﻿HYDROLOGY 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  597 
  

  

  the 
  Genesee 
  river 
  into 
  Erie 
  canal, 
  June 
  6, 
  1821. 
  The 
  Commis- 
  

   sioners 
  complete 
  their 
  report 
  by 
  stating 
  that 
  after 
  this 
  feeder 
  is 
  

   completed, 
  which 
  will 
  probably 
  be 
  in 
  May, 
  1822, 
  it 
  is 
  expected 
  

   that 
  with 
  a 
  little 
  additional 
  expense, 
  a 
  good 
  navigation 
  forty 
  

   miles 
  up 
  the 
  river 
  will 
  be 
  available, 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  the 
  Erie 
  

   canal. 
  

  

  The 
  canal 
  was 
  opened 
  to 
  Rochester 
  in 
  July, 
  1822, 
  and 
  the 
  

   problem 
  then 
  was 
  to 
  obtain 
  a 
  sufficient 
  supply 
  of 
  water 
  from 
  the 
  

   Genesee 
  river 
  west 
  until 
  Lake 
  Erie 
  could 
  be 
  reached 
  and 
  its 
  waters 
  

   drawn 
  upon. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  26th 
  day 
  of 
  October, 
  1825, 
  water 
  having 
  been 
  turned 
  

   into 
  the 
  canal 
  from 
  the 
  harbor 
  at 
  Black 
  Rock 
  the 
  first 
  boat 
  

   ascended 
  the 
  locks 
  at 
  Lockport 
  and 
  passed 
  through 
  the 
  deep 
  cut 
  

   at 
  the 
  mountain 
  ridge 
  and 
  on 
  to 
  Lake 
  Erie. 
  In 
  their 
  report, 
  sub- 
  

   mitted 
  to 
  the 
  Legislature, 
  on 
  March 
  25, 
  1826, 
  the 
  Canal 
  Commis- 
  

   sioners 
  say 
  : 
  

  

  The 
  first 
  admission 
  of 
  a 
  full 
  head 
  of 
  water 
  upon 
  the 
  dam 
  and 
  

   pier 
  at 
  Black 
  Rock, 
  and 
  into 
  the 
  canal 
  from 
  Buffalo 
  to 
  Lockport, 
  

   put 
  to 
  the 
  test 
  of 
  actual 
  experiment 
  the 
  strength 
  and 
  solidity 
  of 
  

   the 
  works, 
  the 
  accuracy 
  of 
  the 
  levels, 
  and 
  the 
  practicability 
  of 
  

   carrying 
  through 
  the 
  mountain 
  ridge 
  a 
  supply 
  of 
  water, 
  Avhich 
  

   would 
  be 
  adequate 
  to 
  the 
  wants 
  of 
  the 
  canal, 
  during 
  the 
  dry 
  

   season. 
  The 
  result 
  of 
  this 
  experiment, 
  was 
  entirely 
  satisfactory. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  removal 
  of 
  the 
  temporary 
  dam 
  which 
  had 
  been 
  thrown 
  

   across 
  the 
  narrowest 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  Black 
  Rock 
  basin, 
  the 
  water 
  rose 
  

   within 
  a 
  few 
  inches 
  of 
  the 
  level 
  of 
  the 
  lake, 
  and 
  flowing 
  into 
  the 
  

   canal 
  below, 
  gave 
  a 
  depth 
  throughout 
  its 
  whole 
  extent 
  to 
  Lock- 
  

   port, 
  of 
  from 
  five 
  and 
  a 
  half 
  to 
  six 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  bottom 
  line 
  of 
  

   the 
  canal 
  as 
  originally 
  located 
  by 
  David 
  Thomas. 
  

  

  This 
  volume 
  of 
  water 
  drawn 
  eastward 
  by 
  the 
  declivity 
  in 
  the 
  

   canal, 
  of 
  one 
  inch 
  in 
  a 
  mile, 
  will 
  be 
  sufficient 
  to 
  supply 
  the 
  

   Rochester 
  level, 
  and 
  probably 
  the 
  canal 
  as 
  far 
  eastward 
  as 
  the 
  

   Cayuga 
  marshes, 
  without 
  any 
  aid 
  from 
  the 
  Genesee 
  river. 
  

  

  The 
  event 
  marked 
  the 
  completion 
  of 
  the 
  original 
  Erie 
  canal, 
  

   and 
  further 
  marked, 
  in 
  the 
  opinion 
  of 
  the 
  Canal 
  Commissioners, 
  

   the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  the 
  Genesee 
  river 
  as 
  a 
  source 
  of 
  water 
  supply 
  

   for 
  the 
  canal. 
  

  

  We 
  are 
  now 
  able 
  to 
  discern 
  the 
  real 
  reasons 
  for 
  constructing 
  

   the 
  Genesee 
  river 
  feeder. 
  As 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  long 
  and 
  exhaustive 
  

   examinations 
  the 
  Canal 
  Commissioners 
  adopted 
  the 
  settled 
  policy 
  

  

  