HYDROLOGY OF NEW YORK 



2:J7 



location of the water power at that point has been the governing 

 condition. 



Cohoes would not be selected as the site of a city aside from 

 the location of extensive water power there. 



Glens Falls may be considered a good site, and small towns 

 like the neighboring villages of Fort Edward and Sandy Hill 

 would probably in any event have grown up at this point. 



Economic statistics of the city of Watertown. Generally, we may 

 say that had it not been for the water power, these seven chief 

 manufacturing towns of New York would either never have come 

 into existence, or at any rate would not have developed to any 

 such extent as we now find them. In taking this view, however, 

 it is not overlooked that with the towns once started other causes 

 have contributed, in some cases, very materially to their advance- 

 ment. What may be fairly assumed is that the water power was 

 not only the determining cause for the location of all these towns, 

 but thai: they have grown much larger on account of possessing 

 the water power than they would otherwise have grown. It is 

 also assumed that some of the locations are so unsatisfactory 

 as to have prevented the growth of any town except there were 

 some strong, predetermining cause like the possession of water 

 power. It appears proper, therefore, to examine, in the present 

 connection, the economic value of the water powers of the Black 

 river valley to the State of New York. 



