﻿NIAGARA 
  FALLS 
  AND 
  VICINITY 
  73 
  

  

  rapidly. 
  " 
  When 
  the 
  Canadian 
  fall 
  reached 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  island, 
  

   the 
  American 
  had 
  just 
  passed 
  it, 
  and 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  sheet 
  of 
  water 
  on 
  

   Winterg-reen 
  flat 
  was 
  drained 
  eastward 
  into 
  the 
  gorge 
  opened 
  by 
  the 
  

   American 
  fall. 
  The 
  Canadian 
  fall, 
  through 
  the 
  loss 
  of 
  this 
  water, 
  

   becarhe 
  less' 
  active, 
  and 
  soon 
  fell 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  race."^ 
  By 
  the 
  final 
  re- 
  

   treat 
  of 
  the 
  American 
  fall 
  beyond 
  the 
  southern 
  end 
  of 
  Wintergreen 
  

   flat, 
  the 
  latter 
  was 
  left 
  as 
  a 
  dry 
  platform 
  with 
  precipitous 
  sides, 
  over 
  

   which 
  once 
  poured 
  a 
  portion 
  of 
  Niagara's 
  torrent. 
  

  

  While 
  the 
  occurrence 
  of 
  an 
  island 
  in 
  the 
  position 
  pointed 
  out 
  by 
  

   Gilbert 
  was 
  undoubtedly 
  the 
  immediate 
  cause 
  of 
  the 
  division 
  of 
  the 
  

   falls, 
  the 
  more 
  fundamental 
  cause, 
  and 
  the 
  one 
  to 
  which 
  the 
  island 
  

   itself 
  owed 
  its 
  existence, 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  sought 
  elsewhere. 
  From 
  an 
  in- 
  

   spection 
  of 
  the 
  map 
  the 
  suggestion 
  presents 
  itself 
  that 
  there 
  may 
  

   be 
  a 
  vital 
  connection 
  between 
  the 
  abandoned 
  falls 
  at 
  Fosters 
  flats 
  

   and 
  the 
  great 
  bend 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  at 
  the 
  whirlpool. 
  When 
  a 
  great 
  

   river 
  runs 
  for 
  a 
  mile 
  or 
  more 
  in 
  a 
  straight 
  line, 
  as 
  the 
  Niagara 
  does 
  

   above 
  the 
  whirlpool, 
  and 
  then 
  abruptly 
  turns 
  to 
  the 
  right, 
  the 
  cur- 
  

   rent 
  is 
  deflected 
  by 
  this 
  sudden 
  change 
  in 
  direction 
  to 
  the 
  right 
  bank 
  

   of 
  the 
  river 
  below 
  the 
  bend, 
  which 
  it 
  continues 
  to 
  hug 
  till 
  again 
  de- 
  

   flected. 
  It 
  is 
  thus 
  that 
  the 
  greatest 
  amount 
  of 
  water 
  will 
  be 
  carried 
  

   along 
  the 
  right 
  bank 
  of 
  the 
  river, 
  causing 
  a 
  deeper 
  channeling 
  there. 
  

   When 
  Niagara 
  falls 
  had 
  receded 
  to 
  the 
  present 
  northern 
  end 
  of 
  

   Foster's 
  flats, 
  the 
  greatest 
  amount 
  of 
  water 
  was 
  carried 
  over 
  its 
  

   right 
  side. 
  The 
  resulting 
  deepening 
  of 
  the 
  channel 
  on 
  the 
  right, 
  

   and 
  the 
  consequent 
  drawing 
  off 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  toward 
  that 
  side, 
  was 
  

   the 
  cause 
  of 
  the 
  appearance 
  of 
  the 
  island 
  (if 
  such 
  existed, 
  as 
  seems 
  

   probable 
  from 
  the 
  remaining 
  foundation) 
  above 
  the 
  water 
  and 
  the 
  

   consecjuent 
  division 
  of 
  the 
  falls. 
  A 
  precisely 
  analogous 
  feature 
  oc- 
  

   curs 
  in 
  the 
  lower 
  falls 
  of 
  the 
  Genesee 
  river 
  below 
  Portage. 
  Here, 
  

   however, 
  no 
  island 
  was 
  formed, 
  though 
  in 
  other 
  respects 
  the 
  two 
  

   cases 
  are 
  nearly 
  alike. 
  In 
  the 
  Genesee 
  the 
  change 
  has 
  occurred 
  

   in 
  comparatively 
  recent 
  times, 
  and 
  records 
  of 
  earlier 
  conditions 
  have 
  

   been 
  preserved. 
  An 
  abrupt 
  bend 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  to 
  the 
  right, 
  deflected 
  

   the 
  current 
  to 
  the 
  right 
  bank 
  below 
  the 
  bend, 
  and 
  thus 
  caused 
  the 
  

   deepening 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  bed 
  on 
  that 
  side, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  more 
  rapid 
  

  

  ^Gilbert. 
  Nat. 
  geog. 
  monographs. 
  Niagara 
  falls 
  and 
  their 
  history. 
  

  

  