﻿HYDROLOGY 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  539 
  

  

  intendent 
  of 
  Public 
  Works 
  amounts 
  to 
  this: 
  That 
  if 
  necessary 
  

   he 
  would 
  stop 
  all 
  these 
  great 
  manufacturing 
  industries 
  which 
  are 
  

   now 
  owned 
  and 
  operated 
  by 
  citizens 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  of 
  New 
  York 
  in 
  

   order, 
  chiefly, 
  to 
  transport 
  45,493 
  tons 
  of 
  coal 
  for 
  Pennsylvania 
  

   mine 
  owners. 
  

  

  In 
  justification 
  of 
  this 
  position 
  of 
  the 
  Superintendent 
  of 
  Public 
  

   Works 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  pointed 
  out 
  that 
  as 
  the 
  Executive 
  Officer 
  of 
  the 
  

   Canal 
  Department 
  he 
  is 
  charged 
  with 
  the 
  maintenance 
  of 
  the 
  

   canals 
  and 
  the 
  execution 
  of 
  the 
  canal 
  laws 
  generally. 
  Officially, 
  

   he 
  can 
  therefore 
  take 
  no 
  other 
  position 
  than 
  the 
  one 
  herein 
  dis- 
  

   cussed. 
  The 
  criticisms 
  are 
  therefore 
  directed 
  towards 
  the 
  policy 
  

   and 
  not 
  towards 
  the 
  official 
  who 
  is 
  doing 
  his 
  duty 
  under 
  existing 
  

   law. 
  

  

  Compensation 
  in 
  kind 
  on 
  Black 
  river. 
  Chapter 
  157 
  of 
  the 
  laws 
  

   of 
  1836 
  provided 
  for 
  the 
  construction 
  of 
  the 
  Black 
  river 
  canal. 
  

   One 
  of 
  the 
  provisions 
  of 
  this 
  law 
  was 
  that 
  the 
  feeder 
  and 
  canal 
  

   shall 
  be 
  so 
  constructed 
  as 
  to 
  pass 
  as 
  large 
  a 
  quantity 
  of 
  water 
  

   to 
  the 
  Erie 
  canal 
  as 
  can 
  reasonably 
  be 
  spared 
  from 
  Black 
  river, 
  

   and 
  from 
  the 
  northern 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  Black 
  river 
  canal. 
  The 
  

   Black 
  river 
  canal 
  proper 
  extends 
  from 
  Rome 
  to 
  the 
  Black 
  river 
  

   at 
  Lyon 
  Falls, 
  from 
  whence 
  to 
  Carthage 
  navigation 
  is 
  maintained 
  

   on 
  that 
  river 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  jetties, 
  locks 
  and 
  dams. 
  In 
  1848 
  a 
  dam 
  

   was 
  built 
  at 
  Forestport, 
  diverting 
  the 
  waters 
  of 
  Black 
  river 
  

   through 
  a 
  feeder 
  ten 
  miles 
  in 
  length, 
  leading 
  from 
  Forestport 
  to 
  

   Boonville, 
  where 
  it 
  enters 
  the 
  summit 
  level 
  of 
  Black 
  river 
  canal 
  ; 
  

   thence 
  its 
  waters 
  flow 
  both 
  southerly 
  to 
  Erie 
  canal 
  at 
  Rome, 
  and 
  

   northerly 
  through 
  Black 
  river 
  canal 
  to 
  where 
  that 
  canal 
  enters 
  

   the 
  river 
  at 
  Lyon 
  Falls, 
  at 
  which 
  place 
  such 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  

   as 
  flows 
  northerly 
  is 
  restored 
  to 
  Black 
  river. 
  

  

  The 
  feeder 
  is 
  estimated 
  to 
  carry 
  16,000 
  cubic 
  feet 
  per 
  minute 
  

   between 
  Forestport 
  and 
  Boonville. 
  Of 
  this 
  amount 
  5000 
  cubic 
  

   feet 
  per 
  minute 
  is 
  returned 
  to 
  Black 
  river 
  at 
  Lyon 
  Falls, 
  whence 
  

   the 
  diversion 
  to 
  Erie 
  canal 
  becomes, 
  less 
  the 
  evaporation 
  and 
  per- 
  

   colation 
  losses, 
  11,000 
  cubic 
  feet 
  per 
  minute. 
  

  

  The 
  Forestport 
  feeder 
  was 
  opened 
  regularly 
  for 
  use 
  in 
  July, 
  

   1849, 
  and 
  shortly 
  thereafter 
  claims 
  were 
  made 
  by 
  the 
  owners 
  of 
  

   water 
  power 
  upon 
  Black 
  river 
  for 
  damages, 
  but 
  for 
  several 
  years 
  

   the 
  Canal 
  Commissioners 
  took 
  the 
  ground 
  that 
  the 
  appropriation 
  

  

  