﻿HYDROLOGY 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  731 
  

  

  Rock 
  harbor, 
  lowering 
  Onondaga 
  outlet, 
  Salina 
  and 
  Onondaga 
  

   side 
  cut, 
  Waterford 
  and 
  Troy 
  side 
  cuts, 
  Troy 
  dam, 
  and 
  Glens 
  

   Falls 
  feeder, 
  the 
  sum 
  of 
  $1,621,274. 
  Hence 
  the 
  actual 
  cost 
  of 
  

   construction 
  of 
  the 
  canal 
  proper 
  was 
  $7,853,099, 
  which, 
  on 
  the 
  

   aggregate 
  length 
  of 
  433 
  miles, 
  equals 
  $18,136 
  per 
  mile, 
  or 
  taking 
  

   into 
  account 
  the 
  various 
  extensions 
  enumerated 
  and 
  the 
  engineer- 
  

   ing 
  as- 
  necessary 
  items 
  of 
  expenditure, 
  the 
  original 
  cost 
  per 
  mile 
  

   of 
  the 
  Erie 
  and 
  Champlain 
  canals 
  may 
  be 
  placed 
  at 
  $21,881 
  per 
  

   mile. 
  

  

  Between 
  1825 
  and 
  1833 
  work 
  was 
  begun 
  on 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  lateral 
  

   canals 
  — 
  as, 
  for 
  instance, 
  the 
  Oswego 
  canal, 
  begun 
  in 
  1826 
  and 
  

   completed 
  in 
  1828; 
  the 
  Cayuga 
  and 
  Seneca 
  canal, 
  begun 
  in 
  1827 
  

   and 
  completed 
  in 
  1829; 
  the 
  Chemung 
  canal, 
  begun 
  in 
  1831 
  and 
  

   completed 
  in 
  1832, 
  and 
  the 
  Crooked 
  Lake 
  canal, 
  begun 
  in 
  1831 
  and 
  

   completed 
  in 
  1833. 
  The 
  total 
  cost 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  canals, 
  including 
  

   interest 
  on 
  loans 
  up 
  to 
  March 
  23, 
  1833, 
  was 
  $11,460,066.77. 
  

  

  Chenango 
  canal 
  was 
  begun 
  in 
  1833. 
  The 
  total 
  amount 
  expended 
  

   on 
  all 
  the 
  canals, 
  including 
  original 
  construction, 
  extensions, 
  

   maintenance, 
  repairs, 
  and 
  interest 
  on 
  loans, 
  to 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  1834 
  

   was 
  $13,798,438, 
  and 
  the 
  total 
  amount 
  of 
  tolls 
  received 
  from 
  1820 
  

   to 
  1834, 
  inclusive, 
  was 
  $10,000,730.97— 
  that 
  is 
  to 
  say, 
  at 
  the 
  end 
  

   of 
  ten 
  years 
  from 
  the 
  original 
  completion 
  of 
  the 
  Erie 
  canal 
  the 
  

   amount 
  returned 
  to 
  the 
  State 
  was 
  nearly 
  78 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  the 
  total 
  

   cost 
  to 
  that 
  date. 
  This 
  fact 
  is 
  of 
  the 
  greatest 
  interest 
  because 
  it 
  

   indicates 
  that 
  from 
  the 
  very 
  beginning 
  the 
  New 
  York 
  State 
  canal 
  

   system 
  was 
  operated 
  as 
  a 
  purely 
  business 
  enterprise. 
  It 
  is 
  clear, 
  

   then, 
  that 
  in 
  reality 
  the 
  State 
  of 
  New 
  York, 
  in 
  constructing 
  its 
  

   internal 
  navigation 
  system, 
  went 
  into 
  the 
  transportation 
  business 
  ; 
  

   by 
  that 
  statement 
  it 
  is 
  meant 
  that 
  the 
  State 
  managed 
  the 
  affairs 
  of 
  

   the 
  canals 
  precisely 
  as 
  a 
  private 
  company 
  would 
  have 
  managed 
  

   them 
  — 
  that 
  is, 
  the 
  State 
  built 
  its 
  canal 
  system 
  and 
  levied 
  as 
  

   heavy 
  tolls 
  as 
  the 
  articles 
  transported 
  would 
  stand. 
  

  

  By 
  way 
  of 
  illustrating 
  how 
  thoroughly 
  the 
  State 
  was 
  in 
  the 
  

   transportation 
  business 
  and 
  on 
  exactly 
  the 
  same 
  basis 
  as 
  trans- 
  

   portation 
  companies, 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  cited 
  that 
  in 
  1830 
  the 
  Legislature 
  

   sent 
  a 
  communication 
  to 
  the 
  Commissioners 
  of 
  the 
  Canal 
  Fund 
  

   asking 
  if 
  it 
  were 
  not 
  possible 
  to 
  increase 
  the 
  rate 
  of 
  toll 
  on 
  many 
  

   of 
  the 
  articles 
  transported, 
  and 
  stating 
  that 
  it 
  seemed 
  necessary, 
  

   in 
  order 
  to 
  meet 
  all 
  the 
  interests 
  involved, 
  that 
  the 
  canals 
  yield 
  

  

  