This is going to sort of a photo-journal of my work at the C&0 Canal. I s'pose I could have just as easily done something like this on MySpace or LiveJournal. But since I have limited internet, this way I can write the whole before going online.
The C&O Canal was planned to run from Georgetown to Pittsburg. (You may notice that neither of these endpoints are in the name of the canal. That's because it was to go from the flat, navigable waters at the end of the Potomac River near Chesapeake Bay to the Ohio River at Pittsburg.) The designers said it would take 10 years and $4 million to build a canal the 340 miles. Financed by investors and the Federal and Maryland governments, construction instead lasted 22 years and cost $14 million and the canal only made it as far as Cumberland, MD, a distance of 184.5 miles. Overbudget, past deadline, and underperforming? Doesn't sound like any government projects I know of!
Work finally stopped on the canal in 1850, and it operated until 1924. For only 3 years in this period did the canal make a profit (in the 1870s). This isn't to say that the canal wasn't used. At its peak, 500 barges, each carrying 120 tons of coal, iron, or grain were operating on the canal. The boats, all mule-pulled, were privately owned, and they captains that operated them all made money. There were also "packet boats" (like the Mercer right) that would carry congress members and the rich to tourist destinations. The canal made its money by charging tolls, but had major expenses in reparing the canal from the frequent floods of the Potomac.
In 1889, one of these floods wrought major damage to the canal, and it was sold to the B&O Railroad (most famous its proximity to Illinois and Atlantic Avenues). Previously the major competitor of the canal, the B&O bought and operated the C&O to prevent the land from falling into the hands of a rival railroad. Finally, in 1924 after another flood, the canal closed for good. In the 1950s, Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas lead the charge of preserving the canal and not turning it into a parkway, and later Nixon created the national historical park. (Incidently, the lower end of the canal terminates just blocks from Watergate.) Today, the park covers the entire length of the canal and has several visitor centers. The two of importance to me are at Georgetown (mile 0 on the canal, within DC itself) and Great Falls (mile 14, in Potomac, MD).
Until recently, there was a boat for giving rides at Georgetown, but not at Great Falls. (Well, there was a boat here, it just didn't float. The 18-inch holes in its hull prob'ly had something to do with that.) We now however have a new boat, the Charles F Mercer, named after one of the founding fathers of the canal. It was built in Albany (I could have hitched a ride down) and brought on semis. Then, they got this giant crane and lifted the old boat out of the canal and put the new one in. If a some canallers once swore to avoid something until barges fly, their time is up.
I live in a house at the Great Falls Tavern part of the park. The Great Falls get pretty swift when there's a lot of rain, and make for some rough rapids. When there's no rain for a few weeks, it's not so exciting (see below). Olympic kayakers can sometimes be seen frolicking in the flow.
One of my jobs is on the tour boats. We run historic-style canal boats and give hour-long tours on them. I run the positions of "lines" (manage ropes and help on locks) and "interp" (talk about the canal and play music--accordion in my case). I also give demos on how locks work and get to play the canal horn to signal the start of the presentation (see below). Also in this set of pictures is my housemate/co-worker and her visiting boyfriend. The costumes are really starting to grow on me.
Another job is care of the mules. Like the barges back in the day, our boats are each pulled by two mules. I haven't been kicked/stepped-on yet, but we have steel-towed boots. I'm reminded of some song I learned when I was a kid, sung to the tune of "Auld Lang Sign"
On mules we find
two legs behind
and two we find before.
We stand behind
the two behind
to find what these be for.
There was another verse about being kicked, but I don' remember it.
I didn't really need this section, but I wanted to show my picture of a praying mantis on my backpack and Snakes in a Canal!
My address is 11710 MacArthur Blvd, Potomac MD 20854. Give me a call if you're going to be in the Washington DC area.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |