Can you point out a significant difference between lock 18 in this photo and currently?

NYS Canals colors for their locks and more have not always been blue and gold [or yellow].

And traffic on the canals has not always been mostly recreational. And since in the days depicted in these photos commercial traffic ran 24/7, thin lines connected the wheelhouse with searchlights on the barge so that light could be trained on areas obscured.

Is the wheelsman wearing a white shirt?

Any guesses on the dates and size of Sagamore?

Sagamore was Beaumont TX built in 1939, 88′ x 22′ and draft was 9′ and an inch. In the 1965 edition of Merchant Vessels of the US, Sagamore is listed as owned by motor vessel Chancellor. I’ve found no info beyond that date.

These photos were taken by Albert Gayer in the 1950s. Learn more about Gayer here.

See more Gayer photos here on the tugster blog. The Blue Line appears to have named all their boats to begin with the letter S, such as in Skipper, Seneca, and Spartan. Skipper was reefed in 1993 under the name Cecilia J. Brown in the Cape May reef, and Spartan is currently a sea-life rich reef off Sea Girt, NJ, a few dozen miles south of NYC.

The Blue Line was purchased by Ira S. Bushey and Sons Incorporated of New York, New York. Bushey was acquired by the Amerada Hess Oil Corporation (Hess) of New York, New York to form the Spentonbush-Red Star Companies of New York. Hess was purchased by Leevac Marine Inc. of Louisiana. Leevac was purchased by Hornbeck Offshore. Hornbeck was purchased by Genesis Energy.

Any errors are mine.