. He was
likewise a prominent leader of the Democratic party in N.Y. State. In
1899 his widow, Mary E. Richmond, erected here in memory of a son a
library which contains about 15,000 volumes.

Among the education institutions here are the N.Y. State School for the
Blind and St. Joseph's Academy (Roman Catholic). The historical museum
in the old Holland Land Office* contains a good collection of early
state relics. The two old guns in front were cast in the N.Y. State
Arsenal, which manufactured arms for use in the War of 1812.

Among the manufactures are harvesters, ploughs, threshers and other
agricultural implements, firearms, rubber tires, shoes, shell goods,
paper-boxes, and inside woodwork.

We now approach Buffalo, beyond which our route closely parallels Lake
Erie. We thus get our first view of one of America's great inland seas
in this part of the route, although at certain points between Syracuse
and Buffalo (notably at Rochester) our train has passed only a few miles
south of Lake Ontario.

The five Great Lakes--Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie and
Ontario--lie between the U.S. and Canada and form the headwaters
of the St. Lawrence River system. They cover an area of 94,000
Sq. M. The Great Lakes date back to Glacial period or before, but
it is probable that a "warping" of the earth's crust and a
consequent reversal of drainage areas have been among the most
potent causes of the formation of these great inland seas. Some
of the most salient facts about the Great Lakes are given in the
following table:

The Great Lakes

Superior Michigan Huron Erie Ontario
Greatest Length (M.) 360 307 206 241 193
Greatest Breadth (M.) 160 118 101 57 53
Deepest Soundings (Ft.) 1,012 870 750 210 738
Area (Sq. M.) 32,060 22,336 22,978 9,968 7,243
Above sea level (Ft.) 602 581 581 572 246
U.S. shore line (M.) 735 1,200 470 350 230

The population of the states and provinces bordering on the Great
Lakes is estimated to be 50,000,000 or more. In Pennsylvania and
Ohio, south of Lake Erie, there are large coal fields.
Surrounding Lake Michigan and west of Lake Superior are vast
grain growing plains, and the prairies of the