New York State Engineer and Surveyor Account Books for the Genesee Valley Canal

This series is arranged numerically by canal section.

An act to survey a canal route from Rochester to the Allegany River was enacted on April 17, 1830 (Chapter 234 of the laws of 1830). This act provided $750 dollars to survey and estimate the cost of a canal from Rochester by the way of the Genesee River to the Allegany River at Olean. This initial funding proved to be inadequate and the survey was never attempted. By 1834, multiple petitions were brought to the New York State Legislature in order to survey the canal and on April 30, 1834, chapter 215 of the laws of 1834 was passed. This act authorized the survey of a canal route from Rochester to Olean and specified that the treasurer will pay the expense of the survey and examination as certified by the canal commissioners.

This series consists of 10 field books that were used by the New York State Engineer and Surveyor's office to record information regarding accounts and expenditures for the Genesee Valley Canal.

Volumes 1 and 2 consist of tabular data indicating the section number; station number; and measurements of cuttings, excavation work, and embankments. The volumes also include information on accounts: name of contractor; section worked on; type of work completed; quantities and types of material used; rate; amount owed; total amount of work completed; and payments made and amount still owed.

Accounts of materials used in various projects are also recorded in volumes 1 and 2. The most common types are bills of timber, admeasurements of masonry, and abstracts of certified accounts as rendered and paid. Bills of timber include the amount and type of timber used; purpose for which it was used (foundations, superstructures, plank and scantling, etc.); and measurement information. Admeasurement of masonry describes the amount of masonry used and purpose for which it was used. Abstracts of certified accounts act as a summary of the amount of work completed and include total amounts of materials; rates; and total expenditures. Volume 2 contains a synopsis of foregoing accounts that lists contractors; page number; section number; and amount paid.

Volume 3 contains final estimates for sections 43-106 and locks 1-21 of the Genesee Valley Canal, as well as details on the repair of the canal break at Mount Morris. Final estimates consist of a header that lists the contractor and a statement that the estimate is "For materials furnished and labor performed under his contract…" The statement then lists the date and sections on which the contractor worked. Underneath the header is a table that lists the quantity of material or labor; the contract price; items (description of labor and/or materials); measurement of material; price used; subtotals; and total amount of estimate. A note on the bottom of the estimate states that the Book of Records contains the measurement and computations of the work embraced in the above estimate. Tables of repairs of the break at Mount Morris show the station; distance; measurements of lining and embankments; and a profile of the embankment and prism at each with elevation notations.

Volume 4 contains diagrams and quantities of earthwork for sections 42 -51 on the Cashuquo sub-division of the Genesee Valley Canal. This volume is indexed and organized by canal section number, then by station and distance. The first part of this volume consists of profile diagrams of the canal, with each followed on the subsequent page by a table listing work completed and work remaining. The profile of the canal shows elevation marks as well as the materials to be excavated and both the original embankment and the present surface. The type of work recorded is excavation work which includes mucking, lining, cement, solid rock, slate rock, and quarried rock, as well as embankment work including lining and graveling. The total area and volume of excavation and embankment work is also included in these tables. Profiles of creek channels are also included in this volume. Bills of timber, similar to those in previous volumes, are included toward the end of this volume.

A summary of the total work completed and work remaining is provided in several of these volumes. These are usually after the first part of the volumes which include the profile of the canal and the tables of work completed and work to be completed. These summaries give an overview of exactly what type of work is being done on the canal. This work includes grubbing and clearing; chopping and clearing; excavation of solid, slate, and quarried rock; cemented clay and gravel, excavation common; embankment; lining and graveling; and other similar work. It also lists the names of contractors working on these projects.

Volumes 5-10 consist of records that are generally similar to volume 4. These volumes continue tracking the accounts for sections of the Genesee Valley Canal and they also include accounts for work being done on locks, creeks, aqueducts, culverts, bridges, and waste weirs.

An explanatory diagram in volume 5 can be used to as a guide to the profiles of the canal that appear in volumes 4-10. This diagram shows the type of material being excavated as well as the original and present surfaces. A note in volume 5 states that the Assistant Engineer's Report for 1841 further explains the different strata shown in the explanatory diagram.

B0398B0398, Cost account volumes for the Western Division of the Erie Canal and Genesee Valley Canal, contains similar records

B0654 B0654, Final accounts and estimates for Genesee Valley Canal next hit and Ischua Feeder, contains similar records.

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