978 Tn A xs ACTIONS of Till': American Institute. 



commission, and its commercial importance does not reqnire ari^nment.. 

 From an examination of the liood wave of oscillation it appears that 

 its velocity is, from Sand_y Hook to Governor's FsJand 20. 3i miles, 

 thence to West Point 22.10, thence to Ponghkeepsie 15. Go, thence t» 

 Tivoli 20.20, thence to Stuyvesant 18.51, thence to Castleton 8.21, 

 and theiK'c to Albany 9.81 miles ])orhour; the mean ri^e beinui: at 

 Sandy Hook 4.8 feet, (xovenior's Ishuid 4.0, Ponghkee])sie ;).4, tStny- 

 vesant 3.07, Castleton 2.00, and Albany 2.5 feet above low tide level. 

 At Albany the time of hii^'h water is ten \\o\\v^ and tAventy minutes 

 later than at Sandy Hook, tlio mean duration of the flood bein^ four 

 hours and twenty-six minutes, and of the ebb seven hours and tilty- 

 nine minutes; at Tivoli the flood duration is five hours thirty-six 

 minutes, and ebb six hours firty-nine minutes; a: Poug"likee[)sie, 

 flood five hours forty-one minutes, ebb, six hours forty-four minutes, 

 at CTOvernor's Island, flood live hours fiffv-tour minutes, ebb six 

 hours thii'ty-one minutes. 



In a recent rep<»i't on the improvonent of the Ilndson. I had 

 occasion to show that the expcndilures made on the channel below 

 Troy, had amounted to more than $1,000,000, cliiefly since 1845, and 

 new expenditures are now annually made by the State and j^^overn- 

 ment. This ontlay lias been required on account of the lack of ebb 

 or down stream flow, at certain points of sufHcient power to prevent 

 silt deposits. It is evident from an inspection of the tidal notes 

 given, that above Pouglikeepsie, the current of the river is exposed 

 to continuous counter actions from the obstructed movement of the 

 flood wave and its want of Aolume and force in the upper- stream. 



jSTow if this tidal action can be changed so tliat the river Avill take 

 a stronger and swifter flpod, its level at Castleton will not only be. 

 raised, with a great improvement to commerce, but its ebl) velocity 

 and volume will be hicreascd, and the bcneiit Mill be felt all through 

 the river and at Sandy liook also. Its great fresh water volume 

 which flows past Port Edward 800 feet wide, and six to eight feet 

 deep, or past Albany t)5u feet Avide and ton feet deep, and is scarcely 

 brackish at Ponghkecpsie, will no longer be in part arrested and 

 wasted at tlie I'attcry and in the sound, but in all its power it will 

 be able to go out to sea, c.irrying the silt in susponsion, which it now 

 deposits along the upjvjr river, and directly near and at ]\^ew York, 

 where it meets the flood tide. So much of this city deposit as occurs 

 on account of this meeting, willthen be transferred to a point higher 

 up the river where it can do no harm, and in the improved ebb flow 



