﻿HYDROLOGY 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  723 
  

  

  In 
  January, 
  1791, 
  Governor 
  George 
  Clinton, 
  in 
  an 
  address 
  to 
  

   the 
  Legislature, 
  urged 
  the 
  necessity 
  of 
  improving 
  the 
  natural 
  

   water 
  channels 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  facilitate 
  communication 
  with 
  the 
  

   frontier 
  settlements. 
  Following 
  this 
  address, 
  in 
  February 
  of 
  the 
  

   same 
  year, 
  a 
  joint 
  committee 
  was 
  appointed 
  to 
  inquire 
  what 
  

   obstructions 
  in 
  the 
  Hudson 
  and 
  Mohawk 
  rivers 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  proper 
  

   to 
  remove. 
  As 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  this 
  inquiry, 
  an 
  act 
  was 
  passed 
  

   March 
  24, 
  1791, 
  authorizing 
  the 
  Commissioners 
  of 
  the 
  Land 
  Office 
  

   to 
  explore 
  and 
  survey 
  the 
  ground 
  from 
  the 
  Mohawk 
  river 
  at 
  Fort 
  

   Stanwix 
  (now 
  Rome) 
  to 
  Wood 
  creek 
  with 
  reference 
  to 
  construct- 
  

   ing 
  an 
  artificial 
  channel, 
  and 
  also 
  to 
  survey 
  the 
  Mohawk 
  and 
  

   Hudson 
  rivers 
  for 
  improvement 
  by 
  locks 
  and 
  to 
  estimate 
  the 
  

   cost 
  of 
  the 
  same. 
  A 
  sum 
  not 
  exceeding 
  $500 
  was 
  appropriated 
  

   to 
  pay 
  the 
  expense 
  of 
  such 
  survey. 
  

  

  At 
  that 
  time 
  the 
  channel 
  of 
  commerce 
  was 
  by 
  the 
  Mohawk 
  from 
  

   Albany 
  to 
  Fort 
  Stanwix 
  in 
  boats 
  of 
  about 
  five 
  tons 
  burden. 
  Going 
  

   west 
  these 
  boats 
  carried 
  from 
  1J 
  to 
  2 
  tons 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  easterly 
  

   trip 
  5 
  tons. 
  From 
  Fort 
  Stanwix 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  portage 
  of 
  2 
  miles 
  

   across 
  the 
  flats 
  to 
  Wood 
  creek, 
  whence 
  the 
  course 
  lay 
  into 
  

   Oneida 
  lake 
  and 
  river, 
  and 
  from 
  thence 
  into 
  Seneca 
  and 
  Oswego 
  

   rivers 
  to 
  Lake 
  Ontario; 
  or, 
  from 
  points 
  farther 
  west, 
  up 
  Seneca 
  

   river 
  to 
  Lakes 
  Cayuga 
  and 
  Seneca. 
  At 
  that 
  time 
  it 
  cost 
  from 
  

   |75 
  to 
  $100 
  per 
  ton 
  for 
  transportation 
  from 
  Seneca 
  lake 
  to 
  

   Albany. 
  The 
  time 
  occupied 
  in 
  going 
  from 
  Albany 
  to 
  Seneca 
  

   lake 
  was 
  twenty-one 
  days, 
  and 
  in 
  returning 
  eight 
  days. 
  

  

  The 
  commissioners 
  appointed 
  under 
  the 
  act 
  of 
  March, 
  1791, 
  

   were 
  Elkanah 
  Watson, 
  Gen. 
  Phillip 
  Schuyler, 
  and 
  Goldsborrow 
  

   Bayner. 
  On 
  the 
  3d 
  of 
  January, 
  1792, 
  the 
  commissioners 
  reported 
  

   the 
  cost 
  of 
  improving 
  the 
  route 
  from 
  Albany 
  to 
  Seneca 
  lake 
  by 
  

   locks 
  and 
  canals 
  at 
  $200,000, 
  whereupon 
  the 
  Legislature 
  passed 
  

   an 
  act 
  March 
  30, 
  1792, 
  incorporating 
  the 
  Western 
  Inland 
  Lock 
  

   Navigation 
  Company, 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  opening 
  navigation 
  by 
  

   locks 
  from 
  the 
  Hudson 
  river 
  to 
  Lakes 
  Ontario 
  and 
  Seneca, 
  and 
  the 
  

   Northern 
  Inland 
  Lock 
  Navigation 
  Company, 
  charged 
  with 
  per- 
  

   forming 
  a 
  like 
  service 
  from 
  the 
  Hudson 
  river 
  to 
  Lake 
  Champlain, 
  

   The 
  capital 
  stock 
  of 
  each 
  company 
  consisted 
  of 
  1000 
  shares 
  of 
  

   $25 
  each, 
  but 
  the 
  companies 
  were 
  afterwards 
  allowed 
  a 
  capital 
  

   stock 
  of 
  $300,000 
  and 
  an 
  increase 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  from 
  time 
  to 
  time. 
  

  

  