﻿HYDROLOGY 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  725 
  

  

  confine 
  the 
  water 
  and 
  to 
  keep 
  the 
  level, 
  hence 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  other 
  

   current 
  in 
  the 
  canal 
  than 
  an 
  almost 
  imperceptible 
  one, 
  when 
  the 
  

   summit 
  lock 
  is 
  drawn; 
  three 
  handsome 
  and 
  substantial 
  bridges 
  

   are 
  thrown 
  over 
  the 
  canal, 
  as 
  so 
  many 
  roads 
  which 
  have 
  been 
  

   intersected 
  by 
  the 
  canal. 
  

  

  The 
  report 
  to 
  the 
  Legislature 
  of 
  1796 
  is 
  accompanied 
  by 
  the 
  

   report 
  of 
  William 
  Weston, 
  the 
  engineer, 
  in 
  which 
  estimates 
  are 
  

   given 
  of 
  the 
  expense 
  of 
  improving 
  the 
  navigation 
  from 
  tidewater 
  

   in 
  the 
  Hudson 
  river 
  to 
  Cayuga 
  lake, 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  canals 
  and 
  

   locks, 
  and 
  removing 
  the 
  obstructions 
  in 
  the 
  rivers 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  

   render 
  them 
  competent 
  for 
  the 
  transportation 
  of 
  produce 
  in 
  

   boats 
  of 
  upwards 
  of 
  20 
  tons 
  burden. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  report 
  of 
  the 
  directors 
  of 
  the 
  Western 
  Inland 
  Lock 
  

   Navigation 
  Company, 
  made 
  by 
  the 
  president, 
  under 
  date 
  of 
  Feb- 
  

   ruary 
  16, 
  1798, 
  it 
  is 
  stated 
  that 
  early 
  in 
  the 
  spring 
  of 
  1796 
  the 
  

   directors 
  commenced 
  operations 
  at 
  Fort 
  Stanwix 
  (Kome) 
  with 
  

   reference 
  to 
  a 
  junction 
  of 
  the 
  waters 
  of 
  the 
  Mohawk 
  river 
  and 
  

   Wood 
  creek. 
  The 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  canal 
  at 
  this 
  point 
  was 
  a 
  little 
  

   over 
  three 
  miles. 
  

  

  With 
  respect 
  to 
  the 
  improvement 
  to 
  the 
  westward 
  of 
  Fort 
  

   Stanwix, 
  the 
  directors 
  state 
  that 
  from 
  the 
  outlet 
  of 
  Oneida 
  

   lake 
  to 
  the 
  south 
  end 
  of 
  Cayuga 
  lake, 
  nature 
  has 
  done 
  so 
  much 
  

   that 
  little 
  is 
  left 
  for 
  art 
  to 
  accomplish. 
  The 
  few 
  obstructions 
  

   necessary 
  to 
  be 
  removed 
  can 
  all 
  be 
  affected 
  in 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  one 
  

   summer 
  and 
  at 
  a 
  very 
  moderate 
  expense. 
  

  

  This 
  company 
  did 
  not 
  realize 
  anything 
  like 
  their 
  expectations. 
  

   After 
  completing 
  the 
  canal 
  around 
  Little 
  Falls 
  and 
  at 
  Fort 
  Stan- 
  

   wix, 
  they 
  were 
  confronted 
  by 
  the 
  difficulty 
  that 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  

   excessive 
  tolls 
  charged, 
  these 
  short 
  stretches 
  of 
  canal 
  were 
  not 
  

   as 
  much 
  used 
  as 
  they 
  had 
  expected. 
  While 
  the 
  commerce 
  from 
  

   Oneida 
  lake 
  and 
  westward 
  was 
  considerable, 
  the 
  boatmen 
  still 
  

   continued 
  to 
  carry 
  their 
  cargoes 
  around 
  these 
  obstructions 
  in- 
  

   stead 
  of 
  passing 
  through 
  the 
  canals. 
  Undoubtedly 
  the 
  scarcity 
  

   of 
  ready 
  money 
  had 
  a 
  good 
  deal 
  to 
  do 
  with 
  this, 
  although 
  the 
  

   tolls 
  for 
  passing 
  through 
  the 
  canals 
  seem 
  rather 
  high. 
  As 
  we 
  

   have 
  seen, 
  the 
  entire 
  bed 
  of 
  the 
  Mohawk 
  river 
  had 
  been 
  conveyed 
  

   to 
  this 
  company 
  by 
  the 
  act 
  of 
  1792, 
  but 
  there 
  was 
  no 
  practical 
  

   way 
  of 
  preventing 
  navigation 
  on 
  the 
  river. 
  

  

  The 
  company, 
  however, 
  continued 
  in 
  existence 
  until 
  the 
  State 
  

   entered 
  upon 
  its 
  era 
  of 
  inland 
  water 
  improvement 
  under 
  the 
  

  

  