The canal bisected many roads along the way. Travelers on the roads had to have a way
across the canal. In many cases, this problem was solved with a 'swing' or 'bump' bridge.
This bridge would allow a horse and buggy or wagon to pass over the canal. Canal boats
would approach the bridge and bump the structure, pivoting it out of the way. Some bridges
were more substantial in character.
Piqua's steam-operated swing bridge over the canal on Main Street, ca. 1910. The small building contained the steam engine that operated the mechanism. |
| Work stoppages were common when the canal work
was at its height in Shelby County, Ohio, and the rest of the nation was in the midst of
an economic depression known as the 'Panic of 1837'. It was eight years before the entire
Miami & Erie Canal was completed, and the county residents could enjoy the full
benefits canal business had to offer. The Sidney Feeder was 14 miles long, beginning at a
dam on the Great Miami River just north of Port Jefferson, and ending at Lock No. 1 in
Lockington. It was built 50 feet wide at the top, and contained no locks. The feeder canal
paralleled the Great Miami River most of the way from Port Jefferson to Sidney. It entered
Sidney from the northeast and moved in a southwesterly direction through the center of
town, passing behind what is now Crescent Avenue. [Back] [Next] [Up] [New Search] 'Canal' segment written in December, 1998 by Rich Wallace |