﻿674 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  to 
  the 
  people 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  by 
  the 
  existence 
  of 
  Lockport 
  of 
  over- 
  

   one 
  and 
  a 
  half 
  million- 
  dollars, 
  not 
  including 
  in 
  this 
  the 
  actual 
  

   increased 
  value 
  of 
  the 
  city 
  itself. 
  The 
  conclusion 
  is 
  drawn 
  that 
  

   the 
  benefit 
  to 
  the 
  State 
  at 
  large 
  has 
  been 
  very 
  great 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  

   this 
  expenditure 
  for 
  internal 
  improvement, 
  irrespective 
  of 
  ques- 
  

   tions 
  of 
  navigation. 
  This 
  question 
  is 
  also 
  discussed 
  on 
  page 
  239. 
  

  

  Power 
  at 
  Medina. 
  The 
  Oak 
  Orchard 
  feeder 
  and 
  the 
  waterpower 
  

   at 
  Medina 
  present 
  somewhat 
  different 
  points 
  for 
  consideration 
  

   from 
  those 
  at 
  Lockport. 
  

  

  About 
  1820 
  the 
  Canal 
  Commissioners 
  caused 
  a 
  cut-off 
  channel 
  to 
  

   be 
  constructed 
  through 
  Tonawanda 
  swamp 
  between 
  Tonawanda 
  

   and 
  Oak 
  Orchard 
  creeks, 
  whereby 
  the 
  early 
  summer 
  flow 
  of 
  Tona- 
  

   wanda 
  creek 
  is 
  diverted 
  into 
  Oak 
  Orchard 
  creek. 
  Oak 
  Orchard 
  

   creek 
  passes 
  under 
  the 
  Erie 
  canal 
  at 
  Medina, 
  and 
  the 
  original 
  

   feeder 
  channel 
  at 
  that 
  place 
  was 
  an 
  artificial 
  channel 
  leading 
  from 
  

   a 
  dam 
  thrown 
  across 
  the 
  creek 
  and 
  entering 
  the 
  canal 
  near 
  the 
  

   west 
  branch 
  of 
  Oak 
  Orchard 
  creek 
  at 
  Medina. 
  At 
  some 
  period 
  sub- 
  

   sequent 
  to 
  1823 
  a 
  raceway 
  was 
  constructed 
  by 
  private 
  parties 
  lead- 
  

   ing 
  from 
  a 
  second 
  dam 
  higher 
  than 
  the 
  feeder 
  dam 
  and 
  conducting 
  

   water 
  into 
  the 
  central 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  village, 
  where, 
  after 
  it 
  is 
  used, 
  it 
  

   is 
  finally 
  allowed 
  to 
  pass 
  into 
  the 
  canal. 
  During 
  the 
  enlargement 
  

   of 
  1836 
  to 
  1862 
  the 
  water-surface 
  level 
  of 
  the 
  canal 
  at 
  Medina 
  was 
  

   raised, 
  and 
  inasmuch 
  as 
  this 
  change 
  necessitated 
  raising 
  the 
  

   feeder 
  dam 
  somewhat, 
  it 
  was 
  finally 
  concluded 
  to 
  discontinue 
  the 
  

   feeder 
  and 
  depend 
  entirely 
  on 
  the 
  raceway 
  for 
  such 
  supply 
  as 
  the 
  

   canal 
  might 
  receive 
  at 
  this 
  point. 
  

  

  Oak 
  Orchard 
  feeder 
  has 
  been 
  considered 
  as 
  furnishing 
  about 
  27 
  

   cubic 
  feet 
  of 
  water 
  per 
  second 
  to 
  the 
  canal, 
  although 
  measure- 
  

   ments 
  made 
  in 
  1850 
  show 
  about 
  37 
  cubic 
  feet 
  per 
  second. 
  Since 
  

   then 
  the 
  clearing 
  up 
  of 
  forests 
  and 
  the 
  drainage 
  of 
  Oak 
  Orchard 
  

   and 
  Tonawanda 
  swamps 
  have 
  tended 
  to 
  reduce 
  materially 
  the 
  low- 
  

   water 
  flow 
  until 
  it 
  is 
  probably 
  less 
  than 
  27 
  cubic 
  feet 
  per 
  second. 
  

   Moreover, 
  for 
  the 
  future, 
  the 
  dry-weather 
  yield 
  from 
  this 
  catch- 
  

   ment 
  area 
  may 
  be 
  expected 
  to 
  be 
  somewhat 
  less 
  than 
  in 
  the 
  past, 
  

   because 
  of 
  the 
  deepening 
  of 
  the 
  channel 
  of 
  Oak 
  Orchard 
  creek 
  and 
  

   of 
  the 
  crosscut 
  authorized 
  by 
  the 
  laws 
  of 
  1893. 
  The 
  act 
  provided 
  

   for 
  deepening 
  the 
  channel 
  of 
  Oak 
  Orchard 
  creek 
  from 
  a 
  point 
  2y 
  2 
  

   miles 
  below 
  where 
  the 
  Tonawanda 
  creek 
  enters 
  the 
  Oak 
  Orchard 
  

  

  