BULLETIN 



OF THE 



Buffalo Society of Natural Sciences. 



Vol. VIII. " No. 2. 



South Buffalo Floods and Proposed Remedy. 



CHARLES M. MORSE, 



Deputy Engineer Commissioner Dept. of Public 

 Works, Buffalo. 



It seems to me almost necessary that I present to you some 

 excuse for addressing you on this subject, in view of the fact, 

 that the subject has been very much abused by having been dis- 

 cussed in the daily papers, and otherwise, in such fashion that 

 anything short of an abstract scientific presentation of it here 

 would seem only further aggravation, and I am not prepared to 

 give you anything more than a very general description of the 

 problems involved, and as an excuse for touching on the subject 

 at all, I shall treat it principally on commercial grounds in the 

 general interest of the City of Buffalo. 



The hydraulic problems involved have been very carefully 

 studied and all the data and conclusions are in the possession of 

 the Department of Public Works of the city. 



The good people of Buffalo have been favored by the news- 

 papers with all sorts of criticisms, wild statements, and attempts 

 to explain natural phenomena in rather unnatural ways, princi- 

 pally in the shape of contributions from regular subscribers, tax- 

 payers, alleged public benefactors, etc., but I have not noticed 

 very much in the way of honest efforts on the part of the news- 

 papers to inform the public of the actual situation, which might 

 be done by a little careful collecting of available facts and figures. 

 On that account, I think it may be well for me to present what 

 I know of the situation in such shape that it may reach some of 

 the thinking public, and probably this is the best place to find 

 that part of the public. 



