﻿HYDROLOGY 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  33 
  

  

  fall 
  are 
  such 
  as 
  to 
  insure 
  a 
  large 
  enough 
  runoff 
  of 
  streams 
  to 
  

   furnish, 
  even 
  under 
  natural 
  conditions, 
  considerable 
  waterpower. 
  

  

  Artificial 
  modifications. 
  Natural 
  conditions 
  have 
  been 
  largely 
  

   interfered 
  with 
  by 
  the 
  cutting 
  off 
  of 
  forests 
  and 
  the 
  consequent 
  

   extensive 
  development 
  of 
  the 
  agricultural 
  interests 
  of 
  the 
  State. 
  

   Under 
  conditions 
  now 
  existing, 
  the 
  water 
  yield 
  of 
  streams 
  is 
  very 
  

   different 
  from 
  what 
  it 
  Avas 
  originally. 
  As 
  a 
  tentative 
  proposi- 
  

   tion, 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  assumed 
  that 
  the 
  general 
  cutting 
  off 
  of 
  forests 
  in 
  

   New 
  York 
  has 
  decreased 
  the 
  annual 
  runoff 
  of 
  streams 
  issuing 
  

   from 
  the 
  deforested 
  areas 
  to 
  a 
  depth 
  of 
  from 
  four 
  to 
  six 
  inches 
  

   per 
  annum. 
  

  

  The 
  proof 
  of 
  this 
  proposition 
  is 
  found 
  in 
  considering 
  that 
  in 
  

   a 
  number 
  of 
  places 
  the 
  runoff 
  of 
  streams 
  is 
  gradually 
  decreasing, 
  

   not 
  only 
  because 
  of 
  the 
  decrease 
  in 
  forest 
  area, 
  due 
  to 
  clearing 
  up 
  

   of 
  lands 
  for 
  agricultural 
  purposes, 
  but 
  is 
  even 
  changing 
  because 
  

   of 
  the 
  varying 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  crops 
  raised 
  from 
  year 
  to 
  year. 
  

   The 
  fact 
  that 
  such 
  changes 
  aie 
  taking 
  place 
  has 
  been 
  very 
  strongly 
  

   impressed 
  upon 
  the 
  writer 
  in 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  litigations 
  in 
  which 
  

   he 
  has 
  been 
  at 
  different 
  times 
  employed 
  where 
  the 
  question 
  of 
  

   damages 
  for 
  diverting 
  water 
  from 
  streams, 
  either 
  for 
  municipal 
  

   or 
  manufacturing 
  purposes, 
  was 
  the 
  leading 
  issue. 
  Invariably 
  in 
  

   such 
  cases 
  a 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  old 
  residents 
  have 
  been 
  sworn 
  as 
  

   witnesses 
  for 
  the 
  plaintiff 
  and 
  have 
  testified 
  that 
  formerly, 
  say, 
  

   thirty, 
  forty 
  or 
  fifty 
  years 
  ago, 
  as 
  the 
  case 
  may 
  be, 
  the 
  stream 
  

   in 
  question 
  had 
  a 
  sufficient 
  summer 
  flow 
  to 
  operate 
  a 
  mill 
  of 
  a 
  

   given 
  capacity. 
  In 
  western 
  New 
  York, 
  where 
  several 
  of 
  these 
  cases 
  

   have 
  occurred, 
  there 
  are 
  mills 
  from 
  sixty 
  to 
  seventy 
  years 
  old, 
  in 
  

   Which, 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  changing 
  from 
  the 
  old-fashioned 
  grind- 
  

   ing 
  process 
  to 
  the 
  roller 
  process, 
  the 
  machinery 
  was 
  substantially 
  

   as 
  it 
  was 
  made 
  at 
  the 
  original 
  erection. 
  

  

  Why 
  icaterpowers 
  arc 
  less 
  reliable 
  note 
  than 
  formerly. 
  How- 
  

   ever 
  valuable 
  water 
  privileges 
  at 
  these 
  mills 
  may 
  have 
  been 
  

   originally, 
  it 
  is 
  nevertheless 
  certain 
  that 
  now 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  them 
  

   are 
  practically 
  worthless 
  during 
  several 
  months 
  of 
  the 
  summer 
  

   and 
  fall 
  of 
  the 
  average 
  year. 
  In 
  order 
  to 
  present 
  a 
  valid 
  reason 
  

   wliy 
  the 
  waterpower 
  of 
  streams 
  in 
  western 
  New 
  York 
  may 
  be 
  

  

  