G70 



NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



New York State a number of these mills have passed out of 

 existence. 



The four mills still in existence require about 1200 cubic feet of 

 water per second to operate them at the full capacity of the wheels 

 now in place. 



The use of water by the Black Rock mills has always been a det- 

 riment to navigation. When all were running the amount of water 

 actually drawn through the canal and harbor for their supply, and 

 for the supply of the canal to the east of Buffalo, was fully 3300 

 cubic feet per second. 1 



When all the Black Rock mills were in operation the great draft 

 of water so obstructed the navigation that the Legislature finally 

 authorized the construction of a division wall in Black Rock har- 

 bor, by which it was expected that the water supply for the mills 

 would be entirely taken from the harbor, leaving the channel of 

 the canal pretty nearly free for the purposes of navigation; but 

 after the greater part of the wall was completed it was ascer- 

 tained that because of the silting of the upper harbor with sewage 

 mud. as well as drifting sand from the lake, there would be diffi- 

 culty in obtaining the full supply for the mills through the harbor, 

 without extensive dredging. The division wall was, therefore, 

 never completed, two gaps, amounting, in the aggregate, to several 

 hundred feet, having been left below Terry street. There was thus 

 an expenditure of about $350,000 for the benefit of 1he milling 

 interests which is entirely without effect for lack of completion. 

 Under the present conditions, however, of entire decline of the 

 Black Rock milling interests, there is, of course, no reason why 

 the wall should be completed, and the matter is discussed here 

 merely for the purpose of bringing out clearly the struggle be- 

 tween the navigation interests and the manufacturing interests, 

 which has been in progress in New York State for the last seventy- 

 five years. 



Power at Lockport. At Lockport the construction of the Erie 

 canal through the mountain ridge created a fall of 58 feet at a 

 single point, and since the use of water for lockage purposes is 



ir rhe Assembly Committee of 1S70 give the following figures as then 

 applicable: Lower Black Rock mills, 1887 second-feet; upper Black Rock 

 mills. 858 second-feet; for supply of canal, 5S3 second-feet ; total. 3328 

 second-feet 



