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NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



Floods in Susquehanna river. By common consent the highest 

 flood experienced in this stream within the historical period was 

 in March, 1S65, but aside from the fact that considerable damage 

 ensued, little is known in regard thereto. The entire region 

 drained by the Susquehanna river in New York State, as well as in 

 Pennsylvania, is not only mountainous, but largely denuded of 

 timber. The flood-flows of the stream are, therefore, large. The 

 catchment area above Chenango river is 2400 square miles. There 

 is a State dam, formerly used in connection with Chenango canal, 

 across this river at Binghamton, and S. E. Monroe, City Engineer 



Fig-. 37 Outline section of State dam at Binghamton. 



of Binghamton, has compiled a map on which he has placed high- 

 water elevations during the flood of March, 1902, together Avith a 

 plan elevation and cross-section of dam. The figures show that 

 the depth on the crest of this dam was 13.1 feet, with a difference 

 of elevation above and below the dam of two feet. Computing the 

 flow over this dam as a submerged weir, and making various cor- 

 rections, including one for the water flowing through the lock at 

 the south side of the river, it is found that the flood -flow in March, 

 1902, was about 70.000 to 80,000 cubic feet per second, or possibly 

 at the rate of something over 33 cubic feet per second per 

 square mile. A flow at this rate is less than might reasonably 

 be expected; accordingly it may be assumed that the flood of 

 March, 1902, was not the largest flood likely to occur on the Sus- 

 quehanna river. Comparing it with other similar streams, there 

 seems reason for supposing that at some time there may be a flood 

 here of at least 50 cubic feet per second per square mile. Such 

 extreme floods, however, do not occur more than once or twice in 

 a century. The flood of March, 1865, which is the largesl known, 



