How many locks erie canal

Locks consist of a rectangular chamber with swinging gates at each end. The gates meet in the center and open or close allowing vessels to enter or leave the lock chamber.

Why is it necessary to raise or lower vessels on a waterway? The Erie Canal is a good example of terrain change. A vessel leaving Albany, NY must travel through a series of locks that will raise her feet before arriving in Buffalo. The history of locks is a subject in it self and would take a book if explored completely.

Locks date back to the Chinese, over years ago 50 B. As the vessel approaches the dam, the gate is opened and the vessel must be pulled through manually against the current.

I wonder how many people that took to accomplish and if any of them were lost downstream to the current? Obviously this was a mighty slow and hard process. However, the crews on vessels going upstream were much safer than the crews going downstream. The smallest lift is found on the western end of the canal at locks E25 near the junction with the Cayuga-Seneca Canal and lock E26 near Clyde, NY, with a total lift of only 6.

These five locks raise you a total of just over feet over a distance of a little more than 1. Communications with the locks is done on VHF Channel 13 While we have listed the phone numbers for each lock, the cell phone should not be considered a primary means of communications with the lockmasters and only used when all other methods have failed to get a response. Skip to Main Content. Skip to Navigation. Your browser does not support iFrames. Navigation menu. How many locks and lift bridges are on the Canal System?

How big are the locks on the Canal System? How deep is the Canal System? What are the height restrictions for navigating on the Canal System? Do I need a permit for a dinghy in tow? How do I get to Lake George from the Canal? How do I get to Saratoga Springs from the Canal?