﻿826 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  feet 
  per 
  (second, 
  equal 
  to 
  1.75 
  cubic 
  feet 
  per 
  second 
  per 
  mile. 
  

   This 
  section 
  of 
  the 
  original 
  Erie 
  canal 
  was 
  considered 
  to 
  be 
  en- 
  

   tirely 
  free 
  from 
  leakage 
  at 
  the 
  structures, 
  and 
  the 
  measured 
  

   losses 
  are 
  therefore 
  taken 
  as 
  those 
  due 
  only 
  to 
  percolation, 
  ab- 
  

   sorption 
  and 
  evaporation. 
  1 
  

  

  In 
  August, 
  1839, 
  Henry 
  Tracy 
  and 
  S. 
  Talcott, 
  acting 
  under 
  in- 
  

   structions 
  from 
  W. 
  H. 
  Talcott, 
  Resident 
  Engineer 
  of 
  the 
  Fourth 
  

   Division 
  of 
  the 
  Genesee 
  valley 
  canal, 
  made 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  observa- 
  

   tions 
  along 
  the 
  line 
  of 
  Chenango 
  canal, 
  with 
  a 
  view 
  of 
  determin- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  evaporation, 
  filtration 
  and 
  leakage 
  at 
  the 
  mechanical 
  

   structures, 
  and 
  whatever 
  else 
  might 
  be 
  useful 
  in 
  the 
  designing 
  

   of 
  the 
  water 
  supply 
  of 
  the 
  summit 
  level 
  of 
  the 
  Genesee 
  valley 
  

   canal. 
  

  

  For 
  the 
  purposes 
  of 
  the 
  measurements 
  they 
  selected 
  a 
  portion 
  

   of 
  the 
  canal 
  extending 
  from 
  the 
  north 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  summit 
  level 
  

   to 
  Erie 
  canal, 
  22 
  miles 
  in 
  length, 
  on 
  which 
  the 
  total 
  supply 
  on 
  

   August 
  31 
  was 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  39 
  cubic 
  feet 
  per 
  second. 
  The 
  leak- 
  

   age 
  and 
  waste 
  at 
  aqueducts, 
  waste-weirs, 
  and 
  at 
  lock 
  No. 
  1 
  at 
  the 
  

   northern 
  end 
  were 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  15 
  cubic 
  feet 
  per 
  second, 
  thus 
  

   leaving 
  the 
  evaporation 
  and 
  filtration 
  on 
  22 
  miles 
  at 
  24 
  cubic 
  

   feet 
  per 
  second, 
  equivalent 
  to 
  1.09 
  cubic 
  feet 
  per 
  second 
  per 
  mile. 
  

   It 
  may 
  be 
  observed, 
  however, 
  that 
  a 
  measurement 
  made 
  at 
  the 
  

   end 
  of 
  August 
  would 
  probably 
  not 
  show 
  a 
  maximum 
  of 
  either 
  

   evaporation 
  or 
  absorption 
  by 
  vegetation. 
  Estimating 
  these 
  ele- 
  

   ments 
  at 
  the 
  maximum, 
  we 
  may 
  assume 
  from 
  1.33 
  to 
  1.67 
  cubic 
  

   feet 
  per 
  second 
  per 
  mile 
  as 
  a 
  more 
  reliable 
  quantity 
  than 
  the 
  

   1.09 
  cubic 
  feet 
  per 
  second 
  per 
  mile 
  here 
  actually 
  observed. 
  

  

  Messrs 
  Tracy 
  and 
  Talcott 
  also 
  measured 
  the 
  leakage 
  and 
  

   waste 
  at 
  the 
  various 
  mechanical 
  structures, 
  etc. 
  which 
  were 
  as 
  

   follows: 
  Leakage 
  at 
  structures, 
  3.67 
  cubic 
  feet 
  per 
  second; 
  waste 
  

   at 
  waste-weirs, 
  3.40 
  cubic 
  feet 
  per 
  second; 
  leakage 
  at 
  lock 
  No. 
  1, 
  

   at 
  the 
  north 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  section, 
  7.98 
  cubic 
  feet 
  per 
  second. 
  This 
  

   amount, 
  Mr 
  Talcott 
  remarks, 
  was 
  so 
  much 
  greater 
  than 
  at 
  any 
  

  

  x 
  See 
  report 
  of 
  F. 
  C. 
  Mills 
  in 
  relation 
  to 
  the 
  Genesee 
  Valley 
  canal 
  (1840). 
  

   Ass. 
  Doc. 
  No. 
  26, 
  p. 
  26. 
  See 
  also 
  report 
  of 
  W. 
  H. 
  Talcott 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  docu- 
  

   ment. 
  These 
  two 
  reports 
  contain 
  a 
  summary 
  of 
  all 
  that 
  had 
  been 
  done 
  

   in 
  the 
  way 
  of 
  measurements 
  of 
  the 
  various 
  losses 
  now 
  under 
  discussion 
  up 
  

   to 
  that 
  time, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  references 
  to 
  foreign 
  data. 
  

  

  