﻿464 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  river 
  at 
  mouth, 
  415.5 
  square 
  miles; 
  Woodhull 
  creek 
  at 
  niouth, 
  

   108 
  square 
  miles; 
  Otter 
  creek, 
  above 
  Casler's 
  dam, 
  63 
  square 
  

   miles; 
  Independence 
  creek, 
  99 
  square 
  miles, 
  1 
  

  

  The 
  descent 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  above 
  Lyon 
  Falls, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  below 
  

   Oarthage, 
  is 
  very 
  rapid. 
  At 
  North 
  lake 
  reservoir 
  the 
  elevation 
  is 
  

   1821 
  feet 
  above 
  tidewater 
  ; 
  at 
  Forestport, 
  1126 
  feet 
  ; 
  at 
  Lyon 
  Falls, 
  

   above 
  the 
  dam, 
  799 
  feet, 
  and 
  at 
  Carthage, 
  723 
  feet. 
  At 
  Dexter, 
  

   at 
  Lake 
  Ontario 
  level, 
  the 
  elevation 
  is 
  247 
  feet. 
  2 
  

  

  Throughout 
  the 
  flat 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  stream, 
  between 
  Lyon 
  Falls 
  

   and 
  Oarthage, 
  the 
  river 
  at 
  ordinary 
  stages 
  ranges 
  from 
  250 
  to 
  

   300 
  feet 
  wide, 
  increasing 
  to 
  about 
  500 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  Carthage 
  

   dam, 
  which 
  is 
  966 
  feet 
  long. 
  In 
  a 
  powerful 
  freshet 
  like 
  that 
  of 
  

   1869 
  the 
  flats 
  on 
  each 
  side 
  are 
  overflowed 
  to 
  a 
  great 
  width 
  and 
  

   considerable 
  depth, 
  the 
  quantity 
  of 
  water 
  accumulated 
  in 
  large 
  

   floods 
  being 
  computed 
  at 
  from 
  4,000,000,000 
  to 
  6,000,000,000 
  cubic 
  

   feet. 
  If 
  we 
  take 
  into 
  account 
  the 
  water 
  held 
  in 
  the 
  interstices 
  

   of 
  the 
  soil, 
  the 
  temporary 
  storage 
  is 
  considerably 
  higher 
  than 
  

   indicated 
  by 
  these 
  figures. 
  In 
  this 
  reach 
  of 
  the 
  river, 
  which 
  is 
  

   alluvial 
  in 
  its 
  formation, 
  there 
  are 
  now 
  two 
  dams 
  of 
  4 
  feet 
  each, 
  

   with 
  locks 
  for 
  facilitating 
  navigation. 
  

  

  The 
  river 
  has 
  no 
  affluents 
  of 
  any 
  magnitude 
  below 
  Carthage, 
  

   but 
  a 
  few 
  miles 
  above 
  that 
  place, 
  on 
  the 
  west 
  side, 
  Deer 
  river 
  

   comes 
  in. 
  There 
  are 
  also 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  secondary 
  creeks 
  between 
  

   Deer 
  river 
  and 
  Lyon 
  Falls. 
  On 
  the 
  east 
  side 
  the 
  chief 
  affluents 
  

   are 
  Beaver 
  river, 
  Independence 
  creek, 
  Otter 
  creek 
  and 
  other 
  sec- 
  

   ondary 
  creeks 
  below 
  Lyon 
  Falls, 
  with 
  Moose 
  river 
  flowing 
  in 
  just 
  

   above 
  Lyon 
  Falls. 
  All 
  of 
  these 
  streams 
  between 
  Carthage 
  and 
  

   Lyon 
  Falls 
  have 
  rapid 
  descents, 
  with 
  consequent 
  large 
  flood- 
  

   flows. 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  tabulation 
  gives 
  the 
  catchment 
  area 
  of 
  Otter 
  and 
  

   Independence 
  creeks, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  of 
  Beaver 
  and 
  Deer 
  rivers 
  and 
  

   Black 
  river, 
  including 
  Moose 
  river 
  above 
  Lyon 
  Falls, 
  together 
  with 
  

  

  a 
  For 
  statement 
  in 
  more 
  detail 
  of 
  the 
  Black 
  river 
  catchment 
  area 
  and 
  

   elevations, 
  see 
  pages 
  221-222. 
  

  

  2 
  The 
  fall 
  in 
  Black 
  river 
  from 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  Lyon 
  Falls 
  to 
  Carthage 
  is 
  9 
  feet 
  

   in 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  about 
  30 
  miles 
  in 
  a 
  straight 
  line. 
  The 
  distance 
  by 
  the 
  

   meander 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  is 
  considerably 
  greater 
  than 
  this. 
  This 
  intermediate 
  

   flat 
  stretch 
  of 
  river 
  is 
  due 
  to 
  a 
  rocky 
  barrier 
  at 
  Carthage. 
  

  

  