﻿808 
  

  

  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  that 
  this 
  route 
  would 
  have 
  long 
  ago 
  received 
  careful 
  attention. 
  

   Probably 
  there 
  are 
  two 
  reasons 
  for 
  this 
  neglect 
  : 
  

  

  1) 
  The 
  early 
  reclamation 
  projects, 
  through 
  which 
  it 
  was 
  

   expected 
  to 
  reclaim 
  Seneca 
  river 
  marshes. 
  

  

  2) 
  Difficulty 
  of 
  constructing 
  a 
  towpath 
  along 
  a 
  marshy 
  river. 
  

   The 
  estimated 
  cost 
  of 
  the 
  Seneca-Oneida 
  route 
  was 
  f 
  6,000,000, 
  

  

  which, 
  for 
  a 
  total 
  length, 
  by 
  way 
  of 
  certain 
  cutoffs 
  on 
  Oneida 
  

   river 
  which 
  reduce 
  the 
  length 
  somewhat, 
  of 
  81.6 
  miles, 
  gives 
  an 
  

   average 
  cost 
  per 
  mile 
  of, 
  roundly, 
  $73,530. 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  correspondence 
  explains 
  in 
  detail 
  why 
  this 
  change 
  

   was 
  made. 
  In 
  his 
  letter 
  of 
  August 
  3, 
  1899, 
  to 
  the 
  writer, 
  Gen. 
  

   F. 
  V. 
  Greene 
  says 
  : 
  

  

  George 
  W. 
  Rafter, 
  Esq., 
  Rochester, 
  N. 
  Y.: 
  

  

  Dear 
  iSir. 
  — 
  In 
  accordance 
  with 
  a 
  resolution 
  of 
  this 
  committee 
  

   authorizing 
  the 
  chairman 
  to 
  employ 
  an 
  engineer 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  

   of 
  giving 
  technical 
  advice 
  upon 
  certain 
  points 
  connected 
  with 
  our 
  

   investigation 
  and 
  report 
  on 
  the 
  canal 
  question, 
  I 
  desire 
  to 
  obtain 
  

   your 
  services 
  to 
  such 
  an 
  extent 
  as 
  may 
  be 
  necessary 
  during 
  the 
  

   next 
  four 
  months 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  reporting 
  to 
  us 
  on 
  the 
  follow- 
  

   ing 
  questions 
  : 
  

  

  First. 
  What 
  will 
  be 
  the 
  approximate 
  cost 
  of 
  constructing 
  a 
  new 
  

   canal 
  from 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Newark 
  to 
  the 
  Rome 
  level, 
  joining 
  the 
  

   latter 
  at 
  a 
  point 
  just 
  east 
  of 
  the 
  city 
  of 
  Syracuse, 
  the 
  said 
  canal 
  

   to 
  have 
  a 
  continuous 
  descent 
  to 
  the 
  eastward 
  and 
  to 
  have 
  a 
  prism 
  

   sufficient 
  to 
  carry 
  a 
  boat 
  25 
  feet 
  in 
  width 
  and 
  10 
  feet 
  draft, 
  with 
  a 
  

   waterway 
  not 
  less 
  than 
  four 
  times 
  the 
  immersed 
  section 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  boat? 
  

  

  ******** 
  

  

  Very 
  respectfully, 
  for 
  the 
  Committee, 
  

  

  (Signed) 
  F. 
  V. 
  Greene, 
  

  

  Chairman. 
  

  

  The 
  foregoing 
  instructions 
  apparently 
  limit 
  the 
  investigation 
  

   to 
  a 
  canal 
  continuously 
  descending, 
  but 
  after 
  making 
  an 
  exami- 
  

   nation 
  the 
  writer, 
  under 
  date 
  of 
  September 
  16, 
  1899, 
  wrote 
  to 
  

   John 
  A. 
  Fairley, 
  Secretary 
  of 
  the 
  Commission, 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  

  

  Mr 
  John 
  A. 
  Fairley, 
  Secretary, 
  Neiv 
  York, 
  N. 
  Y.: 
  

  

  Dear 
  Sir. 
  — 
  

   * 
  * 
  *»* 
  * 
  * 
  * 
  * 
  

  

  In 
  regard 
  to 
  the 
  proposed 
  rectification 
  between 
  Newark 
  and 
  

   Syracuse, 
  two 
  lines 
  have 
  been 
  examined 
  — 
  one 
  to 
  south 
  of 
  present 
  

   canal 
  and 
  one 
  to 
  north. 
  The 
  line 
  to 
  north 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  bet- 
  

  

  