1S94.J MC CLIN'fOCK — FI^OODS IN THE GENESEE RIVER. 29I 



"This shows that the flood starting from Mt. Morris moved at 

 the following speeds : To Geneseo, six-tenths miles per hour ; from 

 there to York, fourteen-one-hundreths miles per hour ; from there 

 to Avon, twenty-one-one-hundreths miles per hour; and from there 

 to Rochester, Court street dam, two and one-quarter miles per hour. 

 The total time from Mt. Morris to Rochester, 59 hsurs. 



"Apparently the velocity increases gradually, although not regu- 

 larly, but depending upon the width of the valley, which is very much 

 narrower below Avon than above and affords less storage capacity. 



"From our observations at Rochester, we had come to the con- 

 clusion that the flow of water during this flood was nearly one-third 

 less than was the flow of 1865, when so much damage was done. I 

 was able to verify this conclusion by interviews with old residents at 

 various points along the river. At York the high water of 1865 was 

 about three feet above that of 1894; at Avon it was somewhat over 

 two feet. 



" One other important point was as to whether the great flats 

 would furnish storage room for the flood, below the surface of its 

 ground, to any such extent as is usually assumed. This I was able to 

 learn by ocular demonstration. 



"The river banks proper are generally quite steep, of clayey soil, 

 from eight to twelve feet high, and as the level of the river has fallen 

 from twelve to fifteen feet within a few days the ground has not had 

 time to dry out, but was exuding water from its whole surface. This 

 showed that the flats act as a great storage. The importance of this 

 will be shown by Mr. Rafter in his forthcoming report on the proposed 

 storage dam. He will call attention to the fact that the 60 to 80 

 square miles of flats when soaked with water will hold far more than 

 the frreatreservoir to be made." 



June i 1, 1894. 



STATED meeting. 



The President, Professor H. L. Fairchild, in the chair. 

 Thirty-five persons present. 



