﻿HYDROLOGY 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  769 
  

  

  Ontario; 
  thence 
  through 
  Lake 
  Ontario 
  to 
  Oswego; 
  thence 
  up 
  

   Oswego 
  and 
  Oneida 
  rivers 
  to 
  Oneida 
  lake, 
  and 
  through 
  Oneida 
  

   lake 
  ; 
  thence 
  across 
  the 
  divide 
  to 
  Mohawk 
  river, 
  and 
  down 
  that 
  

   river 
  to 
  the 
  Hudson 
  at 
  Troy 
  ; 
  thence 
  down 
  the 
  Hudson. 
  This 
  he 
  

   designates 
  as 
  the 
  Oswego 
  route. 
  From 
  Oswego 
  to 
  Hudson 
  river 
  

   it 
  is, 
  in 
  effect, 
  the 
  Oswego-Mohawk-Hudson 
  route, 
  already 
  de- 
  

   scribed. 
  

  

  2) 
  To 
  follow 
  either 
  the 
  line 
  of 
  Erie 
  canal 
  from 
  Lake 
  Erie 
  to 
  

   the 
  Hudson, 
  or 
  this 
  line 
  so 
  modified 
  as 
  to 
  provide 
  for. 
  a 
  con- 
  

   tinuously 
  descending 
  canal 
  from 
  Lake 
  Erie 
  to 
  the 
  Hudson. 
  This 
  

   he 
  designates 
  as 
  the 
  Erie 
  canal 
  route. 
  

  

  3) 
  This 
  route 
  coincides 
  with 
  the 
  first 
  from 
  Lake 
  Erie 
  to 
  Lake 
  

   Ontario, 
  but 
  runs 
  thence 
  through 
  Lake 
  Ontario 
  to 
  St 
  Lawrence 
  

   river 
  and 
  down 
  said 
  river 
  to 
  some 
  point 
  near 
  Ogdensburg 
  ; 
  it 
  then 
  

   crosses 
  the 
  State 
  of 
  New 
  York 
  to 
  Lake 
  Champlain 
  and 
  up 
  that 
  

   lake 
  to 
  Whitehall 
  ; 
  and 
  thence 
  follows 
  in 
  general 
  the 
  route 
  of 
  the 
  

   Champlain 
  canal 
  to 
  Hudson 
  river 
  at 
  Troy. 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  also 
  discussed 
  a 
  fourth 
  route 
  — 
  the 
  St 
  Lawrence-Cham- 
  

   plain 
  — 
  all 
  of 
  which, 
  except 
  a 
  small 
  portion, 
  is 
  within 
  the 
  United 
  

   States. 
  This 
  route 
  would 
  be 
  via 
  Niagara 
  Falls, 
  Lake 
  Ontario, 
  the 
  

   St 
  Lawrence, 
  Caughnawaga, 
  and 
  Richelieu 
  rivers, 
  Lake 
  Cham- 
  

   plain, 
  and 
  the 
  Hudson. 
  

  

  The 
  opinion 
  is 
  expressed 
  that 
  the 
  best 
  route 
  for 
  the 
  contem- 
  

   plated 
  ship 
  canal 
  is 
  that 
  via 
  Niagara 
  river, 
  Lake 
  Ontario, 
  Oswego 
  

   and 
  Oneida 
  rivers, 
  Oneida 
  lake, 
  and 
  Mohawk 
  and 
  Hudson 
  rivers, 
  

   and 
  that 
  to 
  build 
  such 
  a 
  canal 
  by 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  possible 
  routes 
  men- 
  

   tioned 
  would, 
  at 
  a 
  rough 
  estimate, 
  cost 
  $200,000,000, 
  the 
  exact 
  

   figure 
  depending 
  very 
  largely 
  upon 
  the 
  action 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  of 
  

   New 
  York 
  in 
  regard 
  to 
  the 
  State 
  canals, 
  feeders, 
  reservoirs, 
  etc. 
  ; 
  

   and 
  that 
  to 
  maintain 
  the 
  canal 
  and 
  to 
  keep 
  it 
  in 
  repair, 
  including 
  

   the 
  maintenance 
  of 
  river 
  channels, 
  reservoirs, 
  and 
  feeders, 
  would 
  

   cost, 
  at 
  a 
  rough 
  estimate, 
  $2,000,000 
  a 
  year. 
  The 
  statement 
  is 
  

   made 
  that 
  a 
  ship 
  canal 
  would 
  be 
  of 
  no 
  special 
  military 
  value, 
  

   and 
  that 
  its 
  construction 
  is 
  not 
  worthy 
  of 
  being 
  undertaken 
  by 
  

   the 
  general 
  government 
  because 
  the 
  probable 
  benefits 
  to 
  be 
  derived 
  

   from 
  it 
  would 
  not 
  be 
  commensurate 
  with 
  the 
  cost. 
  

  

  Major 
  Symons 
  further 
  expresses 
  the 
  opinion 
  that 
  Erie 
  canal, 
  

   when 
  enlarged 
  under 
  the 
  present 
  plans 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  of 
  New 
  York, 
  

   may 
  give, 
  if 
  State 
  restrictions 
  are 
  removed, 
  commercial 
  advan- 
  

   tages 
  practically 
  equal 
  to 
  those 
  to 
  be 
  derived 
  from 
  the 
  proposed 
  

  

  