STATE CANALS.

THE Canals constructed, or in course of construction by the State, and belonging to it as public property, are ten in number; and in the following general account of them the statutory designations of them are adopted.

ERIE CANAL.

This Canal as first built, was commenced with public ceremonies, July 4, 1817; and it was finished, ready for navigation in its whole extent, from Lake Erie at Buffalo, to the Hudson River at Albany, in October, 1825, at the total cost, including interest and loans, and all other disbursements, of $10,781,595. Its main trunk, as originally constructed, was 40 feet wide at top, 28 feet at bottom, and 7 feet in depth, with 4 feet depth of water, is 363 miles long, exclusive of feeders and side-cuts. It had only 84 lift locks, both ascending and descending, giving a rise and fall of only 692 feet; and but 3 summit levels, viz.: the Rome level, 69 miles long, extending from Frankfort, 9 miles east of Utica, nearly to Syracuse; the short Jordan level, between the valley of the Onondaga Creek at Syracuse, and that of the Seneca River at Montezuma; and the Lake Erie level, extending from Buffalo to Lockport. The Oak Orchard level, also, though not a summit, is 60 miles long, extending from Rochester, to the foot of the Mountain Ridge, at Lockport. The lowest level on the line, from which the canal ascends, each way, is at the Montezuma Marshes. The heights of the more important levels above the Hudson, at Albany, are as follows:

The Rome level, 425 feet; the Oak Orchard level, 506 feet; and the Lake Erie level, 561 feet. The principal Aqueducts on the original work were as follows: Two consisting of wooden trunks supported by stone piers, across the Mohawk River, between the Cohoes Falls and Schenectady; one, made wholly of stone, across the Mohawk at Little Falls; and the other, consisting wholly of stone, also, and much the most massive and costly, across the Genesee River, at Rochester. The other features of the original work most remarkable, either for difficulty of execution, or for their imposing aspect when finished, were, the section crossing the great marshes at Montezuma, traversed by the Seneca and Clyde rivers, and during the excavation of, which, it was necessary to keep pumps driven by horse-power at work night' and day, for a distance of several miles; the great embankment, 72 feet in perpendicular height, with a base of about 250 feet in width across the ravine of the Irondequoit Creek, a few miles east of Rochester; the rock excavation, through the Mountain Ridge, at Lockport; and the pier and dam at Black Rock, in the Niagara River.

On the 11th of May, 1835, the Legislature passed an act for the enlargement of this canal. By that act, the size of the enlargement and the general outlines of the work were submitted to the determination of the Canal Board, a body composed of the Board of Canal Commissioners and the Commissioners of the Canal Fund. After such investigation as was deemed sufficient, the Canal Board, in 1836, decided that the dimensions of the enlarged canal should be as follows: Width at top, 70 feet; at bottom, 42 feet; perpendicular depth, 10 feet, with 7 feet depth of water; the locks to be in pairs, each lock having its chamber, 110 feet long, by 18 feet wide.

The enlargement having been determined on, operations were commenced in 1836, and a great amount of work has been done. The Commissioners have wisely availed themselves of the occasion, to improve the location of the canal in many places; straightening the curves wherever practicable, shortening the distance, and diminishing the total quantity of lockage. In this way, the whole length of the enlarged canal will, when done, be about

360 miles, instead of 363; and taking each pair of locks as one rise, or fall, the number of locks will be 71, instead of 81. This saving of lockage, is effected among the short levels, the long ones remaining essentially as before. The cost of the enlargement is estimated at about $23,000,000. The boats chiefly employed for transportation on the original canal, average about 55 to 60 tons. The enlarged canal will accommodate boats of the capacity of 150 to 200 tons; and as the cost of towing will be increased in a much smaller ratio than that of the tonnage, the price of freights will be very materially diminished. This diminution is estimated at about 50 per cent. CHAMPLAIN CANAL.

This Canal connects with Lake Champlain at Whitehall, and with the Hudson River at Waterford. It was commenced in October, 1817, and completed in November, 1819, at a cost of $1,179,872. It is 66 miles long; of the same dimensions in other respects as the original Erie Canal, with a total quantity of 188 feet of lockage, and 21 locks, of which 54 feet distributed in 7 locks include the rise from the lake to the summit level, extending from Fort Ann to Fort Edward, and 134 feet distributed in 14 locks include the descent to the Hudson at Waterford.

On its summit level this canal receives a navigable feeder 12 miles long, drawing its supply from the Hudson at a point about 2 miles above Glenn's Falls, and called the Glenn's Falls Feeder.

At Waterford, where the canal unites with the Hudson, the river is converted into a spacious basin 3 miles long, by means of a dam situated at the northern limit of Troy, and at the easterly end of which is a sloop lock, by which the navigation of the Hudson is preserved to Waterford. From Waterford, also, a canal called the Junction Canal, 3 miles long, and crossing the Mohawk a little below the Cohoes Falls, connects with the Erie Canal at Cohoes village; thus completing the links that unite the northern and western trade with each other, and with that of the Hudson.

CHENANGO CANAL.

This Canal extends from the Erie Canal at Utica, by way of the village of Clinton, on the Oriskany Creek; thence up the valley of that creek to the summit level; thence to the valley of the Chenango River, which it follows to the village of Binghamton, on the Susquehannah, where it connects with the New York and Erie Railroad. It is 97 miles long; was commenced in 1833 and finished in 1837, at a cost of $1,737,703. The lockage from Utica to the summit is 706 feet, and thence to Binghamton, 303 feet, the whole divided among 116 lift-locks, 2 of which are built of stone, and the other 114 of wood and stone called composite. This canal is furnished with 7 reservoirs, consisting of natural ponds, having their original capacity increased by embankments and dams furnished with flumes and gates to regulate the discharge.

OSWEGO CANAL.

This Canal, connecting with the Erie Canal at Syracuse, and with Lake Ontario at Oswego, was commenced in 1826, and completed in 1828, at a cost of $525,115. It is 38 miles long; about half its length, however, being in the Oswego River, converted into canal or slack-water, by means of 8 dams and a tow-path on the river bank. The total quantity of lockage is 123 feet, distributed among 18 lift-locks, all descending from Syracuse to Oswego. So far as the canal is wholly an excavated work, the dimensions of its cross-section are the same as those of the old Erie Canal.

There is, also, a towing-path made by the State along the bank of the Seneca River, from its junction with this canal to Baldwinsville, by which

the navigable waters of that stream are made available; and a similar work has been recently done on the Oneida River, to connect the navigable waters of that stream and the Oneida Lake with the Oswego Canal.

CAYUGA AND SENECA CANAL.

This work begins in the village of Geneva at the outlet of the Seneca Lake, and following the valley of the Seneca River, is fed by its waters, till after sending off a side-cut of two miles to the Cayuga Lake, at East Cayuga, it enters the bed of the river, and so continues to Montezuma, where it joins the Erie Canal on the marsh level. The whole distance from Geneva to Montezuma is 21 miles, about half of which consists of canal proper, and the other half of slack-water navigation in the river. The whole descent from Geneva to Montezuma is 74 feet, divided among 12 locks. The canal was commenced in 1827 and finished in 1829, at the cost of $214,000. This work, be it remembered is the common thoroughfare for the trade of the Cayuga, Seneca, and Crooked Lakes, the Chemung Canal, the Owego and the Blossburg railroads, and the whole basin of the Upper Susquehannah, and its wide-reaching tributaries; and it is obviously destined to become at no distant day very productive, from the carriage of coal. gypsum, and salt, and the inevitable expansion of a trade springing from such resources.

CROOKED LAKE CANAL.

This Canal, commenced in 1830, and finished in 1833, connects Crooked Lake, near Penn-Yan, with the Seneca Lake at Dresden; is 8 miles long, has a descent of 269 feet, distributed among 28 lift-locks, and cost $137,000.

CHEMUNG CANAL.

This Canal, commenced in 1830 and finished in 1833, connects the Seneca Lake, at its head, with the Chemung River, a branch of the Susquehannah, at Elmira, is 23 miles long, besides a navigable feeder 16 miles long, extending from the summit level at the village of Horse-Heads, to Corning, situate also on the Chemung, westerly from Elmira, and there connecting with the railroad which runs to Blossburg, in Pennsylvania. It also connects with the New York and Erie Railroad at Elmira. The ascending and descending lockage on both the canal and feeder, which together are 39 miles long, is 516 feet, divided among 52 locks. Both works cost $344,000. At Blossburg is an inexhaustible mine of bituminous coal, of excellent quality, and the coal trade which has commenced very favorably, promises to become a source of much revenue to this canal.

GENESEE VALLEY CANAL.

The act for building this Canal was passed May 6, 1836, and in the succeeding summer the work was commenced. The whole line, from Rochester, where it connects with the Erie Canal, to Olean, on the navigable waters of the Allegany River, is 108 miles long. At a point 4 miles south of Mount Morris, a branch canal extends to Dansville, 11 miles.

The Dansville branch and that portion of the main line between Rochester and the junction, making together 52 miles, was completed and brought into use in the fall of 1840; 36 miles more of the main line extending from the junction to Oramel, including the Genesee River feeder at the latter place, was completed and brought into use in 1851; 2 miles more, extending to Belfast, in 1853; 3 miles more, extending thence to Rockville, in 1854; and 24 miles more, extending thence to Olean basin in the village of Olean, was so far completed that it was brought into use in the fall of 1856, making 117 miles which have been in use since that time.

The work remaining to be done to complete this canal so far as at present contemplated, consists of one section, 2 lift locks, 2 bridges and one reservoir. The section is about one mile in length, extending from Olean Basin to the Allegany River; on it are located the locks and bridges above mentioned. Some work has been done on the section, and a small amount on one of the locks. The reservoir, which is known as Oil Creek reservoir, is located on the summit level, two miles north of Cuba and about half a mile west of the canal.

BLACK RIVER CANAL AND ERIE CANAL FEEDER.

This work was commenced under an act of April 19, 1836, in the summer of that year. It is to open the navigation from the Erie Canal at Rome, to Carthage, in Jefferson County. From Rome the line passes up the valley of the Mohawk to the Lansing-Kill, which it follows to the summit level in Boonville, and then passes on to the High Falls in the Black River, in Turin. From that point to Carthage the navigation is to be continued by improving the Black River. The length of the canal is 35 miles; of the improved river navigation, 423 miles; and a navigable feeder 12 miles long, from the Black River, is to enter the summit level of the canal at Boonville, making the whole length of this artificial navigation 103 miles.

The ascent from the Erie Canal at Rome to the summit in Boonville is 697 feet, divided among 70 locks; and the descent from the summit to the High Falls is 387 feet, divided among 38 locks. The feeder has but one level.

The Oneida Lake Canal extends from the Erie Canal, at Higgins', 3.75 miles, to Wood Creek, and thence by slack-water in that creek, 2.25 miles, to Oneida Lake, making the whole work 6 miles long. It was purchased, with the Feeder and all other appurtenances, of an incorporated company, by the Canal Commissioners, thereto empowered by an act of the Legislature passed May 11th, 1840. The price paid to the company was $50,000-for which a stock certificate, bearing 5 per cent. interest, was issued on behalf of the State, dated April 12th, 1841; and the same day the State took possession of the work and its appurtenances.

The Feeder is a work entirely distinct from the Canal, and independent of it, running from the Oneida Creek, 2 miles to the Erie Canal, with which it unites at a point about five miles west of the junction therewith of the Oneida Lake Canal.

WORKING DIVISIONS OF THE CANALS.

The Canals of the State and improvements connected therewith, are now divided into three principal Divisions, each of which is under the direct supervision of one of the Canal Commissioners, and one division engineer.