Prior to 1814 the river was navigated by small craft, but in that year Robert McComb obtained from the Legislature permission to throw dams across the stream at Eighth Avenue and King's Bridge, and in 1888 the New Y'ork water commissioners attempted to impose another obstacle to free navigation by carrying the Croton water over to the city reservoirs on a solid embankment. ^ The importance of the river led,

1 Irving'9 "Life of Washington," vol. iv., chap, xjcii. Putnam's Ikl., 1857.

* Tho liistory of the proceedings wiiich leii to the removal of McConib's dam nud tho thwarting of tliis plan of the water commissioners will lie found in subsequent pages of this chapter.

in 1827, to the formation of the Harlem River Canal Company, which, on April Kith of that year, was incorporated to construct a canal from Spuyten Duyvil Creek to Harlem River, and to improve the navigation of tlie river so as to form a navigable channel from it to the East River. The enterprise was abandoned because the company thought there was no money in it. At various sessions in 183G, 1837 and 1838 the Common Council of the city of New York discussed the advisability of taking up in some shape the work that the company had drojiped, and received from Engineer George C. Schaeffier a report recommending improvements, substantially the same system as that proposed in recent years by the United States engineers. Although Mr. Schaeffer estimated the cost of the work at only eighty-six thousand dollars, the Council was timid about entering into it, and for eighteen years notliing was done, and the river remained closed to thorough navigation by McComb's Dam until the obstructions were removed by the force of public opinion and the action of the citizens in the neighborhood.