3oo POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



described, consequently there can be no difference whatsoever from what 

 point of the basin the water is diverted. 



14. Water taken from One Side of Basin affects the Other Side. — 

 That water can not be taken from one side of the basin without affect- 

 ing the level on the other side is shown by the fact that, since the two 

 New York companies began operations, the depth of the river, which 

 is a mile across, near the mouth of Chippawa Creek, has been shoaled to 

 the extent of eight or ten feet by the deposit of mud, owing to the 

 slackened current in this part of the basin. So, also, when the power 

 of the Ontario Company comes to be fully used, they will lower the 

 water on the American Falls. Another proof of the diversion of 

 water from the Canadian shore by the New York companies is the 

 shoaling of the river just above the falls, where it was found necessary 

 to throw a barrier to catch the water for the small local power plant, 

 as the level of the river had sunk below the normal stage by the time 

 one of the larger Canadian power plants was ready to begin operations. 



15. Power Diversion beloiv the Upper Rapids. — There are two other 

 power plants situated in the Canadian Park, but below the Upper Rapids. 

 Consequently, they lose much by their inferior head of water. This is 

 a great gain, in that, taking the water some fifty feet below the basin, 

 the overflow of the rim is not increased, so that this diversion produces 

 no effect whatever on the lowering of the lake levels, or on the American 

 Falls, or eastern side of the Canadian. These companies take the 

 water from the deepest part of the channel, and consequently their effect 

 is least apparent. Their aggregate allowance is about 20,000 cubic feet 

 per second, or a net of 235,000 electric horse-power. However, much 

 damage has been done to the western side of the falls, largely owing 

 to the Canadian Niagara Power Company, on account of which the 

 widening of the park has shortened the crest of the Horseshoe Falls 

 by 415 feet, leaving in place of the sheet of water, a dark wall of rock 

 stretching out into the gorge. It is strange that this impairment seems 

 already to be almost forgotten except by a few lovers of the great cata- 

 ract, but on looking at the Canadian Falls from the upper bridge the 

 effect is to reduce the diameter apparently by one fourth (see figure 1). 



16. Water taken by Canals. — The Welland and Erie canals divert 

 less than 2,000 cubic feet per second, and, while the Chicago drainage 

 canal takes at present scarcely more than 4,000, its rights extend to 

 10,000 and they want 14,000. The diversion by the Chicago canal of 

 10,000 cubic feet produces varying effects in the different basins, but 

 it may be given at a lowering of the lakes by six inches, or some three 

 inches for the basin at the Upper Rapids. 



17. Effect of Power Diversion on the Falls. — We are now in a posi- 

 tion to determine the effect of power diversion upon Niagara Falls and 

 upon the navigation of the lakes. The water taken from below the 



