﻿670 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  New 
  York 
  State 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  these 
  mills 
  have 
  passed 
  out 
  of 
  

   existence. 
  

  

  The 
  four 
  mills 
  still 
  in 
  existence 
  require 
  about 
  1200 
  cubic 
  feet 
  of 
  

   water 
  per 
  second 
  to 
  operate 
  them 
  at 
  the 
  full 
  capacity 
  of 
  the 
  wheels 
  

   now 
  T 
  in 
  place. 
  

  

  The 
  use 
  of 
  water 
  by 
  the 
  Black 
  Kock 
  mills 
  has 
  always 
  been 
  a 
  det- 
  

   riment 
  to 
  navigation. 
  When 
  all 
  were 
  running 
  the 
  amount 
  of 
  water 
  

   actually 
  drawn 
  through 
  the 
  canal 
  and 
  harbor 
  for 
  their 
  supply, 
  and 
  

   for 
  the 
  supply 
  of 
  the 
  canal 
  to 
  the 
  east 
  of 
  Buffalo, 
  was 
  fully 
  3300 
  

   cubic 
  feet 
  per 
  second. 
  1 
  

  

  When 
  all 
  the 
  Black 
  Kock 
  mills 
  were 
  in 
  operation 
  the 
  great 
  draft 
  

   of 
  water 
  so 
  obstructed 
  the 
  navigation 
  that 
  the 
  Legislature 
  finally 
  

   authorized 
  the 
  construction 
  of 
  a 
  division 
  wall 
  in 
  Black 
  Rock 
  har- 
  

   bor, 
  by 
  which 
  it 
  was 
  expected 
  that 
  the 
  water 
  supply 
  for 
  the 
  mills 
  

   would 
  be 
  entirely 
  taken 
  from 
  the 
  harbor, 
  leaving 
  the 
  channel 
  of 
  

   the 
  canal 
  pretty 
  nearly 
  free 
  for 
  the 
  purposes 
  of 
  navigation; 
  but 
  

   after 
  the 
  greater 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  wall 
  was 
  completed 
  it 
  was 
  ascer- 
  

   tained 
  that 
  because 
  of 
  the 
  silting 
  of 
  the 
  upper 
  harbor 
  with 
  sewage 
  

   mud, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  drifting 
  sand 
  from 
  the 
  lake, 
  there 
  would 
  be 
  diffi- 
  

   culty 
  in 
  obtaining 
  the 
  full 
  supply 
  for 
  the 
  mills 
  through 
  the 
  harbor, 
  

   without 
  extensive 
  dredging. 
  The 
  division 
  wall 
  was, 
  therefore, 
  

   never 
  completed, 
  two 
  gaps, 
  amounting, 
  in 
  the 
  aggregate, 
  to 
  several 
  

   hundred 
  feet, 
  having 
  been 
  left 
  below 
  Terry 
  street. 
  There 
  was 
  thus 
  

   an 
  expenditure 
  of 
  about 
  |350,000 
  for 
  the 
  benefit 
  of 
  the 
  milling- 
  

   interests 
  which 
  is 
  entirely 
  without 
  effect 
  for 
  lack 
  of 
  completion. 
  

   Under 
  the 
  present 
  conditions, 
  however, 
  of 
  entire 
  decline 
  of 
  the 
  

   Black 
  Rock 
  milling 
  interests, 
  there 
  is, 
  of 
  course, 
  no 
  reason 
  why 
  

   the 
  wall 
  should 
  be 
  completed, 
  and 
  the 
  matter 
  is 
  discussed 
  here 
  

   merely 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  bringing 
  out 
  clearly 
  the 
  struggle 
  be- 
  

   tween 
  the 
  navigation 
  interests 
  and 
  the 
  manufacturing 
  interests, 
  

   which 
  has 
  been 
  in 
  progress 
  in 
  New 
  York 
  State 
  for 
  the 
  last 
  seventy- 
  

   five 
  years. 
  

  

  Power 
  at 
  Lockport. 
  At 
  Lockport 
  the 
  construction 
  of 
  the 
  Erie 
  

   canal 
  through 
  the 
  mountain 
  ridge 
  created 
  a 
  fall 
  of 
  58 
  feet 
  at 
  a 
  

   single 
  point, 
  and 
  since 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  water 
  for 
  lockage 
  purposes 
  is 
  

  

  ir 
  riie 
  Assembly 
  Committee 
  of 
  1870 
  give 
  the 
  following 
  figures 
  as 
  then 
  

   applicable: 
  Lower 
  Black 
  Rock 
  mills, 
  18S7 
  second-feet; 
  upper 
  Black 
  Rock 
  

   mills, 
  858 
  second-feet; 
  for 
  supply 
  of 
  canal, 
  583 
  second-feet; 
  total, 
  3328 
  

   second-feet. 
  

  

  