﻿HYDROLOGY 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  593 
  

  

  Further 
  mention 
  of 
  the 
  Genesee 
  river 
  as 
  a 
  possible 
  source 
  of 
  

   water 
  supply 
  of 
  the 
  Erie 
  canal 
  is 
  given 
  in 
  a 
  letter 
  written 
  by 
  

   Mr 
  Geddes 
  to 
  William 
  Darby, 
  under 
  date 
  of 
  February 
  22, 
  1822, 
  

   which 
  may 
  also 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  official 
  history 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  

   canals. 
  Without 
  giving 
  these 
  interesting 
  historical 
  documents 
  

   in 
  detail, 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  stated 
  that 
  Mr 
  Geddes 
  considered 
  the 
  

   Genesee 
  river 
  as 
  an 
  exceedingly 
  important 
  feeder 
  of 
  the 
  Erie 
  

   canal. 
  We 
  shall 
  see, 
  however, 
  as 
  we 
  proceed 
  how 
  very 
  

   materially 
  this 
  view 
  was 
  modified 
  as 
  more 
  information 
  was 
  

   gained 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  dry 
  weather 
  flow, 
  not 
  only 
  in 
  the 
  Genesee 
  river, 
  

   but 
  in 
  the 
  other 
  streams 
  in 
  western 
  New 
  York, 
  until 
  finally 
  

   it 
  became 
  the 
  settled 
  policy 
  of 
  the 
  canal 
  authorities 
  to 
  derive 
  

   water 
  supplies 
  from 
  the 
  lakes 
  rather 
  than 
  from 
  rivers. 
  The 
  

   effect 
  of 
  this 
  settled 
  policy 
  upon 
  the 
  present 
  project 
  for 
  storage 
  

   of 
  the 
  water 
  of 
  the 
  Genesee 
  river 
  will 
  also 
  appear 
  as 
  we 
  proceed. 
  

  

  In 
  order 
  to 
  exhibit 
  the 
  history 
  of 
  the 
  Genesee 
  feeder 
  clearly, 
  

   it 
  will 
  be 
  necessary 
  also 
  to 
  consider 
  to 
  some 
  extent 
  the 
  general 
  

   history 
  of 
  the 
  New 
  York 
  State 
  canals, 
  and 
  accordingly 
  certain 
  

   facts 
  which 
  are 
  not 
  set 
  forth 
  on 
  a 
  later 
  page 
  are 
  given 
  here. 
  

  

  In 
  1810 
  a 
  concurrent 
  resolution 
  was 
  adopted, 
  appointing 
  

   Gouverneur 
  Morris, 
  Stephen 
  Van 
  Rensselaer, 
  DeWitt 
  Clinton, 
  

   Simeon 
  DeWitt, 
  William 
  North, 
  Thomas 
  Eddy 
  and 
  Peter 
  B. 
  

   Porter 
  commissioners 
  for 
  exploring 
  the 
  whole 
  route 
  of 
  the 
  Erie 
  

   canal, 
  etc. 
  Chapter 
  193, 
  section 
  43, 
  laws 
  of 
  1810, 
  appropriated 
  

   $3000 
  for 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  this 
  commission. 
  The 
  commissioners 
  

   reported 
  under 
  date 
  of 
  March 
  2, 
  1811. 
  

  

  They 
  discussed 
  questions 
  relating 
  to 
  the 
  Erie 
  canal 
  broadly 
  

   and 
  specially 
  at 
  considerable 
  length 
  the 
  future 
  water 
  supply. 
  

   The 
  following 
  extract 
  from 
  their 
  report 
  will 
  show 
  the 
  conclu- 
  

   sions 
  to 
  which 
  their 
  studies 
  had 
  brought 
  them, 
  and 
  indicates 
  

   they 
  did 
  not 
  favor 
  placing 
  any 
  special 
  dependence 
  upon 
  a 
  per- 
  

   manent 
  supply 
  to 
  the 
  canal 
  from 
  the 
  rivers. 
  

  

  We 
  shall 
  see 
  as 
  we 
  proceed 
  that 
  the 
  principles 
  announced 
  in 
  

   their 
  report 
  of 
  1811 
  were 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  possible 
  followed 
  in 
  designing 
  

   the 
  permanent 
  water 
  supply 
  of 
  the 
  Erie 
  canal. 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  is 
  from 
  the 
  commissioners' 
  report: 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  construction 
  of 
  canals, 
  when 
  recourse 
  is 
  had 
  (as 
  must 
  

   generally 
  be 
  the 
  case) 
  to 
  rivers 
  for 
  a 
  supply 
  of 
  water, 
  it 
  is 
  found 
  

  

  