various discussions, the Corporation made good their ground, and exercised the exclusive right of distributing the water from the reservoir at 40th street. A very serious loss, the first that deserves the name, occurred to the work on the night of the 7th January, 1841, by a great and sudden rise in the water of the Croton, and consequently of the Croton Lake, which carried away the dam for a distance of near 200 feet. It was the part described as an earthen embankment, with a base of 250 feet, and protected on the lower side by a dry stone wall of 20 feet thickness at the base. The mason work was but slightly injured. The storm and its effects are thus described by the Commissioners : " This unprecedented rain storm commenced on Tuesday evening, the 5th instant, and continued without cessation until Thursday night, the 7th instant, at 12 o'clock. The commencement of the rain storm found the ground covered with snow eighteen CROTON AQ.UEDUCT. inches deep. The rain was heavy and the temperature of the weather very warm. On the evening previous to the disaster, it was perceived that the water was rising on the bank above the overfall of the dam, very fast. The rise continued through the night to be equal to about 14 inches per hour. At half past 4 o'clock, the water having risen 15 feet above the overfall or apron of the dam, and two or three above the earthen embank- ment, (which was 12 feet above the overfall,) the embankment part of the dam gave way. It was obvious from the beginning, that if the water passed over the earthen embank- ment, it would carry away this part of the dam ; and the result to be expected imme- diately followed. The earth being washed away, the protection wall gave no resistance, and the earth and the heavy protection wall were all swept down the river, so as not to have left a single stone now remaining, on the section of the dam referred to. " We have stated above, that the calculation was, that the water might rise from four to six feet above the overfall of the dam, but instead of this, it rose to about fifteen, and for this rise the dam was not calculated ; the earthen embankment gave no protection against such a height of water ; and the overfall was not of a capacity, although 90 feet in length, to discharge the water which the flood brought down. There is a small waste gate in the dam of five by six feet, but hardly intended to relieve the river when in flood. The water in part escaped through the aqueduct passing over the gates, and discharging itself, at a waste weir, near Mill River, a distance of nearly 15 miles, without any injury to the aqueduct. It is obvious, that greater provision must be made to allow this stream to pass in its natural channel in time of freshets. " In addition to the above injury to our works, the freshet has left remaining no bridge over the Croton River on its whole length, either above or below the dam. " There were three bridges below, one called Tompkins' Bridge, valued at 1400 dol- lars, the bridge at the Wire Mill, cost 1200 dollars, and the Quaker Bridge over which the New York and Albany stages pass, valued at 1500 dollars. Tompkins5 Bridge was carried away before the dam went, as were also it is believed, the other two bridges. " Mr. Albert Brayton, the son of one of the dam contractors, perceiving about one o'clock, the danger to the people below the dam on the opposite side, by the continued rise of the water at the dam, and believing that it must give way, with praiseworthy attention and foresight, hurried down to give the alarm, and when he arrived at Tompkins' Bridge, a distance of a mile, he found the bridge gone, and was not able to get across. He then went to a house for a horn, which he blew, and which was heard by the persons intended to be alarmed and who lived on the opposite side ; but not understanding it, they took no measures for their safety, until still later, when the water began to come down in torrents. Two people at Baileys' Mills occupied themselves so long in remo- ving their property, that they could not get with safety to the main land, and repaired to MEMOIR OF THE a small clump of trees in the channel ; which, lamentable to say, were afterwards swept away, and no doubt these two persons were drowned. One of the laborers, lately on the works was also drowned. No dwelling house above