Age Of Niagara Falls

Prof. J. W. Spencer says that the first coiijecture as to the age of Niágara Falla was made by Andrew i:i!icott in 1790. Eilicott believed the falls to be 55,000 years old. About 1841 Lyell estimated the ago oí the faais as 35,000 years. All of these estimates Avere pure conjectures, but they were correct in assuming that the gorge had been excavated by the river. lrof. Spencer, in outlining the prog-ress of the falls, says that a little stream draining the Erie basin once feil about 200 feet from the brow of the Niágara escarpment. This stream was not over one-fourth the Yolume of the present cataract, and consequent ly excavated the gorge at a much Blower rate than at present. During the early hietory of the river the waters o! the three upper lakes emptied through the Huron basin by way of the Ottawa river. The height of the ialis has incn : severa! times. The first episode, represented by a email river ía ling 200 feet, lásted 11,000 jycars. Then the height of the ialis was increased to 400 feet, and took the drainage of all the upper great lakes. At the 'c time there was a series oï cascades, three in all, the lower gaining on the upper until finally they were all united in one great cataract, much higher than that of to-day. Bubsequently the waters were raised at tlie head of Lake Ontario, and the falla approximated to the present conclitions aftcr a lapse of 1,000 years and another 1,000 years was probably occupied by transitorial changes of a very gradual character. It Is now 8,000 years since Iake Huron emptied into Lake Erie for the first time. The land bas risen about the outlet of Lake Erie, and if the present rate of change continúes in 5,000 or 6,000 years the waters of the tour lakes will be turned into the Mississippi river drainage at Chicago.