New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-04-07
A TYPICAL CANAL JOB.
rup p,,CK ROCK HARBoR IMPROVEMENT.

prTwFEN THE HARBOR AND TUE CANAi-AN In
pRoyEAIENr AS UNNECESSARY AS IL WAS IN
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES PROTECTED Al THE Ia
PENsE on TIKI STATE.
rrRou A STAFF CORRESPONDENT OF THE TEibuNNl
BrrgNo. April 5.--In closing my first letter. oe-
scr;bioc the Black Rock Harbor Improvement OF the
Erie Canal now in progress under the Mowry con-
trort. enumerated three questions on when cl.'-
ven, Of Buffalo aud local engineers are greatly
divided in opinion and each of which VIII be
nroper subject for official investigation lhey are
n Was the improvement necessary C') Is us piah
an economical one and 49, Has the work been hon
estly done =
Refore taking up the discussion Of these questions
n brief additional explanation may help The reader
TO better understanding of the subject, and pre-
vent misapprehensionS that might otherwise ARISE
The work which is to be completed under the MowFy
contract was originally estimated to cost anont
$4,000. An amount not far from that sum mas
becp anprouriated for the work exclusively Of the
S119.alS 40 which was awarded To George ID. Lord
under au act of the Legislature, and for which the
engineers were not responsible, since he had already
been paid all that due him according to the en-
pineers' measurements; and there yet remains, APP
plcable to this work, sum which the englneers
most conversant with il consider sufficient to COM
plete It. At the same time other larger sums
of money have been appropriated within the past
few wears for improvements in Black ROCK h'arooI,
and other large contracts have been aWarueu anu
performed some of them by the notorious ming
ron+raetors so that the aggregate amount OF money
appropriated for this haIbor anu for the canal ID
its vicinity is swelled to more than S9OOVoO
have already described the relative positions OF
tbe canal where Mowry has done the most of his
work the narrow part # Black Rock Harbor, or ship
channel and the Niagara River, lying side by side,
tod nv Rlack Rock
first TWO by the new division bank. Black Rock
pier was built by the State many years ago,
as early as 1910, think. Appropriations have
been made, from time to time, for It's repair,
and since 1870. at least two appropriations have
been granted for extending its southern end INTO
the lake The total amount expended or this pier
within the last ten years is between $4,000 ard
S9O0OO0 The exact figures are not accessible mere
A still further extension is proposed, ana to com
plete it entirely will probably cost $4,000 ma
;ority Of the citizens o. Buffalo with whom have
spoken ON the subject think that this extension was
needed ; If certainly gives Buffalo second harbor
in which canal-boats may be conveniently loaded
from vessels The cost of the work, and the man
per in which il was performed may well be lnyeSti-
gated rs the Lords were tie contractors for part
of il. Other appropriations of $1,000, $1,000
$4,000 or $4,000 have been made Tor
dredging Black Rock Harbor, which is con-
stantiy filing up with sediment from the
sewers of the city. Again. three or four years ago
nm APPROXIMATION was made for building about a
mile of new tow-path along the canal at Black
Rock Harbor from point about ten CHAINS below
Ferry-st and expensive improvements. including a
new lock in the guard lock section of the canal
cleaning out m-.aces. and reconstructiDg the tow
path near lower Black Rock. have been made with
in the same period. Altogether, this work on and
about Black Rock Harbor has cost an enormous
sum- but it only fair to the canal authorities TO
say that much less than onehalf of has been spent
on the particular work for which the skinner-Lord
contract of 1870 and the subsequent ones of Van
Dusen and Mowry were awarded.
Wa the expensive improvement between Slip No.
8 and the head of Black Rock Harbor necessary
There is no doubt that this portion of the canal
was before the present improvement began, de-
fective in three particulars, and at times hardly
payigable These defects consisted OF shallow wafer,
troublesome current and constant deposit Of
sediment upon its bottom from the sewers of the
CITY, The causes of these defects were also appa-
rent The shallow water and the current were
caused by the constant tendency of the water to
flow from the canal into Black Rock Harbor with
which il was connected by two openings. and into
which it was finally merged; this tendency was
first created by defects in the construction Of the
Black Rock pier, which allows great
quantity of water to pass through 1t from
Black Rock HarbOr to the Niagara River,
the water in the latter being from Is inches
to two feet lower than that in the former or in the
canal and it constantly increased by the loss of
water taken by seven mills, each Of which used as
much water as is required to feed tie canal from
this CITY to Montezuma-153 miles. The deposit of
sediment in the canal from the sewers also
mainly caused by its connection with Black Rock
Harbor.
The escape of a great quantity Of water from
Black Rock Harbor and from the canal might have
been prevented by making the Black Rock pier
water-tight; but as that iwould probably render
necessary its rebuilding, the expense would be alto
gether TOO great 1t was at one time proposed that
the State should purchase the mill property and
stop the waste of water which taken from
the canal, since it. was found impossible.
even with the closest watching to keep
the mills from drawing the water down.
and their owners had too much influence to allow
the Canal Board to forbid them to the water at
all But the mills valued at $4,000 each, and
ii hopeless to think of getting appropriation
for their purchase. What might have been done
was to have extended the old division wall north
and south, closing the connection between Black
Rock Harbor and the canal, and cutting off the mills
from the latter as they have been will be cut off
by the new wall. This would have left the canal as
il was before 20 feet wide after leaving that part of
the city where its banks can DO used for docking
purposes the escape of the water would have been
prevented the current Obyiated and it is probable
that the additional foot of depth would not
have been needed. In this way, the
struetion of about 5000 lneal feet OF
crib work surmounted by walls might have been
saved for it was already there the cost of excava-
ton would have been reduced $4,000, and the item