Show WATER LEVELS ON LAKES LOW I Resort and anti Ship Owners r Worried Over Receding I ing Waters Vaters HY ny OLIVER OLI 1111 Correspondent of ot The Tho Standard rt n I Copyright IOU BY Y The Consoli Consolidated dated Press Preas CHICAGO May 15 Ate 15 Are the tho Great Lakes the tho world worlds world's most vital Inland waterways e naturally dry dry- dryIng dry I ing drying n up UI or are they b being drained I dry by increasing artificial diver diversion Ion sion don of ot laker laker- water Mater T That Is no academic Question for those thoe who wha have seen seOn lakes lakel Michigan and Huron go down four faur feet 1318 1918 It I lo ia a most moat serious occurrence which Is li c ac accentuated c just at this time by an- an announcement announcement an announcement ot of the CaUl Canadian gov- gov gov government that Lake Superior line has dropped nine Inches since April lest lut year ear ur Resort owners hors here this week for the tho national outdoor life lite ex- ex ex exposition position Ore lire thoroughly perturbed over their recoding lake frontS Lake shipping interests Interest losing U 7 In freight reI returns Urns an- an annually an annually through the low level levels are vitally affected State officials have become al alarmed and nd both the United States supreme court coutt and congre congress have pending qUell ques questions lions growing crowing Out but of o the disturb disturb- disturbing disturbing In ing situation NOT ALARMING AL But a study of lake I levels vels over overa II ft fIOd ot of CS 65 S years ae acorn acorns ml to In- In Indicate In Indicate that thOro Is nothing to bo be unduly alarmed about at this stage Nature simply has a mean trick on tb the he Great Lakes country and with the help of af Chicago and a I few other ather cities has Created a serious but temporary lowering of oC the lakes While Lakes And nd Huron Huton at the ardent lime Areat at the lowest lou point In III re recorded re- re recorded recorded corded history the writer la Is going back over the lake level records find Ind that there have been other ather timet when situations almost as bad abad existed In the past put 66 65 years Lake Lokes Michigan and Huron Buron have varied nearly elx feet In their levels thau though h the tendency has been do downward In In 1835 1805 the tho levels le were within hilt a toot of or being as low as is at present while whilo In 2486 1886 they were six Ix f feet ot above the present level evel The charts charta show how cycles of from five fIte to 10 years When the tho tendency first Is up an and l then down Rainfall or Dr rather rUther the lack or of It and a high rate o of are arc set down as the tho main causes for the fluctuations In fact tact out of the tho last 40 Inches of tall fall It 1 I IC estimated that 22 Inches were caused by light rain and heavy i evaporation eight Inches by In- In Increasing In Increasing I creasing the flow In the St Clair Chair and Detroit rivers between en five and six aix Inches bv by the the diversion of water at Chicago Chlea for disposal or of the city's inches by Superior lor retention of ot water- water in Luke Lake Super Super- lor for tor power purposes and two Inches by diversion of water from Lake au ErIe AG AGAINST CHICAGO beIng Just now a bitter fight Is be- be b be Ing waged against Chicago for diverting dl a great amount of ot wa- wa wa 0 ter water for sewage sewa disposal purposes This diversion Is la admitted d by Chicago and Is said by army en engineers en- en engineer to be responsible for near near- nearly nearly nearly ly six inches ot of o the lowering lowering- lake levels While not hot the princIpal causo for tor the big biK dron of o several fe feet t the claim Is la that Chicago's diversion Is the last straw In breaking the tho patience of thos those who wha are lire affected by the Ute receding levels level The whole situation Is made more by the fact tact that Great Lakes Lokes freight carriers the most economical In the world are largely built buill for a foot 22 draft It Is to load them to capacity to get tel maximum returns but the shallow harbors resulting from the lowered lakes takei make a foot 19 draft drat about the maximum However It if nature follows follow the tho course courso she Bhe has taken In the past pastI pasta I a turn for tor the better should b expected before many moons with witha a gradual rise of af lake levels In store |