﻿592 
  

  

  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  7) 
  As 
  regards 
  the 
  upper 
  Genesee 
  catchment 
  area, 
  the 
  forest 
  

   has 
  been 
  removed 
  by 
  landowners 
  who 
  have 
  commercially 
  profited 
  

   by 
  such 
  removal; 
  the 
  effect, 
  however, 
  has 
  been 
  to 
  injure 
  per- 
  

   manently 
  every 
  riparian 
  owner 
  on 
  the 
  stream; 
  hence 
  it 
  is 
  proper 
  

   that 
  the 
  State 
  should 
  spend 
  money 
  either 
  in 
  partially 
  reforest- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  area 
  or 
  in 
  constructing 
  river 
  regulation 
  works. 
  The 
  

   latter 
  is 
  preferable, 
  because 
  the 
  benefits 
  can 
  be 
  realized 
  in 
  a 
  

   few 
  years. 
  If 
  the 
  State 
  does 
  not 
  desire 
  to 
  construct 
  such 
  works, 
  

   there 
  should 
  be 
  no 
  obstacles 
  interposed 
  to 
  their 
  construction 
  

   by 
  a 
  private 
  company. 
  

  

  8) 
  The 
  proposed 
  Portage 
  reservoir 
  will 
  impound 
  15,000,000,000 
  

   cubic 
  feet 
  of 
  water 
  at 
  an 
  estimated 
  cost 
  in 
  1904 
  of 
  $3,250,000, 
  or 
  

   at 
  a 
  cost 
  of 
  $216.67 
  per 
  million 
  cubic 
  feet 
  stored. 
  It 
  will 
  afford 
  

   a 
  permanent, 
  continuous 
  power 
  above 
  the 
  present 
  low-water 
  

   flow 
  of 
  the 
  stream 
  of 
  50,496 
  gross 
  horsepower, 
  while 
  the 
  reser- 
  

   voir 
  at 
  Mount 
  Morris 
  will 
  afford 
  only 
  11,600 
  horsepower 
  above 
  

   the 
  present 
  low-water 
  power 
  of 
  the 
  stream. 
  

  

  9) 
  Based 
  on 
  manufacturers' 
  ratings, 
  the 
  present 
  total 
  devel- 
  

   oped 
  water 
  power 
  of 
  Genesee 
  river 
  from 
  Portage 
  to 
  Rochester, 
  

   inclusive, 
  is 
  19,178 
  net 
  horsepower; 
  or, 
  basing 
  the 
  amount 
  of 
  

   water 
  power 
  on 
  the 
  manufacturers' 
  ratings 
  of 
  water 
  required, 
  

   and 
  assuming 
  75 
  per 
  cent 
  efficiency 
  on 
  the 
  wheels, 
  the 
  total 
  

   power 
  is 
  17,248 
  net 
  horsepower, 
  of 
  which 
  about 
  16,650 
  net 
  horse- 
  

   power 
  is 
  within 
  the 
  limits 
  of 
  the 
  city 
  of 
  Rochester. 
  These 
  

   figures 
  apply 
  to 
  conditions 
  as 
  existing 
  in 
  1897. 
  

  

  Early 
  History 
  

  

  Erie 
  canal 
  in 
  its 
  relations 
  to 
  Genesee 
  river. 
  In 
  order 
  to 
  show 
  

   why 
  the 
  State 
  was 
  originally 
  asked 
  to 
  build 
  a 
  storage 
  reservoir 
  

   on 
  Genesee 
  river 
  for 
  the 
  benefit 
  of 
  private 
  parties, 
  the 
  following 
  

   from 
  the 
  early 
  history 
  of 
  the 
  Erie 
  canal 
  in 
  its 
  relations 
  to 
  the 
  

   Genesee 
  river 
  is 
  given: 
  

  

  The 
  first 
  mention 
  of 
  the 
  Genesee 
  river 
  as 
  a 
  source 
  of 
  water 
  

   supply 
  for 
  Erie 
  canal 
  is 
  in 
  the 
  report 
  of 
  James 
  Geddes, 
  who 
  

   was 
  employed 
  by 
  Simeon 
  DeWitt, 
  the 
  then 
  Surveyor 
  General 
  

   of 
  this 
  State, 
  to 
  make 
  the 
  first 
  examinations 
  for 
  the 
  Erie 
  canal. 
  

   His 
  report, 
  which 
  was 
  submitted 
  on 
  January 
  20, 
  1809, 
  may 
  be 
  

   found 
  in 
  the 
  official 
  history 
  of 
  the 
  New 
  York 
  State 
  canals 
  (1825) 
  

   page 
  13 
  and 
  following. 
  

  

  