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Show power, from which considerable allowance allow-ance must be made for transformation Into useful work. The water to be withdrawn before It reaches tho rapids Is 22 to 25 per cent of the total volume vol-ume at the man stage and 27 to 32 at very low stages. But the total diversion di-version from everywhere will reach 40 to 44 per cent of the rlvcr."i Dr. Spencer reported that a period of high water prevailed during the last two years, and. In consequence, the diversion produced no apparent effect ef-fect He Jeclared, however, that tho water was falling, and that there will be a diminished supply. "Since 1890," he reported, "the water has fallen sixteen Inches or more on tho rapids, so that the higher rocks appear above the surface where formerly form-erly none was seen. The rocks are appearing ap-pearing more and more. The danger is upon us, for on the Goat Island 6lde the depth of water is not more than six to twelve inches. Toward the Canadian Can-adian side the river is deeper, but, in addition to the lowering of tho water lovel in the upper basin, some 20,000 cubic feet a second will be taken near the, foot of the rapids by the two other oth-er Canadian power companies, which will damage further the sheet of water at the great cataract. Already great damage has been done that olrla TVia r'nnmllnn anthnrl- on that side, Tho canauian aumou-tles aumou-tles have filled in tho river, thus reducing re-ducing the breadth of the falls by 415 feet and leaving a bare wall where formerly there was a veil of water. If this had been done as a diversion by all the power plants. It would have broken up the river Into a few scattered scatter-ed streams, which would have been a constant reminder of the damage to the falls. "Full use of the power will drain another an-other 200 feet on this side, where also the wing-walls of tho dams arc making a cross-current so as to Increase the cutting by the falls on the Goat Island Is-land side of the apex." NIAGARA IS BEING DAMAGED. Being based upon scientific Investigation, Investi-gation, the report of Dr. J, W. Spencer, of Washington, upon tho changes at Niagara Falls is significant and of especial interest to Americans concerned con-cerned In the crusade to preserve the falls. , Dr. Spencer's report was made to the American Civic association, which has fought for years to protect Niagara Falls, from further spoliation. In part, the report read: "Stretching across the river at the head of Goat Island, is a rim of rocks which obstructs the basin above the upper rapids. This harrier is two to five feet higher than the rocky floor of the outlet of Lake Erie, and. therefore, there-fore, is the true rock rlm of the lake. At the Goat Island end of the rim the depth of the river at mean water is only half a foot to a foot; beyond Sister Sis-ter Islands it is two and a half feet to somewhat deeper. In tho middle of the river tho rocky ridge Is barely covered at mean water, and at low water, such as occurred in 1891, it is quite bare. Between the end of the reef and the Canadian shore, the depth reaches to eight and nine feet. "The American channel is less than three feet deep at mean water, and Just above it there is a reef where the dopth is only a foot and a half. . This reaches nearly across the channel to the main New York shore. "The rock-rim Is the danger lino. The Chicago canal has been using 4.000 cubic feet of water a second; but with Us Immediate perspective uso of 10,000, Lake Erie will be lowered nearly six inches, and the basin above the UDDer ranids to mor than hif this amount. Two power companies on the New York side have canals reaching to greater depths below the river surface than the rock-rim. The effect of these openings is to enlarge the river channel, Just as if two holes were made In tho side of a watering-trough, watering-trough, with the supply silll running over the rim, which holes would lower the overflow. "One of the companies on the Canadian Can-adian side has extended the basin into a winged dam deepened in the rocks, and the effect of taking the water from It is very much as if a hole were made in the bottom of the watering-trough, watering-trough, still further lowering the overflow. over-flow. Thus It Is seen that all the water taken from the river before it i passes the rock-rim tends to lower the ' level of the basin, and Is not a case of diversion from one channel to another, an-other, so that the overflow eventually must cease where the rim is highest, and thus the distribution of tho water on the falls must be cut off in places, doing great damage to the cataract. "The mean discharge of Niagara river is 204,000 cubic feet a second, of which only 10,000 feet go over tho American falls. The low water discharge dis-charge may fall to ICO.000 cubic feet. This may be converted Into horsepower, horse-power, as each foot falling from the basin to the bottom of the cataract corresponds to about 24 gross horse- |