HYDROLOGY OF NEW YORK 



77.") 



Mohawk river at Cohoes will necessarily be made subservient to 

 the exigencies of such a canal, although Mr .Judson, in the paper 

 already referred to. has pointed out how valuable these water 

 powers would be for seven or eight months of the year to the 

 manufacturing cities of the Mohawk valley. Under this head 

 we may, however, inquire as to how the waterpower for onlv 

 seven months of the year would be of any special value to the city 

 of Cohoes. where, owing to the kind of manufacturing, continu- 

 ous power three hundred and ten days in the year is required. 

 This development is a result of wise management of the water- 

 power, without which there is no reason to suppose that the area 

 on which the city stands would have any greater value than that 

 of the surrounding farming region. A proposition to interfere 

 seriously with the waterpower at Cohoes can only be looked on 

 by the writer as most extraordinary. Indeed, not the least extra- 

 ordinary feature of the present agitation for ship canals across 

 the State of New York is the entire lack of appreciation — so far 

 as the discussion indicates — of the value to the State of Xew York 

 of its inland waters. 



Aside from the report of Major Symons, the discussion has thus 

 far apparently proceeded on the supposition that the taking of 

 inland waters for navigation purposes was a matter on a par with 

 the taking of agricultural lands* for right of way, the economic 

 value of the water for power purposes and the resulting effect on 

 the internal development of the State having thus far been almost 

 entirely ignored. 



What the people of the State of New York need to consider first 

 of all is whether the inland waters are not now worth more for 

 manufacturing than they can possibly be worth for navigation 

 purposes. If after investigation it is shown that the water will 

 produce greater income to the people of the State in manufactur- 

 ing than it will in operating such a canal, then from mere com- 

 mercial considerations the people ought not to consent to the 

 construction of such a canal. The State of New York can not 

 afford to forego the possibility of developing its manufacturing 

 interest in order to furnish water for the summit level of the 

 proposed Oswego-Mohawk-Hudson deep-water canal. At any rate 

 we should know just what results may be expected before em- 



