﻿208 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  The 
  elevation 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  surface 
  at 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  rapids 
  

   above 
  the 
  falls 
  is 
  560 
  feet 
  above 
  tidewater, 
  thus 
  giving 
  a 
  fall 
  from 
  

   the 
  Lake 
  Erie 
  level 
  to 
  that 
  point 
  of 
  from 
  12 
  to 
  13 
  feet, 
  of 
  which 
  

   from 
  4 
  to 
  5 
  feet 
  are 
  included 
  in 
  the 
  rapids 
  at 
  the 
  city 
  of 
  Buffalo, 
  

   in 
  front 
  of 
  and 
  just 
  below 
  Fort 
  Porter. 
  The 
  descent 
  in 
  the 
  river 
  

   from 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  rapids 
  to 
  the 
  brink 
  of 
  the 
  falls 
  is 
  about 
  50 
  

   feet. 
  At 
  the 
  narrows, 
  half 
  a 
  mile 
  above 
  the 
  whirlpool, 
  the 
  eleva- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  surface 
  is 
  300 
  feet, 
  while 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  surface 
  

   of 
  the 
  still 
  water 
  opposite 
  Lewiston 
  is 
  249 
  feet; 
  the 
  fall 
  in 
  this 
  

   section, 
  which 
  is 
  from 
  4 
  to 
  4.5 
  miles 
  in 
  length, 
  may 
  therefore 
  be 
  

   taken 
  at 
  51 
  feet, 
  while 
  from 
  Lewiston 
  to 
  the 
  mouth 
  at 
  Fort 
  Niag- 
  

   ara 
  the 
  fall 
  is 
  only 
  2 
  feet 
  in 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  7 
  miles. 
  The 
  total 
  

   length 
  of 
  Niagara 
  river 
  is 
  about 
  37 
  miles. 
  The 
  catchment 
  area 
  of 
  

   Niagara 
  river 
  above 
  Niagara 
  Falls 
  is 
  265,095 
  square 
  miles. 
  

  

  On 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  immense 
  water-power 
  developments 
  now 
  

   taking 
  place 
  at 
  Niagara 
  Falls 
  the 
  runoff 
  of 
  Niagara 
  river 
  must 
  

   necessarily 
  receive 
  extended 
  discussion 
  in 
  a 
  complete 
  account 
  of 
  

   the 
  Hydrology 
  of 
  New 
  York. 
  

  

  Lake 
  Ontario 
  catchment 
  area. 
  This 
  catchment 
  comprises 
  the 
  

   strip 
  of 
  territory 
  draining 
  directly 
  into 
  Lake 
  Ontario 
  and 
  extend- 
  

   ing 
  from 
  the 
  Niagara 
  river 
  to 
  beyond 
  the 
  Black 
  river. 
  The 
  im- 
  

   portant 
  streams 
  of 
  this 
  section 
  are 
  Genesee 
  river, 
  Oswego 
  river, 
  

   Salmon 
  river 
  west 
  and 
  Black 
  river. 
  The 
  less 
  important 
  are 
  

   Eighteen 
  Mile 
  creek 
  (tributary 
  to 
  Lake 
  Ontario), 
  Johnson 
  creek. 
  

   Oak 
  Orchard 
  creek, 
  Sandy 
  creek 
  (Orleans 
  county), 
  West 
  creek, 
  

   Salmon 
  creek 
  (Monroe 
  county), 
  Irondequoit 
  creek, 
  Salmon 
  creek 
  

   (Wayne 
  county), 
  Wolcott 
  creek, 
  Ked 
  creek, 
  Sodus 
  creek, 
  Nine 
  

   Mile 
  creek, 
  Fish 
  creek, 
  Little 
  Salmon 
  river 
  (Oswego 
  county), 
  

   Beaver 
  Dam 
  brook, 
  Sandy 
  creek 
  (Oswego 
  county), 
  north 
  and 
  

   south 
  branches 
  of 
  Sandy 
  creek 
  (Jefferson 
  county), 
  Skinner 
  creek, 
  

   Little 
  Sandy 
  creek, 
  Stony 
  creek, 
  Perch 
  river 
  and 
  Chaumont 
  river. 
  

   None 
  of 
  these 
  small 
  streams 
  are 
  of 
  any 
  great 
  importance, 
  although 
  

   some 
  of 
  them 
  have 
  considerable 
  water 
  power 
  upon 
  them. 
  1 
  

  

  lFor 
  statement 
  in 
  detail 
  of 
  water 
  power 
  on 
  streams 
  tributary 
  to 
  the 
  

   proposed 
  Black 
  river 
  feeder 
  canal, 
  see 
  table 
  No. 
  129, 
  water 
  power 
  in 
  use 
  

   on 
  streams 
  tributary 
  to 
  proposed 
  Black 
  river 
  feeder 
  in 
  1898, 
  at 
  pp. 
  857-861 
  

   of 
  the 
  Deep 
  Waterways 
  Report 
  

  

  