Section between Willow Springs and Lockport
The final section of the canal was a nearly 15-mile stretch through bedrock from Willow Springs to Lockport. Here thousands and thousands of cubic yards of stone were excavated in order to build the canal. Some of this stone was then fashioned into blocks used for the canal’s retaining walls. Chief Engineer Isham Randolph described the scene:
The channellers cut gashes,
The tramways groaned to bear
The heavy loads the “muckers ” gave
To be their toilsome share.
Workers Hauling Off Loose Stone, June 2, 1896
Much of the manual labor on the canal involved hauling off the stone loosened by dynamite explosions. Workers are seen here with stone piles on June 2, 1896.
See also: Sanitary and Ship Canal; Willow Springs
Steam Hoists and Cranes, 29 June 1894
Specialized steam hoists and cranes were used as labor-saving devices on the canal, as seen here on June 29, 1894.
See also: Construction
“The Sierra Mountains (Spoil Banks) along Drainage Canal,” June 28, 1899
Hauling away rock to make the channel was a central task. Main channel construction removed 29.5 million cubic yards of glacial drift and 12.3 million cubic yards of solid rock.
See also: Quarrying, Stone Cutting, and Brickmaking
Making Limestone Blocks, 12 July 189
Some of the rock removed for the channel was fashioned into blocks used to build the retaining walls on the other side of the channel.
See also: Quarrying, Stone Cutting, and Brickmaking
Building the Retaining Wall, 18 September 1894
The retaining walls for the 28-mile main channel contained 880,000 cubic yards of stone, taken from blasting. The excess stone was sold for other construction projects. This photograph shows the first retaining wall constructed.
See also: Construction
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