﻿80 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  the 
  ancient 
  falls 
  was 
  situated 
  at 
  the 
  point 
  where 
  the 
  gorge 
  contracts 
  

   to 
  the 
  width 
  of 
  the 
  narrower 
  channel 
  of 
  the 
  whirlpool 
  rapids. 
  

  

  It 
  will 
  thus 
  be 
  seen 
  that 
  this 
  interesting 
  problem 
  of 
  the 
  origin 
  

   of 
  the 
  gorge 
  of 
  the 
  whirlpool 
  rapids, 
  propounded 
  nearly 
  20 
  years 
  

   ago 
  by 
  Dr 
  Pohlman, 
  is 
  by 
  no 
  means 
  wholly 
  solved. 
  We 
  may 
  re- 
  

   turn 
  to 
  the 
  original 
  solution 
  of 
  the 
  propounder 
  of 
  the 
  question 
  or 
  

   we 
  may 
  find 
  new 
  evidence 
  which 
  will 
  corroborate 
  Taylor's 
  explana- 
  

   tion. 
  And 
  who 
  shall 
  say 
  that 
  still 
  other 
  explanations 
  of 
  these 
  fea- 
  

   tures 
  may 
  not 
  be 
  forthcoming 
  in 
  the 
  future, 
  when 
  those 
  now 
  de- 
  

   manding 
  attention 
  will 
  be 
  no 
  longer 
  regarded 
  as 
  plausible 
  or 
  suffi- 
  

   cient? 
  

  

  The 
  upper 
  gorge 
  and 
  the 
  falls 
  

  

  PLATES 
  I, 
  2, 
  4, 
  5, 
  II 
  

  

  Whatever 
  may 
  be 
  believed 
  with 
  reference 
  to 
  the 
  narrow 
  gorge 
  of 
  

   the 
  whirlpool 
  rapids, 
  most 
  observers 
  agree 
  that 
  the 
  broad 
  and 
  deep 
  

   gorge 
  from 
  Clifton 
  to 
  the 
  present 
  falls 
  was 
  made 
  by 
  a 
  cataract 
  carry- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  full 
  supply 
  of 
  water. 
  This, 
  the 
  latest 
  and 
  most 
  readily 
  in- 
  

   terpreted 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  gorge, 
  has 
  come 
  to 
  an 
  end 
  at 
  the 
  Horseshoe 
  

   falls 
  of 
  today, 
  and 
  the 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  channel 
  hereafter 
  to 
  be 
  made 
  

   can 
  only 
  be 
  conjectured. 
  The 
  river 
  has 
  reached 
  another 
  of 
  its 
  

   critical 
  points, 
  where 
  a 
  rectangular 
  turn 
  is 
  made, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  im- 
  

   probable 
  that, 
  as 
  at 
  the 
  other 
  turns, 
  so 
  here 
  the 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  

   gorge 
  will 
  change. 
  Already 
  a 
  short 
  channel, 
  considerably 
  narrower 
  

   than 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  last 
  preceding 
  portion, 
  has 
  been 
  cut 
  by 
  the 
  Horse- 
  

   shoe 
  falls. 
  (Fig. 
  19) 
  This 
  narrowness 
  of 
  the 
  channel 
  is 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  

   concentration 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  at 
  the 
  center 
  of 
  the 
  stream. 
  It 
  is 
  easy 
  to 
  

   see 
  that 
  Goat 
  island 
  and 
  the 
  other 
  islands 
  owe 
  their 
  existence 
  to 
  this 
  

   concentration 
  of 
  the 
  water; 
  for 
  at 
  one 
  time, 
  as 
  shown 
  by 
  the 
  shell- 
  

   bearing 
  gravels, 
  these 
  islands 
  were 
  under 
  water. 
  The 
  channel 
  

   above 
  the 
  Horseshoe 
  falls 
  has 
  been 
  cut 
  more 
  than 
  50 
  feet 
  below 
  the 
  

   summit 
  of 
  Goat 
  island 
  at 
  the 
  falls, 
  while 
  the 
  upper 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  island 
  

   is 
  still 
  at 
  the 
  level 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  in 
  the 
  river. 
  

  

  Goat 
  island 
  lies 
  on 
  one 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  main 
  mass 
  of 
  forward 
  rushing 
  

   water, 
  which 
  passes 
  it 
  and 
  strikes 
  the 
  Canadian 
  bank, 
  from 
  which 
  it 
  

   is 
  deflected 
  toward 
  the 
  center 
  of 
  the 
  cataract, 
  which 
  portion 
  is 
  thus 
  

   deepened 
  and 
  worn 
  back 
  most 
  rapidly. 
  The 
  directions 
  of 
  the 
  cur- 
  

  

  