﻿NIAGARA 
  FALLS 
  AND 
  VICINITY 
  77 
  

  

  been 
  formed 
  by 
  a 
  river 
  and 
  cataract 
  similar 
  to 
  the 
  Niagara 
  of 
  today, 
  

   during 
  interglacial 
  time. 
  That 
  this 
  old 
  channel 
  was 
  once 
  occupied 
  

   by 
  ice 
  is 
  shown 
  by 
  the 
  glacial 
  scratches 
  on 
  the 
  limestone 
  ledges 
  ex- 
  

   posed 
  in 
  the 
  western 
  wall 
  of 
  the 
  old 
  gorge, 
  where 
  this 
  has 
  been 
  

   cleared 
  of 
  drift 
  by 
  Bowmans 
  creek, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  apparent 
  that 
  the 
  filling 
  

   in 
  by 
  drift 
  must 
  have 
  occurred 
  after 
  the 
  ice 
  occupation. 
  An 
  in- 
  

   spection 
  of 
  the 
  map 
  will 
  show 
  that 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  Niagara 
  

   gorge, 
  that 
  containing 
  the 
  whirlpool 
  rapids, 
  is 
  in 
  direct 
  continuation 
  

   of 
  the 
  old 
  St 
  Davids 
  channel, 
  and 
  that, 
  a 
  little 
  above 
  the 
  railroad 
  

   bridges, 
  the 
  Niagara 
  makes 
  a 
  pronounced 
  bend, 
  which 
  brings 
  it 
  in 
  

   conformity 
  with 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  this 
  channel. 
  This 
  suggests 
  that 
  

   there 
  was 
  at 
  least 
  a 
  shallow 
  depression, 
  the 
  insignificant 
  southeast- 
  

   ward 
  continuation 
  of 
  the 
  St 
  Davids 
  channel, 
  which 
  guided 
  the 
  

   waters 
  of 
  the 
  Niagara 
  in 
  this 
  direction. 
  Here 
  a 
  question 
  of 
  great 
  

   importance 
  in 
  the 
  history 
  of 
  the 
  Niagara 
  presents 
  itself. 
  Did 
  the 
  

   ancient 
  St 
  Davids 
  gorge 
  end 
  where 
  is 
  now 
  the 
  south 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  

   whirlpool, 
  with 
  only 
  a 
  shallow 
  surface 
  channel 
  extending 
  beyond 
  

   this 
  point, 
  or 
  was 
  the 
  gorge 
  of 
  the 
  whirlpool 
  rapids 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  

   old 
  St 
  Davids 
  channel, 
  w^hich 
  was 
  merely 
  cleared 
  by 
  the 
  Niagara 
  

   of 
  the 
  drift 
  that 
  filled 
  it? 
  The 
  latter 
  condition 
  was 
  assumed 
  to 
  be 
  

   the 
  true 
  one 
  by 
  Dr 
  Julius 
  Pohlman 
  of 
  Bufifalo, 
  a 
  pioneer 
  in 
  the 
  study 
  

   of 
  the 
  Niagara 
  gorge 
  and 
  the 
  first 
  to 
  recognize 
  the 
  complexity 
  of 
  

   the 
  channel 
  and 
  attempt 
  to 
  account 
  for 
  its 
  varying 
  character. 
  The 
  

   theory 
  is 
  still 
  held 
  by 
  many 
  geologists. 
  On 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  Taylor 
  

   and 
  others 
  think 
  it 
  more 
  Hkely 
  that 
  the 
  ancient 
  gorge 
  stopped 
  where 
  

   is 
  now 
  the 
  inlet 
  to 
  the 
  whirlpool, 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  gorge 
  above 
  it 
  is 
  

   the 
  product 
  of 
  post-glacial 
  erosion. 
  If 
  this 
  view 
  be 
  accepted, 
  the 
  

   narrowness 
  and 
  shallowness 
  of 
  the 
  gorge 
  of 
  the 
  whirlpool 
  rapids 
  

   must 
  be 
  accounted 
  for 
  by 
  some 
  change 
  in 
  the 
  volume 
  of 
  water 
  dur- 
  

   ing 
  its 
  formation. 
  Taylor, 
  who 
  has 
  studied 
  this 
  problem, 
  has 
  come 
  

   to 
  the 
  conclusion 
  that, 
  during 
  the 
  time 
  that 
  the 
  gorge 
  of 
  the 
  whirl- 
  

   pool 
  rapids 
  was 
  being 
  excavated, 
  the 
  upper 
  great 
  lakes 
  (then 
  united 
  

   into 
  Lake 
  Nipissing) 
  discharged 
  by 
  way 
  of 
  the 
  Nipissing-Mattawa 
  

   river 
  as 
  already 
  outlined, 
  and 
  that 
  therefore 
  Niagara 
  drained 
  only 
  

   the 
  shallow 
  Lake 
  Erie, 
  the 
  amount 
  of 
  water 
  in 
  the 
  river 
  being 
  only 
  

   one 
  eighth 
  its 
  present 
  volume. 
  It 
  is 
  easy 
  to 
  see 
  that 
  such 
  a 
  reduc- 
  

  

  