New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-08-15
ARISES IN THE CANAL WORK.
cr,r CONSULTING AND ADVISORY ENGIN-
EERs REPORT AS TO THE BLAME.
..s1ry OF DUAL CONTROL OPPOSED -sPECIF1CA
TIONs DEFECTIVE-THEFTS OF THE
CANAL. WATER RY MAN

TIONs DEFECTIVE OF THE
CANAL WATER BY MAN
UFACTURFRs
Albany. Aug II (SpeciaD.-Thcre is no at
..a.,, made in the report Of the consulting and
.ay,sorv engineers to the Commission which
,.,.s,icated into the expenditure of the $4,000.
nno appropriated for the Improvement Of the
cote canals to shield the Superintendent of
pnhlic Works George w. AldridSe. The re-
mr.. Of the Commission to the Governor. made
rubic two weeks ago, softened the findings
aga,nst superintendent Aldrdge and rather
,,rev the burden OF the blame on state Ensi-
,eer Adams The report Of the engineers Ed
ward p. North and Lyman +. Cooley made
,,rnrc to-day. not only points out the many
abuses which cropped out under the S90000o0
,,rrrovement hut shows that water is stolen
from the canals by manufacturers with un-
usual holiness. and that there are squatters or
,respassers within the blue" at many points.
Either one or the other Of the engineers ex-
en,iued the Eric, Champlain and Oswego
canals their entire length. and paid attention
70 their condition, especially where unimproved,
and noted the work under way and its char
acter. The work done. they believe. was good
n fair; would have been better under more
,dcations for masonry were defective they
found Generally speaking. the walls were we'll
built.
BOUNDARIES SHOULD BE MARKED.
The Commission strongly recommends that
sufficient appropriation be made to enable the
State Engineer to run out and permanently 70
monument all lines bounding state property
Upon several previous occasions the uespass-
ing upon the States canal property has been
Investigated. and the squatters in most in
stances compelled to eVacuate. Gradually they
eet back and several Of the more pronounced
.ncroachments are pointed out by the engi-
neers The report says that an instance or
value Of permanent monuments can he found
in a case which has arisen in Syracuse, where
a cellar encroaching eight feet on the state
property and fourteen feet below the surface
Of the water has probably occasoned break
from which large damages are likely TO be
claimed against the State. Through these rec
ords would enable the State to collect large
annual rental from its lands which are now'
and for a long time have been. occupied by
private parties" The State Engineers pre-
lninary survey was Indispensable, the re-
port says, in that it produced a connected and
correct line OF levels through the state among
other things. 1t should have been extended,
though. to have relieved uncertainty in some
instances.
In the matter of contracts it is pointed out
that The State Engineer took a different view
from the intent of the Constitution, and adopted
q general specification. instead Of specific spec
tdcations His plan did not 1T any individual
contract The plan type coming down
nv hereditary descent from the canal enlarge
rnent which seems TO have furnished the op-
portunity for much investigation The engi-
neers point out wherein the quantity shee's
etc. were faulty. allowing big profits to the
contractor. They also point out how the state
was overcharged and charged double for the
work under the style Of contract employed, and
again how the specific-contract plan would have
worked to the benefit Of the state
Specifications drawn in accordance with their
ideas would reduce the bid quantities to few
leading items which could be readily verified
in the completed work.
AGAINST THE PNEUMATIC LOCK
The proposed pneumatic lock does not meet
with the approval Of the engineers. who say
that in some localities it "can pass through
the inevitable experimental stage without
threatening any delay 10 canal traffic The
engineers find that it is impracticable. If rot
IMPOSSIBLE 10 keep either ordinary or extraor-
dinary repairs from being done under this law
taking as an example an instance where about
10000 cubic yards of silt which should have
been removed from time to time have been eX-
cavated and over 100000 charged on this ac-
count for deepening the canal
Most of the water taken from Lake Erie 10
feed the canal as far east as the Monlezuma
marshes. or for one hundred and fifty miles
tbe report SAYS lis used for manufacturing
purpases Some Of this Is returned 10 the
o,,d ic
Jockport Is claimed under lease executed III
lS26 all the water 50 used 10 DE returned "
the prism Of the canal In at least seven other
instances water is taken from Inc prism OF tIo
CANAL and Is not returned. The most notice
able Of these instances is the diversion OF water
into the Eighteen Mile Creek, ABOUT one 'hou
sand feet east Of the lower lock al L'chPU&II &
This has for some time amounted 70 ISV"
cubic feet Der minute. or over - per cent OF the
water passing the head OF the LockporI lochS'
The diversions at six other localities are prop
ahlv much smaller. and some are interinltteht.
The use of this water by manufactures mas Ioi
some time caused inconvenience. ana lhcieascu
the expense 10 canal Uaihc by az N"ca -"
ducne a current Of two miles an hour, against
which loaded boats, drawn by horseS' cahhot
ascend and sometimes entire suspension ol
navigation has occurred by poats stouiIul,.e s.,
through the water being drawn down lor Ih"H-
ufacturing purposes 1870 s,..
ABLY considered the right Of miil-owners 10 take
water from Eighteen Mile Creek anu az d -
suit II has been determined " ". -, 100 . ~,
cnt above Lockport by Az feet for l3'o'" iee''
which will require the excavation OF over iio'-
0OO cubic yards Of rock , ~ ,,b
q discnssion of proposed changes in the course
OF the Erie Canal and improvements IN locks
WHERE A SAVING COULD BE MADE.
II is believed TO be possible to save con
adorable first cost aside from the saving IN
future consideration Of canal policy, as the
work carried out upon the alternative reaches
OF the canal has permitted the improvements
TO the present location, except IN rev locah-
ties. which are presented About oo per cent
OF the estimate for work remaining 10 be let IS