The first way was to allow part of the boat to overhang a lock's doors. If the rise and fall of a lock was not too great, a large craft whose deck extended past stem and stern waterlines could overhang both lock doors and so travel up or down river.
The second method was to have an oversize boat enter a lock and then close the doors tightly against the sides of the craft. By allowing the water in or out at a rapid rate, the boat rose or fell about normally despite leakage and scraping between lock doors and the boat hull. Obviously a flat-sided barge-like boat would use that method more effectively than a rounded-hull boat. The practice was not common, in part, because of the terrific water waste involved.
Two river crossings concern the Perry County canals. The smaller was the crossing of the Juniata above Newport, almost to Millerstown. We now call that spot Old Ferry.
Our Old Ferry was known as the Rope Ferry in canal times. An endless rope was hooked to the ferry and through pulleys on each bank. A water-driven windlass was turned on one side (the north bank), and the boat was pulled across the river.
The other canal/river crossing was, of course, at Clark's Ferry. As described within this book, the boats were towed across the Susquehanna by animals on a towpath attached to the downstream side of the bridge.
Before the canals, Clark's Ferry (once Green's Ferry) had constructed a river dam by piling rocks high enough to raise the water level a foot or two.
A sluice at one end of the dam allowed river craft passage around the dam. When the state took charge of the crossing to provide passage of canal boats, they also gained responsibility to maintain the dam. At low water, the remains of that dam can be seen and will probably remain evident for another hundred years.
A similar dam was in use below the Rope Ferry on the Juniata River. The purpose of these low dams was to create a pool of water, almost without current and of sufficient depth to float canal boats even when the rivers were low.
An aqueduct was, and is, a canal raised above or below ground level. The Romans built aqueducts to transport water, and these two thousand-plus years later, some still stand. Our aqueducts were built to float canal boats across streams and rivers.
Our biggest aqueduct made of wood on stone piers was at the junction at Duncan's Island near Amity Hall where the Juniata Canal crossed the Juniata River. Nothing remains of that structure or any other aqueducts known to this author, but every stream emptying into the river had an aqueduct. If the stream was tiny, the method of allowing the water to flow beneath the canal and continue on its way to the river was called a culvert. A lot of those still exist.
The canal years lasted only sixty years, and were at their most powerful for only their first twenty years—1830 through 1850. Arrival of the railroads reduced and finally destroyed their usefulness. By 1890 the canals were finished.
If viewed from a comfortable distance, theirs was a romantic era. The actuality was that all of the 1800's were violent and struggling years for the canals, the nation, and our people.
By any measure of any condition, we are far better off now than we were then—except perhaps in personal freedom to do as we wish and to keep what we earn.
If one desires to know more about our Perry County canals, turn to Harry Hain's History of Perry County. His is a marvelous work and worth reading by anyone interested in county history.
There is another book titled The Pennsylvania Main Line Canal (author unknown) that is powerfully informing, but the book is available only through library transfers from BIG libraries—meaning that it is hard to find and must shortly be returned. Pattee Library at Penn State University has a copy.
RFC
About The Author
Roy (Rocky) Chandler, came to Perry County as a Carson Long Military Academy cadet in 1939. He retired from the US Army in 1965 and returned to Perry to teach at CLMA, West Perry Middle School, and Newport High School.
The author's first book, Perry County Guns and Gunsmiths, appeared in 1969, and of his sixty-plus books published, more than thirty are about Perry County. Many others include Perry lore or feature Perry protagonists.
“Chandler Books” are avidly collected, and some are in their 9th edition.
Now eighty-seven years of age, Rocky still rides his Harley-Davidson. He and his wife, Dr. Kate Chandler, live in Nokomis, Florida and St. Mary's City, MD.
Books by Roy Chandler
Books By Publication Date
All About a Foot Soldier, 1965 (A colorful book for children)
History of Early Perry County Guns and Gunsmiths (With Donald L. Mitchell), 1969
A History of Perry County Railroads, 1970
Alaskan Hunter: a book about big game hunting, 1972
Kentucky Rifle Patchboxes and Barrel Marks, 1972
Tales of Perry County, 1973
Arrowmaker, 1974
Antiques of Perry County, 1976
The Black Rifle, 1976
Homes, Barns and Outbuildings of Perry County, 1978
Shatto, 1979
The Perry County Flavor, 1980
Arms Makers of Eastern Pennsylvania, 1981
The Didactor, 1981
Fort Robinson: A novel of Perry County Pennsylvania, the years 1750-63, 1981
Friend Seeker: A novel of Perry County PA, 1982
Gunsmiths of Eastern Pennsylvania, 1982
Perry County in Pen & Ink, 1983
Shatto's Way: A novel of Perry County, Pa, 1984
Chip Shatto: A novel of Perry County Pennsylvania, the years 1863-6, 1984
Pennsylvania Gunmakers (a collection), 1984
Firefighters of Perry County, 1985
The Warrior, A novel of the frontier, 1721-1764, 1985
Perry County Sketchbook (And Katherine R. Chandler), 1986
A 30-foot, $6,000 Cruising Catamaran, 1987
The Gun of Joseph Smith (With Katherine R. Chandler), 1987
The Perry Countian, 1987
Hawk's Feather - An Adventure Story, 1988
Ted's Story, 1988
Alcatraz: The Hardest Years 1934-1938 (With Erville F. Chandler), 1989
Cronies, 1989
Song of Blue Moccasin, 1989
Chugger's Hunt, 1990
The Sweet Taste, 1990
Tiff's Game: A work of fiction, 1991
Tuck Morgan, Plainsman (Vol. 2) (With Katherine R. Chandler), 1991
Kentucky Rifle Patchboxes All New Volume 2, 1992
Behold the Long Rifle, 1993
Death From Afar II: Marine Corps Sniping (And Norman A. Chandler), 1993
Old Dog, 1993
Tim Murphy, Rifleman: A novel of Perry County, Pa. 1754-1840, 1993
Choose the Right Gun, 1994
Death From Afar Vol. III: The Black Book (And Norman A. Chandler), 1994
The Kentucky Pistol, 1994
Ramsey: A novel of Perry County Pennsylvania, 1994
Gray's Talent, 1995
Hunting Alaska, 1995
Last Black Book, 1995
Dark Shadow (The Red book series), 1996
Death From Afar IV (And Norman A. Chandler, 1996
Morgan's Park (Vol. 3) (With Katherine R. Chandler), 1997
White Feather: Carlos Hathcock USMC scout sniper (And Norman A. Chandler), 1997
Death From Afar V (And Norman A. Chandler), 1998
Ironhawk: A frontier novel of Perry County Pennsylvania 1759-1765, 1999
Sniper One, 2000
One Shot Brotherhood (And Norman A. Chandler), 2001
Shooter Galloway, 2004
The Hunter's Alaska, 2005
The Boss's Boy, 2007
Pardners, 2009
Hawk's Revenge, 2010
Antique Guns (included above)
History of Early Perry County Guns and Gunsmiths (With Donald L. Mitchell), 1969
Kentucky Rifle Patchboxes and Barrel Marks, 1972
Arms Makers of Eas
tern Pennsylvania, 1981
Gunsmiths of Eastern Pennsylvania, 1982
Pennsylvania Gunmakers (a collection), 1984
Kentucky Rifle Patchboxes All New Volume 2, 1992
Behold the Long Rifle, 1993
The Kentucky Pistol, 1994
Hunting
Alaskan Hunter: a book about big game hunting, 1972
Choose the Right Gun, 1994
Hunting Alaska, 1995
The Hunter's Alaska, 2005
Sniper Series
Death From Afar I (And Norman A. Chandler), 1992
Death From Afar II: Marine Corps Sniping (And Norman A. Chandler), 1993
Death From Afar Vol. III: The Black Book (And Norman A. Chandler), 1994
Death From Afar IV (And Norman A. Chandler), 1996
White Feather: Carlos Hathcock USMC Scout Sniper (And Norman A. Chandler), 1997
Death From Afar V (And Norman A. Chandler), 1998
Sniper One, 2000
One Shot Brotherhood (And Norman A. Chandler)
Gun of Joseph Smith Trilogy (Young Adult)
Gun of Joseph Smith, The (With Katherine R. Chandler), 1987
Tuck Morgan, Plainsman (Vol. 2) (With Katherine R. Chandler), 1991
Morgan's Park (Vol. 3) (With Katherine R. Chandler), 1997
Children's Books
All About a Foot Soldier, 1965