New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-03-08
STORAGE WILL AID FEW. 4"
Trade and Transportation Board
Secretary AnS7oers AdUocate.

To the Editor Of The Tribune
Sir The letter of George W. Sisson. recently pub
lished In The Tribune. has until now escaped our
attention. and the forest committee of the New
lark Board Of Trade and Transportation requests
space for the following reply:
We reiterate ,ae statement that the proposed
water storage in the Adirondack forest preserve
would result in benefit 20 none but the few already
wealthy firms and corporations located on the
rivers outside the preserve. principally at Gleus
Falls. the Hudson River and on the Racquette
River. The plan heretofore proposed by the pro-
meters OF this project coutemplates the creation
OF reservoirs upon the headwaters Of these streams
and their branches No plan has ever yet come 20
our knowledge that the water stored would be
could be used for power at the point of storage
II that is contemplated Il u is possible. IL is
evident that the forest preserve would soon be-
come covered with manufacturing plants villages
and their inhabitants, and would no longer be or
serve the purposes OF n forest preserve. Besides
this. the alternate flooding OF thousands OF acres
= land and the drawing OFF Of the wdter IN hot
weather. leaving the bottoms exposed with millions
Cs stasuant pools. would create breeding place
FOR mosquitoes and malaria which would change
the entire region into abOmination- But most
OF such places would be too remote from civiliza-
ton and transportation make the power avail
able desirable az the point OF storage
The plan these gentlemen talked about that
the waters stored in the SqringtIme would be re-
leased into the beds of the streams needed to
equalize the flow and volume thereof and would
Keep
turning during dry Mr. SissOn clearly
shows that he has this expected benefit In mind BY
his comparison 10 the alleged benefits from the
Indian River and Beaver River reservoirs 1t has
not been shown how the state could would derive
any revenue from this storage. because riparian
owners now own ali the rights the waters in
such streams The first plea for this water storage
was that It would give Albany. Troy and neighbOr-
ing cities and villages immunity from floods and
the advantages to be derived from the improved
water power SO created were not recognized in the
law (Chapter 75f OF the Laws OF 1900 which was
passed n public health and safety measure
Mr.. Sisson must have this law in mind. Us there
is other law applying TO the subject. when he
says Private corporate owners OF Adirondack
lands can have part In the location. cOnstruc-
ton operation of the reservoirs; the entire
work as desirability. location. engineer work,
construction care and management. is placed In
the states charge and control while the is to
be assessed upon the appraised benefits 10 munich
palities and owners of hydraulic powers in proper
ton they benefited"
= Mr.. Ssson here makes the law say more than
the Legislature did and more than the shrewd
gentlemen who drafted il meant 1t should say or
made 1t say. The words owners OF hydraulic
powers not anywhere to be found in the law.
Hydraulic powers nowhere mentioned IN the
law and words or terms used in the law
which be twisted as TO refer 20 them,
Under the law the municipalities and properties
benefited are TO pay the cost OF improvements
Under the law the properties benefited are those
which have been previously flooded. and to which
the improvement would give immunity from foods
In the future. Immunity from floods and damage
therefrOm Is the only benefit recognized or as
sessabe under this law Those properties which
are TO he protected from floods are the only ones
benefited under the terms of the law Hence those
properties only would pay all the costs.
Here is the Joker The Glens Fails mill owners
are the chief advocates of this measure The Glens
Falls mills are not food victims, They have no
grievance of this kind. and under the OF the
act would receive benefits which could be as
sessed upon them But these improvements would
store billions Of gallons OF water every drop OF
which would go through the Glens Falls mills and
turn their wheels and for all OF this Albany Troy
and the cities in that neEhbOrhood would pay the
cost.
The Glens Falls mill owners know this. because
they are the inventors Of the whole scheme with
the help of able counsel They know that billions
OF gallons of water would be stored at the expense
OF other people, and that their mills would get the
water without any cost to them. first last
The law is not workable. however. as to this
storage they interested In without the passage
OF the pending Merit constitutional amendment
That would give them ell they The law as
1t stands. without the constitutional amendment
gives all that any other place people needs. The
state Water Commission declares taat Goad yrs-