Lock One of the Third Welland Canal

Lock One of the Third Welland Canal. , This stone lock was the Welland Canal's important northern terminus from 1882 to 1930, and played a central role in the life of the village of Port Dalhousie. The last of the three entry locks of the early canals located in Port Dalhousie, it replaced the 1848 lock as part of the Third Welland Canal built to accommodate the increasing size of Great Lakes vessels., The achievement of Confederation in 1867 was a major factor in the building of the Third Welland Canal. By that time, with the prevalence of large steamers on the Great Lakes as major shipping vessels (many of which were too large for the Welland Canal), a new and enlarged waterway was seen as vital to the commerce of the country. In 1871 a Royal Commission on inland navigation recommended that the Welland Canal be enlarged and deepened, part of overall improvements to the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence route in which uniform dimensions for all locks was a crucial component., Plans by the federal government for the Welland Canal improvements began in 1872, and by mid-1875 most of the contracts for the work awarded. The site of the new lock at Port Dalhousie was moved further inland from the old lock, to the location of the Donaldson and Andrews shipyard whose property was expropriated. By July 1876, work was underway on the new Lock One., Steam-powered equipment played a large part in the excavation and construction: steam dredges, drills, excavators, pumps, and early steam shovels removed huge amounts of clay, dirt, and water. Along with the machinery, three thousand men laboured with picks, shovels, plows, scrapers and hundreds of teams of horses to prepare the site. Several hundred stonecutters and stonemasons shaped the limestone blocks that were swung into place with huge cranes and derricks., Excavation and construction at the site proved especially difficult and complicated with serious problems. Clay at the bottom of the lock pit required time-consuming blasting. Heavy rains in September 1878 caused severe flooding and destruction at the site. In March 1881, a large crack appeared in the masonry, threatening the lock's stability. All the problems were eventually overcome, and the lock completed in 1882. Improvements were also made to the harbour and piers, the harbour deepened to 15', and a towpath constructed., The new lock was 270' long, 45' wide, and 12' deep. Further construction to deepen all the Welland Canal locks to 14' was completed in 1887, allowing for the passage of vessels 260' long with a cargo capacity of 2700 tons., After the completion of the Third Canal, Port Dalhousie's importance grew as a Shipping centre and service location for canal vessels and their crews, seen in its many stores, hotels, taverns, businesses, and shipyards. Proximity to the new lock and its hydroelectric potential led to the establishment of new business in the village, notably the Maple Leaf Rubber Company factory., By 1890, almost 900,000 tons of cargo were shipped along the canal annually, primarily wheat, corn, coal and forest products; by 1914, this had increased to almost 4 million tons. As soon as the new canal was completed, however, shipping companies, ship owners, and other business interests continued to demand further canal enlargements. A new Welland Ship Canal was completed in 1930, bypassing Port Dalhousie. Lock One of the Third Canal continued to be used for the passage of boats into Martindale Pond, but was decommissioned by the St. Lawrence Seaway Authority in 1968 and its southern end filled in.