﻿580 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  way 
  above 
  the 
  flow 
  line 
  on 
  the 
  west 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  valley, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  

   the 
  removal 
  of 
  the 
  villages 
  named. 
  The 
  total 
  area 
  below 
  the 
  flow 
  

   line 
  is 
  12.4 
  square 
  miles, 
  and 
  the 
  entire 
  area 
  proposed 
  to 
  be 
  taken 
  

   for 
  reservoir 
  purposes, 
  including 
  a 
  strip 
  10 
  feet 
  vertically 
  above 
  

   the 
  flow 
  line, 
  is 
  13.7 
  square 
  miles. 
  The 
  project 
  also 
  includes 
  the 
  

   removal 
  of 
  several 
  cemeteries, 
  the 
  building 
  of 
  highway 
  bridges 
  

   across 
  the 
  reservoir, 
  and 
  the 
  construction 
  of 
  a 
  roadway 
  entirely 
  

   around 
  the 
  same. 
  

  

  Without 
  having 
  made 
  a 
  detailed 
  canvass, 
  it 
  is 
  estimated 
  that 
  

   the 
  present 
  population 
  of 
  the 
  proposed 
  Portage 
  reservoir 
  site, 
  in 
  

   the 
  villages 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  farms, 
  is 
  about 
  1200. 
  In 
  reference 
  to 
  dis- 
  

   possessing 
  this 
  number 
  of 
  people 
  of 
  their 
  homes 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  

   of 
  creating 
  a 
  large 
  storage 
  reservoir, 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  said 
  that 
  such 
  a 
  

   proceeding 
  is 
  not 
  only 
  not 
  uncommon 
  in 
  this 
  State, 
  but 
  that 
  the 
  

   population 
  to 
  be 
  removed 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  the 
  new 
  Croton 
  reservoir 
  

   is 
  far 
  greater 
  than 
  at 
  the 
  Portage 
  reservoir. 
  According 
  to 
  maps 
  

   furnished 
  by 
  the 
  Croton 
  Water 
  Department, 
  it 
  appears 
  that 
  the 
  

   new 
  Croton 
  reservoir 
  includes 
  the 
  taking 
  of 
  either 
  the* 
  whole 
  or 
  

   parts 
  of 
  something 
  like 
  three 
  large 
  villages 
  and 
  nine 
  or 
  ten 
  ham- 
  

   lets. 
  The 
  total 
  population 
  to 
  be 
  removed 
  from 
  the 
  submerged 
  area 
  

   of 
  the 
  new 
  Croton 
  reservoir 
  is 
  not 
  given, 
  but 
  actual 
  inspection 
  of 
  

   maps 
  of 
  the 
  proposed 
  sites 
  indicates 
  that 
  it 
  must 
  be 
  several 
  times 
  

   larger 
  than 
  the 
  number 
  to 
  be 
  dispossessed 
  at 
  Portage. 
  The 
  vil- 
  

   lages 
  of 
  Katonah, 
  Purdy 
  Station, 
  and 
  Croton 
  Falls 
  are 
  much 
  

   larger 
  than 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  villages 
  in 
  the 
  Portage 
  reservoir 
  site. 
  The 
  

   main 
  line 
  of 
  the 
  New 
  York 
  and 
  Northern 
  railroad 
  passes 
  for 
  sev- 
  

   eral 
  miles 
  through 
  the 
  valley 
  and 
  requires 
  relocating 
  above 
  the 
  

   flow 
  line, 
  the 
  same 
  as 
  is 
  proposed 
  for 
  the 
  Pennsylvania 
  railway 
  

   along 
  the 
  Portage 
  reservoir. 
  It 
  appears, 
  therefore, 
  that 
  the 
  City 
  

   of 
  New 
  York 
  has 
  recently 
  done 
  under 
  State 
  laws 
  everything 
  in 
  

   the 
  way 
  of 
  so-called 
  radical 
  change 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  proposed 
  to 
  do 
  at 
  

   Portage. 
  In 
  both 
  cases 
  the 
  sufficient 
  reason 
  for 
  these 
  changes 
  

   may 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  better 
  meeting 
  of 
  public 
  necessities. 
  

  

  The 
  original 
  estimated 
  cost 
  of 
  the 
  proposed 
  Portage 
  reservoir, 
  

   including 
  land 
  damages, 
  dam, 
  reconstruction 
  of 
  railway, 
  removal 
  

   of 
  cemeteries, 
  the 
  cutting 
  of 
  all 
  timber 
  within 
  the 
  catchment 
  

   areas, 
  the 
  construction 
  of 
  highway 
  bridges, 
  etc. 
  is 
  $2,600,000, 
  the 
  

   storage 
  to 
  be 
  provided 
  by 
  this 
  expenditure 
  amounting 
  to 
  15,000,- 
  

  

  