New York State Engineer and Surveyor Office of Special Deputy State Engineer Correspondence Files B0227

New York State Engineer and Surveyor Office of Special Deputy State Engineer Correspondence Files

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Overview of the Records

Repository:

New York State Archives
New York State Education Department
Cultural Education Center
Albany, NY 12230

Summary:

This series, arranged chronologically, documents the Special Deputy State Engineer's role in the early construction of the Barge Canal. The files consist of correspondence, magazine articles; diagrams, sketches, drawings, and blueprints; costs and "shop bills" of construction materials from private firms. Specific topics include construction methods and materials used; structural test results; damage claims; disposition of surplus water and excavation waste; proposed locations of the Barge Canal; water elevation, costs of electrical power, and contract violations.

Creator:

New York (State). State Engineer and Surveyor. Office of Special Deputy State Engineer

Title:

Correspondence files

Quantity:

8.5 cubic feet

Inclusive Dates:

1904-1907, 1917-1918

Series Number:

B0227

Arrangement

B0227-94: Alphabetical by last name of correspondent.

Administrative History

Under the 1903 Barge Canal Law (Chapter 147), a Special Deputy State Engineer was charged to directly supervise the entire Barge Canal project. The Special Deputy State Engineer was appointed by and responsible to the State Engineer and Surveyor and carried out these duties until 1922.

Scope and Content Note

B0227-94: This accretion consists of letters sent to the office of the State Engineer and Surveyor requesting publications or information on the state's canal system, and subsequent transmittal correspondence referring the requests for response by canal officials. Very few responses are included.

The correspondence dates from the time when Frank M. Williams was State Engineer and the Barge Canal was about to open. Thus it provides particular insight into early interest in, and advocacy of, the Barge Canal. The letters may constitute some of the raw material compiled in series A1275, State Engineer's Monthly Reports.

The majority of requests apply for issues, reprints of articles, or accompanying data (such as maps of canal routes) found in the Barge Canal Bulletin or reports of Barge Canal commissions or other offices. Letters come from state, federal, and local governments, other departments of New York State government, private companies, libraries, and private citizens. Correspondents include special deputy or assistant state engineers (such as Noble Whitford, William B. Landreth, D.B. LaDu, and chief clerk R.G. Finch).