140 



NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



Local Lake " St Germain ' n 



On nearly all sides of the present Lake Clear there is an older 

 beach or shore line belonging to an earlier lake. Its altitude is 

 about 1 63 8 J feet. 2 Dr W. M. Smallwood has traced it nearly around 

 the lake. On the south and eastern shores the beach of "St 

 Germain " is close to the shore of Lake Clear, while to the northeast 

 and especially toward the northwest and west the beach swings 

 inland a mile or so. As can be seen on the glacial map, the beach 

 has been traced to the shores of Upper St Regis lake, thus including 

 - within the boundaries of Lake St Germain the swamps to the west, 

 which were apparently waterways connecting the district of Grass 

 pond with Lake St Germain and that in turn with Upper St Regis. 

 It is probable that the beach of St Germain continues around the 

 St Regis lakes, although the shore line is often indistinct and in 

 places entirely missing. 



V V 



'v v v BR v 

 lv v v v v v v v 



W V V V 



v v ^ v 

 v v v 



V V V 

 V V V M 

 V V V V 

 V V V VY*vxv 

 V V V V- 



Fig. 3 Ideal diagram illustrating the beaches of the successive glacial lakes 

 that preceded Lake Clear. SM=South Meadows, UN=Upper Newman, LN=Lower 

 Newman, SW=Saranac glacial waters, G=StGermain, LC=Lake Clear, 

 BR=bedrock 



On the southwest shore of Lake Clear there is a break in the St 

 Germain beach, possibly indicating a connection between the area 

 drained by former Little Lake Clear and Big Lake Clear. The 

 present drainage of Big Clear is southward into the Upper Saranac 

 before flowing into the Saranac river and eventually northward 

 into Lake Champlain, while the Upper St Regis drains northward 

 into the St Regis river, finally into the St Lawrence. 



1 A local name. 



2 Measured by surveying aneroid and checked against a barograph and by 

 spirit leveling, assuming the present lake to be 1610 feet above the sea. The 

 height of the lake, at the time of visit, July 6, 19 16, was measured at 1614 feet, 

 which is regarded as higher than normal. 



