REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR I917 133 



of a series of them range from 2146 to 2209 feet. 1 These figures, in 

 all probability, represent the water levels during the early stages of 

 the lake. Sand plains with altitudes around i960 feet strongly 

 indicate that the lake was undergoing constant lowering, perhaps 

 as the small ice lobe 3 miles east of Ampersand mountain retreated 

 and allowed escape through the channel of the East branch of Cold 

 brook and then south, lowering the level to i960 feet as set by the 

 Van Dorrien pass mentioned above. Remnants of the South 

 Meadows lake, especially of the later stages, are found surrounding 

 Seymore mountain, in the southeast corner of the Saranac Lake 

 sheet. 



Although this lake apparently does not involve the area directly 

 concerned here, it is described in rather a detailed manner so the 

 striking succession of the glacial lakes of the region may be 

 appreciated. 



Upper Lake Newman 



With the gradual retreat of the ice and its constant shifting 

 position, new and lower outlets were exposed. Succeeding the 

 South Meadows lake, the western portion of Upper Lake Newman , 

 as the writer proposes to call it, was ushered in. As the present 

 remnants are rather indefinite in character and its range is rather 

 great (1800 to 1895 feet), the writer is not unmindful that stream 

 filling, forming an outwash plain from the glacier, may be an altern- 

 ative explanation; but in view of the fact that sand plains are found 

 over considerable area confined within definite limits of range of 

 altitude, they are assumed to represent a series of lake bottoms 

 formed by a lake whose level was experiencing periodic lowering due 

 to the downcutting of the controlling spillways. These spillways may 

 have been the ice itself or a series of outlets which were over rock. 



Unfortunately, the outlets of the lake are not positively known, 

 but in all probability the drainage was to the west, similar to that 

 of the South Meadows lake. 



This lake is of more direct interest to us, for well-preserved remains 

 can be seen in a number of places about Lake Clear. A remnant is 

 located about Harrietstown as a complete ring around the hill west 

 of the village, and two small patches are located to the west of 

 Paul Smith's station, one on the south and the other on the north 

 side of the road leading to Paul Smith's Hotel. 



1 Determined by a surveying aneroid barometer and checked against a baro- 

 graph, hence as accurate as this method permits. 



