Several posts on Dispatches have featured a tugboat called Urger.  On my other blog, several dozen dozen have included photos of the venerable boat.  As old as Dornbos/Urger is, her predecessor was human, one of the many who did the work illustrated here, the young person walking along the towpath and urging the draft animals to do the same although under strain.  Unfortunately we know nothing about this image:  no location, no boat names or provenance or destination or cargo, no date exactly.  And the young man, we know no name, birthplace, history.  

But one thing is clear:  he’s spotted the camera, and his amazement is as transparent as it would be if we could talk to him.

Who knows . . . he may be experiencing his eureka moment, his thoughts . . .  THAT is what I want to do!  I will become that photographer’s apprentice and leave my mules.  That might look like this or even better this or. . .  use your imagination. Whoever was the photographer here, that person captured some real emotion in this young man’s face.

Have any favorite photos of the canals?

Many thanks to CSNY for this image and to Bill Hecht for cleaning it up.