﻿HYDROLOGY 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  601 
  

  

  river 
  at 
  Rochester, 
  filed 
  a 
  memorial 
  with 
  the 
  Legislature 
  setting 
  

   forth 
  their 
  grievance. 
  March 
  23, 
  1852, 
  a 
  select 
  committee 
  of 
  the 
  

   Assembly 
  reported 
  in 
  favor 
  of 
  a 
  relief 
  act, 
  and 
  accordingly 
  chapter 
  

   611 
  of 
  the 
  laws 
  of 
  1853 
  authorized 
  the 
  Canal 
  Appraisers 
  to 
  exam- 
  

   ine 
  and 
  report 
  upon 
  the 
  claims 
  of 
  Jacob 
  Graves 
  and 
  others 
  on 
  

   account 
  of 
  diversion 
  of 
  water 
  from 
  Genesee 
  river. 
  In 
  February, 
  

   1851, 
  the 
  Canal 
  Appraisers 
  presented 
  to 
  the 
  Legislature 
  their 
  

   report 
  upon 
  the 
  claims 
  of 
  Jacob 
  Graves 
  and 
  others, 
  as 
  authorized 
  

   by 
  chapter 
  611 
  of 
  the 
  laws 
  of 
  1853. 
  A 
  majority 
  report 
  was 
  pre- 
  

   sented 
  by 
  Messrs. 
  D. 
  A. 
  Ogden 
  and 
  A. 
  H. 
  Calhoun 
  and 
  a 
  minority 
  

   report 
  by 
  William 
  J. 
  Cornwell, 
  these 
  gentlemen 
  constituting 
  the 
  

   Board 
  of 
  Canal 
  Appraisers 
  of 
  that 
  day. 
  The 
  majority 
  report 
  

   denies 
  the 
  petition 
  for 
  the 
  following 
  reasons 
  : 
  

  

  1) 
  The 
  State 
  in 
  1822 
  took 
  possession 
  of 
  and 
  acquired 
  the 
  right 
  

   and 
  title 
  to 
  so 
  much 
  of 
  the 
  waters 
  of 
  Genesee 
  river 
  as 
  was 
  then 
  

   and 
  will 
  in 
  all 
  time 
  to 
  come 
  be 
  necessary 
  to 
  keep 
  the 
  Erie 
  canal 
  

   in 
  navigable 
  condition, 
  reference 
  being 
  always 
  had 
  to 
  the 
  supply 
  

   from 
  Lake 
  Erie 
  and 
  other 
  permanent 
  sources, 
  and 
  by 
  no 
  subse- 
  

   quent 
  act 
  has 
  the 
  State 
  abandoned 
  or 
  parted 
  with 
  the 
  title 
  thus 
  

   acquired. 
  

  

  2) 
  The 
  owners 
  and 
  occupants 
  of 
  water 
  rights 
  having 
  failed 
  to 
  

   prosecute 
  their 
  claims 
  for 
  permanent 
  injury 
  under 
  the 
  act 
  of 
  1817, 
  

   or 
  other 
  acts 
  subsequently 
  passed, 
  have 
  no 
  remedy 
  but 
  through 
  

   the 
  Legislature. 
  

  

  3) 
  There 
  are 
  equable 
  considerations 
  which 
  commend 
  most 
  of 
  

   the 
  claimants 
  to 
  your 
  favorable 
  consideration. 
  

  

  Mr 
  Cornwell 
  differed 
  in 
  his 
  minority 
  report 
  from 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  

   conclusions 
  of 
  his 
  associates. 
  

  

  The 
  Genesee 
  River 
  Company 
  

  

  The 
  Legislature 
  authorized 
  the 
  construction 
  of 
  a 
  reservoir 
  at 
  

   Portageville 
  in 
  1898. 
  The 
  following 
  facts 
  are 
  given 
  in 
  regard 
  to 
  

   the 
  company 
  authorized, 
  which 
  was 
  to 
  be 
  known 
  as 
  the 
  Genesee 
  

   River 
  Company. 
  It 
  was 
  organized 
  to 
  develop 
  the 
  water 
  power 
  of 
  

   Genesee 
  river 
  to 
  its 
  fullest 
  extent. 
  

  

  For 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  developing 
  the 
  water 
  power, 
  it 
  was 
  proposed 
  

   to 
  construct 
  a 
  large 
  storage 
  reservoir 
  at 
  Portageville, 
  fifty-seven 
  

   miles 
  south 
  of 
  Rochester, 
  with 
  a 
  capacity 
  of 
  15,000,000,000 
  cubic 
  

   feet. 
  Such 
  a 
  reservoir 
  will 
  make 
  a 
  lake 
  fifteen 
  miles 
  long, 
  from 
  

  

  