel to the main
land, an event which. Professor Grabau
say?, was anticipated only as far back as
. 1848. when owing to an ice blockade in the
Niagara River^iear Buffalo the American
Falls wa3 deprived of all its water for a
day. Should a dam be built in the Niagara
River the effect might be the same.
This is not the first time in the history
of Niagara that the falls .have been di
vided. Long ago. when the falls were at
Fosters Flats, almost seven miles below
their present situation, it is supposed- that
a narrow island, comparable to Goat- Isl
and, in the river bed cut the falls In two.
The foundations of the island, which has
since crumbled away, are to be seen in
the ridge which divides the old dry chan
nel on the left from the main bed of tHe
river. ' • • ,
The eastern or American fall was in this
case the larger of the two. and -as it. car
ried the channel it receded more rapid lv
When the Canadian fall reached the head
of the island the American . had Just
passed it, and the Canadian fall fell but
of the race. So history is only repeatinz
itself now in Niagara... -;" ,-.,.,,**
, The history, physical geography, eeolojrv
and paleontology of .the Niagara -region
are dealt with in the greatest detail in the
new book of the State museum. It-'con
- tains many plates, a large colored map
and possibly more of interesting scientific
data of the region. than has ever before
been brought together.— New York Suru
. W-CSEPH LE CONTE. deud and b-r.eJ,"
I wept, honored and his praises sung'
).y ¦ by all .who knew- him, . "will , hold "a
f%J firm place in the memories of all
/ who-came under the influence of his
. sterling personality.. It was his person
ality,, after all,, that made him revered
and beloved by students and the compan
ions of his youth and old age.
That he was a great scientist no one
doubts, but it is not for«that alone that
California mourns his loss.
He was a ma.ri so simple in nature, so
genial and warm in' temperament and so
Infectiously good that his personality was
truly irresistible. ': The man's ' scientific
value", which was always of a positive and
big quantity, was submerged: "by ; this
charmi and, it: was "Prof. Joe," ,the man,
that was"; the object :cf affection, and rev
erence.)-- ••¦'»¦ ¦';'¦. ~'" z^'*~' - ../'• : ¦;¦>"¦*. •' ]•. ¦ /-•;..'.;
Love r for,this gray-_halfed scientist grew
to be a,cult..at{ Berkeley. -. Not oniy the
students, but^the .townspeople, ¦ felt* his.
presence, and he was a~ mark of esteem,
respect and affection for all classes. While
"sociable and light in spirit, he did not en-'
tertain or care to entertain, yet he seemed
to enjoy all social functions In which he
took part. In Berkeley Lo* Conte had two
very. close frienfis— John''Garber, foremost •
of Western lawyers, and George Howison,
whose philosophy has raised more than
one" storm in the quiet, peaceful shades of
the university town. ¦ ,. ."..
These three men would come together
on many,; occasions, arid all with* different
views of life, systems of ethics and cosmic
philosophy, would talk the oil out of the
lamps. -Howison never, would or could
agree with Le Omte's system of ethics.
Close and sound -in their friendship, they
were often at swords' points over matters
of theoretical philosophy. U
Tt has been said of Howison that as
' ch as he loves his friends he will put
"them on' the grill whenever Intellects
cia.sh. And # many an Interesting side lec
ture has been delivered (fn the rooms at
the university by Howison on Le Conte
and Le Conte .on Howisoh. / A favorite
scheme of the students was to visit Pro
. fessor Le Conte soon after a lecture by
Howison' and ask for his opinion. or views
on this and that philosophical point
educed by the nominated teacher of phil
osophy, at the university. Then "Prof.
Joe" - would straighten himself up and
with characteristic outward gesture and
¦a smile that played incessantly upon hit.
r :ne old countenance he would launch
forth in an .'explanation or accounting
that proved, at least to himself the abso
lute, right of his own philosophy. Le
Cont'e treated his antagonist with the
greatest respect and deference, even
showing consideration for his theories. of
ethics.'. Not so with Howisoh. . When the
same students would come to him with a
bit cf Le Conte there was a general dam
nation after a tribute to the man. Of.aU
the good and just things said of Le Conte,
the eulogies and the panegyrics, perhaps
none will equal the few'words spoken how
and then by George Howison in the class
rooms—always previous to a slaughter of
Le Conte's ethical theories.'
V Old as Professor Le Conte was, he would
never acknowledge physical weakness.
Even to the last regular course of lec
tures he delivered at the university , he
would mount a ladder, tack up his charts
and during his lectures he- would stand
with pointer in hand, ever ready and ac
tive. ' Once about eight years ago a stu
dent''offered to assist him in the. hanging
of charts bn^the blackboard. His offer
was a bit ".gruffly— declined.
Professor Davidson tells a story* about Le
Conte's ' pride in his own physical yigbr.
The two were walking through the col
lege grounds, when Professor Davidson
unconsciously lifted his arm to lighten the
labor of his friend's steps. Le Conte dis
played his dislike for such assistance im
mediately by .drawing away just far
enough to separate himself from his com
panion."
Professor Le. Conte was an exceedingly
.temperate- man— in thought, manner and
daily action— though by no means an
ascetic. : He enjoyed life and all things
that go .with it. "Whether in the valleys
or the mountains, at the seaside or in the
fields, he found much to fasten his mind
upon. They were. not cold dust or rock
or so much water to him. Le Conte was
nothing if not imaginative and poetic in
everything he has done .or said. In the
Yosemite he lost sight two hours>ut of
every three, of the geological values. The
natural beauty. appealed to him. and somo
of his descriptions of the valley are- .most
beautiful and genuinely valuable from a
literary standpoint. • „
As a bit of imagination coupled -with
science his students In comparative zool
ogy will remember Le Conte's description
of a glass of champagne. To this scien
tist the peculiar power and fascination of
the gurgling wine was due to the fact that
It appealed directly to" four senses. •
The description f went . something Ilka
this: "The molten amberiike liqGid, with
its myriads of crystal bubbles rising from
the depths, its delicious flavor holding the
tongue in. a charm .that knows no break-'
Ing, the savor arising to the nostrils and
picturing olfactory images as beautiful in
their way as anything that appeals to th»
eye; all these make champagne. It Is the
nectar, the ambrosia of the sublunar
world." " , ' .
If champagne meant so much to the old
scientist he showed a temperateness that
was astounding. He rarely drank more
than a single glass of wine at a dinner or
even at t a. banquet, and whenever asked
to fill his glass again would always reply
by saying that he -enjoyed the flrst so
much and so satisfactorily that he did
not care to clog and sicken his appetite
with more. " '
His partial abstinence from tobacco was
equally •well sustained. It is doubtful if
many of his friends have ever seen him
smoke, yet he indulged on occasions .' in a
short cigarette. "When handed a cigar
ette one evening at a banquet he uncon
sciously took it, but realizing in a mo
ment that he did something foreign to his
habits laid it down on the ; table. To a
question Le Conte replied: . "Oh, yes, I
smoke, but only before going Into the lec
ture room, and then I roll myself a cigar
ette. "It does me a whole lot of good.
Why, I smoke as much as a quarter of a
pound of tobacco every year." <
Banqueting Professor Le Conte was a
hobby with his friends. Scientific and lay
societies made him the guest of many a
special dinner. As an after dinne'r speaker
he always happy in his remarks,
never attempting the eloquent. His very
individuality, precluded bombast or falsa
rhetoric. When his subject was to his lik
ing he fell right into it with a dash and
vigor that were surprising to his auditors,
but he never cared to display any "of his
talents in after dinner speaking. He pre
ferred to listen, and he was a good
listener. '
Soon after his return from Europe In
the fall of 1S92 the University Club of this
city gave a banquet in his honor and
gathered around . the club' boards 'was
every man of educational or scientinc
nots in the city at the time. Professor
Muir, famous as a geologist and particu
larly as a discoverer of glaciers, was
called upon and naturally the cry of gla
ciers went up.. Professor Muir spoke of
glacial action In general and indications
of it in the Yosemite Valley. To this Le
Conte interposed an objection. When ho
was called upon to speak he said that he
would reluctantly admit of Tosemite gla
ciers, but "after all it was a poor, little,
miserable dwarf of a glacier and shouldn't
be taken into account with the bis ones
with small names."
WllII OHIO." •»»">¦¦" . •'
Le Conte's work -where science and re
ligion cross was what endeared him to the
church going people and made him an
evolutionist of an odd though strong
type. . He believed In evolution as an un
deniable fact and all his scientific work
takes this as a fundamental basis for
elaboration. It was doctrinal, sdentlflo
gospel' to -him. Butyls beliefs In evolu*
tion went hand in hand with a stronger
belief Christianity. Amons his friends
he numbered severaT who stood on a plat
form" of agnosticism and even atheism.
Thew say that Professor- X* Conta's
ethical labors rested upon an endless
struggle to reconcile Christianity with
evolution and they hint at the severity of
the task. Like Faraday, tha ereat Eng
lish scientist, Le Conte was swept with
a tidal wave of faith— an overpowering
and Irresistible faith In the biblical teach
ings as relating to the cardinal principles
of Christianity. The story of Faraday
¦was often repeated by L.e> Conte — that
¦when ho went to church he was over
whelmed with faith. Science then, was
forgotten* for the tlmo/S. .¦; .',
There 13 hardly any likelihood that.an
other professor will take Le Conte's placa
In the heart of the student body. They
say at the University of California that
the classes since his active days showed
as great a respect and affection for the
old scientist as those who felt the direct
power of his teaching. And Le Conte was
not proof against this reverence on the
part of. students. He liked appreciation.*
It warmed .his soul and brought Joy to his
heart. When on his seventieth birthday
the student body decorated hl3 classroom
with flowers the tears rolled out of the
old teacher's eyes and he responded in a
way that brought gulp3 to the throats of
some of the students. After that the
decoration of" Le Conte's room on an
niversaries became a custom.
One of "Professor Joe's" bosom friends
was George Davidson, eminent on this
coast as the head of the Coast - Survey.
Professor Davidson tells this story: "It
was no uncommon matter for Joe to drop
Into my office about 3 o'clock In the after
noon and find me busy at work.* He would
express astonishment at the fact that I
was so. persistent and steady at the desk.
I in. turn would ask him how he man
aged to finish his, dally work so easily.
Then, In his Inimitable way. he would use
a philosophy of the economy of labor and
prove to both of us that the best work
is accomplished, not by constant devotion,
but a wise discretion and a husbanding
of physical strength."
It was this same Georsre Davidson that
was called upon to welcome "Joe" La
Conte upon hl3 return from abroad. The
whole tone of his speech sounded the per
sonality of the. man and left science to
take care of itself. So it always was with
those who had the pleasure of Intercourse,
with Professor Le Conte. They forgot
the work of the man and felt only the In
fluence of a personality that 'will last as
long: as memory endures.
. ¦ • -. - - -- r ¦ ¦. .<-¦.-. ;-,- N
; ;/ THE SUNDAY CAI/L.;
2
STORIES OF LE CONTE-PHILOSOPHER