|
Abutment |
An abutment is
the support at either end of a bridge or aqueduct. It is located on
bank of the body of water that the structure is crossing. |
|
Aqueduct |
An aqueduct is a
structure that carries the bed of the canal and the towpath across
another body of water that is too big to be crossed by a culvert. |
| Basin |
A basin is an
enlarged section of the canal where boats could dock or turn around.
Many business were often located around basins. |
| Berm Bank |
The canal's berm
bank is the bank of the canal opposite the towpath. Sometimes the
berm is simply the contour of the natural geography of the area the
canal passes through. |
| Canal Boat |
The canal boat
was the form of transportation on the canal. They were typically 14
feet wide and 80 feet long. Three types generally operated on the
O&E Canal: the freighter, the packet, and the state boat. |
|
Culvert |
A culvert is a
structure through which a small stream can pass under the canal. |
| Dry Dock |
A dry dock is a
cut out in the canal that can be drained of water where canal boats
can be stored or repaired. |
|
Feeder |
A feeder is a
channel that supplies a water source to the canal from another body
of water. |
| Guard Lock |
A guard lock is a
special kind of lock that is used to control water levels in the
canal but not provide a specific lift for canal boats. They are
located near slackwater impoundments where they protect the canal
from flooding from the slackwater. |
|
Lift Lock or Lock |
A lock is a canal
structure that is used to raise and lower canal boats to the
varying levels of the canal as it changes altitude through the
state. Each lock on the O&E Canal raised boats anywhere from 7 to 17
feet. A lock is 15 feet wide and 90 feet long.
Originally made of sandstone blocks, many locks were later
resurfaced with concrete. |
| Sidecut |
A sidecut is a
branch of the main canal that provides access to a location not
serviced by the main canal. |
| Slackwater |
A slackwater is
water impounded by a dam. The canal sometimes shared a river by
actually flowing into it at a slackwater behind a dam. The level of
water in the canal was protected by guard locks. |
|
Sluice |
A sluice is a
structure that allows a controlled amount of water out of the canal
chamber. |
|
Spillway |
The spillway is
a regulating channel for canal water that is temporarily damned up when lock
gates are closed. The water is bypassed around the lock and
back into the canal. Most locks had a spillway and the power of the
bypassed water was often used for mills that sprung up along the
canal. |
| Towpath |
The towpath is
the side of the canal on which the mules that pulled the canal boats
would walk. It runs parallel to the canal, usually between it and a
river. |
|
Tumble |
The tumble is
the structure at the beginning of the spillway through which the
water is directed into the spillway itself. |
|
Weir |
A weir is a small
dam used to gauge water flow in a body of water |
