Canal Banks

The three base images in this post depict different locks, but all show some context, connection to the world away from the Barge Canal, and I’d guess late 1930s or even wartime 1940s. I’ve always felt attracted to this photo, which may be of lock 25. The canal “park” is fenced for farm animals; horses…

will van dorp

March 25, 2025

1–2 minutes

1930s, Canal Society of New York, Collection highlights, mystery cars, mystery locks

The three base images in this post depict different locks, but all show some context, connection to the world away from the Barge Canal, and I’d guess late 1930s or even wartime 1940s.

I’ve always felt attracted to this photo, which may be of lock 25. The canal “park” is fenced for farm animals; horses and at least one cow graze where today would be lawn. Two men are having a chat, and possibly a third is in the car. The car might be about a 1938 General Motors sedan.

The second photo highlights DB.#11, or #12, but I’m tending toward #11. In the foreground is a self-emptying dump scow.

Here are the specs on the DB.

On the left edge of the image, a crewman attends to a boiler?

On the right side, two crew and three cars appear. I’d say they date from the second half of the 1930s.

For the third photo below, I’ve posted more photos of this same moment in time a few years ago on tugster: check the black/white photos here. From that post and William Lafferty’s comments, I know the tugboat is called Protector, built in 1924 at the famous Story schooner yard in Essex MA, and the unit is chartered to Cargill.

The proximity to the railroad makes this lock 14. The car . . .again, I’d say second half of the 1930s, maybe 1935 Ford?

Help me out here?

2 responses to “Canal Banks”

Lee Rust

March 25, 2025 at 1:17 pm

1935 Ford indeed.

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Jim DeNearing

March 26, 2025 at 6:00 am

I wish that there was just a little more to go on. I think that it is indeed lock 25 in Montezuma/Mayes Point. The second to last picture shows a tantalizing clue. There is just a glimpse of a structure over the lock. It looks too narrow to be a highway bridge, so I’d guess it’s the cable bridge. Many locks had these to bring the electric to or from the lock.

Unfortunately, the picture doesn’t show quite enough to be sure, and the distinctive cable arch can’t be verified, and may have been replaced between then and now. It doesn’t match any other Lock’s cable bridge location in the section.

Interesting to see a tug with two barges “on the hip”. I’ve only seen that done by canal corp vessels or by Tow Boat USA with smaller vessels. I would assume that the deckhouse on the second barge blocked view from the tugs pilothouse, and that on the hip made it easier to slow and stop barges .

At first I was thinking maybe it was lock 26 in Clyde, but the north bank doesn’t match. As I’m not very familiar with L 25 I would concur .

I love these old photos. They tell so much without saying a single word.

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