﻿HYDROLOGY 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  647 
  

  

  in 
  1822 
  Augustus 
  Porter 
  built 
  a 
  gristmill 
  along 
  the 
  rapids 
  above 
  

   the 
  falls. 
  From 
  that 
  year 
  to 
  18S5, 
  when 
  the 
  lands 
  along 
  the 
  river 
  

   were 
  taken 
  for 
  a 
  State 
  park, 
  a 
  considerable 
  amount 
  of 
  power 
  was 
  

   developed 
  by 
  a 
  canal 
  which 
  took 
  water 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  near 
  the 
  

   head 
  of 
  the 
  rapids 
  and 
  followed 
  along 
  the 
  shore 
  nearly 
  parallel 
  

   with 
  the 
  bank 
  of 
  the 
  river. 
  Mills 
  were 
  built 
  between 
  this 
  canal 
  

   and 
  the 
  river, 
  and 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  50-foot 
  fall 
  between 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  

   the 
  rapids 
  and 
  the 
  brink 
  of 
  the 
  American 
  Falls 
  was 
  thus 
  utilized. 
  

   A 
  papermill 
  was 
  built 
  on 
  Bath 
  island 
  at 
  an 
  early 
  date. 
  

  

  In 
  1842 
  Augustus 
  Porter, 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  principal 
  mill 
  owners 
  at 
  

   Niagara 
  Falls, 
  proposed 
  a 
  considerable 
  extension 
  of 
  the 
  then 
  

   existing 
  system 
  of 
  canals 
  and 
  races, 
  and 
  in 
  January, 
  1847, 
  in 
  

   connection 
  with 
  Peter 
  Emslie, 
  he 
  published 
  a 
  formal 
  plan 
  which 
  

   became 
  the 
  subject 
  of 
  negotiations 
  with 
  Walter 
  Bryant 
  and 
  Caleb 
  

   S. 
  Woodhull. 
  An 
  agreement 
  was 
  finally 
  reached 
  by 
  which 
  they 
  

   were 
  to 
  construct 
  a 
  canal 
  and 
  receive 
  a 
  plot 
  of 
  land 
  at 
  the 
  head 
  

   of 
  the 
  canal, 
  having 
  a 
  frontage 
  of 
  425 
  feet 
  on 
  Niagara 
  river, 
  

   together 
  with 
  a 
  right 
  of 
  way 
  100 
  feet 
  wide 
  for 
  the 
  canal 
  along 
  its 
  

   entire 
  length 
  of 
  4400 
  feet, 
  and 
  about 
  75 
  acres 
  of 
  land 
  near 
  the 
  

   terminus, 
  having 
  a 
  frontage 
  on 
  the 
  river 
  below 
  the 
  falls 
  of 
  nearly 
  

   a 
  mile. 
  The 
  canal 
  constructed 
  under 
  this 
  agreement 
  passes 
  

   through 
  what 
  is 
  now 
  the 
  most 
  thickly 
  settled 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  city 
  of 
  

   Niagara 
  Falls. 
  

  

  Ground 
  was 
  broken 
  by 
  Messrs 
  Bryant 
  & 
  Woodhull 
  in 
  1853 
  and 
  

   the 
  work 
  carried 
  on 
  for 
  about 
  sixteen 
  months, 
  when 
  it 
  was 
  sus- 
  

   pended 
  for 
  lack 
  of 
  funds. 
  Nothing 
  further 
  was 
  done 
  until 
  1858, 
  

   when 
  Stephen 
  Allen 
  carried 
  the 
  work 
  forward 
  for 
  a 
  time; 
  later, 
  

   in 
  1861, 
  Horace 
  H. 
  Day 
  took 
  up 
  the 
  matter 
  and 
  completed 
  a 
  canal 
  

   36 
  feet 
  wide, 
  8 
  feet 
  deep, 
  and 
  4400 
  feet 
  long, 
  by 
  which 
  the 
  water 
  of 
  

   the 
  upper 
  river 
  was 
  brought 
  to 
  a 
  basin 
  near 
  the 
  brink 
  of 
  the 
  high 
  

   bluff 
  of 
  the 
  lower 
  river 
  and 
  at 
  an 
  elevation 
  of 
  214 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  

   lower 
  river. 
  Upon 
  the 
  margin 
  of 
  this 
  basin 
  various 
  mills 
  have 
  been 
  

   constructed, 
  to 
  the 
  wheels 
  of 
  which 
  water 
  is 
  conducted 
  from 
  the 
  

   canal 
  and 
  discharged 
  through 
  the 
  bluff 
  into 
  the 
  river 
  below. 
  The 
  

   first 
  mill 
  built 
  on 
  this 
  hydraulic 
  canal 
  was 
  a 
  small 
  gristmill, 
  

   erected 
  by 
  Charles 
  B. 
  Gaskill 
  in 
  1870 
  on 
  the 
  site 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  

   large 
  flouring 
  mill 
  of 
  the 
  Cataract 
  Milling 
  Company. 
  

  

  Niagara 
  Falls 
  Hydraulic 
  Power 
  and 
  Manufacturing 
  Company. 
  

   In 
  1877 
  the 
  hydraulic 
  canal 
  and 
  all 
  its 
  appurtenances 
  were 
  pur- 
  

  

  