﻿HYDROLOGY 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  537 
  

  

  Pursuant 
  to 
  chapter 
  271 
  of 
  the 
  laws 
  of 
  1825, 
  the 
  State 
  of 
  New 
  

   York 
  purchased 
  all 
  the 
  right, 
  title 
  and 
  interest 
  of 
  the 
  Seneca 
  Lock 
  

   & 
  Navigation 
  Company. 
  

  

  Elisha 
  Williams 
  died 
  in 
  1833, 
  at 
  which 
  time 
  all 
  the 
  hydraulic 
  

   privileges 
  owned 
  by 
  him, 
  estimated 
  to 
  be 
  thirty 
  rights, 
  each 
  equal 
  

   to 
  one 
  run 
  of 
  stone, 
  were 
  sold. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  south 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  the 
  conditions 
  were 
  somewhat 
  

   different. 
  In 
  the 
  year 
  1799 
  Samuel 
  Bear 
  settled 
  on 
  the 
  south 
  

   shore 
  of 
  Seneca 
  river, 
  on 
  land 
  which 
  is 
  now 
  included 
  in 
  that 
  part 
  

   of 
  the 
  village 
  of 
  Waterloo 
  which 
  lies 
  south 
  of 
  said 
  river. 
  In 
  1804 
  

   the 
  State 
  of 
  New 
  York 
  conveyed 
  to 
  Bear 
  one 
  hundred 
  acres 
  of 
  

   land 
  lying 
  along 
  and 
  south 
  of 
  the 
  river, 
  together 
  with 
  the 
  water- 
  

   power 
  and 
  privileges 
  connected 
  therewith. 
  Bear 
  then 
  excavated 
  

   a 
  raceway 
  and 
  erected 
  a 
  mill 
  on 
  this 
  land. 
  

  

  The 
  present 
  Cayuga 
  and 
  Seneca 
  canal 
  was 
  completed 
  by 
  the 
  

   State 
  in 
  1829, 
  by 
  which 
  year 
  water 
  power 
  on 
  the 
  Seneca 
  river 
  

   had 
  become 
  very 
  valuable. 
  

  

  The 
  foregoing 
  historical 
  matter 
  shows 
  that 
  the 
  State 
  only 
  owns 
  

   rights 
  of 
  navigation 
  on 
  Seneca 
  river, 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  water 
  power 
  

   belongs 
  to 
  the 
  riparian 
  owners, 
  as 
  was 
  fairly 
  recognized 
  in 
  the 
  

   original 
  enactments. 
  The 
  Superintendent 
  of 
  Public 
  W 
  T 
  orks 
  states, 
  

   how 
  r 
  ever, 
  that 
  from 
  1829 
  to 
  the 
  present 
  time 
  the 
  Seneca 
  canal 
  has 
  

   been 
  depleted 
  of 
  water 
  for 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  the 
  mills, 
  frequently 
  to 
  such 
  

   an 
  extent 
  that 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  extremely 
  difficult 
  to 
  maintain 
  naviga- 
  

   tion 
  continuously 
  during 
  the 
  whole 
  season. 
  The 
  canal 
  has 
  indeed 
  

   been 
  looked 
  upon 
  and 
  treated 
  by 
  the 
  mill 
  owners 
  as 
  an 
  hydraulic 
  

   canal 
  to 
  conduct 
  water 
  to 
  their 
  mills, 
  rather 
  than 
  as 
  a 
  canal 
  to 
  be 
  

   maintained 
  for 
  navigation. 
  Following 
  this 
  line, 
  the 
  Superin- 
  

   tendent 
  of 
  Public 
  Works 
  expresses 
  the 
  opinion 
  that 
  so 
  long 
  as 
  the 
  

   State 
  holds 
  out 
  inducements 
  to 
  boatmen 
  to 
  expend 
  their 
  energ 
  t 
  v 
  

   and 
  capital 
  in 
  the 
  business 
  of 
  carrying 
  freight 
  on 
  the 
  canals, 
  and 
  

   to 
  merchants 
  and 
  traders 
  to 
  embark 
  their 
  goods 
  thereon, 
  the 
  w^ater 
  

   supply 
  provided 
  for 
  the 
  purposes 
  of 
  navigation 
  should 
  be 
  used 
  

   therefor 
  to 
  the 
  last 
  drop, 
  if 
  necessary, 
  before 
  any 
  other 
  interest 
  

   is 
  subserved; 
  hence, 
  the 
  Superintendent 
  is 
  of 
  the 
  opinion 
  that 
  a 
  

   series 
  of 
  piers 
  and 
  tide 
  bulkheads 
  should 
  be 
  constructed, 
  by 
  which 
  

   the 
  water 
  of 
  Seneca 
  river 
  may 
  be 
  controlled 
  for 
  the 
  purposes 
  of 
  

   navigation, 
  and 
  without 
  reference 
  to 
  the 
  rights 
  of 
  the 
  riparian 
  

  

  