﻿HYDROLOGY 
  OP 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  825 
  

  

  LOSS 
  OF 
  WATER 
  FROM 
  ARTIFICIAL, 
  CHANNELS 
  

  

  In 
  order 
  to 
  provide 
  ample 
  water 
  supplies, 
  the 
  large 
  amount 
  

   of 
  canal 
  construction 
  in 
  New 
  York 
  State 
  has 
  necessitated 
  the 
  

   collection 
  of 
  considerable 
  information 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  various 
  sources 
  

   of 
  loss 
  of 
  water 
  to 
  which 
  artificial 
  channels 
  are 
  subject. 
  

  

  The 
  original 
  Erie 
  canal 
  was 
  constructed 
  with 
  the 
  water 
  sur- 
  

   face 
  40 
  feet 
  wide, 
  the 
  bottom 
  width 
  28 
  feet, 
  and 
  the 
  depth 
  4 
  feet. 
  

   In 
  1824 
  measurements 
  of 
  the 
  loss 
  from 
  filtration 
  and 
  evaporation 
  

   were 
  made 
  by 
  John 
  B. 
  Jervis 
  on 
  the 
  eastern 
  division 
  and 
  by 
  

   David 
  S. 
  Bates 
  on 
  the 
  western 
  division. 
  Mr 
  Jervis 
  states 
  that 
  

   his 
  measurements 
  were 
  made 
  in 
  the 
  original 
  Erie 
  canal, 
  between 
  

   the 
  first 
  locks 
  below 
  the 
  village 
  of 
  Amsterdam 
  and 
  the 
  aqueduct 
  

   below 
  Schenectady, 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  18 
  miles. 
  This 
  section 
  was 
  con- 
  

   structed 
  mainly 
  through 
  an 
  alluvial 
  soil, 
  containing 
  a 
  large 
  por- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  vegetable 
  matter. 
  In 
  some 
  places 
  this 
  soil 
  was 
  very 
  

   leaky, 
  owing 
  probably 
  to 
  the 
  decay 
  of 
  roots, 
  although 
  the 
  greater 
  

   portion 
  retained 
  water 
  very 
  well. 
  There 
  was 
  a 
  considerable 
  

   quantity 
  of 
  gravel 
  and 
  slaty 
  soils. 
  He 
  states 
  that 
  the 
  quantity 
  

   of 
  water 
  lost 
  in 
  this 
  18-mile 
  section 
  was 
  very 
  uniform, 
  and 
  

   averaged 
  2.10 
  cubic 
  feet 
  per 
  second 
  per 
  mile. 
  1 
  

  

  Mr 
  Bates 
  states 
  that 
  his 
  measurements 
  in 
  1824 
  showed 
  that 
  a 
  

   mile 
  of 
  new 
  canal, 
  such 
  as 
  the 
  Erie 
  canal 
  then 
  was 
  between 
  

   Brockport 
  and 
  Ninemile 
  creek, 
  would 
  require 
  1.7 
  cubic 
  feet 
  of 
  

   water 
  per 
  second 
  per 
  mile 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  supply 
  the 
  losses 
  from 
  

   filtration, 
  leakage 
  and 
  evaporation. 
  2 
  The 
  following 
  are 
  some 
  of 
  

   the 
  details 
  of 
  Mr 
  Bates's 
  measurements 
  in 
  1824: 
  

  

  On 
  79 
  miles 
  of 
  the 
  canal 
  and 
  feeder, 
  comprising 
  20 
  miles 
  of 
  

   canal 
  from 
  Bochester 
  to 
  Brockport, 
  57 
  miles 
  from 
  Rochester 
  to 
  

   Cayuga, 
  and 
  2 
  miles 
  of 
  feeder, 
  the 
  supply 
  was 
  133 
  cubic 
  feet 
  per 
  

   second, 
  or 
  1.69 
  cubic 
  feet 
  per 
  second 
  per 
  mile. 
  The 
  months 
  

   are 
  not 
  stated, 
  although 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  inferred 
  that 
  these 
  observa- 
  

   tions 
  are 
  averages 
  of 
  the 
  navigation 
  season. 
  

  

  Mr 
  Bates 
  further 
  states 
  that 
  in 
  August, 
  1824, 
  he 
  found 
  a 
  total 
  

   use 
  for 
  the 
  20 
  miles 
  from 
  Bochester 
  to 
  Brockport 
  of 
  35 
  cubic 
  

  

  1 
  Report 
  of 
  John 
  B. 
  Jervis 
  to 
  the 
  Canal 
  Commissioners, 
  on 
  the 
  Chenango 
  

   canal. 
  An. 
  Kept 
  Canal 
  Com. 
  (1834). 
  Ass. 
  Doc. 
  No. 
  55, 
  p. 
  54. 
  

  

  2 
  Report 
  of 
  David 
  S. 
  Bates 
  to 
  the 
  Canal 
  Commissioners, 
  on 
  the 
  Chenango 
  

   canal 
  (1830). 
  Ass. 
  Doc. 
  No. 
  47, 
  p. 
  31. 
  

  

  