Today we embarked on our final segment of the C&O Canal. The destination is The Great Falls Tavern; one of the NPS visitor centers.
In its day, it was used by touring passengers from DC and the working folks on the commercial boats. As we learned, this area was a common destination for folks from DC, as a weekend getaway. We were looking forward to a mule drawn canal boat ride that usually operates on weekends. Unfortunately, due to low water levels in the Canal they were not in operation. The boat used for the tours, the Charles F. Mercer, was not one of the “freighters”, but a smaller passenger carrying boat. The Charles F. Mercer is not a replica, but actually the original “Mercer” restored.
Although a disappointment, we did have the opportunity to chat with a captain that conducts the tour.
One of the things he explained was how the lock doors functioned. Did you know that Leonardo daVinci designed how lock doors are angled, or mitered, toward the up current end of locks when closed? This configuration caused the doors to press tighter against each other the higher the water presssure. That design is universal today.
The following picture shows a closed lock against the down flowing current. Notice in each door there are two vertical iron shafts. Theses shafts connected to rotating shutters that allowed the water to flow in or out of the lock. Most locks we have seen, have tubes or ducts on either side of the lock that pass water. We understand that was tried here, but they plugged with silt.
The place got its name from a series of rapids and falls in the Potomac, a drop of 41 feet. So there are five, closely spaced locks in this area.
Not much water passing here today. Normally those rocks would be covered. What did they do in the Canal’s heyday if water levels were low like now? In Cumberland a huge steam powered lift pump would pump water from the Potomac into the Canal to keep it watered. Additionally, there were weirs, dams, etc. to keep water in the canal.
We also got a couple of other questions answered. Mules are crossed from a mare and a donkey (jack), but mules are infertile. Their DNA gets screwed up. So if you want another mule, you need another mare and jack. They live about 10 years. A horse and donkey live over twice that long.
At the end of the Canal, in Georgetown, there was an incline plane. It’s a sloped railway that permitted the boats to be lowered or raised, between the Canal and the Potomac; only a ruins now. Why would they want that? The Potomac offered better ways to off load cargo, remember 10,000 lbs of coal per hour, per man? Being a larger body of water, it was not so congested, allowing the boats to turn around.
A couple of additional pixs.
Another Blue Heron. We saw one of these up at another lock we visited. At least for us, rarely seen, and now we have seen two of them.
A Canal cargo boat crossection showing the cabins and cargo holds. At the bow was the mule barn, the center was the hay barn and where the mule driver slept, and the stern was the family quarters.
Our next stop was going to be Georgetown to see the very end of the Canal. However our attempt was in vain. It’s Saturday for crying out loud, but the traffic and total lack of parking prevented us from stopping here. We thought it gets bad around Detroit. Hah, not on it’s worst day. This place was a zoo! People everywhere. So we will not be sharing that milepost 0 photograph.
This completes one of our trip objectives, to learn about the C&O Canal. And we have learned a bunch. This Canal is an important piece of US transportation history. We hope you have also found it interesting.
Tomorrow we head to the Air & Space Museum near Dulles airport. We want to see Discovery at it’s retirement home. Then into DC. We’ll be using the rail system to get there. A bit of a new gig for us. Stay tuned.
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