The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-12-23
THE RUIN CANAL CAUSED
q. C.. WHEELER's DEATH REcAIts
THE MUSKRAT AND BEATER WE.
The E6orts 60 Reclaim the Drowned Lsrds
OF the wsIihm Valley, and the Jisht
over = Dau. that Followed Their suscess.

ONEE - - NnAN ohho"Eu hhGhE
GOSHEN. N. Y. Dec. qq.-The death 1t Nor
wich, N. ", Of George C. Wheeler removes the
last OF the leaders in the once famous muskrAt
and beaver war in the waikiki valler and the
last of the many men who were ruinsd by that
war. The series Of events involved orm . most
interesting chapter in the history OF the great
Orange county dairy region.
There Is perhaps no other stream in the
State or country like the wsllKill River. IL
rises in Sussex county, N. j., and flows rapidly
until IL reaches a point twenty-one miles south
west OF New Hampton, Orange county. There
II encounters the peculiar formation character
istic OF the intervening valley. This Is a stratum
OF limestone. which forms the bed Of the river
for twenty miles the distance between Ham
burg, n. j., and Denton. one mile west OF New
Hampton. The popularity of this stratum IL
that Its surface Is n series OF sharp, Jagged. and
abrupt ridges, from 4 to IL feet high, rising ut
short intervals. and making a river bed that
presents one continuous obstruction to the
rivers flow. Tho Waikiki, besides having SO
peculiar a bed, is so crooked that In a distance
OF twenty miles 1t flows thirty. The valley 10
four miles wide for thirteen miles and then
is divided into two valleys by the Po-
chunk Mountain. One of these valleys Is
eight miles long and two miles wide. The other
Is six miles long and one mile wide. The border
ing land Is on n level with the river. The almost
imperceptible fall OF the stream between Ham
burg and Denton. and the distractions In It's
bed, formerly forced the accumulated waters Of
the stream back over this low-lying country,
and when tho first settlers entered that part OF
the Waikiki Valley they found that 40, 1000 acres
consisted Of marsh land covered with rank veg
citation. At what is now the village OF Denton
the obstructing bed Of the river terminated in q
great natural dam Of granite and drift, over
which the waters of the stream turnbled. Then
the river flowed on its way, q broad, rapid
stream that increased in size and impor-
lance until 1t lost itself In the Hudson.
In time Of freshet the Waikiki Valley be-
tween the rocky dam at Denton and Hamburg.
n. j., became a lake twenty miles long, four
wide, and from ten to twenty-five feet deep.
This waste area received the name Of the
Drowned Lands. Tracts of it were from time to
time taken up by specuiat9rs who believed that
come OF great value. In time, owners of
Drowned Land meadows obtained considerable
income by letting pasturagc rights for the cat
tie of neighbOring farmers in the dry seasons.
There were numerous tracts OF elevated land In
the great swamp which were called islands,
islands became the ready resorts OF cattle driven
from the low marshe. by high water. the water
The richness OF the soil of the Drowned Lands
led early to efforts to reclaim the meadows by
discussed by the Drowned Land proprietors.
They believed that by removing some Of the
greater limestone reeTS from the river bed ana
changing the course OF the stream In places the
difficulty might he overcome. The project re-
CURED a large outlay Of money; and In 1897 an
creating a Board Of Drowned Land Com.
missioners. with authority to raise money
RsaSSs; Esss to e assessed to secure
"a fnn Eror sSf %sra made 60 a. different 4ssTy G tune. =.
tween 1907 and 1896 to drain the land, but, -
no benefit resulted. il was then decided that
the removal OF the natural Instructions was not
i iTast oSal dn Be MADE nmSf Ssf ebIs WAS Way tn tn d Mni a ean nsG
from Denton; above the granite dam, TO a point
&slGw y NEW IHts mfsO1 a., : a S =, nee OF q .h nsS % esnn:
mel for the river for that distance:
rocky dam at Denton had a fall Of "a feet In
the next two miles, making a valuable water
power. A dam had been constructed at New
and had called into existence the bustling town
Of Philllpsport. The right TO this valuable
The welfare and prosperity. of hundreds OF peo-
pie and a large outlying farming country de-
ton OF the canal consequently alarmed the PEG.
pie OF that part of the, valley. as a canal meant
the total drying uP 81 the river ri between ,Sn the
quent ruin OF the factory owners and all who
depended on the factories. The matter was car
ried, to the Legislature, and the farmers sue
cecded In getting an act passed authorizing the
making Of the canal. This was in 1890, but long
and costly litigation followed, and the canal was
not dug until 1885.
As compromise with the factory interests
the canal men had the act amended so that the
Drowned Land commissioner were authorized
To build a flood gate in the canal. This was 10
be closed at certain times to turn the water back
into It's original channel. so that Phtllips's mill
pond might be kept filled with water for the use
Srsdsa m,H sRderminedi It's banks snss and in time 81
Hood acres of valuable land through which IL
ran We're washed away; Originally, the canal
the course OF a few years 1t became many times
wider than the river itself, and Is to-day in some
V1na-a .aR1N I nm font mill. Mia Ia - -A frana |
Il narrow, sluggish ditch to "A broad and rapid
channel for the river, made IL impossible TO con.
troll the water az the Hood gate and turn any OF
The continual Increase in the width OF the ca
destroying hundreds OF acres OF the best land in
the county, increased correspondingly its drain
age capacity and where; only a few years be-
boats, rich farms now dotted the area. Not less
than 1000 acres, worth to-day all of $4,000;
900, have been reclaimed from the Drowned
Lands by means OF the canal. The canal cost
a money 100000, but while t enriched one por-
tiOn.
For a time the property holders. msnqfac-
mel between Denton and Bhiiiipsport struggled
TO ward on ruin. Gabriel Phillips died, and his
the canal hal washed itself beyond control. and
the water no longer came into the Phillips dam
a. New nSmptoh; MaoTE9 rniiIps haa a solid
authority 10 do this, but he did II and the dam
turned the water back into the original channel.
Hut after a time the water began to take pos
session Of the reclaimed lands up the river once
more, The farmers came down In force
and demolished the dam. Phillips rebuilt IL.
Again IL was DESTROYED when the water flooded
the lands. For years this warfare went on.
Phillips resolutely replacing the dam every time
the farmers destroyed II, and the farmers COM
ing down with the same regularly and demol-
ishing il. The Phillips party. or dam builders,
were called Beavers, and the farmers, or dam
destroyers, Muskrats, and the Muskrat and
in the chronicles OF this part OF the State. IL
did not come 10 an end until 1863.
In 1867 Amos NJ. Ryerson Of Denton and J.
NJ. Talmhge Of New Hampton purchased the
Phillips property. That same year they sold the
water right To the Drowned Land Commissioners.
farmers then believed that they were AT last
undisputed masters OF the situation. But In
500 the Phillips property was purchased from
Ryerson and Talniage by Gen. q. ID. Wickham,
ID. Wickham, and q. q. Wheeler. The new
owners then purchased a strip OF land on each
side OF the canal, near PhilllpspOrt, and. claim
Ing that they had a right to Construct a dam on
their own property, built a high and substantial
one in the canal. The peculiarly. OF this pro-
was tie presence OF Gen. Miokham in
a.. He had carried the canal project
through, and had been the chief antagonist
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