New-York tribune., 1876-02-04
ABSTRACT OF THE REPORT.

port.
ABSTRACT OF THE REpORT.
The report Of Canal Commissioner Adm
Thayer upon tie Bgcl River Canal the only lateral upoo
Division, gets Ii forth as his opinion that tks
interests Of the State require the maintenance Of the
Back River Canal ,n the Erie Canal feeders, and forbid
it, aDanGonmen lcase, sae. The Erle Canal canros
bc maintained without tho water derived from tbs
source, aud Is absolutely necessary maintain
ls canal it that the stare ought 10 assine tSe
slight additional Jus lee 10 the lar % II heBo
t and the value OF its contributions 10 the great canal
system of state. The state Engineer md Surveyor.
Mr. Sweet, concuIs with tie Canal Commits sioner aro
further suggests hat the season Jf navigation upon ux
canal be made three months shorter than that tLo Erie
Canal. opening 1t month and a.half later ard
closing it oDa month and a-half eaTl er. yr-
Thayer shows in detail that he object in constructing The
BacA River Canal wa7 to connect 42l2 miles of sieags
boat nav yic,ton upcl the Black River with the Ere
Canal by the construction OF 30 miles OF canal
not only opening an Isolated country 10 commerce,
but enlrs.ns thu SIMPLY OK water Tor tie Era
Canal In l>3j The construction oi tie Black River CaU1S
" authoizcd, Ti.A tle understanding L!at All the cL
p La. for obtaining the necessary supply of water for
the Erie Canal should be charged t. The canal. Mover
hclcss with the exception Of 100000 appropriated 10,
its original con ton ihe entire 81 that canal, al
en2inceiing, ~ Tr>C"gOrs, roads and bridges, "a
reservoirs. land and wafer damages and oi ordt
nary and extraordinary repairs has been charged 20 She
eck River Can i, although il "a claimed Hat the Yar
from tie reservoirs not required for na' a'gaiBs tas
Black River Canal. Tlis has made tho COS, ~ tie
canal -r..u much greater that its G"uts olsim 10
really las been II tie canal g., aOl1lcH.d.
and 1t Ia assumed that all the water n"cNa, for tBe
Erie Cana! Is carried by tho Lansiu.an .rl Mohawk
River. extensive damages Nil be caused cgry year o
much valuable land large permanent appropriation
will be made Of The nteryalo lands between iork 80
aud Rome further source Of l0>s would hc ioGnd 10
tic nocesslfy supporting "a miles OF csna and feed
err more than eth 4 ~ i's whole c.sth. sidt- the
reservoirs roads, dwellings. bIidgrs and culycgts Bs
tween Lock 10 WhC-U Ihc water r. turned iuio he Lao
singkil and Rome IN - Dr goa Ia Pee rport@f
or pasSageWays m'de across the canal. With the
abandonm ~ would come also the question of
damages to b. Paid by the - T.. rie Constr
tuition under which the Improvements, were made
guaranteed the rrc'c the possession "f thc canal for
ali time The iu Irr parties would hat' c1nitable
II not legal calm f0r damages. The o!uccd valuation
the real estate IN this large section Th'h would fol-
low upon the ahanlcnrent OF the III, canal would
m IKE serous reduction IN the present amount ~ taxes
collected! and II j., believed would ih,n uucrbaL
aIcc any apparent gain 20 the STATE by such ihaudon-
Inent. The Commissioner estimates tll the Expense or
experimenting and repairing the fed = and al matters
connected with the necessary supply OF water for tho
Etie Canal III case the Black lscg IS abandoned, al
$4,000.
The LATER'LS or T.E MIDDLE DIVISION.
Tn hs report Commissioner waath stronsly argcs the
abandonment of three OF the lateral, of te Middle Dr.
ylsion-tle Chcmurs, Gro ikoi Lake, aad mango ca
mails. He shows that the cost of con,tui ting the che
mung Canal including ordinary rep'irs aud interest on
both items amounts 20 $G9i'36i j3 tpls collected ny
to l-7i Sjli97l 81; interest on tolls. Sj76,jd3 A.
total ~ O9I $50 o5 balance AGAINST the canal S5s7G,
$40 As. lie ca: = the Crooked Lake Canal
making the same allowances for in'"rest was
81 lS0o03j 9J; t.'ls t. 1874, with Interest, slli,
26I q; balance against the canal 9l,6@177l 90
The cost ot the Cn'nausO Canal, with interest,"
Wis slIil8093 80; tolls collected NJ 10 1874, With
interest 81 555,lG0 10, balance against the canal,
el2sG3953 y. TIe tolls collected on this canal
m $50 amounted To $1,000; Oh tie Chenune.
to silly: and the c. oked Lake, To the onor
nous n.ire OF -l-6. Nr Walraih urges the corn
ulotion Of TIE oneida Lake Canal, on the
.round that 1t viii connect the Erie Canal WITH tho
waer oi Oueida Lake flrn -hns 30 miles of lake nayt
g.tion. ints.se, INK tie Onila River improvement
winch forms junction sith The O-Hcso CtHl at Three
River Po the canal was originally purchased from
., stock company for S5OOoo-a fraction Of Its
cost-with he understanding that IL should be
maintained by the STATE. over siOO,G0o has been
pended thus far the canal, and more than enough
money has already been raised anI tc treasury
20 comp.e H. Tue length OF the canal is only siN miles,
It's completion would give AL outlet for thc lr)fne'
OF the large nGmjc. II glass factorics anu,r's, saw
mills, and hoIns Mills along the laae an' "n 'i'a'",
empty in. into H. with reference to the 0thr htefals,
NlNAfn
their being leased. sol. abandoned WI come from
men who have been approprafing ths waters OF the
canals to their own u.e.
LEAsE OF wTsIERN DIVISION CANALS UfG ID.
Canal Comu.s, ou"r Jackson. IN his report upon tic
West,in DIVISION opposes the immediate abandonment
of the ienesee Valley Canal, the ground that II
woud necessarily dcprccate the value of real estate,
particularly tie southern portion ~ The canal and
that interests Of many business aside from those
engaged IN it, navigation, would be injured. To Illus
trt- OF the resources Of the country which the abaD-
doumeH Of the canal would affect, Mr.. Jackson states
that there Is large quantity Of pine and hem
lock timber the southern terminus OF the
canal, which 10 estimated at 3l9O,O0J.OOO feet
and tie average yearly production OF the mills not less
than 1870 600 900 feet including shingles and lths The
Commissioner recommends that the canal be sold for
nominal sum 10 any responsible individual company of
corporation prepared TO purchase IT, and who sha ruy
indemnify the State for any damages which may serue
10 any individual corporation after the SALE ana shall
keen the canal in repair In case tho canal cannot oe
acid he recommends that It be leased for term q
vears and he sggests tho canal can neither ne so9
nor leased the OF the toll sheet OF lsoe n
The management of the canal with view to is apsh1"
ment In three -four yearA