Plotter Kill Aqueduct

Plotter Kill Aqueduct. . , These stone arches are the remains of an aqueduct that conveyed the Erie Canal across the Plotter Kill Creek. Aqueducts were used to carry the canal and its towpath over rivers, ravines, and other obstructions. They each consisted of an arched stone bridge that a towpath crossed, next to stone pilings that supports a wooden trough through which the canal flowed., This aqueduct dates to 1840, built as part of the First Enlargement of the canal, which expanded the original “Clinton’s Ditch” canal; it replaced a smaller aqueduct on the Plotter Kill just north of this structure. It was situated between Locks 24 and 25 of the Enlarged Canal; a similar aqueduct was built a few miles to the west over the Sandsea Kill in Pattersonville, and a more spectacular example included the fourteen-arch Rexford Aqueduct, east of Schenectady, which brought the canal across the Mohawk River. While the canal was in use, the aqueduct here was usually known as “Van Slyck’s” or the Flat Stone Creek” Aqueduct. , On July 21, 1890, a flood destroyed nearly all of the aqueduct, washing away two of the stone piers, most of the wooden trough, and all the towpath bridge save for the wing walls at either end. The loss of the aqueduct forced the closure of the entire Canal for eleven days until a temporary structure could be put in place. Thus, most of the aqueduct’s remains date back to the 1890’s; a careful look at the bridge reveals the seams where the new arches in the middle were joined to the older wing walls., When the Canal was abandoned in 1918. The aqueduct fell into disrepair. At some point the stones from piers were reused in the abutments for the Route 5S bridge adjacent to the site. However, the stone walls for the canal remain visible on either side of the stream, and the canal prism is evident on the western edge of the parking lot, where the Mohawk-Hudson Bike-Hike Trail follows the Canal’s towpath for several miles., Caption for upper photo: A sluice in place allow the Canal’s water to flow through the aqueduct while the aqueduct was being rebuilt following the 1891 flood., Caption for illustration: The Mud Creek Aqueduct, similar in size to the Plotter Kill Aqueduct, was built near Palmyra, NY. The top drawing gives a side view of the aqueduct, looking upstream; the wooden trough can be seen through the arches. The Main drawing shows the aqueduct from the top, with the trough’s beams revealed under the planking; the towpath bridge is at the bottom. The drawing to the left shows a transverse section of the aqueduct, with the towpath bridge to the left., Caption for bottom photo: A view of the aqueduct after it was abandoned; the stone pier for the trough is still visible in the bottom left of the picture.