Locks on the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal
There is no guard lock #7, since Dam #7 that was proposed to be around mile 164 near the mouth of South Branch was never built.
[6] The first guard lock was made of structures from George Washington's Potomac Company Little Falls skirting canal, and were repurposed for the C&O.
[7] It allowed boats from the Goose Creek and Little River Navigation Company to enter.
[7] This lock let boats cross to Harpers Ferry with the mules walking on the railroad bridge, up the Shenandoah river, to the old Potomac Canal Bypass on the Shenandoah river by Virginius island.
The railroad refused to let mules walk on the bridge, and from lack of business, the lock was abandoned.
[11] The Shepherdstown river lock (section 133) was served by a dam for Botler's mill on the Virginia Side.
[8] For a period of time in the early days, the locks were called by letters but that was later changed to numbers.
The wicket, i.e. large paddle valve, hidden in the masonry recess where the upper gate fit in, would be opened, and water would flow through the lock masonry to three openings in the lock chamber.
This system of routing water through the masonry was abandoned due to the tendency for debris to clog the opening.
[26] The 1830 design eliminated the use of culverts in the masonry, and the upper gate is below the breast wall.
Lock 27 is a curious combination of the two specifications, having the culverts inside the masonry, but the upper gate below the breast wall.
[30]) With the mechanical locks, a lever pulls a rod which connects to a crank, connected to another rod which turned the wicket valve which was in the floor (below where the gate would rest when opened) and water flows below the floor and into the lock.
[20] There were three different periods (or kinds) of iron cramps (like staples) to hold the lock stones together.
While since that time the stones from the downstream extensions have often been removed, the early mule rise (i.e. the towpath rise before the lock appears 120 feet earlier than normal) indicates the locks extended at the lower end.
As a result, one of the lockkeepers, S. C. Rogers, abandoned his post (Locks 45–46) in protest, and was replaced by Obadiah Barger.
[38] It was quite common to build a little shanty so that the lockkeeper could look for boats coming, especially during the night or inclement weather.
This was apparently done because of silting in the canal necessitating raising the water level.
If the flume was covered over with concrete, that generally meant that a roadway passed over the lock.
[43] Ellwood Morris, the Assistant Engineer, suggested using cement instead of stone for the locks to cut cost.
[44] On September 25, 1938, Charles B Fisk, the chief engineer, wrote to the board recommending the use of composite locks, such as those already found on the Chenango Canal.
[45] Chief Engineer Charles Fisk was the one who prevailed on the board of directors to remove Lock 65.
On 1 June 1870, Engineer W R Hunton reported that the composite locks were serviceable but not in good condition, with coping out of place, and leaks due to lack of mortar.
Some of the locks were also informally named, usually after a prominent lockkeeper, a nearby town or important geographical feature.
Fleetwood John got himself an Indian maiden, and was rejected, so he built his house on the "other side of the pond".
The boat hit the mitre sill, broke in half, and sank with its 113 tons of coal.
Richard A. Moore, the owner of the boat, collected over $1,300 in damages, and the lockkeeper was fired.
Note that the greatest number of stop gates were between Lock 50 and 51, that is the 14 mile level which includes Big Pool.
