Preservation of the Falls 



After a review of the " conditions in that portion of the 1908 

 Niagara River between the point where it receives the effluent anop 

 waters of Lake Erie and the first of the cascades over which it 

 tumbles in its headlong course to the Falls," the author says 

 " Not all of Dr. Spencer's faulty reasoning is embodied in the 

 quotations made, but enough is quoted to bring out the fallacy 

 of his conclusions and to enable me to demonstrate the facts to 

 be counter to his statement of them." . . . "I have set 

 forth the habits of obedience to the laws of hydraulics universally 

 found among rivers. Dr. Spencer substitutes the speculations of 

 a geologist for the deductions of the hydraulician, and reaches 

 conclusions which do violence to all hydraulic law." 



The facts set forth herein and illustrated by the exhibits prove 

 beyond contradiction that the works of the Ontario Power Com- 

 pany do not tend to lower the water above the first cascade. 

 This being true, the only water extracted for power purposes 

 which tends to lower the water above the first cascade is taken 

 by Niagara Falls Power Company and the Niagara Falls 

 Hydraulic Power and Manufacturing Company on the New 

 York side. The volume taken by the first of the companies is 

 8,500 cubic feet, and by the second 4,000 cubic feet or a com- 

 bined volume of 12,500 cubic feet; somewhat less than the 

 44,750 cubic feet per second upon which Dr. Spencer predicated 

 his argument. 



That the water taken from the river for power purposes above 

 the falls must to the degree of taking diminish the volume tumbling 

 over the precipice is indisputable. This diminution has not as 

 yet marred the scenic beauty of this wonderful work of nature, 

 but the volume of diversion can not be much increased without 

 marring that beauty. It is within the range of accomplishment 

 to greatly increase the volume of water to be converted into power 

 and still preserve the sublimity, grandeur and beauty of the falls 

 and the expenditure necessary would be amply justified by the 

 results. This is an idea which need not be amplified here but it 

 leads up to the great question of the conservation of the waters 



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