Niagara Falls 



1901 extension northerly may be indicated by the promontory directly 



Hitchcock opposite the north end of the American fall, utilized as a pier 

 for the landing of the Maid of the Mist, for there is a rescission 

 in the cliff just behind. It would seem that the former northerly 

 extent of the island crowded the Canadian fall so that it was 

 compelled to excavate a place for itself, and cut into the wall 

 back of the promontory. 



The occurrence of fluviatile shells in various places along the 

 banks illustrates another phase in this history; the presence of 

 water, sometimes thirty feet above the present level. The high- 

 est locality observed is at the Bowen place, three miles above the 

 falls. Next, they are well shown in the recent excavations for 

 the new wheel-pit of the Cataract Construction Company. The 

 opening shows two feet of clay and sand at the surface, overlying 

 a thicker sandy mass containing Cyclas, Coniobaiss, Unio and 

 Planorbis in considerable abundance. At the base of the earthy 

 material is a mass of till ten feet thick, resting upon the glaciated 

 surface of the Niagara limestone. The locality upon Goat Island 

 has been studied by Lyell and Hall. In a gravel pit now being 

 excavated these same shells occur plentifully; some of the Unios 

 and Cyclas still having their valves closed. This deposit is fully 

 twenty-five feet thick, mostly of coarse gravel, readily correlated 

 with corresponding beds in the villages upon both sides of the 

 river. At Clifton sixteen species have been found, adding to the 

 above the genera Physa, Limnoea, Paludina, Amnicola, Mar- 

 garitana and Pisidium. Other localities are just below the rail- 

 road bridges on the west side, and on both sides of the whirl- 

 pool. Their surface altitudes vary from 566 to 575 feet above 

 the sea. Professor Hall says that the pebbles upon Goat Island 

 have been transported northerly, as they contain fragments of 

 the Black Rock limestone at Buffalo. He thinks the action was 

 fluviatile, the first condition having been that of a quiet lake, 

 followed by quite a strong current. Hence, the correlation is 

 with the lake covering this region after the deposition of the 

 Lundy beach. 



638 



