WHM- The Blackstone Canal - How the Canal Operated

Highway of Commerce: The Blackstone Canal
Industrial Worcester

How the Canal Operated

Administration
Canal commissioners oversaw maintenance and appointed agents for the Blackstone Canal Company (BCC) - the collector of tolls in Providence, the deputy collector in Worcester, superintendents who oversaw activities on the terminals' wharves, and lockkeepers who manned gates, regulated traffic, and enforced compliance. After canal traffic declined, they became the collectors.

Boats
Canal boats were 45-to-70 feet long and up to 9 feet 3 inches wide at the deck. They weighed 25-to-30 tons and drew 2-to-2 ½ feet of water. The BCC began operations with 8 freight boats and one packet boat, Lady Carrington. The fleet peaked at 14 in 1830, but declined to 4 before the canal closed in 1848.

One competing line, the Worcester Boating Company, operated the Washington, Lafayette, and Salisbury. The Washington, the first locally made canal boat, was constructed on Summer Street and moved overland on wheels to launch on April 1, 1829. The Massachusetts Spy reported:

The new Canal Boat, Washington, was launched in this town . . .in the presence of a large concourse of gratified spectators, to whom a patriotic and eloquent address, adapted to the occasion, was delivered by Emory Washburn, Esq.

Crew
A Canal boat had a 3-man crew - the captain and 2 assistants, one to drive the horses along the towpath, the other to remain on board as an aid to the captain, who manned the tiller. The captain earned about $26/month plus board; assistants earned about $15/month plus board. (At the time, a farm laborer earned about $24/month plus board.) Lodging was an important part of pay. Although actual travel time was 14 hours, the round trip between Providence and Worcester took 4 days on average with stop overs, usually Uxbridge, on the 1st and 3rd nights.

Logistics
Owners had to register vessels with the BCC, and the captain had to obtain an operating license. The boat's name and place of origin had to be painted "in a conspicuous place in letters not less than 3 inches long."

The captain had to give the collector or deputy collector a freight list itemizing cargo and designating shippers, consignees, and their locations. After paying the assessed toll, he received a permit to pass through the locks.

General Rules of Navigation
- Travel on the canal was prohibited from one hour after sunset to one hour before sunrise.

- Boats were not allowed to travel faster than four miles per hour.

- On Sundays no boats were allowed to leave from Providence or Worcester. For boats traveling from the intermediate parts, "proper Sabbath manners" were to be preserved and the customary sounding of the horn was prohibited.