Virtual Erie Canal 6: Little Falls to Marcy
Seeing a waterway shrunk by the land forms around it like this, I find it miraculous that we can travel it from the ocean to the Great Lakes, but some of you, I know, might be starting to feel claustrophobic. The drone photo below is taken in Little Falls looking back east toward the the […]
Virtual Erie Canal 5: The Noses to Little Falls
This dissected ridge just beyond E-13 is referred to as the Noses, a gap already gouged, the opening to the west. Looking west, notice that this break is used by the Thruway I-90 south of the River, north of it, a major railroad, and to the north of that, a major state road, 5N. The […]
J. Arnold Witte 2
Here was part 1, all taken in Lake Erie port of Erie PA. The next four photos were taken in the Lake Ontario port of Oswego, partway through the delivery of the newbuild to the sixth boro. I share these photos now because my most recent article in ProfessionalMariner has just come out. Enjoy it […]
Canal Steamers Project 3
This is a Carlotta in 1921. I’m curious about the large structure on the after deck. Is that cargo being carried? Here’s a Carlotta 13 months later, looking the same except that large stern structure is missing. The 1913 MVUS shows a steam tug Carlotta 56′ x 13′ x 5′ built in Boston in 1879, […]
Canal Countdown T-6
In six days, the gates along the NYS Canal system will be staffed and lifting/lowering vessels across the state. This is the third in a series of posts about the vessels that have worked to keep the canals functioning. Not all these vessels, like Wards Island below, remain; it’s now over 50′ under surface of […]
Canal Tug Project L
In the background on the river, with exhaust emanating from each of the corners, what is that!!!? Above you’re looking at the stern of a truly unique towboat launched in the summer of 1940, Cargill’s successor to Protector and Carbany. Below, that’s the stern of Carbany and the bow of that unique vessel, a […]
Canal Tug Project A
I’ve been entrusted with copies of photos from the Canal Society of New York taken by Albert Gayer. Gayer collected photographic glass negatives and old postcards showing canal-related scenes as you can spend the whole day looking at here. My favorites include this 1902 bicyclist in Rexford and this 1897 (?) hard hat diver about to […]
Grouper et al. Auction Update
I suppose if you are bidding, you might not like this post. As of this posting and with one week left for the auction, the high bid on 1912 74′ x 19′ x 12′ draft Grouper is $145. Period. That’s not $145k; it’s as much money as you might be carrying in your wallet right […]
Bikester 5 Rome to Palatine Bridge
Leaving Rome crossing the contemporary Canal to follow the south side of the canal for a while. That building is in what’s called Rome’s Bellamy harbor and just before that greenish guard gate, that’s the confluence of the canal and the Mohawk River, which enters there from the right. You’ve seen that guard gate once […]
Canal Countdown T – 23
T minus 23 days, that is, for all of us who remember the early days of NASA . . . 23 days until the NYS Canals open soon after sunrise on May 21. If you have the opportunity, get yourself to one of the portals and see the excitement. At several intervals before then, I […]
tugster: a waterblog 