New-York tribune., 1903-01-26

channels and the storage of water at the heau-
waters of streams, but through such storage
progress on the part of the State is assured
toward these results: Improvement OF pupic
| health, the reclaming of marshes, the furnlsh-
| ing of additional water for canals aford1ng a
| pure water supply to cities and villages, ana
| finally the development of electrical power.
| The members of the commission in treating OF
the subject of water storage in their report saS'
| Water storage on many rivers of the state
would furnish the additional feed water required
| for improved canals. and the carrying out OF lhe
| entire storage system outlined in the sub-com-
| mittees report of the eastern DIVISION Woulu
| greatly promote the navigation of the upper
| tidal section OF the Hudson not only by increas-
| ing it's minimum depth over foot, but by doins
| away with flood currents, when, by carIyIns
! great quantities OF sand and sediment contnu-
| ally form bars involving costly dredging opera
tons in this part Of the river, and by rendering
| the docks and slips always accessible
| the greatest benefit to the future growth and
prosperity of the State TO -e anticipated IRON pa
| this method of river Improvement, however Is
| that ii renders available the vast amount OF en-,
ergy stored by the sun in the surplus ranial
| which flows from great part of It's hlgher
| When we consider that the flood flow of most
of the larger streams is from fifty TO one nun nun
| dred times the minimum flow, and that the dli-
| ference between food and low water now IN
many of their tributaries is much greater, ana ana
| that the greatest monthly flow IS from twenty
| TO fftv times the least monthly flow, the neces-
sity for their regulation for the development OF
| power becomes apparent
esee. the Black River and the upper HUDSON
The Genesee has watershed OF aeout 40 lto. ~ ~
| 600 cubic feet and minimum flow OF less tnai
| 300 cubic feet second. The water powers ue-
yeloped on this stream rated at 2o,oOc morse
| power They are however, supplemented by
steam plants. and If rated on the water power
gregate less than 5000 horsepower. If the
CIenesee were regulated by water storage odS dS
| planned by Mr.. Rafter, it would furnish o'ooO
The ,ee BACK River has watershed of about
| 1000 square miles, maximum now OF over
$4,000 cubic feet and a minimum now OF less
than 500 cubic feet a second The water powers
developed the Black River are rated at le'UU,
horsepower. They must be supplemented py
steam plants to furnish this amount or power IN
dry times, and if rated on the low water now
would not aggregate more than 10000 horse
mower IF the flow Of Black River were con
trolled by storage as is undoubtedly practl-
cable, It would render over 10000 horsepower
The Hudson River above Troy affords more
| striking illustration of the value OF water stor
| . ge for the development of power by reason OF
| the higher elevation at which the topography OF
its watershed permits the principal storage res
| ahout d 500 square miles, a maximum flow of
about 10000 cubic feet and minimum I'm now OF OF
| less than 1900 cubic feet second Inc water
| power now developed on this part OF lis water
| shed is rated ct 10000 horsepower.
Most of these developn1ents OF power reQGlte
| the assistance of steam in dry season, and II
| rated upon their reliable hydraulic efHclency
| would not exceed an aggregate or 5oooo morse
| power. If assume the conservative estindte
| Of so per cent efficiency of the regulated flow
| from this watershed to be secured by the sys-
| tenn of storage outlined in the report OF the
| eastern division. would have upon 1t not less
| than 100000 horsepower, or an increase OF 20
| 600 reliab bic horsepower. The additional power
| thus derived every year from storage would rep
| resent on the Genesee the eftcienJ power tnat
| cen he derived from 100000 tons of COAL the
Rinct, Riyer from 500 900 tons of coal, and from
| . 600 900 tons on the Hudson. The cost OF these
| improvements shown by the dlvlslonal re-
| ports bears but small proportion to the value
| Of the benefits that would accrue to the State
! These examples, representing sections OF tne
| state to which the principal studies or storage
| conditions have been heretofore directed, rep
resent only fraction Of the possibilities IN TINS
direction. ,., -
| sources are pretty fully developed and that the
recent growth of the state mas been largelg s M oe
| rerity must largely depend upon the growth OF
| manufacturing industries, the success OF when
| requires cheap power, and that cheap eleeulcaI
| transmission renders the development OF power
by storage available far from its source, we pc
| lieve that this method Of river regulation mas
| become a public utility of the first order, and
| the fact that every Improvement or TINS khiu
| tends TO improve sanitary conditions and to
| mitigate foods and in many instances to i'm
| prove navigation increases its Importance ana
urgency, There are some streams; hpwepel' p ,,a
| where devastation by floods can only ne pre-
| vented by the method Of channel regnlatlon'
| and this method should be included In the gen
rteTe are many groups of individuals and
| many corporations whose interests would long
| since have induced them to carry out one or the
| other of these methods of regulating streams,
but they find IL impraCtcable TO GO so unoer tiie
| State, which gives to every riparian owner now
| ever small and insignificant be his hoIdlng' the
| power TO enjoin any change in the natural con-
| dition Of the stream his holdins aputs upon,
| however salutary its regulation might be 10 ms
! own interests and of however vital Importance
| the regulation may be 70 the Whole colllihuii'|
| affected .---,.--, ..,,l.,4i.,,
| Of our law of waters that we are so far oehlnd
MANY Of our sister States in the development or
| manufacturing industries by utilizing water
! power, as these States confer by mill acts the
| of under
! tiors TO individuals and corporations for this
| purpose.
In concluding their report the commissioners
| say:
We believe that State supervision and control
| is the only safe method Of intelligenty ln1tl-
| ating, constructing and maintaining an ade-
| uuate system of river improvement IN thls STATE.
| such State supervision and control, by COM
mission of recognized competence ana character,
| would not only secure the scientific treatment
| of such stream as whole, but the safe and
| economical execution OF the various component
| parts of a comprehensive system or river nm
nroyenlent in the order Of their relative urgency
| and Importance. Legislation providing for such
| a system of river regulation is, in our cplnloh'
a great and urgent PUBLIC necessity. ,o.
We believe such legislation should embrace
the following essential features: 1t shoulo m
| trust the inauguration and execution or the
| system to a permanent commission
| The central idea should be that the entire cost
OF the execution and maintenance Of each or the
various separate works cornprlslag s9ch ID a o syo-
portion to the benefits they respectively derive
| from it. -.
| For the acquisition of the necessary property
rights the act must obviously confer the right
of eminent domain and it should clearly pro-
| vide adequate machinery for carrying OUT con
demnation proceedings, reserving the right OF
appeal conferred by similar statutes or this
| State
| movement shall have been ascertained, the act
| should make it the duty of the Water Storage
| Commission to assess the agsregate &c, COS go oi