HYDROLOGY OF NEW YORK 



Carthage. At Carthage we have what are known as the long 

 falls of Black river, the river falling at this place 55 feet 

 vertically in a distance of 4600 feet. The first water-power 

 establishment was David Coffeeivs gristmill, erected on the west 

 hank of the river in 1806, power therefor being furnished by a 

 wing dam extending diagonally up the stream from the mill. A 

 forge, operated by water power, was built in 1816 on the east side 

 of the river, and Coffeen's dam' extended entirely across in order 

 to furnish power. A blast furnace taking power from the river- 

 was built in 1819. A nail factory was erected in 1828. 



In 1830 a tannery was erected on what is known as Tannery 

 island. A gristmill was built on Guyot's island in 1838. Since 

 that time there have been in operation on this island a forge, a 

 rolling mill, a gristmill, nail works, ax factory, broomhandle 

 works, furniture factory, carding mill and general repair shops. 

 The large rolling mill and nail factory of Hiram McCollom was 

 begun in 1815. who also 'built a foundry on Furnace island in 

 the same year. The foundry is still in operation. 



The foregoing brief account of the early manufacturing indus- 

 tries of the lower Black river valley, while only a skeleton, is still 

 extensive enough to indicate how thoroughly manufacturing has 

 been identified with the development of this valley from the very 

 beginning. It is certainly clearly shown that the material pros- 

 perity of the region has been greatly advanced by Black river 

 water power. 



Water power of Blade river. In order to show the development 

 of water power on Black river, we may further consider table 

 Xo. 128, water power in use on Black and Beaver rivers (approxi- 

 mate), as given in the writer's Beport to the Board of Engineers 

 on Deep Waterways, pp. 846-852, inclusive. The following abstract 

 of this table shows that there are twenty clams on Black river 

 from Dexter to Lyon Falls, inclusive, with ninety-three establish- 



ments doing business : 



Total horsepower of water wheels in use. . . . 54,050 



Total steam power used 1,482 



Value of establishments $7,836,100 



Value of the annual product $10,887,170 



Number of hands employed in mills 3,900 



