﻿HYDROLOGY 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  

  

  469 
  

  

  Serious 
  flood 
  conditions 
  exist 
  in 
  the 
  upper 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  tidal 
  por- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  Hudson 
  from 
  Troy 
  to 
  Coxsackie, 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  about 
  

   30 
  miles. 
  The 
  channel 
  is 
  shallow, 
  crooked 
  and 
  narrow 
  and 
  the 
  

   full 
  effect 
  of 
  floods 
  in 
  the 
  Mohawk 
  and 
  upper 
  Hudson, 
  which 
  come 
  

   together 
  near 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  tidal 
  section, 
  are 
  concentrated 
  here. 
  

   At 
  the 
  ordinary 
  low 
  stage 
  the 
  current 
  is 
  intermittently 
  reversed 
  

   by 
  the 
  tide, 
  but 
  upon 
  the 
  occurrence 
  of 
  a 
  flood 
  in 
  the 
  Mohawk 
  and 
  

   upper 
  Hudson 
  the 
  water 
  rushes 
  into 
  this 
  upper 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  

   tidal 
  section 
  until 
  a 
  cross-section, 
  slope, 
  and 
  velocity 
  are 
  acquired 
  

   sufficient 
  to 
  carry 
  the 
  flood-flow, 
  whatever 
  it 
  may 
  be. 
  

  

  The 
  flood 
  conditions 
  are 
  greatly 
  intensified 
  in 
  winter 
  and 
  early 
  

   spring 
  by 
  ice, 
  which 
  forms 
  more 
  solidly 
  in 
  the 
  tidal 
  section 
  than 
  

   in 
  the 
  steeper 
  tributaries. 
  Whenever 
  a 
  winter 
  flood 
  occurs 
  the 
  

   breaking 
  up 
  of 
  ice 
  in 
  the 
  upper 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  tidal 
  section, 
  retarded 
  

   by 
  the 
  field 
  below, 
  continually 
  increases 
  in 
  volume 
  along 
  the 
  

   crumbling 
  upper 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  latter, 
  and 
  finally 
  grounds 
  in 
  some 
  

   shallow 
  or 
  narrow 
  part 
  of 
  this 
  section, 
  creating 
  an 
  ice 
  dam, 
  to 
  

   which 
  the 
  most 
  disastrous 
  floods 
  of 
  this 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  are 
  

   attributable. 
  These 
  dams 
  form 
  at 
  various 
  points 
  in 
  the 
  shallow 
  

   section 
  — 
  sometimes 
  between 
  Troy 
  and 
  Albany, 
  but 
  usually 
  between 
  

   Albany 
  and 
  Coxsackie. 
  It 
  is 
  the 
  floods 
  accompanied 
  by 
  these 
  ice 
  

   dams 
  that 
  have 
  inflicted 
  the 
  most 
  serious 
  damage 
  upon 
  this 
  sec- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  river. 
  

  

  Hudson 
  river 
  -floods 
  at 
  Albany. 
  The 
  following 
  from 
  the 
  report 
  

   of 
  a 
  Committee 
  of 
  the 
  Albany 
  Chamber 
  of 
  Commerce 
  on 
  Freshets 
  

   in 
  the 
  Hudson 
  River 
  will 
  serve 
  to 
  show 
  the 
  extent 
  of 
  Hudson 
  river 
  

   floods 
  for 
  twenty-five 
  years 
  : 
  

  

  Freshets 
  and 
  ice 
  gorges 
  in 
  the 
  Hudson 
  river 
  

  

  Year 
  

  

  Mouth 
  

  

  Eleva- 
  

   tion 
  

  

  above 
  

  

  M. 
  L. 
  W. 
  

  

  1876 
  

  

  Remarks 
  

  

  (1) 
  

  

  (2) 
  

  

  (3) 
  

  

  (4) 
  

  

  1876 
  

  

  1877 
  

  

  Feb. 
  16 
  

  

  March 
  30 
  

  

  14.0 
  

  

  No 
  bad 
  dam 
  formed 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  known. 
  

  

  1878 
  

  

  March 
  5 
  

  

  

  No 
  bad 
  dam 
  formed 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  known. 
  

  

  1879 
  

  

  March 
  27 
  

  

  No 
  bad 
  dam 
  formed 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  known. 
  

  

  1880 
  

  

  Feb. 
  14, 
  Jan. 
  28 
  . 
  . 
  . 
  

  

  Trains 
  on 
  Susquehanna 
  R. 
  R. 
  could 
  not 
  

   start 
  from 
  depot 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  high 
  

   water. 
  Heavy 
  rainfall 
  ; 
  river 
  rose 
  11 
  feet 
  

   in 
  36 
  hours. 
  

  

  Gorge 
  formed 
  between 
  Stuyvesant 
  and 
  

   lower 
  Kinderhook 
  light. 
  

  

  River 
  12 
  feet 
  above 
  mean 
  tide. 
  

  

  1881 
  

  

  Feb. 
  12, 
  Mar. 
  1, 
  18 
  

  

  

  1882 
  

  

  Feb. 
  14 
  ! 
  

  

  