Thanks very much. That does help. I was able to order a copy on Amazon. I think I see what is happening here. When Canvass White went to England to study canal construction, he brought back a model canal packet boat which was 7 x 61 feet. The model is supposedly in the Buffalo Historical Society. Plans are available from the Smithsonian. A boat was built from this model in Rome in 1819 and called the "Chief Engineer of Rome" and was 7 x 61 feet. This boat is often referred to as "the first on the original canal" but may be more properly called the first boat "built for the original canal," as Durham boats which were in use prior to the canal were said to have been used on the canal in the early days. I saw somewhere a statement to the effect that "the plan for this boat was not used for subsequent boats." This makes sense as boats that did not maximize their carrying capacity would be driven out of business by competition from more efficient (larger) boats, and the statement that the original Erie Canal locks were built for boats 7 x 61 feet is probably incorrect.

Hi, I’m attaching three – c. 1910 “Drawings” from the New York State Archives that show: cross sections of the Erie Canal and successive enlargements; plans and lock sections on NY state canals and successive enlargements; and Erie Canal boats over time as well. The drawings are in the Archives holdings but they were also published in the Archives Partnership Trust’s publication, Erie Canal: New York’s Gift to the Nation, A Document-Based Teacher Resource. Two of the three drawings are attributed to George L. Schillner.

I hope this helps. Julie

Julie Daniels

Coordinator of Educational Programs

NYS Archives

518-473-8495

From: A LISTSERV list for discussions pertaining to New York State history. [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Marty Pickands
Sent: Tuesday, November 15, 2016 4:23 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [NYHIST-L] Original Erie Canal Lock Size

Go to the NYS Archives in Albany and you will find anything you want: maps,plans of locks, later construction photos, etc. Also check Noble Whitfield's history of the canal system.

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From: A LISTSERV list for discussions pertaining to New York State history. <[log in to unmask]> on behalf of Chris Andrle <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Saturday, November 5, 2016 6:01:15 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [NYHIST-L] Original Erie Canal Lock Size

I've found a large number of references online which state that the
original size of the Erie Canal locks was 90 feet by 15 feet, built to
accommodate boats of 61 feet by 7 feet. I can't find a primary source to
confirm this. Is it true that boats on the original (pre-enlargement) canal
were limited to 61 by 7 feet, and if so, why, if the locks were 90 by 15
feet? Thanks.

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