How the Canal Works

How do you get a boat uphill?  Canals are shaped like a set of stairs, rather than a ramp or hill; they facilitate water travel by making it possible to raise and lower boats to the next ‘stair step,’ rather than trying to pull or power boats upstream.

The canal bed is a prism, wider at the top than at the bottom.  The flat stretches, called levels, are linked by lift locks, which raise or lower the barge to the next level by creating an enclosed space where the water level can be controlled and changed.

The boats used on the canal were called barges. Barges were pulled by teams of two or three mules, which walked along the towpath (on the river side) in shifts of about six hours.  When not working, the mules lived on the barge. 

The majority of boats on the canal were loaded with coal at Cumberland, and proceeded downstream to Georgetown.  The trip took about seven days, although during the busiest years it could take up to two days just waiting for your turn to unload.  Empty boats then traveled back upstream.  Some captains tied their boats up at night (on the berm side, opposite the towpath, so as not to interfere with the towlines). 

During the winter, the canal was closed and some sections were drained for maintenance work.  Most canal families spent the winter in homes near Cumberland, while the mules were sent to farms, awaiting the spring.