﻿HYDROLOGY 
  OP 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  

  

  729 
  

  

  viding 
  for 
  the 
  construction 
  of 
  artificial 
  navigation 
  from 
  Lake 
  Erie 
  

   to 
  tidewater 
  on 
  the 
  Hudson 
  river, 
  and 
  also 
  from 
  Lake 
  Champlain 
  

   to 
  tidewater 
  on 
  the 
  Hudson. 
  The 
  dimensions 
  of 
  the 
  proposed 
  

   canals 
  were 
  fixed 
  by 
  the 
  commissioners 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  For 
  Erie 
  

   canal 
  a 
  bottom 
  width 
  of 
  28 
  feet, 
  surface 
  width 
  40 
  feet, 
  and 
  depth 
  

   4 
  feet, 
  with 
  locks 
  90 
  feet 
  long 
  and 
  15 
  feet 
  wide; 
  for 
  Champlain 
  

   canal 
  a 
  bottom 
  width 
  of 
  20 
  feet, 
  surface 
  width 
  30 
  feet, 
  and 
  depth 
  

   3 
  feet, 
  with 
  locks 
  75 
  feet 
  long 
  and 
  10 
  feet 
  wide. 
  

  

  Ground 
  was 
  broken 
  for 
  the 
  Erie 
  canal 
  at 
  Koine, 
  July 
  4, 
  1817, 
  and 
  

   the 
  section 
  from 
  Utica 
  to 
  Seneca 
  river 
  completed 
  October 
  22, 
  

  

  Fig. 
  47 
  Proposed 
  lengthened 
  lock 
  for 
  enlarged 
  canal. 
  

  

  1819, 
  a 
  boat 
  passing 
  from 
  Rome 
  to 
  Utica 
  on 
  that 
  day. 
  Champlain 
  

   canal 
  was 
  opened 
  in 
  part 
  for 
  navigation 
  November 
  24, 
  1819. 
  The 
  

   route 
  for 
  Erie 
  canal 
  from 
  Seneca 
  river 
  west 
  was 
  also 
  explored 
  

   in 
  1819, 
  and 
  the 
  final 
  location, 
  from 
  Seneca 
  river 
  to 
  Rochester, 
  

   made 
  in 
  1821. 
  The 
  principal 
  engineers 
  were 
  James 
  Geddes, 
  

   Benjamin 
  Wright, 
  and 
  Canvass 
  White. 
  

  

  The 
  annual 
  report 
  of 
  the 
  Canal 
  Commissioners, 
  dated 
  January 
  

   31, 
  1818, 
  gives 
  details 
  of 
  the 
  system 
  adopted 
  for 
  the 
  construction 
  

   of 
  the 
  canal. 
  They 
  state 
  that 
  they 
  had 
  decided 
  to 
  complete 
  the 
  

   middle 
  section 
  first, 
  58 
  miles 
  of 
  which 
  were 
  put 
  under 
  contract 
  

   during 
  the 
  year 
  1817, 
  this 
  portion 
  being 
  wholly 
  on 
  the 
  summit 
  

   level. 
  The 
  whole 
  labor 
  performed 
  in 
  1817 
  was 
  equal 
  to 
  the 
  com- 
  

   pletion 
  of 
  15 
  miles. 
  In 
  indication 
  of 
  the 
  easy 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  

   work, 
  the 
  commissioners 
  state 
  that 
  three 
  Irishmen 
  finished 
  3 
  rods 
  

   of 
  canal 
  in 
  4 
  feet 
  cutting 
  in 
  five 
  and 
  one-half 
  days, 
  and 
  that 
  on 
  

   the 
  58 
  miles 
  under 
  contract 
  only 
  half 
  a 
  mile 
  required 
  puddling. 
  

  

  The 
  engineer's 
  original 
  estimate 
  of 
  the 
  cost 
  of 
  the 
  middle 
  sec- 
  

   tion, 
  completed 
  in 
  1819, 
  was 
  $1,021,851. 
  The 
  actual 
  cost 
  was 
  

  

  