﻿HYDROLOGY 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  443 
  

  

  The 
  flood 
  commission, 
  of 
  I860. 
  Following 
  the 
  great 
  flood 
  the 
  

   Legislature 
  passed 
  an 
  act 
  appointing 
  commissioners 
  to 
  inquire 
  

   into 
  and 
  ascertain 
  the 
  cause 
  or 
  causes 
  of 
  the 
  inundation 
  of 
  the 
  

   city 
  of 
  Kochester 
  by 
  the 
  waters 
  of 
  the 
  Genesee 
  river 
  in 
  the 
  month 
  

   of 
  March, 
  1865, 
  and 
  also 
  to 
  ascertain 
  Avhether 
  any, 
  and, 
  if 
  any, 
  

   what 
  obstructions 
  had 
  been 
  placed 
  in 
  said 
  river 
  which 
  tended 
  to 
  

   cause 
  or 
  increase 
  the 
  extent 
  of 
  such 
  inundation, 
  and 
  the 
  nature 
  

   and 
  extent 
  of 
  such 
  obstructions, 
  and 
  what 
  measures, 
  proceedings 
  

   and 
  remedies 
  were 
  necessary 
  or 
  proper 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  guard- 
  

   ing 
  against 
  or 
  preventing 
  a 
  recurrence 
  of 
  such 
  an 
  inundation. 
  

   The 
  commissioners 
  were 
  Addison 
  Gardner, 
  Amos 
  Bronson, 
  Levi 
  

   A. 
  Ward, 
  George 
  J. 
  Whitney 
  and 
  George 
  E. 
  Mumford. 
  General 
  

   I. 
  F. 
  Quinby 
  was 
  engineer 
  to 
  the 
  commission. 
  

  

  The 
  commission 
  begins 
  its 
  report 
  by 
  stating 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  

   record 
  in 
  the 
  previous 
  history 
  of 
  Rochester 
  of 
  any 
  serious 
  damage 
  

   from 
  overflows 
  of 
  the 
  river, 
  no 
  former 
  flood 
  having 
  to 
  any 
  im- 
  

   portant 
  extent 
  spread 
  beyond 
  the 
  banks 
  of 
  the 
  river. 
  In 
  view 
  of 
  

   this 
  state 
  of 
  things 
  the 
  citizens 
  of 
  Rochester 
  had 
  felt 
  it 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  

   the 
  highest 
  importance 
  to 
  ascertain 
  the 
  cause 
  of 
  the 
  unprecedented 
  

   extent 
  of 
  the 
  1865 
  flood, 
  and, 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  possible, 
  to 
  guard 
  against 
  

   its 
  recurrence. 
  

  

  As 
  to 
  the 
  first 
  cause, 
  it 
  is 
  stated 
  that 
  by 
  reason 
  of 
  a 
  sudden 
  

   change 
  of 
  temperature 
  from 
  winter 
  to 
  almost 
  summer 
  heat 
  an 
  

   immense 
  body 
  of 
  snow, 
  which 
  had 
  accumulated 
  during 
  the 
  pre- 
  

   vious 
  winter 
  weather, 
  was 
  suddenly 
  melted 
  and 
  thrown 
  at 
  once 
  

   into 
  the 
  river 
  channel 
  within 
  the 
  space 
  of 
  three 
  or 
  four 
  days 
  

   instead 
  of 
  occupying 
  a 
  week 
  or 
  more, 
  as 
  in 
  ordinary 
  floods. 
  Sec- 
  

   ondly, 
  the 
  effect 
  of 
  the 
  flood 
  was 
  increased 
  in 
  consequence 
  of 
  the 
  

   obstruction 
  to 
  free 
  flow 
  caused 
  by 
  the 
  bridge 
  and 
  embankment 
  of 
  

   what 
  is 
  now 
  the 
  Xew 
  York, 
  Lake 
  Erie 
  & 
  Western 
  Railway 
  at 
  

   Avon. 
  The 
  openings 
  in 
  the 
  embankment 
  across 
  the 
  river 
  valley, 
  

   while 
  adequate 
  for 
  ordinary 
  floods, 
  were 
  entirely 
  too 
  small 
  for 
  

   the 
  quantity 
  of 
  water 
  flowing 
  in 
  March, 
  1865. 
  The 
  consequence 
  

   was 
  that 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  greatest 
  flow 
  the 
  water 
  stood 
  at 
  least 
  

   three 
  feet 
  higher 
  on 
  the 
  upper 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  embankment 
  than 
  on 
  

   the 
  lower 
  side. 
  The 
  embankment 
  finally 
  gave 
  way, 
  thus 
  allowing 
  

   a 
  large 
  quantity 
  of 
  ponded 
  water 
  to 
  flow 
  suddenly 
  down 
  the 
  river, 
  

   filling 
  the 
  channel 
  at 
  Rochester 
  beyond 
  its 
  carrying 
  capacity. 
  As 
  

  

  