New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-04-06
FRAUD IN CANAL WORK.
THE BLACK ROCK HARBoR IMPROVEMENT.

LORD, SKINNER, VAN DCSEN, AND MOWRn-
AN INSPECTION THAT DISCLOSED SERIOUS DE-
rECTs IN THE WORK.
lrRoM STAFF ooRREsro SDENr OF TRrBUsE.I
BUFFALO. April 3-Some of the most expensive
work that has been done IL the State within the
pat fow years. under the direction of the Canal
Board. has been the improvement of Black Rock
Hsrbor and the enlargement of the Erie Canal from
a point nearly opposite the United States Military
Station in this city to the head of the harbor above
named In order TO ascertain what the State has to
show for the immense amount Of money that has
been expended here came to Buffalo, accompanied
by one of the experienced engineers employed by
THE tribune to assist in its canal Investigations
and have not only made careful personal eXamina-
ion Of the work. but have awaited myself of all the
information which | cOnld gather from cltlzens OF
this place who are interested Ill canal navigation
and from resident engineers who have been familiar
with the work since it was first begun.
In order that the readers of THE TRIBUNE may
understand the nature and actual value of the work.
/ shall preface my description of 1t with Drlei
geographical sketch of its site At the point where
the Erie Canal energies from the Lake It's width IS
$50 feet and il is fed through three slips all OF which
are. / SHOULD think. within half mile of the head
of the Lake This extraordinary width, when mas
been established many years. is continued for about
~ a
formerly channel connecting the canal with the
narrow body of water to the west of II known as
the shin channel or narrow part Of Black Rock Har-
bor This in turn is separated from the Niagara
River by a long pier which has been built by the
State so that from this point nOrthward, as lar as
the work am about to describe is completed there
are three bodies of water lying paralle-the canal
which is now, since Improvement from this point
onward 25 feet WIDE the ship channel or Black Rock
Harbor for it Is known by both names. about 400
feet wide, and beyond that the Niagara River. The
canal is separated from the ship channel by dlvls-
ion bank consisting of crib surmonnted by vertical
walls which shall describe more INFINITELY in my
report of our visit to the work. This division bank
has been continued the opening of abou 5000
feet which formerly connected the canal with the
channel so that the water no longer flows through
The long pier or breakwater which separates the
channel from the river was built by the State many
wears ago. but as it is not water tight. and water in
the channel has nearly the same level as the lake.
while the Niagara River is fifteen inches lower the
water runs; through it making strong current
These three bodies Of water extend, side by side,
about three-f ourths of mile to Ferry-st and here
the canal and the ship channel again connected
by an arm Of water about 100 feet wide Just below
this point there are three flour mills and further
down four other manufacturing establishments
which had been licensed by the State to use the sur
plus water from the canal. The supply OF water on
which these mills have DOminally depended was
that which flowed through the ship channel; but so
much of that escaped through the breakwater, and
the fall at that point to the Niagara River was SO
slight-only two fect-tbat each OF these mills was
always short of water unless they were drawing it
FROM the canal and then each one took an amount
of water equal TO that required to feed the canal
from this city to Montezuma. The result was that,
when the mills were all running they drew down
the water SO low that comparatively little was left
in the canal and what there was ran with q current
of from to 81 miles an hour. At such times it was
almost impossible for any ordinary team 10 draw a
boat through the canal against the current. man
was employed to watch the mills and prevent them
from taking water from the canal except when
there surplus but, either through laziness or
because he paid for it, he neglected his duty,
and boats were constantly aground or unable to
move. From the point where the first opening
between the canal and the ship channel occurred 10
the second one, near the first mill, distance OF
about three-fOurths Of a mile. there before the
present improvements were begun an old division
wall built many years ago, making this short
section of the canal 20 feet in width. Beginning at
Feuy-st.. few feet from the second opening
between the canal and the ship channel is an island
the canal and ship channel join and become one
body of water.
The problem was to obyiate the current in the
canal over the space have described and to secure
and keep in it at all times sufficient water for safe
aud ca ~ navigation. To DO this two plans pre-
scented themselves. The first was for the State to
purchase the mills, since the owners claimed that
they had acquired vested right 10 use the water
and had sufficient influence with the Canal Board
and the Legislature to prevent this right from being
denied to them; and the other to cut them Off
from the canal altogether by closing the openings
between the ship channel and the canal and then
to dredge ont the former in order to increase the
volume of water passing through it to the mills
The owners of the mills asked about 100000 each
for their property, or about 100000 iii all. The
Division Engineer estimated that to carry out the
second plan would cost $4,000, and it is on con-
tracts given ont for the improvement under this
second plan that work is now going on.
The work consists Of removing the old division
wall and building a one, from the point where
tance of about mile and threequarters, separating
the canal from the ship channel and closing all con-
nection between them. and making the canal for
this distance 125 feet wide and feet deep. The FIST
appropriation for this work made in 1870 when
the amount assigned for it. and for the guardlock
section below, was SSO00O. The contract for the
work was awarded TO Charles p Skinner who
agreed to perform what was at that time estimated
for for $500. He assigned the contract to George
ID. Lord, who furnished the materials and did the
work and received for ii S72.707 o. Lord after
ward in 1872, got an act passed by which
the Canal Board directed to ascertain
how much more money Lord had eX-
pended than he had received from the State, and
in 1874 an additional amount of $l192OS 40 was
awarded to him. Ii should be noticed that this
award was made vouchers presented by Lord
himself and that tho act neither nrny idnd for mar