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Welland Canal

The Welland Canal is a ship canal in Ontario, Canada, and part of the St. Lawrence Seaway and Great Lakes Waterway. The canal traverses the Niagara Peninsula between Port Weller on Lake Ontario, and Port Colborne on Lake Erie, and was erected because the Niagara River—the only natural waterway connecting the lakes—was unnavigable due to Niagara Falls. The Welland Canal enables ships to ascend and descend the Niagara Escarpment, and has followed four different routes since it opened.

Welland Canal
Specifications
Length27 miles (43 km)
Maximum boat length740 ft 0 in (225.6 m)
Maximum boat beam78 ft 0 in (23.8 m)
Maximum boat draft26.5 ft (8.08 m)
Locks8
StatusOpen
Navigation authoritySaint Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation
History
Original ownerWelland Canal Company
Principal engineerHiram Tibbetts
Construction began1824; 199 years ago (1824)
Date completedNovember 30, 1829; 193 years ago (1829-11-30)
Date extended1833; 190 years ago (1833)
Date restoredAugust 6, 1932; 91 years ago (1932-08-06)
Geography
Start pointLake Ontario at Port Weller (St. Catharines)
End pointLake Erie at Port Colborne
The Welland Canal connects Lake Ontario and Lake Erie through a series of eight locks, allowing ships to bypass the 51 m (167 ft) high Niagara Falls
Welland Canal with Garden City Skyway and Homer Lift Bridge
A ship in Lock 3 of the Welland Canal in St. Catharines, just south of the Homer Lift Bridge and Garden City Skyway

The Welland Canal[1] passes about 3,000 ships which transport about 40 million tonnes (88 billion pounds) of cargo a year. It was a major factor in the growth of the city of Toronto, Ontario.[2] The original canal and its successors allowed goods from Great Lakes ports such as Cleveland, Detroit, Milwaukee, and Chicago, as well as other heavily industrialized areas of the United States and Ontario, to be shipped to the Port of Montreal or to Quebec City, where they were usually reloaded onto ocean-going vessels for international shipping.

The Welland Canal in use today is the Fourth Welland Canal. The First Welland Canal was excavated 7.3 metres (24 ft) wide and 2.4 metres (8 ft) deep from 1824–1829 with forty wooden locks and commenced operation on November 30, 1829.[3] The Second Welland Canal began excavation in 1841 and was wider at 11 metres (36 ft) and deeper at 2.7 metres (9 ft) with larger locks made of stone to replace the wooden locks used in the first canal. It was wider and deeper than the first to provide access for larger ships up to 46 metres (150 ft) long. The Second Welland Canal was completed in 1845 and remained in operation for nearly a century before closing permanently in 1935.[4] The Third Welland Canal was designed to follow a straighter and thus shorter route than the first two and began construction in 1872 through 1887. It was 30 metres (100 ft) wide and 4.3 metres (14 ft) deep, with 26 masonry locks lined with wood to protect ships rubbing against the sides or bottom. The Third Canal locks were again larger being 14 metres (45 ft) wide and 82 metres (270 ft) long. The canal permitted access to larger ships with the Third Canal operating from 1887 until 1935 along with the still operating Second Welland Canal.[5] The Fourth Welland Canal began construction in 1913 and was completed in 1932 with a delay due to World War I consuming vital manpower and materials. The Fourth Canal was once again an enlarged design to accommodate the increased size of ships with the main channel now 110 metres (350 ft) wide and 9.1 metres (30 ft) deep to permit two large ships to pass going in opposite directions. The current locks are 24 metres (80 ft) wide and 233 metres (766 ft) long. Three years after the Fourth Canal began operating in 1932 the government of Canada closed the Second and Third canals which required costly upkeep as they were deemed redundant. The Fourth Canal is equipped with just eight locks compared to the forty locks needed by the First Welland Canal.[6][7] In comparison the Panama Canal opened in 1914 with locks 34 metres (110 ft) wide and 320 metres (1,050 ft) long.[8]

The Welland Canal eclipsed[citation needed] other, narrower canals in the region, such as the Trent-Severn Waterway and, significantly, the Erie Canal (which linked the Atlantic and Lake Erie via New York City and Buffalo, New York) by providing a shorter, more direct connection to Lake Erie.[clarification needed (from what point?)]

The southern, Lake Erie terminus of the canal is 99.5 metres (326 feet) higher than the northern terminus on Lake Ontario. The canal includes eight 24.4-metre-wide (80 ft) ship locks.[9] Seven of the locks (Locks 1–7, the 'Lift' locks) are 233.5 m (766 ft) long and raise (or lower) passing ships by between 13 and 15 m (43 and 49 ft) each. The southernmost lock, (Lock 8 – the 'Guard' or 'Control' lock) is 349.9 m (1,148 ft) in length.[1] The Garden City Skyway passes over the canal, restricting the maximum height of the masts of the ships allowed on this canal to 35.5 m (116 ft).

All other highway or railroad crossings of the Welland Canal are either movable bridges (of the vertical lift or bascule bridge types) or tunnels. The maximum permissible length of a ship in this canal is 225.5 metres (740 feet). It takes ships an average of about eleven hours to traverse the entire length of the Welland Canal.

History edit

Before the digging of the Welland Canal, shipping traffic between Lake Ontario and Lake Erie used a portage road between Chippawa, Ontario, and Queenston, Ontario, which are both located on the Niagara River—above and below Niagara Falls, respectively.[citation needed]

First Welland Canal edit

The Welland Canal Company was incorporated by the Province of Upper Canada, in 1824, after a petition by nine "freeholders of the District of Niagara". One of the petitioners was William Hamilton Merritt, who was in part looking to provide a regular flow of water for his many water-powered industries along the Twelve Mile Creek in Thorold. The construction began at Allanburg, Ontario, on November 30, at a point now marked as such on the west end of Bridge No. 11 (formerly Highway 20). This canal opened for a trial run on November 30, 1829. After a short ceremony at Lock One, in Port Dalhousie, the schooner Anne & Jane (also called "Annie & Jane" in some texts[10]) made the first transit, upbound to Buffalo, New York, with Merritt as a passenger on her deck.

The first canal ran from Port Dalhousie, Ontario, on Lake Ontario south along Twelve Mile Creek to St. Catharines. From there it took a winding route up the Niagara Escarpment through Merritton, Ontario, to Thorold, where it continued south via Allanburg to Port Robinson, Ontario, on the Welland River. Ships went east (downstream) on the Welland River to Chippawa, at the south (upper) end of the old portage road, where they made a sharp right turn into the Niagara River, upstream towards Lake Erie. Originally, the section between Allanburg and Port Robinson was planned to be carried in a tunnel. However, the sandy soil in this part of Ontario made a tunnel infeasible, and a deep open-cut canal was dug instead.

A southern extension from Port Robinson opened in 1833, with the founding of Port Colborne. This extension followed the Welland River south to Welland (known then as the settlement of Aqueduct, for the wooden aqueduct that carried the canal over the Welland River at that point), and then split to run south to Port Colborne on Lake Erie. A feeder canal ran southwest from Welland to another point on Lake Erie, just west of Rock Point Provincial Park in Port Maitland. With the opening of the extension, the canal stretched 44 km (27 mi) between the two lakes, with 40 wooden locks. The minimum lock size was 33.5 by 6.7 m (110 by 22 ft), with a minimum canal depth of 2.4 m (7.9 ft).

Deterioration of the wood used in the 40 locks and the increasing size of ships led to demand for the Second Welland Canal, which used cut stone locks, within just a few years.[11]

Second Welland Canal edit

 
A lock of the second Welland Canal

In 1839 the government of Upper Canada approved the purchase of shares in the private canal company in response to the company's continuing financial problems in the face of the continental financial panic of 1837. The public buyout was completed in 1841, and work began to deepen the canal and to reduce the number of locks to 27, each 45.7 by 8.1 m (150 by 27 ft). By 1846, a 2.7 m (9 ft) deep path was completed through the Welland Canal, and by 1848 that depth was extended the rest of the way to the Atlantic Ocean via the future path of the St. Lawrence Seaway.

Competition came in 1854 with the opening of the Erie and Ontario Railway, running parallel to the original portage road. In 1859, the Welland Railway opened, parallel to the canal and with the same endpoints. But this railway was affiliated with the canal, and was actually used to help transfer cargoes from the lake ships, which were too large for the small canal locks, to the other end of the canal (The Trillium Railway owns the railway's remnants and Port Colborne Harbour Railway). Smaller ships called "canallers" also took a part of these loads. Due to this problem, it was soon apparent the canal would have to be enlarged again.[citation needed]

Third Welland Canal edit

 
Aerial photo of Port Dalhousie from the third canal era. 3rd canal lock at left, 2nd canal lock at right. Note 3rd canal towpath at upper left and Muir brothers' ship yard centre right.
 
Abandoned locks of the third canal

In 1887, a new shorter alignment was completed between St. Catharines and Port Dalhousie. One of the most interesting features of this third Welland Canal was the Merritton Tunnel, built in 1876 on the Grand Trunk Railway line that ran under the canal between Locks 18 and 19. Another nearby tunnel carried the canal over a sunken section of the St David's Road. The new route had a minimum depth of 4.3 m (14 ft) with 26 stone locks, each 82.3 m (270 ft) long by 13.7 m (45 ft) wide. Even so, the canal was still too small for many boats.

Fourth (current) Welland Canal edit

 
MS Isa lifted in Lock 7
 
MS Juno leaving Lock 4

Construction on the current canal began in 1913, but work was put on hold from 1916 to 1919 due to a shortage of men and workers during World War I (1914–18) and was completed and officially opened on August 6, 1932. Dredging to the planned 25 foot depth was not completed until 1935. The route was again changed north of St. Catharines, now running directly north to Port Weller. In this configuration, there are eight locks, seven at the Niagara Escarpment and the eighth, a guard lock, at Port Colborne to adjust with the varying water depth in Lake Erie. The depth was now 7.6 m (25 ft), with locks 233.5 m (766 ft) long by 24.4 m (80 ft) wide. This canal is officially known now as the Welland Ship Canal. The Welland Canal's first "hands-free" vacuum mooring was tested in Lock 7 prior to 2014.[12] The installation of the updated systems for Locks 1 through 7 was originally set to be completed in 2017, but the project was not finished until early 2018 after unforeseen delays.[13][14][15][16][17]

Welland By-Pass edit

In the 1950s, with the building of the present St. Lawrence Seaway, a standard depth of 8.2 m (27 ft) was adopted. The 13.4-kilometre (8.3 mi) long Welland By-Pass, built between 1967 and 1972, opened for the 1973 shipping season, providing a new and shorter alignment between Port Robinson and Port Colborne and by-passing downtown Welland. All three crossings of the new alignment—one an aqueduct for the Welland River—were built as tunnels. Around the same time, the Thorold Tunnel was built at Thorold and several bridges were removed.

Proposed Fifth Welland Canal edit

These projects were to be tied into a proposed new canal, titled the Fifth Welland Canal, which was planned to by-pass most of the existing canal to the east and to cross the Niagara Escarpment in four twinned "Panamax" locks. While land for the project was expropriated and early designs initiated, the project never got past early planning or construction stages and has since been shelved.

The present Welland Ship Canal was originally designed to only last until 2030, almost 100 years after it first opened, and 200 years since the first full shipping season of the original canal in 1830. Subsequent improvements to the canal infrastructure mean that it may last much longer before it needs to be replaced.[18]

Accidents edit

On June 20, 1912, the government survey steamer La Canadienne lost control due to mechanical problems in the engine room and smashed into the upstream gates of Lock No. 22 of the 3rd Welland Canal, forcing them open by six inches. The resulting surge of water flooded downstream, cresting the upstream gates of Lock No. 21 where five boys were fishing. One boy ran to safety and one of the boys was saved by a government surveyor. But the remaining three[19] were knocked into the water, drowning in the surge.

 
Aftermath of the collision with the Port Robinson Bridge 12

On August 25, 1974, the northbound ore-carrier Steelton struck Bridge 12 in Port Robinson. The bridge was rising and the impact knocked the bridge over, destroying it. No one was killed. The bridge master, Albert Beaver, and a watchman on the ship suffered minor injuries. The bridge has not been replaced and the inhabitants of Port Robinson have been served by a ferry for many years. The Welland Public Library archive has images of the aftermath.

On August 11, 2001, the lake freighter Windoc collided with Bridge 11 in Allanburg, closing vessel traffic on the Welland Canal for two days. The accident destroyed the ship's wheelhouse and funnel (chimney), ignited a large fire on board, and caused minor damage to the vertical-lift bridge. The accident and portions of its aftermath were captured on amateur video.[20] The vessel was a total loss, but there were no reported injuries, and no pollution to the waterway. The damage to the bridge was focused on the centre of the vertical-lift span. It was repaired over a number of weeks and reopened to vehicular traffic on November 16, 2001. The Marine Investigation Report concluded, "it is likely that the [vertical-lift bridge] operator's performance was impaired while the bridge span was lowered onto the Windoc."[21][22]

At around noon on Wednesday September 30, 2015, the Lena J cargo ship collided with Bridge 19 in Port Colborne, closing the bridge to all vehicle and pedestrian traffic until an assessment could be made on the condition of the bridge.[23][24] The vessel had sustained damage to its bridge, but was still able to continue on its voyage to Burns Harbour, Indiana. Pictures of the damage sustained to the vessel and Bridge 19 were captured.[25] On Friday October 1, 2015, Chris Lee, an acting direct engineer for the City of Port Colborne, said that the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation (SLSMC) will likely close the bridge to all vehicle traffic until the end of the year. However, pedestrians will be able to cross the bridge, and emergency services will be able to cross the bridge on a limited basis.[26][27][23][28] On Tuesday October 6, 2015, the City of Port Colborne released a media statement, which stated that Bridge 19, "will remain closed to vehicular traffic until after the close of the shipping season in December. Repairs will begin in early January." Detour routes have been planned and mapped by the City of Port Colborne and the City of Welland in order to ease the flow of traffic over Bridge 19A.[29]

The Welland Canal Fallen Workers Memorial at Lock 3 was unveiled on November 12, 2017. This commemorates the 137 workers who died while building the canal.[30]

On July 11, 2020 two cargo ships, the Alanis and the Florence Spirit, struck each other while executing a passing manoeuvre near Port Robinson. According to the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation, no one was injured, no cargo was spilled, and an investigation would be undertaken.[31]

Sabotage edit

The Welland Canal has been the focus of plots on a number of occasions throughout its existence. However, only two have ever been carried out. The earliest and potentially most devastating attack occurred on September 9, 1841,[32] at Lock No. 37 (Allanburg) of the First Welland Canal (43°04′41″N 79°12′36″W / 43.07796°N 79.20991°W / 43.07796; -79.20991) (approximately 180 m north of today's Allanburg bridge),[33] when an explosive charge destroyed one of the lock gates. However, a catastrophic flood was prevented when a guard gate located upstream of the lock closed into place preventing the upstream waters from careening down the route of the Canal and causing further damage and possible injury or loss of life. It was suspected that Benjamin Lett was responsible for the explosion.

On April 21, 1900, about 6:30 in the evening,[34] a dynamite charge was set off against the hinges of Lock No. 24 of the Third Welland Canal (just to the east of Lock No. 7 of today's canal (43°07′23″N 79°11′33″W / 43.122976°N 79.192372°W / 43.122976; -79.192372)), doing minor damage. This time, the saboteurs were caught in nearby Thorold. John Walsh, John Nolan and the ringleader "Dynamite" Luke Dillon (a member of Clan-na-Gael)[35] were tried at the Welland Courthouse and found guilty, receiving life sentences at Kingston Penitentiary. The "star witness" at the trial was a 16-year-old Thorold girl named Euphemia Constable, who caught a good look at the bombers before being knocked unconscious by the blast. While waiting to testify, the girl received death threats, but, they turned out to be a hoax.[citation needed] As for the prisoners, Nolan lost his sanity while incarcerated, John Walsh was eventually released while Luke Dillon remained in custody until July 12, 1914.[36]

The First World War brought with it plots against the canal and the most notable of them came to be known as "The Von Papen Plot". In April 1916, a United States federal grand jury issued an indictment against Franz von Papen, Captain Hans Tauscher, Captain Karl Boy-Ed, Constantine Covani and Franz von Rintelen on charges of a plot to blow up the Welland Canal.[37][38][39] However, Papen was at the time safely on German soil, having been expelled from the US several months previously for alleged earlier acts of espionage and attempted sabotage.

Von Papen remained under indictment on these charges until he became Chancellor of Germany in 1932, at which time the charges were dropped.

Shipping season edit

The canal regularly opens late March through December, with closure in the winter due to hazardous weather. On March 20, 2007, the record for the earliest season opening was broken,[40] and matched the following year.[41]

Facts and figures edit

Current canal edit

  • Maximum vessel length: 225.5 m (740 ft)
  • Maximum vessel draft: 8.08 m (26.5 ft)
  • Maximum above-water clearance: 35.5 m (116 ft)
  • Elevation change between Lake Ontario and Lake Erie: 99.5 m (326 ft)
  • Average transit time between the lakes: 11 hours
  • Length of canal: 43.5 km (27.0 mi)

Increasing lock size edit

Canal First (1829) Second (1846) Third (1887) Fourth (1932)
Locks 40 27 26 8
Width (metres) 6.7 8.1 13.7 24.4
Length (metres) 33.5 45.7 82.3 261.8
Depth (metres) 2.4 2.7 4.3 8.2

List of locks and crossings edit

Locks and crossings are numbered from north to south.

Welland Canals
Description
km
 
 
 
Lake Ontario
 
 
 
 
 
Port Weller
 
 
 
Port Dalhousie
 
 
 
 
 
 
Lock #1
3.1
 
 
 
Lock #2
5.9
 
 
 
  Queen Elizabeth Way - Garden City Skyway
 
 
 
Lock #3
10.2
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Locks #4-6
12.6
 
 
 
 
Merritton Tunnel
 
 
 
Lock #7
13.9
 
  Highway 58 - Thorold Tunnel
 
 
 
 
 
Bridge 11, Allanburg
 
Deep Cut
 
Port Robinson
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  Welland Recreational Waterway
 
 
 
 
 
Welland River to Niagara River
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Main Street bridge - Main Street Tunnel
 
 
 
CPR bridge
 
 
 
 
Feeder Canal to Grand River
 
 
 
 
    Highway 58A - Townline Tunnel
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Lock #8 at Port Colborne
39.3
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Lake Erie
43.5
Municipality Lock or bridge number Crossing Remarks
St. Catharines Lock 1 43°13′03″N 79°12′47″W / 43.217484°N 79.212992°W / 43.217484; -79.212992
St. Catharines Bridge 1 Lakeshore Road (Regional Road 87) Bascule bridge
St. Catharines Bridge 2 Church Road (Now Linwell Road) Never installed
St. Catharines Lock 2 43°11′35″N 79°12′08″W / 43.193131°N 79.202178°W / 43.193131; -79.202178
St. Catharines Bridge 3A Carlton Street (Regional Road 83) Bascule bridge. Replaced original Bridge 3 (destroyed in accident)
St. Catharines Bridge 4A Garden City Skyway: Queen Elizabeth Way
St. Catharines Bridge 4 Queenston Street (Regional Road 81) (former Highway 8) Bascule bridge, also known as "Homer Lift Bridge"
St. Catharines Lock 3 43°09′19″N 79°11′35″W / 43.155230°N 79.193058°W / 43.155230; -79.193058
location of Welland Canal Information Centre
St. Catharines Bridge 5 Glendale Avenue (Regional Road 89) Vertical-lift bridge
St Catharines Bridge 6 Great Western Railway (Ontario)
(now Canadian National Railway)
Bascule bridge
St Catharines Lock 4 twinned flight lock
Thorold Locks 5–6 43°08′03″N 79°11′31″W / 43.134283°N 79.191899°W / 43.134283; -79.191899
twinned flight locks
Thorold Lock 7 43°07′24″N 79°11′38″W / 43.123446°N 79.193895°W / 43.123446; -79.193895
southernmost lift over the Niagara Escarpment
Thorold Bridge 7 Hoover Street removed
Thorold Bridge 8 Niagara, St. Catharines and Toronto Railway
(now Canadian National Railway)
removed
Thorold Thorold Tunnel, carries Highway 58
Thorold Bridge 9 Ormond Street removed
Thorold Bridge 10 Welland Railway
(now Canadian National Railway)
removed winter 1998
Thorold Bridge 11 Canboro Road (Regional Road 20) (former Highway 20) Vertical-lift bridge. Lowered prematurely on Windoc in 2001
Thorold Bridge 12 Bridge Street (Regional Road 63) destroyed by the Steelton in 1974, replaced by a pedestrian ferry
Welland Main Street Tunnel: (Highway 7146)
Welland Townline Tunnel: Highway 58A and Canadian National Railway/Penn Central
Port Colborne Bridge 19 Main Street (Regional Road 3) Highway 3 Bascule bridge
Port Colborne Lock 8 42°53′57″N 79°14′46″W / 42.899122°N 79.246166°W / 42.899122; -79.246166
control lock
Port Colborne Bridge 19A Mellanby Avenue (Regional Road 3A) Bascule bridge
Port Colborne Bridge 20 Buffalo and Lake Huron Railroad
(now Canadian National Railway)
removed winter 1997
Port Colborne Bridge 21 Clarence Street Vertical-lift bridge

Profile edit

The following illustration depicts the profile of the Welland Canal. The horizontal axis is the length of the canal. The vertical axis is the elevation of the canal segments above mean sea level.

 
Profile of the Welland Canal from Lake Ontario (left) to Lake Erie (right)

Old alignment prior to Welland By-Pass relocation edit

Municipality Bridge Number Crossing Remarks
Welland Recreational Waterway branches off from the Welland By-Pass at Port Robinson
Thorold Canadian National Railway built during the relocation
Thorold Highway 406 built after the relocation
Welland Woodlawn Road (Regional Road 41) built after the relocation
Welland Bridge 13 East Main Street/West Main Street (Regional Road 27) vertical-lift bridge, counterweights removed 42°59′30″N 79°15′05″W / 42.99167°N 79.25139°W / 42.99167; -79.25139 (Welland Canal, Bridge 13)
Welland Division Street (Regional Road 527) built after the relocation
Welland Bridge 14 Lincoln Street rebuilt as fixed-span after the relocation 42°59′01″N 79°15′16″W / 42.98361°N 79.25444°W / 42.98361; -79.25444 (Welland Canal, Bridge 14)
Welland Bridge 15 Canada Southern Railway (Penn Central) rare Baltimore truss swing bridge[42] 42°58′37″N 79°15′21″W / 42.97694°N 79.25583°W / 42.97694; -79.25583 (Welland Canal, Bridge 15)
Welland Bridge 16 Ontario Road/Broadway Avenue rebuilt as fixed-span after the relocation, the new span located to the north of the original site of Bridge 16 42°58′25″N 79°15′21″W / 42.97361°N 79.25583°W / 42.97361; -79.25583 (Welland Canal, Bridge 16)
cut by western approaches to Townline Tunnel (Highway 58A and Canadian National Railway/Penn Central)
Welland Bridge 17 Canada Air-Line Railway (now Canadian National Railway) vertical-lift bridge, counterweights still present 42°56′57″N 79°15′00″W / 42.94917°N 79.25000°W / 42.94917; -79.25000 (Welland Canal, Bridge 17)
Welland Bridge 18 Forks Road bridge span removed 42°56′50″N 79°14′58″W / 42.94722°N 79.24944°W / 42.94722; -79.24944 (Welland Canal, Bridge 18)
Welland Recreational Waterway merges with the Welland By-Pass at Ramey's Bend in Port Colborne

If assigned by the St. Lawrence Seaway Authority. The original bridges across the fourth canal were numbered in order. Numbering was not changed as bridges were removed.

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b "The Welland Canal – Navigation, Locks, Distances, and Passage Information". from the original on July 10, 2017.
  2. ^ "225 Years of Port Activity". PortsToronto.
  3. ^ "The Welland Canals - History".
  4. ^ "The Welland Canals - History".
  5. ^ "The Welland Canals - History".
  6. ^ "The First Three Welland Canals". March 11, 2018.
  7. ^ "The Welland Canals - History".
  8. ^ "Panama Canal - Locks | Britannica".
  9. ^ "Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway System – The Welland Canal Section of the St. Lawrence Searey" (PDF). (PDF) from the original on November 19, 2012.
  10. ^ Merrit, Jedediah (1875). Biography of the Hon. W. H. Merritt, M. P. St. Catharines: E. S. Leavenworth. p. 123. from the original on April 5, 2016. Retrieved April 6, 2015.
  11. ^ Chambers, Melanie (February 26, 2008). Frommer's Niagara Region. John Wiley & Sons. p. 199. ISBN 978-0-470-15324-6.
  12. ^ Pilotage on the Welland Canal August 9, 2017, at the Wayback Machine page 6
  13. ^ Miles, William (May 8, 2018). . PIANC Panama. Archived from the original on February 25, 2023. Retrieved February 24, 2023. (SLSMC) has recently completed two improvement projects for the Niagara Region of the St. Lawrence Seaway System on the Welland Canal in Ontario, Canada.
  14. ^ "Vacuum pads suck ships on canal". August 8, 2015. from the original on March 13, 2017. Retrieved March 12, 2017. next up are the flight Locks 4, 5 and 6, which will be prepped over the winter with installation scheduled for next year.
  15. ^ Construction of new Cavotec vacuum mooring system at Locks 4 & 5 on YouTube
  16. ^ Construction of new Cavotec vacuum mooring system at Lock 4 on YouTube
  17. ^ Welland Canal, suction lift mooring system on YouTube
  18. ^ "WELLAND CANAL (B. 1829) STILL A WORK IN PROGRESS". www.joc.com. from the original on December 8, 2017. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
  19. ^ "Three Boys Drowned When Steamer Broke Thru Gates Of Canal". Toronto World. June 21, 1912.
  20. ^ "Windoc Bridge Accident". YouTube. from the original on December 18, 2006.
  21. ^ "Transportation Safety Board of Canada – Marine Investigation Report M01C0054". Archived from the original on July 24, 2011.
  22. ^ "YouTube". YouTube. from the original on May 29, 2016.
  23. ^ a b "Port Colborne bridge still closed to vehicles after collision with ship". October 2, 2015. from the original on October 5, 2015.
  24. ^ "Cargo Ship clips bridge in Port Colborne, Canada - Vesselfinder". www.vesselfinder.com. from the original on October 5, 2015.
  25. ^ "St. Catharines News - Latest Daily Breaking News Stories - StCatharinesStandard.ca". StCatharinesStandard.ca. from the original on October 5, 2015.
  26. ^ "City of Port Colborne - Bridge Status". portcolborne.ca. from the original on October 6, 2015.
  27. ^ "Welland News - Latest Daily Breaking News Stories - WellandTribune.ca". WellandTribune.ca. from the original on October 6, 2015.
  28. ^ Release, Press (October 2, 2015). "Status of Bridge 19 Port Colborne". from the original on October 6, 2015.
  29. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). (PDF) from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved October 7, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  30. ^ "Welland Canal Fallen Workers Memorial". from the original on November 18, 2017. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
  31. ^ "Dramatic collision between two vessels on Welland Canal caught on tape". CityNews. July 11, 2020. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
  32. ^ "Canal has been terrorist target: Brock prof". Niagara This Week. February 26, 2010.
  33. ^ "宜春滤伦科技有限公司". from the original on July 18, 2011. Retrieved February 28, 2010.
  34. ^ Clark The Irish relations: trials of an immigrant tradition, p.121
  35. ^ "Dynamite Luke among canal's terrorists". Welland Tribune. February 19, 2010.
  36. ^ Clark The Irish relations: trials of an immigrant tradition, p.122
  37. ^ "Tauscher, Figure In 1916 Plot, Dies. Acquitted of Charges That He Planned to Blow Up Welland Canal in World War. Served Krupp Interests. Ex-Aide of von Papen Had Arms Firms Here. Husband of Johanna Gadski, Singer". New York Times. September 6, 1941. from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 21, 2015. Captain Hans Tauscher, former officer of the Imperial German Army, who was indicted with Franz von Papen during the World War but acquitted by a Federal jury of charges that he conspired to blow up the strategic Welland Canal, died here yesterday in St. Clare's Hospital. ...
  38. ^ "Indict Von Papen As Canal Plotter. Federal Jury Names Recalled Attache and Four Others in Welland Conspiracy. One Name is Kept Secret. Captain, Tauscher, Fritzen, Covani, and Another Accused". New York Times. April 18, 1916. from the original on March 5, 2016. Captain Franz von Papen, Military Attache of the German Embassy, who was recently, at the request of the United States Government, recalled to Germany, was indicted by a Federal Grand Jury yesterday as one of the heads of the alleged conspiracy that was hatched in this country in the first weeks of the war to destroy the Welland Canal, which forms the navigating link in Canadian territory between Lakes Erie and Ontario. ...
  39. ^ "Welland Canal Case". Information Annual. 1917. p. 652. Retrieved March 23, 2015.
  40. ^ "Welland Canal Opens Today, just Beating the Arrival of Spring". Toronto Star. Toronto. March 20, 2007. p. A21.
  41. ^ "Canal opens for 2008 shipping season". niagarathisweek.com. March 26, 2008. from the original on January 25, 2018. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
  42. ^ "Welland Railway Bridge". from the original on January 15, 2008.

External links edit

  • Wellandcanals.ca – Detailed phototours of all Four Welland Canals
  • Survey maps of the First and Second Welland Canals at Brock University
  • Official Seaway Schedule Page June 12, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  • Official Seaway Traffic Map Page June 12, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  • "New Inland Canal Rivals Panama", February 1931, Popular Science
  • The Old Welland Canals Field Guide
  • Exploring the Old Welland Canals (Google map)
  • Railway Maps (includes details of the Welland Realignment)
  • The Welland Canal Section of the St. Lawrence Seaway November 19, 2012, at the Wayback Machine (PDF)
  • Has information about Niagara Region bridges, including many Welland Canal Bridges. September 27, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  • Welland Public Library archive of canal history images & clippings August 2, 2018, at the Wayback Machine
  • Images from the Historic Niagara Digital Collections
  • Art works from the collection of the Niagara Falls Public Library
  • "Windoc Bridge Accident." Youtube, 2006-09-30.
  • Al Miller, "Windoc Accident." February 5, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  • The "Great Swivel Link": Canada's Welland Canal, a history of the canals published by the Champlain Society in 2000.
  • Welland Canal Records Brock University Library Digital Repository
  • Hamilton Merritt Welland Canal circular RG 506 Brock University Library Digital Repository
  • Sykes fonds Welland Canal Scrapbook RG 341 Brock University Library Digital Repository
  • Ivan S. Brookes fonds RG 182 Brock University Library Digital Repository

43°09′20.00″N 79°11′37.50″W / 43.1555556°N 79.1937500°W / 43.1555556; -79.1937500

welland, canal, ship, canal, ontario, canada, part, lawrence, seaway, great, lakes, waterway, canal, traverses, niagara, peninsula, between, port, weller, lake, ontario, port, colborne, lake, erie, erected, because, niagara, river, only, natural, waterway, con. The Welland Canal is a ship canal in Ontario Canada and part of the St Lawrence Seaway and Great Lakes Waterway The canal traverses the Niagara Peninsula between Port Weller on Lake Ontario and Port Colborne on Lake Erie and was erected because the Niagara River the only natural waterway connecting the lakes was unnavigable due to Niagara Falls The Welland Canal enables ships to ascend and descend the Niagara Escarpment and has followed four different routes since it opened Welland CanalSpecificationsLength27 miles 43 km Maximum boat length740 ft 0 in 225 6 m Maximum boat beam78 ft 0 in 23 8 m Maximum boat draft26 5 ft 8 08 m Locks8StatusOpenNavigation authoritySaint Lawrence Seaway Management CorporationHistoryOriginal ownerWelland Canal CompanyPrincipal engineerHiram TibbettsConstruction began1824 199 years ago 1824 Date completedNovember 30 1829 193 years ago 1829 11 30 Date extended1833 190 years ago 1833 Date restoredAugust 6 1932 91 years ago 1932 08 06 GeographyStart pointLake Ontario at Port Weller St Catharines End pointLake Erie at Port ColborneThe Welland Canal connects Lake Ontario and Lake Erie through a series of eight locks allowing ships to bypass the 51 m 167 ft high Niagara FallsWelland Canal with Garden City Skyway and Homer Lift BridgeA ship in Lock 3 of the Welland Canal in St Catharines just south of the Homer Lift Bridge and Garden City SkywayThe Welland Canal 1 passes about 3 000 ships which transport about 40 million tonnes 88 billion pounds of cargo a year It was a major factor in the growth of the city of Toronto Ontario 2 The original canal and its successors allowed goods from Great Lakes ports such as Cleveland Detroit Milwaukee and Chicago as well as other heavily industrialized areas of the United States and Ontario to be shipped to the Port of Montreal or to Quebec City where they were usually reloaded onto ocean going vessels for international shipping The Welland Canal in use today is the Fourth Welland Canal The First Welland Canal was excavated 7 3 metres 24 ft wide and 2 4 metres 8 ft deep from 1824 1829 with forty wooden locks and commenced operation on November 30 1829 3 The Second Welland Canal began excavation in 1841 and was wider at 11 metres 36 ft and deeper at 2 7 metres 9 ft with larger locks made of stone to replace the wooden locks used in the first canal It was wider and deeper than the first to provide access for larger ships up to 46 metres 150 ft long The Second Welland Canal was completed in 1845 and remained in operation for nearly a century before closing permanently in 1935 4 The Third Welland Canal was designed to follow a straighter and thus shorter route than the first two and began construction in 1872 through 1887 It was 30 metres 100 ft wide and 4 3 metres 14 ft deep with 26 masonry locks lined with wood to protect ships rubbing against the sides or bottom The Third Canal locks were again larger being 14 metres 45 ft wide and 82 metres 270 ft long The canal permitted access to larger ships with the Third Canal operating from 1887 until 1935 along with the still operating Second Welland Canal 5 The Fourth Welland Canal began construction in 1913 and was completed in 1932 with a delay due to World War I consuming vital manpower and materials The Fourth Canal was once again an enlarged design to accommodate the increased size of ships with the main channel now 110 metres 350 ft wide and 9 1 metres 30 ft deep to permit two large ships to pass going in opposite directions The current locks are 24 metres 80 ft wide and 233 metres 766 ft long Three years after the Fourth Canal began operating in 1932 the government of Canada closed the Second and Third canals which required costly upkeep as they were deemed redundant The Fourth Canal is equipped with just eight locks compared to the forty locks needed by the First Welland Canal 6 7 In comparison the Panama Canal opened in 1914 with locks 34 metres 110 ft wide and 320 metres 1 050 ft long 8 The Welland Canal eclipsed citation needed other narrower canals in the region such as the Trent Severn Waterway and significantly the Erie Canal which linked the Atlantic and Lake Erie via New York City and Buffalo New York by providing a shorter more direct connection to Lake Erie clarification needed from what point The southern Lake Erie terminus of the canal is 99 5 metres 326 feet higher than the northern terminus on Lake Ontario The canal includes eight 24 4 metre wide 80 ft ship locks 9 Seven of the locks Locks 1 7 the Lift locks are 233 5 m 766 ft long and raise or lower passing ships by between 13 and 15 m 43 and 49 ft each The southernmost lock Lock 8 the Guard or Control lock is 349 9 m 1 148 ft in length 1 The Garden City Skyway passes over the canal restricting the maximum height of the masts of the ships allowed on this canal to 35 5 m 116 ft All other highway or railroad crossings of the Welland Canal are either movable bridges of the vertical lift or bascule bridge types or tunnels The maximum permissible length of a ship in this canal is 225 5 metres 740 feet It takes ships an average of about eleven hours to traverse the entire length of the Welland Canal Contents 1 History 1 1 First Welland Canal 1 2 Second Welland Canal 1 3 Third Welland Canal 1 4 Fourth current Welland Canal 1 4 1 Welland By Pass 1 5 Proposed Fifth Welland Canal 2 Accidents 3 Sabotage 4 Shipping season 5 Facts and figures 5 1 Current canal 5 2 Increasing lock size 5 3 List of locks and crossings 6 Profile 7 Old alignment prior to Welland By Pass relocation 8 See also 9 References 10 External linksHistory editThis section needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Welland Canal news newspapers books scholar JSTOR November 2018 Learn how and when to remove this template message Before the digging of the Welland Canal shipping traffic between Lake Ontario and Lake Erie used a portage road between Chippawa Ontario and Queenston Ontario which are both located on the Niagara River above and below Niagara Falls respectively citation needed First Welland Canal edit Main article First Welland Canal The Welland Canal Company was incorporated by the Province of Upper Canada in 1824 after a petition by nine freeholders of the District of Niagara One of the petitioners was William Hamilton Merritt who was in part looking to provide a regular flow of water for his many water powered industries along the Twelve Mile Creek in Thorold The construction began at Allanburg Ontario on November 30 at a point now marked as such on the west end of Bridge No 11 formerly Highway 20 This canal opened for a trial run on November 30 1829 After a short ceremony at Lock One in Port Dalhousie the schooner Anne amp Jane also called Annie amp Jane in some texts 10 made the first transit upbound to Buffalo New York with Merritt as a passenger on her deck The first canal ran from Port Dalhousie Ontario on Lake Ontario south along Twelve Mile Creek to St Catharines From there it took a winding route up the Niagara Escarpment through Merritton Ontario to Thorold where it continued south via Allanburg to Port Robinson Ontario on the Welland River Ships went east downstream on the Welland River to Chippawa at the south upper end of the old portage road where they made a sharp right turn into the Niagara River upstream towards Lake Erie Originally the section between Allanburg and Port Robinson was planned to be carried in a tunnel However the sandy soil in this part of Ontario made a tunnel infeasible and a deep open cut canal was dug instead A southern extension from Port Robinson opened in 1833 with the founding of Port Colborne This extension followed the Welland River south to Welland known then as the settlement of Aqueduct for the wooden aqueduct that carried the canal over the Welland River at that point and then split to run south to Port Colborne on Lake Erie A feeder canal ran southwest from Welland to another point on Lake Erie just west of Rock Point Provincial Park in Port Maitland With the opening of the extension the canal stretched 44 km 27 mi between the two lakes with 40 wooden locks The minimum lock size was 33 5 by 6 7 m 110 by 22 ft with a minimum canal depth of 2 4 m 7 9 ft Deterioration of the wood used in the 40 locks and the increasing size of ships led to demand for the Second Welland Canal which used cut stone locks within just a few years 11 Second Welland Canal edit nbsp A lock of the second Welland CanalIn 1839 the government of Upper Canada approved the purchase of shares in the private canal company in response to the company s continuing financial problems in the face of the continental financial panic of 1837 The public buyout was completed in 1841 and work began to deepen the canal and to reduce the number of locks to 27 each 45 7 by 8 1 m 150 by 27 ft By 1846 a 2 7 m 9 ft deep path was completed through the Welland Canal and by 1848 that depth was extended the rest of the way to the Atlantic Ocean via the future path of the St Lawrence Seaway Competition came in 1854 with the opening of the Erie and Ontario Railway running parallel to the original portage road In 1859 the Welland Railway opened parallel to the canal and with the same endpoints But this railway was affiliated with the canal and was actually used to help transfer cargoes from the lake ships which were too large for the small canal locks to the other end of the canal The Trillium Railway owns the railway s remnants and Port Colborne Harbour Railway Smaller ships called canallers also took a part of these loads Due to this problem it was soon apparent the canal would have to be enlarged again citation needed Third Welland Canal edit nbsp Aerial photo of Port Dalhousie from the third canal era 3rd canal lock at left 2nd canal lock at right Note 3rd canal towpath at upper left and Muir brothers ship yard centre right nbsp Abandoned locks of the third canalIn 1887 a new shorter alignment was completed between St Catharines and Port Dalhousie One of the most interesting features of this third Welland Canal was the Merritton Tunnel built in 1876 on the Grand Trunk Railway line that ran under the canal between Locks 18 and 19 Another nearby tunnel carried the canal over a sunken section of the St David s Road The new route had a minimum depth of 4 3 m 14 ft with 26 stone locks each 82 3 m 270 ft long by 13 7 m 45 ft wide Even so the canal was still too small for many boats Fourth current Welland Canal edit nbsp MS Isa lifted in Lock 7 nbsp MS Juno leaving Lock 4Construction on the current canal began in 1913 but work was put on hold from 1916 to 1919 due to a shortage of men and workers during World War I 1914 18 and was completed and officially opened on August 6 1932 Dredging to the planned 25 foot depth was not completed until 1935 The route was again changed north of St Catharines now running directly north to Port Weller In this configuration there are eight locks seven at the Niagara Escarpment and the eighth a guard lock at Port Colborne to adjust with the varying water depth in Lake Erie The depth was now 7 6 m 25 ft with locks 233 5 m 766 ft long by 24 4 m 80 ft wide This canal is officially known now as the Welland Ship Canal The Welland Canal s first hands free vacuum mooring was tested in Lock 7 prior to 2014 12 The installation of the updated systems for Locks 1 through 7 was originally set to be completed in 2017 but the project was not finished until early 2018 after unforeseen delays 13 14 15 16 17 Welland By Pass edit In the 1950s with the building of the present St Lawrence Seaway a standard depth of 8 2 m 27 ft was adopted The 13 4 kilometre 8 3 mi long Welland By Pass built between 1967 and 1972 opened for the 1973 shipping season providing a new and shorter alignment between Port Robinson and Port Colborne and by passing downtown Welland All three crossings of the new alignment one an aqueduct for the Welland River were built as tunnels Around the same time the Thorold Tunnel was built at Thorold and several bridges were removed Proposed Fifth Welland Canal edit These projects were to be tied into a proposed new canal titled the Fifth Welland Canal which was planned to by pass most of the existing canal to the east and to cross the Niagara Escarpment in four twinned Panamax locks While land for the project was expropriated and early designs initiated the project never got past early planning or construction stages and has since been shelved The present Welland Ship Canal was originally designed to only last until 2030 almost 100 years after it first opened and 200 years since the first full shipping season of the original canal in 1830 Subsequent improvements to the canal infrastructure mean that it may last much longer before it needs to be replaced 18 Accidents editOn June 20 1912 the government survey steamer La Canadienne lost control due to mechanical problems in the engine room and smashed into the upstream gates of Lock No 22 of the 3rd Welland Canal forcing them open by six inches The resulting surge of water flooded downstream cresting the upstream gates of Lock No 21 where five boys were fishing One boy ran to safety and one of the boys was saved by a government surveyor But the remaining three 19 were knocked into the water drowning in the surge nbsp Aftermath of the collision with the Port Robinson Bridge 12On August 25 1974 the northbound ore carrier Steelton struck Bridge 12 in Port Robinson The bridge was rising and the impact knocked the bridge over destroying it No one was killed The bridge master Albert Beaver and a watchman on the ship suffered minor injuries The bridge has not been replaced and the inhabitants of Port Robinson have been served by a ferry for many years The Welland Public Library archive has images of the aftermath On August 11 2001 the lake freighter Windoc collided with Bridge 11 in Allanburg closing vessel traffic on the Welland Canal for two days The accident destroyed the ship s wheelhouse and funnel chimney ignited a large fire on board and caused minor damage to the vertical lift bridge The accident and portions of its aftermath were captured on amateur video 20 The vessel was a total loss but there were no reported injuries and no pollution to the waterway The damage to the bridge was focused on the centre of the vertical lift span It was repaired over a number of weeks and reopened to vehicular traffic on November 16 2001 The Marine Investigation Report concluded it is likely that the vertical lift bridge operator s performance was impaired while the bridge span was lowered onto the Windoc 21 22 At around noon on Wednesday September 30 2015 the Lena J cargo ship collided with Bridge 19 in Port Colborne closing the bridge to all vehicle and pedestrian traffic until an assessment could be made on the condition of the bridge 23 24 The vessel had sustained damage to its bridge but was still able to continue on its voyage to Burns Harbour Indiana Pictures of the damage sustained to the vessel and Bridge 19 were captured 25 On Friday October 1 2015 Chris Lee an acting direct engineer for the City of Port Colborne said that the St Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation SLSMC will likely close the bridge to all vehicle traffic until the end of the year However pedestrians will be able to cross the bridge and emergency services will be able to cross the bridge on a limited basis 26 27 23 28 On Tuesday October 6 2015 the City of Port Colborne released a media statement which stated that Bridge 19 will remain closed to vehicular traffic until after the close of the shipping season in December Repairs will begin in early January Detour routes have been planned and mapped by the City of Port Colborne and the City of Welland in order to ease the flow of traffic over Bridge 19A 29 The Welland Canal Fallen Workers Memorial at Lock 3 was unveiled on November 12 2017 This commemorates the 137 workers who died while building the canal 30 On July 11 2020 two cargo ships the Alanis and the Florence Spirit struck each other while executing a passing manoeuvre near Port Robinson According to the St Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation no one was injured no cargo was spilled and an investigation would be undertaken 31 Sabotage editThe Welland Canal has been the focus of plots on a number of occasions throughout its existence However only two have ever been carried out The earliest and potentially most devastating attack occurred on September 9 1841 32 at Lock No 37 Allanburg of the First Welland Canal 43 04 41 N 79 12 36 W 43 07796 N 79 20991 W 43 07796 79 20991 approximately 180 m north of today s Allanburg bridge 33 when an explosive charge destroyed one of the lock gates However a catastrophic flood was prevented when a guard gate located upstream of the lock closed into place preventing the upstream waters from careening down the route of the Canal and causing further damage and possible injury or loss of life It was suspected that Benjamin Lett was responsible for the explosion On April 21 1900 about 6 30 in the evening 34 a dynamite charge was set off against the hinges of Lock No 24 of the Third Welland Canal just to the east of Lock No 7 of today s canal 43 07 23 N 79 11 33 W 43 122976 N 79 192372 W 43 122976 79 192372 doing minor damage This time the saboteurs were caught in nearby Thorold John Walsh John Nolan and the ringleader Dynamite Luke Dillon a member of Clan na Gael 35 were tried at the Welland Courthouse and found guilty receiving life sentences at Kingston Penitentiary The star witness at the trial was a 16 year old Thorold girl named Euphemia Constable who caught a good look at the bombers before being knocked unconscious by the blast While waiting to testify the girl received death threats but they turned out to be a hoax citation needed As for the prisoners Nolan lost his sanity while incarcerated John Walsh was eventually released while Luke Dillon remained in custody until July 12 1914 36 The First World War brought with it plots against the canal and the most notable of them came to be known as The Von Papen Plot In April 1916 a United States federal grand jury issued an indictment against Franz von Papen Captain Hans Tauscher Captain Karl Boy Ed Constantine Covani and Franz von Rintelen on charges of a plot to blow up the Welland Canal 37 38 39 However Papen was at the time safely on German soil having been expelled from the US several months previously for alleged earlier acts of espionage and attempted sabotage Von Papen remained under indictment on these charges until he became Chancellor of Germany in 1932 at which time the charges were dropped Shipping season editThe canal regularly opens late March through December with closure in the winter due to hazardous weather On March 20 2007 the record for the earliest season opening was broken 40 and matched the following year 41 Facts and figures editCurrent canal edit Maximum vessel length 225 5 m 740 ft Maximum vessel draft 8 08 m 26 5 ft Maximum above water clearance 35 5 m 116 ft Elevation change between Lake Ontario and Lake Erie 99 5 m 326 ft Average transit time between the lakes 11 hours Length of canal 43 5 km 27 0 mi Increasing lock size edit Canal First 1829 Second 1846 Third 1887 Fourth 1932 Locks 40 27 26 8Width metres 6 7 8 1 13 7 24 4Length metres 33 5 45 7 82 3 261 8Depth metres 2 4 2 7 4 3 8 2List of locks and crossings edit Locks and crossings are numbered from north to south Welland CanalsLegendDescription km nbsp nbsp nbsp Lake Ontario nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp Port Weller nbsp nbsp nbsp Port Dalhousie nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp Lock 1 3 1 nbsp nbsp nbsp Lock 2 5 9 nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp Queen Elizabeth Way Garden City Skyway nbsp nbsp nbsp Lock 3 10 2 nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp Locks 4 6 12 6 nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp Merritton Tunnel nbsp nbsp nbsp Lock 7 13 9 nbsp nbsp Highway 58 Thorold Tunnel nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp Bridge 11 Allanburg nbsp Deep Cut nbsp Port Robinson nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp Welland Recreational Waterway nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp Welland River to Niagara River nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp Main Street bridge Main Street Tunnel nbsp nbsp nbsp CPR bridge nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp Feeder Canal to Grand River nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp Highway 58A Townline Tunnel nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp Lock 8 at Port Colborne 39 3 nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp Lake Erie 43 5This diagram viewtalkeditMunicipality Lock or bridge number Crossing RemarksSt Catharines Lock 1 43 13 03 N 79 12 47 W 43 217484 N 79 212992 W 43 217484 79 212992St Catharines Bridge 1 Lakeshore Road Regional Road 87 Bascule bridgeSt Catharines Bridge 2 Church Road Now Linwell Road Never installedSt Catharines Lock 2 43 11 35 N 79 12 08 W 43 193131 N 79 202178 W 43 193131 79 202178St Catharines Bridge 3A Carlton Street Regional Road 83 Bascule bridge Replaced original Bridge 3 destroyed in accident St Catharines Bridge 4A Garden City Skyway Queen Elizabeth WaySt Catharines Bridge 4 Queenston Street Regional Road 81 former Highway 8 Bascule bridge also known as Homer Lift Bridge St Catharines Lock 3 43 09 19 N 79 11 35 W 43 155230 N 79 193058 W 43 155230 79 193058 location of Welland Canal Information CentreSt Catharines Bridge 5 Glendale Avenue Regional Road 89 Vertical lift bridgeSt Catharines Bridge 6 Great Western Railway Ontario now Canadian National Railway Bascule bridgeSt Catharines Lock 4 twinned flight lockThorold Locks 5 6 43 08 03 N 79 11 31 W 43 134283 N 79 191899 W 43 134283 79 191899 twinned flight locksThorold Lock 7 43 07 24 N 79 11 38 W 43 123446 N 79 193895 W 43 123446 79 193895 southernmost lift over the Niagara EscarpmentThorold Bridge 7 Hoover Street removedThorold Bridge 8 Niagara St Catharines and Toronto Railway now Canadian National Railway removedThorold Thorold Tunnel carries Highway 58Thorold Bridge 9 Ormond Street removedThorold Bridge 10 Welland Railway now Canadian National Railway removed winter 1998Thorold Bridge 11 Canboro Road Regional Road 20 former Highway 20 Vertical lift bridge Lowered prematurely on Windoc in 2001Thorold Bridge 12 Bridge Street Regional Road 63 destroyed by the Steelton in 1974 replaced by a pedestrian ferryWelland Main Street Tunnel Highway 7146 Welland Townline Tunnel Highway 58A and Canadian National Railway Penn CentralPort Colborne Bridge 19 Main Street Regional Road 3 Highway 3 Bascule bridgePort Colborne Lock 8 42 53 57 N 79 14 46 W 42 899122 N 79 246166 W 42 899122 79 246166 control lockPort Colborne Bridge 19A Mellanby Avenue Regional Road 3A Bascule bridgePort Colborne Bridge 20 Buffalo and Lake Huron Railroad now Canadian National Railway removed winter 1997Port Colborne Bridge 21 Clarence Street Vertical lift bridgeProfile editThe following illustration depicts the profile of the Welland Canal The horizontal axis is the length of the canal The vertical axis is the elevation of the canal segments above mean sea level nbsp Profile of the Welland Canal from Lake Ontario left to Lake Erie right Old alignment prior to Welland By Pass relocation editMunicipality Bridge Number Crossing RemarksWelland Recreational Waterway branches off from the Welland By Pass at Port RobinsonThorold Canadian National Railway built during the relocationThorold Highway 406 built after the relocationWelland Woodlawn Road Regional Road 41 built after the relocationWelland Bridge 13 East Main Street West Main Street Regional Road 27 vertical lift bridge counterweights removed 42 59 30 N 79 15 05 W 42 99167 N 79 25139 W 42 99167 79 25139 Welland Canal Bridge 13 Welland Division Street Regional Road 527 built after the relocationWelland Bridge 14 Lincoln Street rebuilt as fixed span after the relocation 42 59 01 N 79 15 16 W 42 98361 N 79 25444 W 42 98361 79 25444 Welland Canal Bridge 14 Welland Bridge 15 Canada Southern Railway Penn Central rare Baltimore truss swing bridge 42 42 58 37 N 79 15 21 W 42 97694 N 79 25583 W 42 97694 79 25583 Welland Canal Bridge 15 Welland Bridge 16 Ontario Road Broadway Avenue rebuilt as fixed span after the relocation the new span located to the north of the original site of Bridge 16 42 58 25 N 79 15 21 W 42 97361 N 79 25583 W 42 97361 79 25583 Welland Canal Bridge 16 cut by western approaches to Townline Tunnel Highway 58A and Canadian National Railway Penn Central Welland Bridge 17 Canada Air Line Railway now Canadian National Railway vertical lift bridge counterweights still present 42 56 57 N 79 15 00 W 42 94917 N 79 25000 W 42 94917 79 25000 Welland Canal Bridge 17 Welland Bridge 18 Forks Road bridge span removed 42 56 50 N 79 14 58 W 42 94722 N 79 24944 W 42 94722 79 24944 Welland Canal Bridge 18 Welland Recreational Waterway merges with the Welland By Pass at Ramey s Bend in Port Colborne If assigned by the St Lawrence Seaway Authority The original bridges across the fourth canal were numbered in order Numbering was not changed as bridges were removed See also editContainer on bargeReferences edit a b The Welland Canal Navigation Locks Distances and Passage Information Archived from the original on July 10 2017 225 Years of Port Activity PortsToronto The Welland Canals History The Welland Canals History The Welland Canals History The First Three Welland Canals March 11 2018 The Welland Canals History Panama Canal Locks Britannica Great Lakes St Lawrence Seaway System The Welland Canal Section of the St Lawrence Searey PDF Archived PDF from the original on November 19 2012 Merrit Jedediah 1875 Biography of the Hon W H Merritt M P St Catharines E S Leavenworth p 123 Archived from the original on April 5 2016 Retrieved April 6 2015 Chambers Melanie February 26 2008 Frommer s Niagara Region John Wiley amp Sons p 199 ISBN 978 0 470 15324 6 Pilotage on the Welland Canal Archived August 9 2017 at the Wayback Machine page 6 Miles William May 8 2018 Navigation Improvements for the Welland Canal PIANC Panama Archived from the original on February 25 2023 Retrieved February 24 2023 SLSMC has recently completed two improvement projects for the Niagara Region of the St Lawrence Seaway System on the Welland Canal in Ontario Canada Vacuum pads suck ships on canal August 8 2015 Archived from the original on March 13 2017 Retrieved March 12 2017 next up are the flight Locks 4 5 and 6 which will be prepped over the winter with installation scheduled for next year Construction of new Cavotec vacuum mooring system at Locks 4 amp 5 on YouTube Construction of new Cavotec vacuum mooring system at Lock 4 on YouTube Welland Canal suction lift mooring system on YouTube WELLAND CANAL B 1829 STILL A WORK IN PROGRESS www joc com Archived from the original on December 8 2017 Retrieved December 7 2017 Three Boys Drowned When Steamer Broke Thru Gates Of Canal Toronto World June 21 1912 Windoc Bridge Accident YouTube Archived from the original on December 18 2006 Transportation Safety Board of Canada Marine Investigation Report M01C0054 Archived from the original on July 24 2011 YouTube YouTube Archived from the original on May 29 2016 a b Port Colborne bridge still closed to vehicles after collision with ship October 2 2015 Archived from the original on October 5 2015 Cargo Ship clips bridge in Port Colborne Canada Vesselfinder www vesselfinder com Archived from the original on October 5 2015 St Catharines News Latest Daily Breaking News Stories StCatharinesStandard ca StCatharinesStandard ca Archived from the original on October 5 2015 City of Port Colborne Bridge Status portcolborne ca Archived from the original on October 6 2015 Welland News Latest Daily Breaking News Stories WellandTribune ca WellandTribune ca Archived from the original on October 6 2015 Release Press October 2 2015 Status of Bridge 19 Port Colborne Archived from the original on October 6 2015 Archived copy PDF Archived PDF from the original on March 5 2016 Retrieved October 7 2015 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint archived copy as title link Welland Canal Fallen Workers Memorial Archived from the original on November 18 2017 Retrieved November 17 2017 Dramatic collision between two vessels on Welland Canal caught on tape CityNews July 11 2020 Retrieved July 11 2020 Canal has been terrorist target Brock prof Niagara This Week February 26 2010 宜春滤伦科技有限公司 Archived from the original on July 18 2011 Retrieved February 28 2010 Clark The Irish relations trials of an immigrant tradition p 121 Dynamite Luke among canal s terrorists Welland Tribune February 19 2010 Clark The Irish relations trials of an immigrant tradition p 122 Tauscher Figure In 1916 Plot Dies Acquitted of Charges That He Planned to Blow Up Welland Canal in World War Served Krupp Interests Ex Aide of von Papen Had Arms Firms Here Husband of Johanna Gadski Singer New York Times September 6 1941 Archived from the original on April 2 2015 Retrieved March 21 2015 Captain Hans Tauscher former officer of the Imperial German Army who was indicted with Franz von Papen during the World War but acquitted by a Federal jury of charges that he conspired to blow up the strategic Welland Canal died here yesterday in St Clare s Hospital Indict Von Papen As Canal Plotter Federal Jury Names Recalled Attache and Four Others in Welland Conspiracy One Name is Kept Secret Captain Tauscher Fritzen Covani and Another Accused New York Times April 18 1916 Archived from the original on March 5 2016 Captain Franz von Papen Military Attache of the German Embassy who was recently at the request of the United States Government recalled to Germany was indicted by a Federal Grand Jury yesterday as one of the heads of the alleged conspiracy that was hatched in this country in the first weeks of the war to destroy the Welland Canal which forms the navigating link in Canadian territory between Lakes Erie and Ontario Welland Canal Case Information Annual 1917 p 652 Retrieved March 23 2015 Welland Canal Opens Today just Beating the Arrival of Spring Toronto Star Toronto March 20 2007 p A21 Canal opens for 2008 shipping season niagarathisweek com March 26 2008 Archived from the original on January 25 2018 Retrieved September 2 2020 Welland Railway Bridge Archived from the original on January 15 2008 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Welland Canal Wellandcanals ca Detailed phototours of all Four Welland Canals Survey maps of the First and Second Welland Canals at Brock University Official Seaway Schedule Page Archived June 12 2008 at the Wayback Machine Official Seaway Traffic Map Page Archived June 12 2010 at the Wayback Machine New Inland Canal Rivals Panama February 1931 Popular Science The Old Welland Canals Field Guide Exploring the Old Welland Canals Google map Railway Maps includes details of the Welland Realignment The Welland Canal Section of the St Lawrence Seaway Archived November 19 2012 at the Wayback Machine PDF Has information about Niagara Region bridges including many Welland Canal Bridges Archived September 27 2011 at the Wayback Machine Welland Public Library archive of canal history images amp clippings Archived August 2 2018 at the Wayback Machine Images from the Historic Niagara Digital Collections Art works from the collection of the Niagara Falls Public Library Windoc Bridge Accident Youtube 2006 09 30 Al Miller Windoc Accident Archived February 5 2012 at the Wayback Machine The Great Swivel Link Canada s Welland Canal a history of the canals published by the Champlain Society in 2000 Welland Canal Records Brock University Library Digital Repository Hamilton Merritt Welland Canal circular RG 506 Brock University Library Digital Repository Sykes fonds Welland Canal Scrapbook RG 341 Brock University Library Digital Repository Ivan S Brookes fonds RG 182 Brock University Library Digital Repository43 09 20 00 N 79 11 37 50 W 43 1555556 N 79 1937500 W 43 1555556 79 1937500 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Welland Canal amp oldid 1177433597, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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