﻿NIAGARA 
  FALLS 
  AND 
  VICINITY 
  II3 
  

  

  face, 
  as 
  at 
  the 
  whirlpool 
  on 
  the 
  Canadian 
  side, 
  at 
  the 
  fall 
  of 
  Muddy 
  

   brook, 
  and 
  near 
  Clifton, 
  these 
  fossils 
  are 
  generally 
  weathered 
  out 
  in 
  

   relief. 
  They 
  are 
  however 
  not 
  readily 
  separated 
  from 
  the 
  rock. 
  

   Many 
  of 
  the 
  geodes 
  still 
  show 
  traces 
  of 
  coral 
  structure, 
  which 
  is 
  

   sometimes 
  shown 
  in 
  the 
  included 
  gypsum. 
  

  

  The 
  limestone 
  is 
  well 
  exposed 
  in 
  the 
  cliff 
  at 
  Goat 
  island, 
  where 
  it 
  

   has 
  a 
  total 
  thickness 
  of 
  about 
  i 
  lo 
  feet. 
  The 
  contact 
  between 
  the 
  shale 
  

   and 
  limestone 
  can 
  be 
  seen 
  near 
  the 
  entrance 
  to 
  the 
  Cave 
  of 
  the 
  

   Winds, 
  where 
  it 
  is 
  about 
  a 
  foot 
  above 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  the 
  stairs. 
  The 
  roof 
  

   of 
  the 
  Cave 
  of 
  the 
  Winds 
  is 
  formed 
  by 
  the 
  crystalline 
  crinoidal 
  lime- 
  

   stone, 
  the 
  same 
  bed 
  which 
  forms 
  the 
  roofs 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  minor 
  caverns 
  

   along 
  the 
  gorge. 
  The 
  cement 
  beds, 
  about 
  lo 
  feet 
  thick, 
  together 
  

   with 
  the 
  70 
  feet 
  of 
  Rochester 
  shale, 
  are 
  removed 
  by 
  the 
  spray 
  to 
  a 
  

   depth 
  of 
  perhaps 
  30 
  or 
  40 
  feet, 
  the 
  floor 
  of 
  the 
  cave 
  being 
  probably 
  

   on 
  the 
  upper 
  Clinton 
  limestone, 
  thus 
  making 
  the 
  hight 
  of 
  the 
  

   cavern 
  80 
  feet. 
  Floored 
  and 
  roofed 
  by 
  resisting 
  beds 
  of 
  crystalline 
  

   limestone, 
  this 
  great 
  cavern 
  is 
  a 
  fit 
  illustration 
  of 
  selective 
  erosion 
  by 
  

   falling 
  water 
  on 
  rocks 
  of 
  unequal 
  hardness. 
  

  

  The 
  massive 
  limestone 
  which 
  forms 
  the 
  vertical 
  clifif 
  of 
  Goat 
  island 
  

   is 
  68 
  feet 
  thick, 
  its 
  base 
  being 
  on 
  a 
  level 
  with 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  the 
  Biddle 
  

   stairway. 
  The 
  top 
  of 
  this 
  clifif 
  marks 
  approximately 
  the 
  level 
  of 
  

   the 
  falls 
  on 
  either 
  side 
  of 
  Goat 
  island, 
  which 
  therefore 
  have 
  a 
  total 
  

   thickness 
  of 
  nearly 
  80 
  feet 
  of 
  limestone, 
  of 
  which 
  however 
  the 
  lowest 
  

   10 
  feet 
  yield 
  to 
  erosion 
  as 
  does 
  the 
  underlying 
  shale. 
  We 
  may 
  thus 
  

   say 
  that 
  at 
  the 
  falls 
  there 
  are 
  70 
  feet 
  of 
  resistant 
  limestone 
  on 
  top, 
  

   and 
  80 
  feet 
  of 
  yielding 
  shales 
  and 
  Hmestones 
  below. 
  As 
  the 
  crest 
  of 
  

   the 
  falls 
  approximates 
  160 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  river 
  below, 
  at 
  least 
  10 
  feet 
  

   of 
  Clinton 
  limestone 
  are 
  found 
  above 
  the 
  water 
  level. 
  

  

  From 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  the 
  vertical 
  clifif 
  at 
  Goat 
  island 
  a 
  sloping 
  bank 
  

   exposing 
  thin 
  bedded 
  limestones, 
  overlaid 
  by 
  about 
  10 
  feet 
  of 
  shell- 
  

   bearing 
  gravels, 
  rises 
  to 
  a 
  hight 
  of 
  about 
  40 
  feet, 
  while 
  on 
  either 
  

   side 
  of 
  Goat 
  island 
  these 
  thin 
  bedded 
  limestones 
  form 
  the 
  rapids 
  

   above 
  the 
  two 
  falls. 
  As 
  the 
  total 
  hight 
  of 
  the 
  rapids 
  is 
  about 
  50 
  

   feet, 
  and, 
  as 
  they 
  are 
  formed 
  along 
  the 
  strike 
  of 
  the 
  beds 
  owing 
  to 
  

   the 
  right-angled 
  turn 
  in 
  the 
  river 
  at 
  this 
  point, 
  the 
  thickness 
  to 
  be 
  

   added 
  to 
  the 
  known 
  limestone 
  mass 
  is 
  not 
  over 
  50 
  feet, 
  giving 
  a 
  total 
  

   thickness 
  of 
  130 
  feet 
  of 
  limestone 
  exposed 
  within 
  this 
  region. 
  

  

  