﻿792 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  considerable 
  areas 
  from 
  which, 
  due 
  to 
  a 
  luxuriant 
  vegetation, 
  the 
  

   summer 
  evaporation 
  may 
  be 
  as 
  much 
  as 
  60 
  inches 
  over 
  the 
  actual 
  

   ground 
  area 
  affected. 
  The 
  land 
  damage 
  on 
  these 
  areas 
  will 
  be 
  

   considerable 
  and 
  should 
  be 
  taken 
  into 
  account 
  in 
  the 
  estimate. 
  

   In 
  dry 
  years, 
  with 
  a 
  total 
  rainfall 
  from 
  June 
  to 
  November 
  inclu- 
  

   sive 
  of 
  from 
  8 
  to 
  12 
  inches, 
  the 
  amount 
  required 
  to 
  keep 
  up 
  this 
  

   great 
  evaporation 
  must 
  come 
  by 
  percolation 
  from 
  a 
  deep 
  water- 
  

   way 
  channel. 
  If 
  we 
  assume 
  an 
  area 
  of 
  10 
  square 
  miles 
  as 
  affected, 
  

   the 
  amount 
  of 
  water 
  required 
  to 
  keep 
  up 
  constant 
  evaporation 
  on 
  

   the 
  basis 
  of 
  60 
  inches 
  for 
  the 
  navigation 
  season 
  would 
  be 
  nearly 
  

   80 
  cubic 
  feet 
  per 
  second, 
  or, 
  even 
  if 
  we 
  consider 
  the 
  area 
  affected 
  

   as 
  not 
  exceeding 
  5 
  square 
  miles 
  and 
  take 
  into 
  account 
  the 
  loss 
  into 
  

   the 
  old-water 
  channels, 
  it 
  seems 
  rational 
  to 
  allow 
  percolation 
  from 
  

   summit 
  level 
  of 
  75 
  to 
  100 
  cubic 
  feet 
  per 
  second. 
  

  

  .Leakage 
  at 
  gates 
  and 
  structures 
  is 
  a 
  very 
  uncertain 
  element. 
  

   Under 
  ordinary 
  conditions 
  the 
  gates 
  ought 
  to 
  be 
  worked 
  without 
  

   very 
  much 
  leakage. 
  The 
  data 
  f 
  urnished 
  indicate 
  a 
  probable 
  loss 
  

   from 
  this 
  source 
  of 
  perhaps 
  60 
  to 
  80 
  cubic 
  feet 
  per 
  second. 
  

  

  A 
  considerable 
  amount 
  of 
  power 
  will 
  be 
  required 
  at 
  each 
  lock 
  

   for 
  operating 
  gates 
  and 
  for 
  electric 
  light 
  at 
  night. 
  A 
  conserva- 
  

   tive 
  allowance 
  for 
  this 
  purpose 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  from 
  20 
  to 
  25 
  cubic 
  

   feet 
  per 
  second 
  at 
  each 
  end 
  of 
  summit 
  level, 
  or 
  a 
  total 
  of 
  40 
  to 
  50 
  

   cubic 
  feet 
  per 
  second. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  Erie 
  canal 
  considerable 
  time 
  is 
  saved 
  by 
  flushing 
  boats 
  

   out 
  of 
  the 
  locks 
  on 
  to 
  the 
  lower 
  levels 
  by 
  letting 
  water 
  through 
  the 
  

   gates 
  from 
  above. 
  The 
  writer 
  does 
  not 
  understand, 
  however, 
  that 
  

   this 
  practice 
  is 
  specially 
  applicable 
  to 
  locks 
  passing 
  boats 
  carry- 
  

   ing 
  their 
  own 
  power. 
  In 
  order 
  to 
  accommodate 
  local 
  traffic 
  it 
  is 
  

   probable, 
  even 
  though 
  deep 
  waterways 
  should 
  be 
  constructed 
  on 
  

   substantially 
  the 
  line 
  under 
  consideration, 
  that 
  the 
  Erie 
  canal 
  

   would 
  be 
  maintained 
  on 
  its 
  present 
  line 
  from 
  near 
  Rome 
  to 
  Buf- 
  

   falo. 
  Independent 
  of 
  other 
  considerations, 
  this 
  would 
  lead 
  to 
  con- 
  

   siderable 
  traffic 
  on 
  deep 
  waterways 
  in 
  the 
  way 
  of 
  barges, 
  timber 
  

   rafts 
  and 
  fleets 
  of 
  canal 
  boats, 
  the 
  handling 
  of 
  which 
  will 
  probably 
  

   be 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  expedited 
  by 
  a 
  reasonable 
  use 
  of 
  water 
  for 
  flushing 
  

   out 
  on 
  to 
  the 
  loAver 
  levels. 
  As 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  judgment 
  purely, 
  this 
  

   item 
  has 
  been 
  placed 
  at 
  from 
  50 
  to 
  60 
  cubic 
  feet 
  per 
  second, 
  al- 
  

   though 
  by 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  mechanical 
  arrangements 
  for 
  doing 
  this 
  work 
  

   the 
  quantity 
  of 
  water 
  could 
  be 
  materially 
  reduced, 
  flushing 
  being 
  

   in 
  any 
  case 
  an 
  uneconomical 
  method 
  of 
  applying 
  power. 
  

  

  In 
  order 
  to 
  pass 
  the 
  large 
  flood 
  flows 
  of 
  the 
  upper 
  Mohawk 
  with- 
  

   out 
  great 
  fluctuation 
  of 
  the 
  water, 
  surface, 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  necessary 
  to 
  

   provide 
  from 
  2000 
  to 
  2500 
  linear 
  feet 
  of 
  spillway 
  at 
  each 
  end 
  of 
  

   the 
  summit 
  level, 
  and 
  over 
  which, 
  whenever 
  there 
  is 
  any 
  interrup- 
  

  

  