﻿574 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  to 
  Portage 
  in 
  1882 
  was 
  6882 
  net 
  horsepower. 
  An 
  examination 
  of 
  

   the 
  amount 
  in 
  use 
  on 
  the 
  same 
  reach 
  of 
  river 
  in 
  1896 
  showed 
  that 
  

   the 
  total 
  based 
  on 
  manufacturers' 
  rating 
  of 
  wheels, 
  was 
  19,178 
  

   net 
  horsepower, 
  or 
  based 
  on 
  the 
  manufacturers' 
  statements 
  of 
  the 
  

   quantity 
  of 
  wa*ter 
  required 
  to 
  operate 
  the 
  wheels, 
  and 
  allowing 
  

   75 
  per 
  cent 
  efficiency 
  of 
  the 
  water, 
  the 
  total 
  power 
  developed 
  by 
  

   the 
  wheels 
  in 
  place 
  in 
  1896 
  is 
  found 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  17,248 
  net 
  

   horsepower, 
  or 
  about 
  three 
  times 
  that 
  in 
  1882. 
  In 
  1904 
  this 
  has 
  

   increased 
  to 
  about 
  20,000 
  net 
  horsepower, 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  

   the 
  steam 
  power 
  in 
  use 
  at 
  Rochester 
  has 
  increased 
  several 
  thou- 
  

   sand 
  horsepower. 
  In 
  comparison 
  with 
  these 
  statements 
  it 
  should 
  

   be 
  noted 
  that 
  for 
  several 
  months 
  during 
  the 
  summer 
  and 
  fall 
  of 
  

   1895 
  the 
  total 
  power 
  did 
  not 
  exceed 
  4000 
  to 
  5000 
  horsepower. 
  The 
  

   same 
  condition 
  has 
  existed 
  during 
  the 
  dry 
  period 
  of 
  a 
  number 
  

   of 
  years 
  previous, 
  but 
  not 
  so 
  seriously 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  fall 
  of 
  1895. 
  In 
  

   1899 
  the 
  river 
  was 
  lower 
  than 
  in 
  1895. 
  x 
  

  

  Preliminary 
  investigations. 
  The 
  increased 
  demand 
  for 
  power, 
  

   as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  serious 
  summer 
  droughts, 
  led 
  to 
  the 
  formulation 
  

   of 
  a 
  project 
  for 
  constructing 
  a 
  storage 
  reservoir 
  at 
  some 
  point 
  

   •on 
  the 
  headwaters 
  of 
  Genesee 
  river 
  for 
  assisting 
  the 
  summer 
  flow. 
  

   The 
  first 
  project 
  included 
  the 
  development 
  of 
  the 
  basin 
  of 
  Honeoye 
  

   lake 
  to 
  its 
  full 
  capacity, 
  surveys 
  having 
  been 
  made 
  for 
  that 
  pur- 
  

   pose 
  in 
  1887 
  and 
  1888. 
  It 
  appeared, 
  however, 
  that 
  the 
  yield 
  of 
  

   this 
  catchment 
  area, 
  which 
  is 
  only 
  about 
  43.5 
  square 
  miles, 
  was 
  

   hardly 
  adequate 
  for 
  the 
  results 
  desired, 
  the 
  estimate 
  showing 
  that 
  

   even 
  when 
  developed 
  to 
  its 
  full 
  capacity 
  it 
  could 
  not 
  be 
  depended 
  

   on 
  to 
  furnish, 
  in 
  a 
  dry 
  year, 
  more 
  than 
  75 
  cubic 
  feet 
  per 
  second, 
  

   while 
  the 
  exigencies 
  of 
  the 
  case 
  demanded 
  at 
  least 
  several 
  hun- 
  

   dred 
  cubic 
  feet 
  per 
  second. 
  This 
  project 
  of 
  building 
  a 
  large 
  stor- 
  

   age 
  reservoir 
  on 
  the 
  upper 
  Genesee 
  river 
  was 
  then 
  formulated 
  by 
  

   the 
  Rochester 
  Chamber 
  of 
  Commerce. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  meantime 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  breaks 
  on 
  the 
  long 
  level 
  of 
  the 
  

   Erie 
  canal, 
  which 
  extends 
  from 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  the 
  locks 
  at 
  Lockport 
  

   to 
  the 
  eastern 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  city 
  of 
  Rochester, 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  about 
  

   £2.5 
  miles, 
  had 
  emphasized 
  the 
  importance 
  of 
  the 
  State's 
  providing 
  

   additional 
  water 
  for 
  feeding 
  the 
  canal 
  east 
  of 
  Rochester. 
  For 
  

   this 
  purpose 
  the 
  construction 
  of 
  a 
  large 
  storage 
  reservoir 
  was 
  

  

  x 
  The 
  statements 
  of 
  low 
  waterpower 
  are 
  however 
  kept 
  on 
  the 
  original 
  

   statement 
  of 
  6727 
  gross 
  horsepower. 
  With 
  75 
  per 
  cent 
  efficiency, 
  this 
  is 
  

   5046 
  net 
  horsepower. 
  

  

  