Each caisson sits on a 7.5 ft (2.3 m) diameter ram, the shafts for which are sunk into the ground, are filled with water, and are connected with a pipe that has a crossover control valve.

Once the vessels are secured, all gates are closed and the crossover valve in the connecting pipe between the ram shafts is opened.

When the gate of the newly descended top caisson and lower reach gates open at the bottom, the extra foot of water flows out and equalizes with the water level in the lower reach of the canal, and any descended vessels exit, allowing the cycle to start over again.

[5] The lift lock was designed by Richard Birdsall Rogers, a superintendent of the Trent Canal (part of the Trent-Severn Waterway).

At the time a federal election was taking place and in order to shore up local support the project was fast tracked.

[7] Construction was by Corry and Laverdure of Peterborough, which excavated the site and built the concrete towers and lock, and Dominion Bridge Company of Montreal, which completed the metal work including rams, presses and large caissons, and was finished in 1904.

The lift lock officially opened to the public to a crowd of thousands on 9 July 1904, and remains in full use today.