﻿HYDROLOGY 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  737 
  

  

  the 
  same 
  and 
  do 
  the 
  work 
  at 
  a 
  profit. 
  In 
  the 
  year 
  ending 
  June 
  

   30, 
  1897, 
  the 
  New 
  York 
  Central 
  & 
  Hudson 
  Elver 
  Railway 
  Com- 
  

   pany 
  paid 
  a 
  dividend 
  on 
  its 
  stock 
  of 
  $4,000,000, 
  besides 
  carrying 
  

   $51,866.80 
  to 
  the 
  surplus 
  account, 
  whereas 
  the 
  canal, 
  although 
  all 
  

   tolls 
  were 
  removed 
  in 
  1883, 
  has 
  still 
  been 
  unable 
  to 
  compete. 
  

   Among 
  the 
  chief 
  reasons 
  for 
  this 
  result, 
  lack 
  of 
  organization 
  of 
  

   canal 
  transportation 
  must 
  be 
  placed 
  first. 
  The 
  perpetuation 
  of 
  

   the 
  idea 
  that 
  one 
  advantage 
  of 
  the 
  canals 
  was 
  that 
  they 
  were 
  

   common 
  highways 
  on 
  which 
  each 
  man 
  could 
  carry 
  his 
  own 
  

   products 
  to 
  market 
  has 
  tended 
  largely 
  to 
  produce 
  this 
  unsatis- 
  

   factory 
  result. 
  Thus 
  far 
  there 
  has 
  never 
  been 
  any 
  systematic 
  

   organization 
  for 
  obtaining 
  business 
  for 
  the 
  canal. 
  The 
  boats 
  are 
  

   owned 
  by 
  small 
  proprietors, 
  each 
  operating 
  from 
  one 
  to 
  three 
  or 
  

   four 
  boats. 
  When 
  cargoes 
  in 
  hand 
  are 
  discharged 
  at 
  either 
  

   terminus, 
  each 
  owner 
  solicits 
  another 
  cargo. 
  The 
  results 
  are 
  

   delays, 
  half 
  cargoes, 
  and 
  consequent 
  loss. 
  During 
  the 
  last 
  few 
  

   years 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  only 
  by 
  the 
  most 
  rigid 
  economy 
  that 
  the 
  Erie 
  

   canal 
  boatmen 
  could 
  live. 
  On 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  the 
  business 
  of 
  

   soliciting 
  freight 
  for 
  the 
  railways 
  is 
  compactly 
  organized 
  and 
  

   every 
  possible 
  advantage 
  taken 
  of 
  the 
  situation. 
  

  

  However 
  unsatisfactory 
  it 
  may 
  seem 
  to 
  the 
  individual 
  boat- 
  

   man, 
  the 
  future 
  of 
  effective 
  transportation 
  on 
  the 
  Erie 
  canal 
  de- 
  

   pends 
  on 
  the 
  organization 
  of 
  large 
  transportation 
  companies 
  

   which 
  conduct 
  the 
  business 
  of 
  carrying 
  freight 
  by 
  canal 
  on 
  the 
  

   same 
  business 
  basis 
  as 
  adopted 
  by 
  railways. 
  As 
  to 
  the 
  equity 
  of 
  

   the 
  State 
  furnishing 
  and 
  maintaining 
  a 
  waterway 
  on 
  which 
  

   transportation 
  may 
  be 
  conducted 
  by 
  such 
  corporations 
  at 
  a 
  profit 
  

   the 
  writer 
  expresses 
  no 
  opinion 
  further 
  than 
  to 
  point 
  out 
  that 
  

   the 
  official 
  discussion 
  of 
  such 
  a 
  proposition 
  by 
  the 
  State 
  Engineer 
  

   and 
  Surveyor 
  in 
  his 
  annual 
  report 
  for 
  the 
  year 
  ending 
  September 
  

   30, 
  1896, 
  may 
  be 
  taken 
  to 
  indicate 
  that 
  the 
  day 
  of 
  the 
  Erie 
  canal 
  as 
  

   a 
  State 
  waterway 
  has 
  passed. 
  

  

  Cost 
  and 
  revenues 
  of 
  tlie 
  New 
  York 
  State 
  canal 
  system. 
  Table 
  

   no. 
  94 
  exhibits 
  the 
  total 
  cost 
  of 
  construction, 
  maintenance 
  and 
  

   operation, 
  and 
  the 
  total 
  revenues 
  from 
  all 
  sources 
  of 
  the 
  several 
  

   canals 
  of 
  New 
  York 
  from 
  their 
  original 
  inception 
  to 
  September 
  

   30, 
  1892 
  ; 
  

  

  