Taken from Williamsport side of hill, looking at Fenton Ave and N. Conococheague St - Byron Tannery - 1936 flood.
Working in the canal prism or any of the canal's various structures often meant dealing with water that could never entirely be prevented from seeping or running into the work area. In this photo it appears a steam pump is being used to remove water from the lock that is being reconstructed.
Reconstruction of Lock 33.
Lock 33 is particularly vulnerable to floods as it is not high above river level. In addition, the proximity of the mouth of the Shenandoah, which is normally also in flood when the Potomac is, results in extremely turbulent waters at this point. As a consequence Lock 33 frequently suffered damage from severe floods.
When this reconstruction was done, the canal was being operated by the Canal Transportation Company, which had been created by the receivership that took over under court supervision after the C&O Canal Company went bankrupt in 1889. By this time steam-powered equipment was available, making such heavy work as moving the large stones significantly easier than in the 19th century when such equipment did not exist.
Air view. Tannery, Fenton Ave and N. Conococheague St, Williamsport
BUILDINGS FLOATING IN RIVER;
HANCOCK BRIDGE MAY GO OUT
River Reaches 38 Feet At Williamsport And Still Rising;
Scores Of Clubhouses Swept Into Swirling Waters;
Most Of Hancock Is Under Water.
This picture most likely records the 1924 flood that resulted in the closure of the C&O Canal. The building on the right was a store that sold feed and likely also other supplies, while the lockhouse that stood between the towpath and the river is on the left. That lockhouse often flooded, but survived until finally being destroyed by the 1936 flood.
The flood of 1924 was caused by heavy rains in the Potomac valley on March 28 and 29—shortly after the canal had opened for the 1924 boating season. Since the flood of 1889 that had forced the C&O Canal Company into bankruptcy, the canal had been in receivership and under the authority the court. However the receivership was essentially controlled by the B&O Railroad that was the chief bondholder under the mortgage bonds of 1844 and 1878.
Repairs being carried out on the wall of the Conococheague Aqueduct. The berm side of the aqueduct was damaged in a 1920 accident in which Canal Boat No. 73 hit the wall and went through, landing in the creek with no loss of life but bringing the rest of the wall down with it. Instead of going to the expense of repairing so much stonework, the canal company built a wooden trough to carry boats.
Section of canal affected by a break, possibly as a result of a aqueduct wall, culvert or berm collapse. Note the large number of stones in the canal on the right of the photograph, and the mules grazing or tied near their troughs on the tow path.