Where the Canal Met the River

Where the Canal Met the River. . , The Delaware Canal was built to transport coal from northeastern Pennsylvania to the Philadelphia and New York markets. Its route essentially parallels the Delaware River. So why not use the River to convey boats loaded with 70-80 tons of cargo?, The River had falls and rapids and was shallow most of the year. The Canal was a safe and reliable alternative. It was uniformly deep and used locks to overcome changes in elevation., Its engineers decided to terminate the Delaware Canal in Bristol Borough because the Delaware River was tidal and deep enough to safely tow canal boats downriver to points in New Jersey and Philadelphia., Handing Cargo Before Leaving , Near this site, where the Canal and River met, the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company erected a large pier, a 500 × 100-foot warehouse, and power crane in 1908. The facilities were used to unload cargo from canal boats, store it, and load it onto larger barges for river transport. The circular foundation of the power crane remains today. it is known as "The Ring" and features designs inspired by local history., [Caption:] , The Delaware Canal was originally known as the Delaware Division Canal because it was one part of an extensive system of canals that ran across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania., The Delaware Canal extends 58.9-miles from Bristol Borough to Easton where it connected with the Lehigh Canal. The Lehigh Canal headed north to Mauch Chunk, now known as Jim Thorpe, where coal from the mines was loaded onto canal boats.