tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15935045.post626723767216143226..comments2024-01-19T02:23:51.665-06:00Comments on Journal Wunelle: The Dog Days of Summerwstachourhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12447198404608861357noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15935045.post-75306812773163051912008-07-27T08:14:00.000-05:002008-07-27T08:14:00.000-05:00All our locks are manual in operation. The valves...All our locks are manual in operation. The valves to fill and drain are operated by big crank wheels or levers on both ends (several from which to choose), and the doors are opened, one at a time, by big levers on a treadmill--the operator walks in a circle pushing this four foot pipe!<BR/><BR/>A little dance ensues for any single operator (I've seen two people operate the lock, too, which is easy and quick), moving from valve to door, and then back to the closed doors to run across to the other side and get THAT door. The first Neenah lock also has a drawbridge for foot traffic--also entirely manual--which must be worked into the dance.wstachourhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12447198404608861357noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15935045.post-70333388886185452272008-07-26T12:47:00.000-05:002008-07-26T12:47:00.000-05:00I used to visit the Hudson locks near Schuylervill...I used to visit the Hudson locks near Schuylerville when I was living in New York. They too are small compared to the behemoths on the St. Lawrence, and from the looks of your photos I would guess they are from a similar era as the locks you have pictured.<BR/><BR/>Anyways, alongside the "modern" locks that were less that a hundred years old, we could explore the even older ones that had been abandoned and replaced. Those predated electricity and were opened/closed using manual or animal power. Amazing engineering.shrimplatehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08347542266047278227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15935045.post-32091097856939811552008-07-26T09:01:00.000-05:002008-07-26T09:01:00.000-05:00The river is divided into channels for power gener...The river is divided into channels for power generation, for navigation, and the rest for flow control. In the midst of summer when there's not much rainfall, only the power generation and navigation channels have much water in them; the rest might be nearly dry.<BR/><BR/>Because of that, the locks and their corresponding dams are often not exactly co-located along the Fox. In the case of Lock #4, the dam is a quarter mile or more upstream from the lock, and the navigation channel extends around the side of the dam and downstream to the lock.<BR/><BR/>(I looked for a picture of the two together, but I can't really get one without a boat.)wstachourhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12447198404608861357noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15935045.post-92165983815885469412008-07-25T23:12:00.000-05:002008-07-25T23:12:00.000-05:00Love your photos - are they from the new iPhone? ...Love your photos - are they from the new iPhone? I don't see any shots that show what the locks are there for. Are there rapids or falls in the river, or just dams to regulate flow?<BR/><BR/>My kids and I love heading down to the 'boat elevator' near my office to watch the river and the barges go by. It is great to have some of the tallest locks on the Mississippi withing walking distance. Unfortunately, the Army Corp of Engineers has had staff cut-backs and the spiffy visitor center for the locks has been closed for several years.<BR/><BR/>One of the neatest things about locks is how very little energy to use. There is no need to expend much energy to lift the ships since the water can just be allowed to flow into the lock on its own, and then allowed to flow out when you want to lower a ship.<BR/><BR/>We'll be taking a family trip through the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in a couple of weeks, and will be sure to stop by and check out the locks at Sault Ste. Marie.Jeffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13860812772132171202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15935045.post-83267109837325055062008-07-25T18:44:00.000-05:002008-07-25T18:44:00.000-05:00Given the size of our local locks, not too much bi...Given the size of our local locks, not <I>too much</I> bigger than myself!wstachourhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12447198404608861357noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15935045.post-72141448171425469712008-07-25T18:30:00.000-05:002008-07-25T18:30:00.000-05:00Very similar to watching the ore boats go undernea...Very similar to watching the ore boats go underneath the lift bridge in Duluth. About the time that they were underneath the bridge, they would blow the horn and just about make you fall in to the water. Something about being interested in something bigger than ourselves.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15935045.post-3967814693008121932008-07-25T15:24:00.000-05:002008-07-25T15:24:00.000-05:00I'm just mesmerized by all these infrastructure-is...I'm just mesmerized by all these infrastructure-ish things: bridges and roadways and railroads and construction sites and so on.<BR/><BR/>Proof that you never really grow up!wstachourhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12447198404608861357noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15935045.post-72022644337434835422008-07-25T15:01:00.000-05:002008-07-25T15:01:00.000-05:00You know, as I think about it, when I was a child,...You know, as I think about it, when I was a child, our annual vacation was up at the 1000 Islands on the St. Lawrence River. Never in all that time did I ever get to go to one of the locks on the St. Lawrence Seaway. I would imagine the same ore freighters could have gone through those too. Next time I am up that way, I think I am going to carve out a day to go sit at one of those locks and just watch.Malaise Inchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00507704570358674840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15935045.post-61055384150193759192008-07-25T09:53:00.000-05:002008-07-25T09:53:00.000-05:00These locks are pretty small, designed to accommod...These locks are pretty small, designed to accommodate the small steam vessels from a hundred years ago.<BR/><BR/>My blog partner Jeffy's office is on the Mississippi near one of their much larger locks. And those are doubles as well--ours are all singles.<BR/><BR/>I used to have flying layovers up in Sault Ste. Marie, and would drive into town and watch the ore boats going thru the locks there. It defies belief to see something that huge rising and falling in front of you!wstachourhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12447198404608861357noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15935045.post-78686304776915455842008-07-25T09:31:00.000-05:002008-07-25T09:31:00.000-05:00The picture of the lock reminds me of the locks o...The picture of the lock reminds me of the locks on the Barge Canal (successor to the Erie Canal). I had a cousin that lived near the canal that I used to hang with some during the summer and we would occasionally go to the locks and watch them work. I also used to ride my bike on the path along the canal. Good memories.Malaise Inchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00507704570358674840noreply@blogger.com