﻿HYDROLOGY 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  743 
  

  

  of 
  the 
  testimony 
  taken 
  before 
  the 
  commission 
  in 
  1898, 
  together 
  

   with 
  their 
  report 
  and 
  with 
  the 
  report 
  of 
  E. 
  Countryman 
  to 
  

   Governor 
  Black, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  statements 
  of 
  Messrs 
  Adams 
  and 
  

   Aldridge. 
  Also 
  the 
  report 
  of 
  the 
  consulting 
  and 
  advisory 
  engi- 
  

   neers 
  and 
  the 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  documents 
  relating 
  to 
  the 
  matters 
  

   which 
  had 
  been 
  made 
  the 
  subject 
  of 
  the 
  inquiry. 
  

  

  The 
  instructions 
  were 
  to 
  examine 
  this 
  testimony, 
  reports 
  and 
  

   documents 
  and 
  to 
  make 
  such 
  further 
  examinations 
  as 
  might 
  be 
  

   deemed 
  advisable 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  determine 
  whether 
  or 
  not 
  the 
  evi- 
  

   dence 
  warranted 
  the 
  institution 
  of 
  criminal 
  proceedings, 
  and 
  in 
  

   case 
  it 
  was 
  decided 
  to 
  institute 
  such 
  proceedings, 
  to 
  take 
  charge 
  

   of 
  the 
  preparation 
  and 
  prosecution 
  of 
  them 
  under 
  the 
  general 
  

   direction 
  of 
  the 
  Attorney-General. 
  

  

  In 
  their 
  report 
  Messrs 
  Fox 
  and 
  McFarlane 
  say 
  they 
  have 
  

   decided 
  not 
  to 
  institute 
  criminal 
  proceedings, 
  the 
  evidence 
  on 
  

   the 
  whole 
  not 
  justifying 
  such 
  action, 
  an 
  opinion 
  directly 
  opposed 
  

   to 
  that 
  of 
  Mr 
  Countryman 
  submitted 
  a 
  few 
  months 
  before. 
  

  

  On 
  receipt 
  of 
  this 
  report 
  the 
  whole 
  matter 
  was 
  dropped 
  and 
  

   most 
  of 
  the 
  people 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  hardly 
  remember 
  in 
  1904 
  that 
  

   such 
  an 
  investigation 
  was 
  held. 
  1 
  

  

  The 
  Neio 
  York 
  Commerce 
  Commission. 
  It 
  has 
  been 
  shown 
  in 
  

   the 
  preceding 
  pages 
  that 
  the 
  commerce 
  of 
  New 
  York 
  has 
  been 
  

   relatively 
  declining 
  for 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  years. 
  This 
  decline 
  is 
  largely 
  

   from 
  natural 
  causes 
  which 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  very 
  difficult 
  to 
  prevent, 
  

   although 
  the 
  view 
  is 
  quite 
  general 
  throughout 
  New 
  York 
  that 
  

   the 
  State's 
  failure 
  to 
  keep 
  the 
  canals 
  in 
  a 
  state 
  of 
  efficiency 
  has 
  

  

  ir 
  rhe 
  following 
  reports 
  are 
  referred 
  to 
  in 
  the 
  preceding: 
  (1) 
  Report 
  of 
  

   the 
  Canal 
  Investigating 
  Commission, 
  appointed 
  by 
  the 
  Governor 
  pursuant 
  

   to 
  chapter 
  15 
  of 
  the 
  laws 
  of 
  1898 
  and 
  amended 
  by 
  chapter 
  327 
  of 
  the 
  laws 
  

   of 
  1898, 
  transmitted 
  to 
  the 
  legislature 
  February 
  28, 
  1899; 
  (2) 
  Report 
  of 
  

   the 
  special 
  counsel, 
  E. 
  Countryman, 
  designated 
  to 
  examine 
  the 
  report 
  and 
  

   testimony 
  transmitted 
  to 
  the 
  Governor 
  by 
  the 
  Canal 
  Investigating 
  Commis- 
  

   sion 
  ; 
  (3) 
  Protest 
  and 
  Defense 
  of 
  Campbell 
  W. 
  Adams, 
  State 
  Engineer 
  and 
  

   Surveyor, 
  to 
  Frank 
  S. 
  Black. 
  Governor, 
  in 
  Ap. 
  No. 
  1, 
  in 
  An. 
  Kept 
  of 
  State 
  

   Engr. 
  for 
  the 
  year 
  1898, 
  p. 
  277-364, 
  inclusive; 
  (4) 
  Statement 
  made 
  in 
  

   reply 
  to 
  criticisms 
  passed 
  by 
  the 
  Canal 
  Investigating 
  Commission 
  upon 
  the 
  

   Department 
  of 
  Public 
  Works 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  the 
  improvement 
  of 
  the 
  

   canals 
  under 
  the 
  $9,000,000 
  improvement 
  . 
  fund, 
  by 
  the 
  Superintendent 
  of 
  

   Public 
  Works, 
  George 
  W. 
  Aldridge; 
  (5) 
  Report 
  of 
  counsel, 
  Austin 
  G. 
  Fox 
  

   and 
  Wallace 
  McFarlane, 
  appointed 
  by 
  the 
  Governor 
  to 
  prosecute 
  certain 
  

   State 
  officials 
  for 
  alleged 
  criminal 
  practices 
  in 
  carrying 
  out 
  the 
  canal 
  im- 
  

   provement 
  under 
  chapter 
  79 
  of 
  the 
  laws 
  of 
  1895 
  and 
  794, 
  laws 
  of 
  1S96. 
  

  

  