﻿542 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  The 
  chief 
  reasons 
  why 
  the 
  large 
  storage 
  capacity 
  of 
  the 
  various 
  

   reservoirs 
  has 
  not 
  been 
  sufficient 
  to 
  provide 
  a 
  proper 
  dry-weather 
  

   flow 
  are 
  stated 
  as 
  : 
  

  

  1) 
  The 
  inaccessibility 
  of 
  several 
  of 
  these 
  reservoirs. 
  

  

  2) 
  The 
  constant 
  surreptitious 
  use 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  by 
  lumbermen 
  

   for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  floating 
  logs 
  down 
  the 
  streams, 
  from 
  which 
  it 
  

   results 
  that 
  the 
  storage 
  is 
  drawn 
  off 
  in 
  the 
  spring, 
  thus 
  leaving 
  

   the 
  reservoirs 
  empty 
  when 
  actually 
  needed 
  later 
  in 
  the 
  season. 
  

  

  The 
  question 
  may 
  be 
  very 
  properly 
  asked 
  : 
  Why, 
  if 
  the 
  State 
  

   had 
  inaugurated 
  by 
  chapter 
  181 
  of 
  the 
  laws 
  of 
  1851 
  a 
  reservoir 
  

   system 
  on 
  Black 
  river, 
  with 
  a 
  view 
  of 
  compensation 
  for 
  the 
  

   diverted 
  water 
  in 
  kind, 
  there 
  should 
  have 
  been 
  any 
  payment 
  of 
  

   damages 
  at 
  all 
  ? 
  The 
  answer 
  to 
  this 
  question 
  is 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  

   While 
  the 
  reservoirs 
  were 
  actually 
  authorized 
  in 
  1851, 
  still 
  in 
  

   1858-59, 
  when 
  these 
  claims 
  were 
  under 
  consideration, 
  only 
  one 
  

   reservoir 
  — 
  that 
  on 
  the 
  Korth 
  branch 
  — 
  had 
  been 
  completed, 
  work 
  

   having 
  been 
  stopped 
  on 
  the 
  South 
  branch, 
  Woodhull 
  and 
  Chub 
  

   lake 
  reservoirs 
  in 
  1857 
  for 
  lack 
  of 
  funds. 
  The 
  mill 
  owners 
  had 
  

   therefore 
  waited 
  ten 
  years 
  without 
  having 
  received 
  either 
  money 
  

   compensation 
  for 
  the 
  damage 
  or 
  compensation 
  in 
  kind. 
  Com- 
  

   menting 
  on 
  this 
  situation 
  the 
  Canal. 
  Appraisers 
  in 
  their 
  discussion 
  

   of 
  difficulties 
  in 
  the 
  way 
  of 
  estimating 
  damages 
  state 
  in 
  effect 
  

   that 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  uncertainties 
  of 
  legislative 
  action 
  no 
  one 
  can 
  

   say 
  when 
  the 
  reservoir 
  system 
  will 
  actually 
  be 
  completed, 
  but 
  if 
  

   the 
  reservoirs 
  were 
  completed, 
  and 
  they 
  had 
  accomplished 
  wholly 
  

   or 
  in 
  any 
  ascertained 
  part 
  the 
  desired 
  object 
  of 
  producing 
  a 
  larger 
  

   summer 
  flow 
  in 
  Black 
  river, 
  such 
  fact 
  would 
  have 
  an 
  important 
  

   bearing 
  in 
  reducing 
  the 
  amount 
  of 
  permanent 
  injury 
  to 
  the 
  water 
  

   power. 
  In 
  view 
  of 
  the 
  foregoing, 
  the 
  appraisers 
  say 
  : 
  

  

  These 
  claims 
  can 
  not 
  receive 
  as 
  satisfactory 
  decision 
  as 
  we 
  

   should 
  desire 
  until 
  the 
  successful 
  or 
  unsuccessful 
  working 
  of 
  the 
  

   reservoirs, 
  if 
  completed, 
  can 
  be 
  known, 
  or 
  the 
  policy 
  determined 
  

   whether 
  or 
  not 
  they 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  completed 
  ; 
  and 
  the 
  appraisers 
  have 
  

   almost 
  as 
  little 
  faith 
  in 
  the 
  correctness 
  of 
  the 
  conclusions 
  which 
  

   they 
  may 
  reach 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  belief 
  that 
  those 
  conclusions 
  will 
  satisfy 
  

   either 
  the 
  claimants 
  or 
  the 
  State. 
  For 
  the 
  nearly 
  four 
  years 
  that 
  

   the 
  present 
  Board 
  of 
  Appraisers 
  have 
  held 
  office, 
  they 
  have 
  kept 
  

   these 
  claims 
  in 
  abeyance 
  in 
  the 
  hope 
  that 
  the 
  time 
  would 
  come 
  

   when 
  they 
  could 
  dispose 
  of 
  the 
  claims 
  in 
  a 
  manner 
  which 
  would, 
  

  

  . 
  -■« 
  

  

  