﻿436 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  works, 
  or 
  to 
  maintain 
  them. 
  They 
  may 
  also 
  tax 
  all 
  those 
  who 
  

   are 
  benefited, 
  but 
  have 
  no 
  power 
  to 
  tax 
  those 
  occupying 
  lands 
  

   outside 
  of 
  the 
  reach 
  of 
  floods. 
  The 
  State 
  contributes 
  a 
  portion 
  of 
  

   the 
  cost 
  of 
  protection 
  works 
  where 
  such 
  works 
  have 
  the 
  effect 
  

   of 
  improving 
  land 
  and 
  increasing 
  its 
  taxable 
  value, 
  on 
  the 
  prin- 
  

   ciple 
  that 
  such 
  increase 
  is 
  a 
  source 
  of 
  profit 
  to 
  the 
  State. 
  The 
  

   State 
  also 
  grants 
  aid 
  to 
  townships, 
  and 
  if 
  it 
  becomes 
  evident 
  that 
  

   nothing 
  will 
  cure 
  the 
  evil 
  of 
  flooding 
  but 
  a 
  diversion 
  of 
  a 
  part 
  

   of 
  the 
  water, 
  the 
  State, 
  by 
  virtue 
  of 
  its 
  property 
  in 
  the 
  water, 
  

   executes 
  the 
  work 
  gratuitously. 
  

  

  The 
  system 
  of 
  river 
  conservancy 
  in 
  France 
  is 
  somewhat 
  different 
  

   from 
  the 
  German. 
  In 
  this 
  country 
  the 
  general 
  government 
  has 
  

   always 
  undertaken 
  the 
  conservancy 
  of 
  navigable 
  streams, 
  and 
  has 
  

   recouped 
  itself 
  from 
  navigation 
  dues 
  and 
  other 
  charges, 
  but 
  lat- 
  

   terly 
  taxation 
  of 
  this 
  kind 
  has 
  been 
  mostly 
  abolished, 
  and 
  the 
  

   government 
  is 
  now 
  chargeable 
  with 
  nearly 
  all 
  the 
  expenses 
  con- 
  

   nected 
  with 
  the 
  conservancy 
  of 
  rivers, 
  though 
  in 
  certain 
  cases 
  the 
  

   owners 
  are 
  also 
  taxed 
  in 
  proportion 
  to 
  their 
  interests. 
  In 
  May, 
  

   1858, 
  it 
  was 
  enacted 
  that 
  the 
  State 
  should 
  undertake 
  works 
  for 
  

   the 
  protection 
  of 
  towns 
  from 
  inundation, 
  providing 
  also 
  that 
  the 
  

   departments, 
  communes 
  and 
  owners 
  should 
  contribute 
  to 
  the 
  cost 
  

   of 
  the 
  works 
  in 
  proportion 
  to 
  their 
  respective 
  interests. 
  There 
  is 
  

   an 
  inland 
  navigation 
  system 
  on 
  nearly 
  every 
  river 
  of 
  any 
  import- 
  

   ance 
  in 
  France, 
  which 
  has, 
  perhaps, 
  to 
  some 
  extent, 
  influenced 
  the 
  

   action 
  of 
  the 
  State. 
  1 
  

  

  The 
  storage 
  dam 
  on 
  the 
  Furens 
  river, 
  at 
  ,Saint-Etienne, 
  was 
  

   built 
  to 
  protect 
  the 
  city 
  of 
  Saint-Etienne 
  from 
  floods. 
  About 
  

   Gl 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  the 
  total 
  cost 
  was 
  paid 
  by 
  the 
  city 
  of 
  Saint-Etienne,. 
  

   and 
  the 
  balance 
  was 
  paid 
  by 
  the 
  department. 
  The 
  cost 
  of 
  con- 
  

   struction 
  of 
  the 
  Terney 
  dam, 
  also 
  in 
  France, 
  was 
  borne 
  by 
  the 
  

   State, 
  town 
  and 
  manufacturing 
  interests. 
  A 
  number 
  of 
  other 
  

   storage 
  dams 
  have 
  been 
  built 
  in 
  France 
  in 
  recent 
  years 
  by 
  a 
  com- 
  

   bination 
  of 
  the 
  general 
  government, 
  department 
  government, 
  local 
  

   or 
  municipal 
  government 
  and 
  private 
  interests 
  benefited. 
  

  

  The 
  cause 
  of 
  floods. 
  While, 
  broadly, 
  the 
  cause 
  of 
  floods 
  has 
  

   been 
  stated 
  as 
  irregularity 
  in 
  the 
  rainfall, 
  we 
  may 
  now 
  go 
  some- 
  

   one 
  Conservancy 
  of 
  Rivers, 
  Wheeler 
  and 
  Jacob, 
  Proc. 
  Inst. 
  C. 
  E., 
  

   Vol. 
  XL 
  VII, 
  pp. 
  246 
  and 
  311. 
  

  

  