﻿HYDROLOGY 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  741 
  

  

  This 
  announcement 
  was 
  followed 
  by 
  great 
  excitement 
  through- 
  

   out 
  New 
  York 
  State. 
  Investigation 
  showed 
  that 
  aside 
  from 
  the 
  

   estimates 
  made 
  by 
  commercial 
  bodies, 
  no 
  estimate 
  had 
  ever 
  been 
  

   made 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  cost 
  of 
  the 
  improvement, 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  commercial 
  

   bodies 
  making 
  these 
  estimates 
  had 
  not 
  taken 
  into 
  account 
  very 
  

   many 
  important 
  items. 
  Charges 
  of 
  criminal 
  fraud 
  were 
  made 
  

   against 
  the 
  State 
  Engineer, 
  Campbell 
  W. 
  Adams, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  

   against 
  George 
  W. 
  Aldridge, 
  Superintendent 
  of 
  Public 
  Work®. 
  

   The 
  popular 
  clamor 
  was 
  so 
  great 
  that 
  the 
  Legislature 
  authorized 
  

   the 
  appointment 
  of 
  a 
  commission 
  to 
  investigate 
  and 
  report 
  in 
  

   relation 
  to 
  the 
  work 
  done 
  in 
  enlarging 
  and 
  improving 
  Erie, 
  Cham- 
  

   plain 
  and 
  Oswego 
  canals, 
  pursuant 
  to 
  chapter 
  79 
  of 
  the 
  laws 
  of 
  

   1895 
  and 
  the 
  referendum. 
  

  

  The 
  Canal 
  Investigating 
  Commission 
  of 
  1898. 
  The 
  commis- 
  

   sioners 
  appointed 
  under 
  this 
  act 
  were 
  George 
  Clinton, 
  Franklin 
  

   Edson, 
  Smith 
  M. 
  Weed, 
  Darwin 
  R. 
  James, 
  Frank 
  Brainard, 
  A. 
  F, 
  

   Higgins 
  and 
  William 
  McEchron, 
  who 
  reported 
  to 
  the 
  Governor 
  

   under 
  date 
  of 
  July 
  30, 
  1898. 
  Edward 
  P. 
  North 
  was 
  consulting 
  

   engineer 
  to 
  this 
  commission 
  and 
  Lyman 
  E. 
  Cooley 
  advisory 
  

   engineer. 
  

  

  The 
  commissioners 
  considered 
  there 
  had 
  been 
  abuses, 
  but 
  that 
  

   there 
  was 
  nothing 
  criminal 
  on 
  the 
  part 
  of 
  anybody. 
  Governor 
  

   Black 
  referred 
  the 
  evidence 
  taken 
  before 
  this 
  commission 
  and 
  

   its 
  conclusions 
  to 
  E. 
  Countryman 
  for 
  an 
  opinion 
  as 
  to 
  whether 
  

   there 
  was 
  an 
  opportunity 
  for 
  criminal 
  prosecution 
  against 
  either 
  

   the 
  State 
  Engineer 
  or 
  the 
  Superintendent 
  of 
  Public 
  Works, 
  or 
  

   the 
  employees 
  of 
  their 
  departments. 
  Mr 
  Countryman 
  reported 
  

   to 
  the 
  Governor 
  and 
  Attorney-General 
  under 
  date 
  of 
  November 
  

   28, 
  1898, 
  to 
  the 
  effect 
  that 
  several 
  criminal 
  prosecutions 
  could 
  

   be 
  brought. 
  

  

  September 
  12, 
  1898, 
  Campbell 
  W. 
  Adams, 
  in 
  his 
  annual 
  report, 
  

   submitted 
  a 
  protest 
  addressed 
  to 
  Governor 
  Black 
  in 
  which 
  he 
  

   showed 
  that 
  at 
  any 
  rate 
  there 
  were 
  two 
  sides 
  to 
  the 
  question 
  of 
  

   negligence, 
  and 
  under 
  date 
  of 
  August 
  13, 
  1898, 
  George 
  W. 
  

   Aldridge 
  submitted 
  a 
  similar 
  statement, 
  likewise 
  addressed 
  to 
  

   the 
  Governor. 
  In 
  this 
  statement 
  there 
  are 
  some 
  valuable 
  figures 
  

  

  