78 THE HAMILTON ASSOCIATION. 
NIAGARA FALLS AS AN INDEX OF TIME. 
Read before the Hamilton Scientific Association, Feb. 26th, 1901. 
Bien CO Com Con GRVAUNBes 
The writer has often been asked whether it was possible 
to form any opinion regarding the time which has elapsed 
since the Glacial Age. The reply I fear must be in the nega- 
tive. One of the most conspicuous features of this locality is 
the ancient lake beach, known to us as ‘‘ Burlington Heights.” 
Standing on the summit of that vast ridge near the Central 
School, one must reasonably conclude it must have taken 
many thousands of years to pile up the enormous amount of 
sand, gravel and water, rounded boulders and shingle accumu- 
lated. We know it overlies ‘‘ Erie’’ or ‘‘ Glacial” clay. We 
possess no other indication as regards the lapse of years until 
we come to the recession of the Niagara river, and there we 
have a very interesting matter for contemplation, since it cut 
back its bed from the lake shore to the site of the present 
Falls. 
On one of Dr. James Hall’s visits to Hamilton the con- 
versation turned on calculations of Sir Charles Lyell, who 
stated it must have taken about 32,000 years to excavate 
the Niagara gorge. Forgetting at the moment the Dr. 
accompanied Sir Charles on his visit to the Falls, I ventured 
to express a belief that, as no landmarks had been laid down 
at that early period, it was difficult to see how he arrived at 
this view, seeing that formerly different conditions existed 
from what prevails at the present time ; and it could be easily 
seen that the soft shale which lies at the base of the Falls did 
not occupy that position lower down the river. He reminded 
me he accompanied the famous British geologist on that occa- 
