﻿724 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  Gen. 
  Phillip 
  Schuyler 
  was 
  the 
  first 
  president 
  of 
  the 
  Western 
  

   Inland 
  Lock 
  Navigation 
  Company. 
  1 
  

  

  In 
  March, 
  1795, 
  an 
  act 
  was 
  passed 
  directing 
  the 
  State 
  Treasurer 
  

   to 
  subscribe 
  200 
  shares 
  to 
  these 
  companies, 
  of 
  $50 
  each. 
  State 
  

   aid 
  was 
  again 
  granted 
  by 
  an 
  act 
  passed 
  in 
  April, 
  1796, 
  by 
  which 
  

   the 
  Western 
  Inland 
  Lock 
  Navigation 
  Company 
  was 
  loaned 
  

   |37,500, 
  and 
  a 
  mortgage 
  taken 
  by 
  the 
  State 
  on 
  the 
  company's 
  

   property 
  at 
  Little 
  Falls. 
  In 
  that 
  year 
  a 
  route 
  was 
  opened 
  from 
  

   Schenectady 
  to 
  Seneca 
  Falls 
  for 
  boats 
  carrying 
  16 
  tons. 
  The 
  

   locks 
  at 
  Little 
  Falls 
  were 
  first 
  built 
  of 
  wood, 
  then 
  of 
  brick, 
  and 
  

   finally 
  of 
  stone. 
  The 
  tariff 
  levied 
  for 
  a 
  barrel 
  of 
  flour 
  carried 
  

   100 
  miles 
  was 
  52 
  cents, 
  and 
  for 
  a 
  ton 
  of 
  goods, 
  $5.75. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  report 
  of 
  the 
  directors 
  of 
  the 
  Western 
  Inland 
  Lock 
  

   Navigation 
  Company 
  to 
  the 
  Legislature 
  of 
  1796 
  many 
  interesting 
  

   particulars 
  are 
  given 
  in 
  regard 
  to 
  this 
  navigation. 
  The 
  follow- 
  

   ing 
  from 
  that 
  report 
  about 
  the 
  canal 
  around 
  Little 
  Falls 
  is 
  of 
  

   interest 
  : 
  

  

  The 
  canal 
  is 
  drawn 
  through 
  the 
  northern 
  shore 
  of 
  the 
  Mohawk 
  

   river, 
  about 
  fifty-six 
  miles 
  beyond 
  Schenectady. 
  Its 
  track 
  is 
  

   nearly 
  parallel 
  to 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  the 
  waters 
  of 
  the 
  fall, 
  and 
  at 
  

   a 
  mean 
  about 
  forty 
  yards 
  therefrom. 
  Its 
  supply 
  of 
  water 
  is 
  from 
  

   the 
  river, 
  and 
  the 
  canal 
  commences 
  above 
  the 
  falls, 
  in 
  a 
  neat, 
  

   well-covered 
  basin 
  of 
  considerable 
  depth 
  of 
  water, 
  and 
  reenters 
  

   the 
  river 
  in 
  a 
  spacious 
  bay 
  at 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  the 
  falls; 
  its 
  length 
  is 
  

   4752 
  feet, 
  in 
  which 
  distance 
  the 
  aggregate 
  fall 
  is 
  44 
  feet 
  7 
  inches. 
  

   Five 
  locks, 
  having 
  each 
  nearly 
  9 
  feet 
  lift, 
  are 
  placed 
  towards 
  the 
  

   lower 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  canal, 
  and 
  the 
  pits, 
  in 
  which 
  they 
  are 
  placed, 
  

   have 
  been 
  excavated 
  out 
  of 
  solid 
  rock, 
  of 
  the 
  hardest 
  kind; 
  the 
  

   chamber 
  of 
  each 
  lock 
  is 
  an 
  area 
  of 
  74 
  feet 
  by 
  12 
  feet 
  in 
  the 
  cleave, 
  

   and 
  boats 
  drawing 
  three 
  feet 
  and 
  a 
  half 
  of 
  water 
  may 
  enter 
  at 
  

   all 
  times; 
  the 
  depth 
  of 
  water 
  in 
  all 
  the 
  extent 
  of 
  the 
  canal 
  beyond 
  

   the 
  locks 
  is 
  various, 
  but 
  not 
  less 
  than 
  3 
  feet 
  in 
  any 
  place; 
  near 
  

   the 
  upper 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  canal 
  a 
  guard 
  lock 
  is 
  placed 
  without 
  lift, 
  to 
  

   prevent 
  a 
  redundancy 
  of 
  water 
  ; 
  when 
  the 
  water 
  in 
  the 
  river 
  rises 
  

   beyond 
  the 
  lowest 
  state, 
  sluices 
  are 
  constructed, 
  to 
  discharge 
  the 
  

   surplus 
  water 
  entering 
  the 
  canal, 
  from 
  the 
  two 
  small 
  rivulets 
  

   which 
  intersect 
  its 
  course; 
  about 
  2550 
  feet 
  of 
  the 
  canal 
  is 
  cut 
  

   through 
  solid 
  rock, 
  and 
  where 
  the 
  level 
  struck 
  above 
  the 
  natural 
  

   surface 
  of 
  the 
  earth, 
  or 
  rather 
  rock, 
  strong 
  and 
  well 
  constructed 
  

   walls 
  are 
  erected, 
  supported 
  by 
  heavy 
  embankments 
  of 
  earth, 
  to 
  

  

  1 
  In 
  the 
  original 
  paper 
  " 
  Water 
  Resources 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  of 
  New 
  York 
  " 
  it 
  is 
  

   erroneously 
  stated 
  that 
  George 
  Washington 
  was 
  the 
  first 
  president 
  of 
  the 
  

   Western 
  Inland 
  Lock 
  Navigation 
  Company. 
  

  

  