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  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  Flood 
  of 
  March, 
  1902. 
  On 
  March 
  3 
  to 
  5, 
  1902, 
  a 
  flood 
  

   occurred 
  which, 
  at 
  Rochester, 
  lacked 
  but 
  little 
  if 
  any 
  of 
  reach- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  hight 
  of 
  the 
  great 
  flood 
  of 
  1865. 
  At 
  Avon, 
  twenty 
  miles 
  

   above, 
  the 
  high-water 
  mark 
  reached 
  was 
  eight 
  inches 
  below 
  that 
  

   of 
  1865. 
  Owing 
  to 
  a 
  fortunate 
  combination 
  of 
  circumstances, 
  

   the 
  damage 
  resulting 
  from 
  this 
  flood 
  within 
  the 
  city 
  of 
  Rochester 
  

   was 
  much 
  less 
  than 
  that 
  in 
  1865, 
  but 
  only 
  prompt 
  and 
  energetic 
  

   measures 
  on 
  the 
  part 
  of 
  city 
  and 
  canal 
  officials 
  and 
  the 
  rarest 
  

   good 
  fortune 
  prevented 
  the 
  damage 
  from 
  exceeding" 
  that 
  of 
  1865. 
  

   This 
  flood 
  was 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  more 
  common 
  cause 
  of 
  floods 
  on 
  this 
  

   catchment, 
  namely, 
  the 
  general 
  melting 
  of 
  the 
  snows 
  by 
  warm 
  

   rains. 
  This 
  flood 
  reached 
  its 
  maximum 
  hight 
  at 
  Rochester 
  on 
  

   the 
  afternoon 
  of 
  March 
  3. 
  

  

  Flood 
  of 
  July, 
  1902. 
  On 
  July 
  6 
  to 
  13, 
  there 
  occurred 
  a 
  flood 
  

   on 
  the 
  Genesee 
  which, 
  from 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  year, 
  the 
  high 
  stage 
  

   of 
  water 
  in 
  certain 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  river, 
  and 
  the 
  extent 
  and 
  severity 
  

   of 
  the 
  damage 
  arising 
  from 
  it 
  on 
  a 
  certain 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  catch- 
  

   ment, 
  is 
  without 
  precedent 
  in 
  the 
  history 
  of 
  Genesee 
  floods. 
  

  

  The 
  rains 
  over 
  the 
  catchment 
  generally 
  had 
  been 
  unusually 
  

   heavy 
  during 
  the 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  June 
  and 
  the 
  early 
  part 
  of 
  July, 
  

   and 
  the 
  ground 
  was 
  thoroughly 
  saturated 
  with 
  water. 
  On 
  July 
  6 
  

   the 
  rainfall 
  reached 
  a 
  climax 
  which 
  culminated 
  in 
  a 
  so-called 
  

   " 
  cloudburst 
  " 
  in 
  the 
  region 
  covering 
  the 
  northern 
  central 
  por- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  Allegany 
  county. 
  At 
  Angelica, 
  within 
  this 
  district, 
  the 
  

   rainfall 
  on 
  July 
  6 
  amounted 
  to 
  4.5 
  inches. 
  Heavier 
  rainfalls 
  

   than 
  this 
  have 
  occurred 
  occasionally 
  on 
  the 
  catchment 
  area 
  with- 
  

   out 
  producing 
  severe 
  floods. 
  This 
  fact, 
  coupled 
  with 
  the 
  fact 
  

   that 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  private 
  observers 
  unofficially 
  claimed 
  much 
  

   heavier 
  precipitation 
  than 
  the 
  Angelica 
  office 
  reports, 
  raises 
  some 
  

   doubt 
  as 
  to 
  whether 
  the 
  Angelica 
  station 
  itself 
  may 
  not 
  have 
  

   escaped 
  the 
  severe 
  downpour, 
  or 
  whether 
  the 
  marked 
  difference 
  

   in 
  the 
  results 
  may 
  be 
  due 
  wholly 
  to 
  the 
  difference 
  of 
  satura- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  ground. 
  The 
  former 
  alternative 
  is 
  rather 
  dis- 
  

   counted 
  by 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  catchment 
  at 
  Angelica 
  creek 
  

   itself, 
  of 
  which 
  the 
  station 
  is 
  not 
  far 
  from 
  the 
  center, 
  suffered 
  

   the 
  most 
  severe 
  flood 
  in 
  its 
  history. 
  This 
  remark 
  in 
  fact 
  is 
  true 
  

   of 
  the 
  entire 
  catchment 
  of 
  the 
  Genesee 
  in 
  the 
  aggregate 
  down 
  

   as 
  far 
  as 
  Portage 
  falls. 
  It 
  is 
  well 
  established 
  by 
  repeated 
  evi- 
  

   dence 
  that 
  the 
  hight 
  which 
  the 
  flood 
  attained 
  at 
  Portage 
  was 
  

  

  