62 



VARIATIONS IN THE LEVEL OP THE LAKES. 



[1853 



est,indeed, in memory, and was taken by Dr. Houghton f as his 

 zero of comparison ; referred to this zero, the highest level of Lake 

 Michigan was, — 



Ft. 



In. 











2 







3 



8 



4 



3 



5 



3 



3 



11 



2 



H 



In 1819 



1830 



1836 



1837 



1S38 



1839 3 



1840 



Thus, it was 1 9 years in attaining its maximum, but only 2£ in 

 reducing it to one-half. The following variations in the level of 

 Lake Erie, in 1852, were recorded by C. Whittlesey, Esq., of 

 Cleveland^ :— 



MONTHLY MEAN. 

 Ft. In. 



January 3 6 



February 3 4.2 



March 2 11.6 



April 1 11.3 



May 1 4.0 



June 1 1.2 



July 1 2.5 



August.. 1 5.1 



September 1 9.4 



October 2 0.6 



November 2 3.3' 



December 2 4.1 



Capt. H. T. Spencer, recorded the variations in the level of 

 Lake Ontario, at the mouth of the Genesee, during the 

 years 1846 — 1852, both inclusive; they are as follow: 





1846.' 1847. 



1848. 



1849. 



1850.1 1851. 



1852. 





ft. 



in. 



ft. 



in. 



ft. 



in. 



ft. 



in. 



ft. 



in. ,ft. 



in. 



ft. in. 



January 1 . 



3 



3 



3 







1 



5 



3 



2 



2 



9 



2 



8 



3 3 



February 1 



3 



6 



2 



5 



1 



10 



3 



2 



2 



4 



3 



6 



3 3 



March 1 



3 







2 







2 



7 



3 



4 



2 



4 



3 







3 



April 1 



2 



9 



2 







2 



2 



2 



10 



2 



4 2 



11 



2 8 



May 1 



2 



6 



1 



5 



2 



2 



2 







1 



8 2 



8 



1 2 



June 1 ... 



2 



3 



1 



1 



2 



1 



1 



9 



1 



5 2 



2 



1 2 



Julyl 



2 



3 



1 



1 



2 



2 



2 



8 



1 



10 1 



11 



10 



August 1 



2 



6 



1 



1 



2 



3 



2 



3 



2 



10 



2 



2 



L 



September 



2 



9 



2 







2 



8 



2 



9 



2 



11 



2 



6 



1 6 



October . . 



2 



9 



2 



3 



3 



1 



2 



2 



3 



4 



2 



11 



11 



November 1 . . . 



3 







2 



7 



3 



6 



2 



2 



3 



7 



3 



5 



2 2 



December 1 



2 



9 



2 



10 3 



5 



2 



5 



2 



7 



3 



3 



1 10 



" 31... 



3 







1 



5 3 



! 



2 



2 



9 



2 



8 



3 



8 



1 11 



Average 



2 







1 



11 2 



1 



6 



2 



6* 



2 



6 



2 



H 



1 11 



The measures were taken from the top of the dock, and 

 reduced to one point of observation. Of course the less the 

 measure, the higher the level of the water of the lake. The high- 

 est was in July, 1852, and the lowest in November, 1850; the 

 difference being two feet nine inches. 



In continuation of the table of observations by Mr. Stewarti 

 given on page 27 of the last number of this journal, we append 



those for September and part of October. The present gradual 

 fall of the water is very evident ; but if we may reason from the 

 very crude and imperfect observations which we have been able 

 to procure, it will soon become stationary and remain so until it 

 begins again to rise in the spring. The greatest height recently 

 attained by Lake Ontario above the low water mark of October 

 28, 1849, is four feet five inches, according to measurements made 

 at Toronto. Since June 1st of the present year, it has fallen in 

 four months and fifteen days only twenty-one inches; whereas in 

 1849, the water fell in three months and twenty days, twenty 

 six inches. 



Observations made at Oorrie's Wharf by Mr. G. A. Stewart, 



1853: 



SEPTEMBER. 



O C T O B E K. 







Height 









Height 





Day. 



Hour. 



of Water. 



Wind. 



Day. 



Hour. 



of Water. 



Wind. 



7 



10 A.M. 



3.28 





1 



3 P. M. 



3.37 



S.W. 



8 



12 Noon 



3.35 



W 



3 



11 A. M. 



3.17 



N.W. 



10 



12 Noon 



3.28 



W 



6 



3 P. M, 



3.06 



N.W. 



16 



11 A.M. 



3.40 



W 



7 



5 P. M. 



3.20 



S.W. 



20 



12 Noon 



3.50 





8 



3 P. M. 



3.20 



S.W. 



24 



11^- A.M 



3.32 



W 



15 



3 P. M. 



2.98 





26 



4 P. M. 



3.42 



E 











27 



12 Noon 



3.32 



E 











29 



11 Noon 



3.40 



S.E. 











f Report ol the Slate Geologist, Michigan, 1841, 

 J Extracted from the Regent's Report for 1S53. 



p. 162. 



Among the most interesting phenomena which may be classed 

 under variations in the level of the lakes, are the sudden eleva- 

 tions and depressions which have been recorded from time to 

 time as occurring chiefly on the shores of Canada and the State of 

 New York. It is much to be regretted that accurate observa- 

 tions of these fluctuations do not appear to have been made. The 

 data at our commaud are exceedingly meagre, and scarcely do 

 justice to the very interesting phenomena to which they refer. 



In a communication to the C'oboury Star, dated Grafton, Jan. 

 9, 1847, the writer, Mr. Thomas Thompson, states that "A 

 most singular phenomenon occurred at this place (Grafton) yes- 

 terday afternoon, about three o'clock. The lake was calm, and 

 the wind in the north, when suddenly the lake receded from the 

 shore in one immense wave upwards of 350 feet, leaving the 

 the beach perfectly dry for that distance ; it seemed to gather 

 itself into a vast cone, and immediately returned in one unbroken 

 wave, four feet higher than it usually is, burying the wharf com- 

 pletely, and overflowing its usual boundaries upwards of a hun- 

 dred yards, sweeping everything before it, accompanied by a 

 dreadful noise. This happened eight or nine different times, 

 gradually decreasing in violence, until the lake assumed its natu- 

 ral appearance." The effects of this disturbance were felt as far 

 as Port Hope unaccompanied by any noise. 



The same paper records another disturbance as having taken 

 place in Rice Lake, twelve miles north of the town of Cobourg. 

 "Last Thursda}', (January 14, 1S47,) the lake was seen to be in 

 great commotion, the ice (81 inches thick,) undulating in every 

 direction. Presently it burst with a noise like thunder, and a 



