﻿HYDROLOGY 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  815 
  

  

  propelled 
  by 
  steam 
  or 
  electric 
  power. 
  Vessels 
  of 
  such 
  size 
  as 
  

   those 
  described 
  could 
  navigate 
  the 
  proposed 
  canal 
  with 
  the 
  great- 
  

   est 
  degree 
  of 
  economy, 
  would 
  have 
  a 
  carrying 
  capacity 
  of 
  at 
  least 
  

   50,000 
  bushels, 
  and 
  could 
  carry 
  wheat 
  at 
  a 
  profit 
  from 
  Buffalo 
  to 
  

   New 
  York 
  for 
  two 
  cents 
  per 
  bushel. 
  When 
  grain 
  can 
  be 
  carried 
  

   through 
  our 
  canals 
  at 
  a 
  profit 
  from 
  Lake 
  Erie 
  to 
  the 
  metropolis 
  

   at 
  the 
  foregoing 
  rate, 
  all 
  questions 
  relative 
  to 
  the 
  commercial 
  

   supremacy 
  of 
  the 
  Empire 
  iState 
  will 
  be 
  set 
  at 
  rest. 
  Without 
  a 
  

   careful 
  survey 
  it 
  is 
  impossible 
  to 
  determine 
  the 
  exact 
  route 
  of 
  

   the 
  proposed 
  canal, 
  but 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  approximately 
  stated 
  to 
  be 
  as 
  

   follows 
  : 
  Beginning 
  at 
  the 
  port 
  of 
  Buffalo, 
  the 
  alignment 
  would 
  

   follow 
  very 
  closely 
  the 
  present 
  line 
  of 
  the 
  canal, 
  the 
  depth 
  to 
  be 
  

   secured 
  to 
  Lockport 
  by 
  excavating 
  from 
  the 
  bottom 
  of 
  the 
  canal. 
  

   Through 
  the 
  deep 
  rock 
  cut 
  near 
  Lockport 
  the 
  only 
  widening 
  re- 
  

   quired 
  for 
  the 
  present 
  would 
  be 
  that 
  obtained 
  by 
  cutting 
  out 
  the 
  

   present 
  towing-path. 
  At 
  Lockport 
  a 
  pair 
  of 
  hydraulic 
  lifts 
  or 
  

   two 
  pairs 
  of 
  high-lift 
  locks 
  would 
  be 
  substituted 
  for 
  the 
  five 
  com- 
  

   bined 
  locks 
  now 
  there. 
  From 
  Lockport 
  eastward 
  to 
  Rochester 
  the 
  

   present 
  alignment 
  would 
  be 
  quite 
  closely 
  followed 
  except 
  that 
  

   considerable 
  detours 
  would 
  probably 
  be 
  made 
  to 
  avoid 
  those 
  

   rather 
  bold 
  but 
  unnecessary 
  bits 
  of 
  engineering 
  known 
  as 
  the 
  

   high 
  banks 
  at 
  several 
  points 
  west 
  of 
  this 
  last-named 
  place 
  and 
  

   that 
  east 
  of 
  it 
  at 
  Irondequoit. 
  Continuing 
  eastward 
  from 
  Roch- 
  

   ester, 
  making 
  a 
  slight 
  change 
  of 
  alignment 
  near 
  Newark, 
  sub- 
  

   stituting 
  two 
  locks 
  for 
  the 
  three 
  now 
  there, 
  no 
  special 
  engineering 
  

   difficulties 
  would 
  be 
  encountered 
  until 
  the 
  Montezuma 
  aqueduct 
  

   over 
  the 
  Seneca 
  river 
  is 
  reached, 
  where 
  one 
  of 
  two 
  plans 
  must 
  be 
  

   adopted, 
  viz, 
  either 
  to 
  construct 
  at 
  a 
  very 
  large 
  expense 
  an 
  en- 
  

   larged 
  aqueduct 
  or 
  drop 
  down 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  a 
  single 
  lock 
  to 
  the 
  

   level 
  of 
  the 
  Seneca 
  river, 
  crossing 
  at 
  the 
  river 
  level 
  and 
  locking 
  

   up 
  to 
  the 
  proper 
  elevation 
  on 
  the 
  opposite 
  side, 
  meanwhile 
  retain- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  present 
  aqueduct 
  as 
  a 
  feeder 
  to 
  carry 
  water 
  to 
  the 
  remain- 
  

   der 
  of 
  the 
  level 
  eastward. 
  

  

  As 
  the 
  present 
  aqueduct 
  was 
  constructed 
  over 
  a 
  bed 
  of 
  peat 
  

   upon 
  sunken 
  cribs 
  of 
  only 
  sufficient 
  bearing 
  capacity 
  to 
  sustain 
  

   with 
  safety 
  its 
  present 
  weight, 
  it 
  is 
  exceedingly 
  doubtful 
  if 
  any 
  

   great 
  increase 
  of 
  weight 
  such 
  as 
  would 
  be 
  necessary 
  in 
  making 
  

   the 
  required 
  enlargement 
  could 
  be 
  had 
  without 
  endangering 
  the 
  

   stability 
  of 
  the 
  whole 
  structure. 
  The 
  waste 
  of 
  water 
  caused 
  by 
  

   locking 
  boats 
  down 
  to 
  the 
  river 
  level 
  and 
  up 
  again 
  while 
  con- 
  

   siderable, 
  would 
  not 
  be 
  a 
  serious 
  matter 
  since 
  this 
  is 
  the 
  last 
  

   level 
  fed 
  from 
  the 
  westward. 
  The 
  cost 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  locks 
  required 
  

   would 
  be 
  a 
  trifle 
  compared 
  to 
  that 
  of 
  a 
  new 
  aqueduct, 
  but 
  it 
  goes 
  

   without 
  saying 
  that 
  the 
  building 
  of 
  a 
  new 
  aqueduct 
  is 
  by 
  far 
  the 
  

   better 
  plan 
  and 
  the 
  one 
  that 
  would 
  eventually 
  be 
  adopted. 
  

  

  