78 New York at the "World's Columbian Exposition. 



wide valleys that give little indication of the heights of the hills not 

 far removed. Looking down upon the map the mountains of the Cats- 

 kills and Adirondacks with the ridge connecting them are seen tc form 

 a barrier between Lake Ontario and the sea, which is pierced at Little 

 Falls by the steep and narrow pass of the Mohawk, the existence of 

 which made the building of the Erie canal a possibility. Alongside of 

 the high peaks of the Adirondacks are deep precipitous valleys, often 

 partially filled with water, forming the wonderful series of lakes here 

 represented. One of these valleys, larger and deeper than the rest, 

 holds Lake Champlain, the bottom of which is over 100 feet below sea 

 level. Near the southern border of the State can be traced the great 

 watershed between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic. In one place 

 this approaches within about five miles of Lake Erie. That is to say, 

 at this point rises a stream that eventually finds its way through the 

 Ohio and Mississippi rivers into the Gulf of Mexico. 



The frame of the map and all extra-limital parts of the cast are 

 brought down to sea level, thus affording an easy mode of comparing 

 the heights near the border. The principal altitudes are marked in 

 plain figures representing feet. The canals are all made one-fourth of 

 an inch wide so as to be easily seen. Their locks are represented by 

 changes in altitude corresponding to the lift or drop of the lock 

 depicted. While it is not claimed that the map is founded on perfect 

 data, as such are not obtainable until the topographical survey of the 

 State is completed, yet every precaution was taken to exclude errors. 



The mines and mining exhibit received ninety awards. 



Transportation Building. 



Two thousand four himdred and fifty square feet of space was occu- 

 pied by New York for a collective exhibit in this building. From the 

 nature of the display the bulk of the exhibits was necessarily shown 

 by firms and corporations in the carrying trade, but many important 

 features from a comparative and historical point of view could only be 

 supplied by the State commission. 



The organization and improvement of the highways of commerce 

 throughout the State, and their recognized agency in contributing to 

 the development of the West, further justified a special exhibit in the 

 department of transportation. The first successful application of 

 steam to the propulsion of vessels, made in New York waters in 1807, 

 the construction of the Erie canal, 1817 to 1825, and the first regular 



