﻿HYDROLOGY 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  45 
  

  

  The 
  great 
  forest 
  as 
  a 
  stream 
  conservator. 
  The 
  great 
  forest 
  of 
  

   northern 
  New 
  York 
  occupies 
  the 
  central 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  Adirondack 
  

   plateau, 
  and 
  deserves 
  notice 
  from 
  its 
  importance 
  as 
  a 
  conservator 
  

   of 
  the 
  streams 
  issuing 
  from 
  that 
  region. 
  The 
  outlines 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  

   forest 
  are 
  substantially 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  Its 
  eastern 
  boundary 
  coin- 
  

   cides 
  quite 
  closely 
  with 
  a 
  line 
  drawn 
  through 
  Keene 
  Valley 
  and 
  

   thence 
  along 
  the 
  valleys 
  of 
  Schroon 
  river 
  and 
  the 
  upper 
  Hudson 
  ; 
  

   its 
  southern 
  boundary 
  is 
  for 
  the 
  main 
  part 
  identical 
  with 
  that 
  of 
  

   Hamilton 
  county 
  and 
  the 
  town 
  of 
  Wilmurt, 
  in 
  Herkimer 
  county, 
  

   although 
  in 
  some 
  places 
  the 
  forest 
  extends 
  a 
  short 
  distance 
  into 
  

   Fulton 
  county; 
  its 
  western 
  boundary 
  is 
  the 
  county 
  line 
  between 
  

   Lewis 
  and 
  Herkimer 
  counties; 
  its 
  northern 
  boundary 
  runs 
  in 
  an 
  

   irregular 
  line 
  from 
  a 
  point 
  near 
  Harris 
  Wile, 
  on 
  the 
  Lewis 
  and 
  St 
  

   Lawrence 
  county 
  line, 
  to 
  the 
  Upper 
  Chateaugay 
  lake, 
  which 
  is 
  

   situated 
  near 
  the 
  line 
  between 
  Franklin 
  and 
  Clinton 
  counties. 
  

   This 
  territory 
  contains 
  about 
  3,590,000 
  acres, 
  of 
  which 
  3,280,000 
  

   acres 
  are 
  considered 
  to 
  be 
  covered 
  with 
  dense 
  forests. 
  Within 
  

   this 
  region 
  there 
  are 
  from 
  1300 
  to 
  1400 
  lakes 
  and 
  ponds, 
  while 
  

   from 
  it 
  the 
  eighteen 
  important 
  streams 
  just 
  enumerated 
  diverge 
  

   in 
  every 
  direction. 
  The 
  general 
  elevation 
  of 
  the 
  Adirondack 
  pla- 
  

   teau 
  is 
  about 
  2000 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  level 
  of 
  the 
  sea. 
  Little 
  discus- 
  

   sion 
  is 
  needed, 
  therefore, 
  to 
  show 
  the 
  great 
  value 
  of 
  this 
  elevated 
  

   forest-covered 
  plateau 
  as 
  a 
  conservator 
  of 
  the 
  natural 
  waters 
  of 
  

   the 
  State. 
  

  

  One 
  important 
  utilization 
  of 
  the 
  waters 
  of 
  this 
  State 
  formerly 
  

   was 
  the 
  carrying 
  of 
  logs 
  to 
  market 
  through 
  the 
  various 
  streams. 
  

   By 
  reason 
  of 
  the 
  clearing 
  otf 
  of 
  the 
  forests, 
  that 
  business 
  has 
  grad- 
  

   ually 
  declined 
  until, 
  except 
  in 
  the 
  Adirondack 
  plateau, 
  it 
  is 
  now 
  

   of 
  little 
  importance. 
  It 
  has 
  been 
  the 
  policy 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  for 
  a 
  

   number 
  of 
  years 
  to 
  acquire, 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  possible, 
  by 
  tax 
  title 
  and 
  

   purchase, 
  bodies 
  of 
  land 
  in 
  the 
  Adirondack 
  forest 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  

   not 
  only 
  of 
  conserving 
  the 
  forests 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  increase 
  the 
  yield 
  

   of 
  streams, 
  but 
  for 
  the 
  further 
  purpose 
  of 
  creating 
  a 
  forest 
  park 
  

   worthy 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  Commonwealth 
  of 
  New 
  York. 
  In 
  order 
  to 
  

   carry 
  out 
  this 
  project 
  the 
  Forest-Preserve 
  Board 
  has 
  been 
  empow- 
  

   ered 
  to 
  purchase 
  lands 
  within 
  the 
  forest, 
  or, 
  failing 
  to 
  agree 
  on 
  

  

  