﻿I-IFTH 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  THE 
  DIRECTOR 
  I908 
  1 
  59 
  

  

  SOME 
  ITEMS 
  CONCERNING 
  A 
  NEW 
  AND 
  AN 
  OLD 
  

   COAST 
  LINE 
  OF 
  LAKE 
  CHAMPLAIN 
  

  

  BY 
  GEORGE 
  H. 
  HUDSON 
  

  

  The 
  summer 
  of 
  1908 
  brought 
  the 
  waters 
  of 
  Lake 
  Champlain 
  

   to 
  a 
  remarkably 
  low 
  level. 
  The 
  Plattsburg 
  Press 
  for 
  October 
  26, 
  

   1908 
  contained 
  the 
  following 
  item: 
  

  

  The 
  water 
  in 
  Lake 
  Champlain 
  has 
  reached 
  the 
  lowest 
  mark. 
  

   The 
  previous 
  low 
  water 
  mark 
  was 
  made 
  in 
  1S81, 
  but 
  Saturday 
  

   [October 
  24, 
  1908] 
  this 
  mark 
  was 
  passed 
  by 
  a 
  quarter 
  of 
  an 
  inch. 
  

   Since 
  1827 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  the 
  custom 
  of 
  the 
  navigators 
  on 
  the 
  lake 
  

   to 
  keep 
  a 
  record 
  of 
  the 
  low 
  water 
  reached 
  during 
  the 
  year. 
  In 
  

   1827 
  a 
  low 
  mark 
  was 
  evidently 
  reached, 
  for 
  there 
  is 
  an 
  old 
  bench 
  

   mark 
  standing 
  at 
  Shelbourne 
  harbor 
  made 
  at 
  that 
  time. 
  October 
  

   16, 
  1881 
  all 
  records 
  were 
  passed. 
  At 
  that 
  time 
  the 
  steamers 
  of 
  

   the 
  Champlain 
  Transportation 
  Company 
  were 
  running 
  to 
  Ticon- 
  

   deroga. 
  Pilot 
  E. 
  S. 
  Kockwell 
  of 
  the 
  Ticondcroga 
  was 
  on 
  the 
  

   lake 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  and 
  says 
  that 
  the 
  steamers 
  had 
  to 
  be 
  run 
  into 
  

   the 
  mud 
  at 
  the 
  Ticonderoga 
  dock 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  have 
  the 
  gang 
  plank 
  

   reach 
  from 
  the 
  boat 
  to 
  the 
  dock. 
  Pilot 
  Rockwell 
  said 
  that 
  the 
  

   water 
  was 
  so 
  low 
  that 
  there 
  was 
  only 
  one 
  cut 
  by 
  which 
  the 
  steamers 
  

   could 
  enter 
  Plattsburg 
  harbor. 
  

  

  On 
  November 
  16, 
  1908, 
  the 
  same 
  paper 
  recorded 
  the 
  water 
  level 
  

   as 
  '' 
  two 
  inches 
  below 
  the 
  lowest 
  mark." 
  

  

  In 
  1905, 
  in 
  a 
  moderately 
  sheltered 
  position 
  and 
  at 
  a 
  level 
  where 
  

   wave 
  action 
  had 
  kept 
  the 
  rock 
  clean 
  but 
  had 
  failed 
  to 
  cut 
  farther 
  

   back 
  into 
  the 
  soil 
  covering, 
  a 
  copper 
  bolt 
  was 
  driven 
  into 
  the 
  rock 
  

   surface 
  of 
  Valcour 
  island 
  to 
  be 
  used 
  as 
  a 
  basis 
  for 
  contour 
  work. 
  

   On 
  October 
  10, 
  1908, 
  the 
  water 
  level 
  of 
  Lake 
  Champlain 
  was 
  

   3.107 
  meters 
  below 
  this 
  bolt 
  and 
  on 
  November 
  7, 
  1908, 
  it 
  was 
  

   3.186 
  meters 
  below 
  it. 
  A 
  plank 
  with 
  a 
  painted 
  scale 
  9 
  feet 
  long 
  

   is 
  attached 
  to 
  the 
  steamboat 
  landing 
  at 
  the 
  Plattsburg 
  dock, 
  and 
  

   on 
  November 
  28, 
  1908, 
  the 
  water 
  was 
  8.9 
  inches 
  below 
  the 
  foot 
  

   of 
  this 
  plank 
  and 
  the 
  bottom 
  of 
  the 
  scale. 
  As 
  the 
  water 
  at 
  the 
  

   time 
  of 
  the 
  spring 
  freshets 
  sometimes 
  completely 
  covers 
  the 
  docks 
  

   and 
  may 
  rise 
  to 
  or 
  over 
  the 
  9 
  foot 
  mark, 
  we 
  may 
  place 
  the 
  dis- 
  

   tance 
  in 
  level 
  between 
  exceptionally 
  high 
  and 
  exceptionally 
  low 
  

   water 
  at 
  about 
  10 
  feet, 
  and 
  this 
  is 
  but 
  slightly 
  exceeded 
  in 
  the 
  

   elevation 
  of 
  the 
  bare 
  rock 
  shores 
  of 
  Valcour 
  island 
  where 
  these 
  

   are 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  annual 
  washing 
  of 
  the 
  waves. 
  Of 
  this 
  exposed 
  

   surface 
  the 
  upper 
  foot 
  or 
  two 
  may 
  not 
  be 
  covered 
  for 
  some 
  seasons 
  

  

  