in the Adirondacks, and presented brief descriptions and rough estimates of cost of developing these very remarkable sites.

He describes, the survey as made "with reference to increasing the supply of water for the Champlain canal and improving the navigation of the Hudson river."

Prof. Benedict describes his "survey" as more properly a reconnoissance," and a study of his report shows plainly that it was hurried and was very far from exhaustive or complete. The extent of the work by the parties under his supervsion was mainly confined to visiting each of the considerable Adirondack lakes, so far as time allowed; selecting by surface inspection the most eligible sites for dams, determining by hasty methods the area of those lakes which it was proposed to utilize for storage, to measuring the height and width of the cross-section of the valley at the proposed dam sites, and to running a few lines of levels connecting with levels previously run for railroad or other purposes, in order to determine the elevation and flow line of some of the proposed reservoirs. He compiled data from sundry previous surveys and says that his work was greatly facilitated by previous familiarity with the region, without which he could not have covered nearly so much ground with the time and means at his disposal.

His proposed dams were to be of log cribs packed with stone without cement, of about the same general type as commonly built by lumbermen, and were of a design far cheaper and far less durable than would today be demanded, particularly in work to be built by the State. His approximation from scant data to the annual depth of rainfall and runoff available for filling these reservoirs was shown by the more complete later records to have been much too large.

Prof. Benedict recommended cutting the timber on the reservoir sites before flooding, but in those days apparently little thought was given to such thorough clearing of the reservoir sites by removing dead timber and stumps as the public interest now demands, and no recommendation was made for preserving sanitary and cheerful conditions by reserving a depth below the drain gate level sufficient to keep any swampy portions of the bed of the basin always covered by water.

It may be regarded as on the whole fortunate for the public that no authority was given for construction on these crude plans and according to the standards of those early days, and fortunate that but a small amount of large reservoir construction was undertaken in the years immediately following this report and before public sentiment had been aroused against the old time methods of reservoir building in the forest.

Considering the brief time and scant funds at his disposal Prof. Benedict collected a large amount of very interesting information. He says in his report: "To make these deterininations satisfactorily demanded an amount of time and means far beyond that authorized by the act of the Legislature;" and he also says of his work of demonstrating these great opportunities for water storage, that he had confidence that enough of the subject could be developed to show its vital importance and its true relation to the public interests."

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A table summarizing the results of Prof. Benedict's investigation on the Hudson headwaters above Indian river is presented on the following page. In reviewing this, it should be borne in mind that he found part of his estimated storage for increasing the flow of the Hudson river by diverting into the Hudson drainage water naturally tributary to the Raquette river, in a way that would not be feasible in view of the present large water power developments upon the Raquette.

From all of these 28 ponds above Indian river, he estimated only about 18.4 billion cubic feet of storage, including about 12 billion cubic feet proposed to be diverted from the Raquette into the Hudson. All of those proposed by Prof. Benedict on the Hudson above Indian River give only about 6 billion cubic feet. Note the small depth of most of the reservoirs and the small cost estimated for the several dams in the following table.

It should also be noted that the Benedict reservoirs reported in the following, all lie upstream from Indian river, and that the reservoirs reported upon by Mr. Rafter in 1895-6, all lie on tributaries entering below Indian river.

Prof. Benedict also submitted some notes on reservoir sites below Indian river, particularly within the Schroon drainage, which are not reproduced here because data on these appears more fully given in the Rafter report of 1895.

Estimated

STORAGE RESERVOIRS POSSIBLE ON HEADWATERS OF HUDSON AND RAQUETTE RIVERS ABOVE INDIAN RIVER,

REMARKS ON PRECEDING TABLE.

(From Census Report.)

Blue Mountain Lake.- - Reservoir includes the three lakes, Utowana, Eagle, and Blue Mountain; lies naturally in Raquette Basin, but via Long lake can be diverted to the upper Hudson. Estimated that winter and spring drainage would fill reservoir 1.87 time.

Raquette Lake.-Waters proposed to be diverted from Raquette river to Hudson. Estimated that winter and spring drainage will fill reservoir 1.87 time.

Forked Lake.-Waters to be diverted from Raquette to Hudson. that winter and spring drainage will fill reservoir 3.6 times.

Estimated

Beach's Lake.- Tributary to Forked lake. Estimated that winter and spring drainage will fill reservoir 1.88 time.

Long Lake. This lake naturally drains through the Raquette river, but, by cutting a canal across a low divide, can be connected with Round pond, and thus be made tributary to the Hudson. Estimated cost of bulkhead, canal, and outlet through slough at foot of lake, $154,000. Estimated that winter and spring drainage will fill reservoir 1.056 time.

Round Pond.- From Round pond to Catlin lake there is a fall of 35 feet in about 4,000 feet.

Catlin Lake.- Estimated that winter and spring drainage will fill reservoir 2.1 times.

Rich Lake.-Northern shore heavily wooded; southern cleared. Outlet narrow and rocky, with bold shores. Proposed dam would fiow about 200 acres of improved land.

Harris Lake.

Estimated that winter and spring drainage will fill Rich lake and Harris lake reservoirs about 3 times. Harris lake is the lowest member of a chain composed of these lakes mentioned above.

Lake Henderson and Newcomb Lake.- Estimated that winter and spring drainage will fill reservoir 3.5 times. This lake is surrounded by high mountains on every side except the east.

Lower Works Reservoir.- Estimated that winter and spring drainage will fill reservoir 2.4 times. Advantages for dam not so good as at some of the other sites. Includes Lake Sanford.

Chain Lakes. Estimated that winter and spring drainage will fill reservoir 5 per cent. of filling the reservoir.

Goodenow Pond. Reservoir to be formed by dam on Goodenow river. Estimated that winter and spring drainage will fill reservoir 4.13 times.

Goodenow River Reservoir.- Reservoir to be formed by dam on Goodenow river. Estimated that winter and spring drainaage will fill reservoir 1.72 time. South Pond, Clear Pond and Slim Pond. Drain to Long lake. Ackerman Pond.- Tributary to Catlin chain of lakes.

Perch Pond, Trout Pond, Lake Harkness. Drain through central or mountain branch of Hudson.

Shedd Lake, First Sergeant Pond and Third Sergeant Pond. Drain to Raquette lake.

Plumley Pond, Moses Pond, Cary Pond. Drain to Forked lake.

UNITED STATES CENSUS REPORT ON NEW YORK WATER POWERS.

An excellent report upon the water powers of New York and those of the Hudson river in particular, prepared by Dwight Porter, now professor of hydraulic engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is found in a special volume of the United States Census of 1880 relating to the water power of the United States, page 346, et seq.

This report, though nominally bearing date of 1880, was not completed until some years later. It presents a very full description of the several power sites as developed in 1882, with estimates of the total power available at each under various conditions, and also an abstract of Prof. Benedict's report on the in

crease of river flow to be gained from the construction of storage reservoirs in the Adirondacks.

It is of present interest to note the attitude regarding the construction of storage reservoirs at that time, described as follows in page 348 of the Census Report:

"Although the building of reservoirs in the upper waters would benefit all the hydraulic powers on the course of the river below, it does not seem probable that their construction will be attempted by private capital. The mill owners considered that the State would receive as much advantage from reservoirs by reason of the improvements of low water navigation below Troy as any private interest would receive and are not disposed to invest their own capital in such enterprises, so long as there is a possibility that they may be undertaken as public works."

One specially interesting statement in Prof. Porter's Census report regarding the low water flow of the Hudson (p. 346) given on the authority of Mr. Warren Curtis, than whom no man is better informed on Hudson river matters in general, is that at Palmer's Falls the flow for one or two months in the year sometimes falls as low as 200 to 250 cubic feet per second. This would be a little less than 0.10 cubic feet per second per square mile, or about the same as we found for the watershed above Indian river near the end of the August drought in 1907, or about the same that we found for the entire Sacandaga at that time. This is, however, far smaller than anything found in the more recent gagings recorded for Fort Edward and Mechanicville.

Since the recorded flow at Mechanicville in low water, as published from year to year in the reports of the U. S. Geological Survey and of the New York State Engineer, is much larger than I should expect from a drainage area of this character and area, the following quotation is presented for its caution and as a reason for measuring the flow at various points on the main. river carefully by independent means whenever there is another severe drought and at the same time making note of the stored water being released from Indian lake and Schroon lake or from lumbermen's reservoirs.

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