﻿HYDROLOGY 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  227 
  

  

  Brownville. 
  Jacob 
  Brown 
  erected 
  a 
  sawmill 
  at 
  Brownville 
  in 
  

   1800 
  and 
  a 
  gristmill 
  in 
  1802, 
  but 
  it 
  was 
  not 
  until 
  1806 
  that 
  a 
  

   dam 
  was 
  built 
  across 
  Black 
  river 
  at 
  this 
  place. 
  In 
  1814 
  a 
  com- 
  

   pany 
  was 
  formed 
  to 
  construct 
  and 
  operate 
  a 
  cotton 
  mill 
  at 
  Brown- 
  

   ville 
  with 
  a 
  capital 
  stock 
  of 
  $100,000. 
  This 
  mill 
  was 
  operated 
  

   with 
  varying 
  fortunes 
  until 
  about 
  1860. 
  In 
  1820 
  a 
  woolen 
  factory 
  

   and 
  various 
  other 
  enterprises 
  were 
  inaugurated. 
  

  

  Watertoicn. 
  At 
  Watertown 
  the 
  first 
  dam 
  was 
  built 
  across 
  the 
  

   south 
  channel 
  at 
  Beebee's 
  island 
  by 
  Jonathan 
  Cowan 
  in 
  1802 
  to 
  

   operate 
  a 
  gristmill. 
  In 
  1805 
  Coffeen's 
  dam 
  was 
  built 
  at 
  the 
  lower 
  

   falls 
  and 
  about 
  1814 
  the 
  dam 
  at 
  Soules 
  island 
  was 
  constructed, 
  

   but 
  it 
  was 
  not 
  until 
  1835 
  that 
  the 
  large 
  dam 
  across 
  the 
  north 
  

   channel 
  at 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  Beebee's 
  island 
  was 
  built. 
  According 
  to 
  

   Dr 
  Hough, 
  these 
  four 
  original 
  dams 
  of 
  1802, 
  1805, 
  1814 
  and 
  1835 
  

   were 
  still 
  standing 
  in 
  1854, 
  but 
  the 
  flood 
  of 
  1869, 
  at 
  any 
  rate, 
  

   worked 
  sad 
  havoc 
  with 
  some 
  of 
  them. 
  The 
  present 
  stone 
  dam 
  

   across 
  the 
  south 
  channel 
  of 
  Beebee's 
  island 
  was 
  constructed 
  in 
  

   1869. 
  

  

  The 
  first 
  important 
  manufacturing 
  industry 
  other 
  than 
  the 
  

   grist 
  and 
  saw 
  mills 
  was 
  Caswell's 
  paper 
  mill, 
  started 
  in 
  1808. 
  

   This 
  mill 
  was 
  the 
  forerunner 
  of 
  the 
  paper 
  industry 
  on 
  Black 
  

   river. 
  The 
  machinery 
  consisted 
  of 
  a 
  small 
  rag 
  machine, 
  carrying 
  

   about 
  150 
  pounds 
  of 
  rags; 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  potash 
  kettles, 
  set 
  in 
  a 
  

   brick 
  arch, 
  for 
  boiling 
  rags 
  and 
  preparing 
  sizing; 
  one 
  vat 
  for 
  

   making 
  the 
  paper 
  sheet 
  by 
  sheet, 
  and 
  a 
  rude 
  standing 
  press 
  to 
  

   squeeze 
  the 
  water 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  pack. 
  After 
  pressing, 
  the 
  sheets 
  were 
  

   taken 
  from 
  the 
  pack 
  and 
  hung 
  on 
  poles 
  to 
  dry, 
  and, 
  if 
  intended 
  

   for 
  Avri 
  ting-paper, 
  were 
  afterwards 
  dipped 
  in 
  sizing 
  and 
  again 
  

   dried. 
  The 
  entire 
  process 
  was 
  worked 
  without 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  steam 
  

   or 
  bleaching 
  material. 
  As 
  a 
  substitute 
  for 
  calendering, 
  the 
  sheets 
  

   were 
  pressed 
  between 
  boards. 
  The 
  output 
  was 
  about 
  150 
  pounds 
  

   of 
  paper 
  per 
  day. 
  This 
  mill 
  continued 
  to 
  make 
  paper 
  until 
  1833, 
  

   when 
  it 
  was 
  sold 
  to 
  Knowlton 
  & 
  Bice, 
  who 
  had 
  begun 
  the 
  manu- 
  

   facture 
  of 
  paper 
  on 
  a 
  more 
  extended 
  scale 
  in 
  1824. 
  This 
  firm 
  

   continued 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  only 
  paper 
  manufacturers 
  on 
  Black 
  river 
  

   until 
  1854, 
  in 
  which 
  year 
  I. 
  Remington 
  & 
  Sons 
  fitted 
  up 
  a 
  mill 
  

  

  