﻿444 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  a 
  third 
  cause, 
  the 
  commissioners 
  found 
  that 
  the 
  channel 
  of 
  the 
  

   river 
  was 
  obstructed 
  through 
  the 
  city 
  of 
  Rochester 
  in 
  such 
  man- 
  

   ner 
  as 
  to 
  cause 
  overflows 
  into 
  the 
  Erie 
  and 
  Genesee 
  valley 
  canals 
  

   at 
  that 
  place. 
  The 
  remedy 
  suggested 
  was 
  that 
  the 
  waterway 
  

   through 
  the 
  city 
  be 
  considerably 
  increased. 
  

  

  As 
  regards 
  the 
  Erie 
  canal 
  aqueduct, 
  the 
  commissioners 
  pointed 
  

   out 
  that 
  the 
  piers 
  supporting 
  the 
  structure, 
  instead 
  of 
  being 
  built 
  

   parallel 
  with 
  the 
  stream, 
  run 
  partially 
  across 
  it, 
  thereby 
  mater- 
  

   ially 
  increasing 
  the 
  amount 
  of 
  the 
  obstruction 
  by 
  so 
  changing 
  

   the 
  current 
  that 
  at 
  least 
  one 
  half 
  the 
  river 
  as 
  it 
  passes 
  the 
  aque- 
  

   duct 
  flows 
  in 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  the 
  east 
  bank 
  above 
  Main 
  street 
  

   bridge. 
  The 
  commissioners 
  also 
  pointed 
  out 
  that 
  during 
  the 
  flood 
  

   trunks 
  of 
  trees, 
  logs 
  and 
  timber 
  lodged 
  against 
  the 
  aqueduct 
  and 
  

   closed 
  a 
  considerable 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  waterway 
  through 
  the 
  arches. 
  

   Under 
  these 
  circumstances 
  the 
  flood 
  rose 
  to 
  the 
  copings, 
  standing 
  

   more 
  than 
  three 
  feet 
  higher 
  on 
  the 
  south 
  side 
  than 
  on 
  the 
  north. 
  

   The 
  commissioners 
  also 
  considered 
  that 
  Main 
  street 
  bridge 
  pre- 
  

   sented 
  considerable 
  obstruction. 
  In 
  1865, 
  and 
  for 
  some 
  years 
  

   previous 
  to 
  that 
  time 
  more 
  than 
  two 
  thirds 
  of 
  the 
  eastern 
  arch 
  

   of 
  the 
  bridge 
  had 
  been 
  closed 
  by 
  the 
  wall 
  of 
  the 
  building 
  on 
  the 
  

   north 
  side. 
  This 
  obstruction, 
  however, 
  was 
  removed 
  by 
  the 
  action 
  

   of 
  the 
  flood, 
  the 
  building 
  in 
  question 
  having 
  been 
  carried 
  away. 
  

   Since 
  then 
  the 
  east 
  opening 
  has 
  been 
  left 
  entirely 
  free, 
  but 
  there 
  

   is 
  still 
  in 
  1904 
  considerable 
  obstruction 
  to 
  the 
  west 
  arch 
  by 
  a 
  

   building 
  erected 
  since 
  1865. 
  

  

  The 
  areas 
  of 
  the 
  several 
  openings 
  of 
  the 
  arches 
  of 
  the 
  Erie 
  canal 
  

   aqueduct 
  at 
  Rochester 
  are 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  

  

  First 
  opening, 
  east 
  side, 
  516.6 
  square 
  feet; 
  second 
  opening, 
  

   681.4 
  square 
  feet; 
  third 
  opening, 
  625.7 
  square 
  feet; 
  fourth 
  opening, 
  

   641.3 
  square 
  feet; 
  fifth 
  opening, 
  615.3 
  square 
  feet; 
  sixth 
  opening, 
  

   625.7 
  square 
  feet; 
  seventh 
  opening, 
  552.4 
  square 
  feet; 
  total, 
  4308.3- 
  

   square 
  feet. 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  are 
  the 
  total 
  openings 
  of 
  the 
  several 
  river 
  bridges 
  : 
  

   Court 
  street, 
  5081 
  square 
  feet 
  ; 
  x 
  Main 
  street, 
  3367 
  square 
  feet 
  ; 
  

   Andrews 
  street, 
  4511 
  square 
  feet; 
  Central 
  avenue, 
  about 
  4450 
  

   square 
  feet. 
  

  

  lThis 
  is 
  the 
  opening 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  arches 
  below 
  the 
  level 
  of 
  the 
  flood 
  of 
  

   1865; 
  in 
  addition 
  the 
  arches 
  over 
  the 
  Johnson 
  and 
  Seymour 
  raceway 
  have 
  

   an 
  opening 
  of 
  790 
  square 
  feet 
  and 
  the 
  Erie 
  canal 
  arches 
  of 
  498 
  square 
  feet^ 
  

  

  