“I have always been fascinated by everything mechanical and electrical. I had found the Erie and Barge canals interesting, but it wasn’t until I spent college summer breaks working as a deck hand on the Derrick Boat DB-2A (1964) and the next year on the tender tug for the DB-2A (1965) that I really became fascinated by the New York Canals.”

“Those summers as a deck hand were some of my most memorable because I started to be drawn into studying the engineering that made this marvelous system functional.

I hope people know that many of the engineering documents associated with this enormous undertaking have been saved by the Canal Society for posterity. Now if only we could find a way to also preserve some of the great machines used to create these canals, allowing future generations to also appreciate the enormous scale of this undertaking. For example, who cannot but stand in awe of the massive Dipper Dredge No. 3 currently stored in the Lyons Dry Dock!”

Many thanks, Bill.

Dispatches is looking for many more “faces and voices.” Send a photo and your brief answers to… canalsocietyofnysphotos@gmail.com.

Whether you’re a boater, biker, hiker, or even mostly armchair traveler, we want to hear from you. Send a photo juxtaposed with canal infrastructure and answers to these questions: How did you become interested in the Canal? What is a favorite time/place? What do you wish more folks knew about the canals?