64 F. B. TAYLOR—ORIGIN OF GORGE OF WHIRLPOOL RAPIDS. 
made a close estimate of its depth and places it at about 35 feet.* The 
narrowness and shallowness of this section are quite striking in compari- 
son with the Upper Great gorge and with some other sections lower down. 
EDDY BASIN 
The gorge of the Whirlpool rapids ends abruptly at the north at a point 
about 100 rods above the south side of the Whirlpool. At this place the 
gorge suddenly expands to a width of about 1,200 feet and appears to be 
quite deep. The tempestuous waters of the aor above issue from the 
mouth of the narrow gorge with such high velocity that their momentum 
carries them clear across the short deep section and into the Whirlpool 
before they lose their ruffled aspect. The greater part of the expansion 
of this section is toward the west side, so that as the current rushes out 
of the gorge of the rapids above it crosses not exactly in the center, but 
toward the east side of the basin, leaving the water of the west side com- 
paratively undisturbed. On that side a slow return current sets back 
toward the south, forming a large but gentle eddy. The current is of 
great volume, but it moves very slowly, and the manner of its motion 
suggests great depth. The best point from which to see the action of the 
water in this section is from the top of the gorge on the west side, where 
a projecting point affords a view over the eddy to the eastward and over 
the Whirlpool to the north. 
It is very desirable—indeed almost indispensable—to have some dis- 
tinguishing name for this short, deep section of the gorge. The best name 
that has suggested itself to the writer is derived from what is perhaps the 
most characteristic feature of the section, the large eddy. For the pur- 
poses of this paper, therefore, this section may be called the Eddy basin. 
The Whirlpool is sometimes spoken of as an eddy, and possibly it is 
properly so classed; but if it is an eddy, it is one of a peculiar kind, for 
the river in the Whirlpool makes a great loop, turning from a northerly 
direction toward the west and then back to the south, passing out to the 
east by descending and going under the entering current. This curious 
figure of an underdoubled loop is performed by almost the entire volume 
of the river. In the Eddy basin, on the other hand, the current forms a 
side whirl or eddy of the common type, involving only a small fraction 
of the whole stream. The Eddy bears no comparison to the Whirlpool 
as a scenic feature of the river, but it isa convenient mark of distinction 
for this section. The name ‘‘ Whirlpool” has become inseparably at- 
tached to the great loop, and it is seldom spoken of by any other. ‘There 
appears to be no bar, therefore, to the use of the name “ Eddy ” for the 
5s 
*G. K. Gilbert: ‘‘ Profile of the bed of the Niagara in its gorge.” (Abstract.) Am, Geologist, 
yol, xyili, Oct,, 1896, p. 232, 
