BGuthrie Photos: MD -- C&O Canal NHP -- Mile 84.6 -- Dam 4

MD -- C&O Canal NHP -- Mile 84.6 -- Dam 4:

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[1] DAM4_160613_001_STITCH.JPG

[2] DAM4_160613_003_STITCH.JPG

[3] DAM4_160613_004_STITCH.JPG

[4] DAM4_160613_006.JPG	[5] DAM4_160613_008.JPG	[6] DAM4_160613_011.JPG
[7] DAM4_160613_013.JPG	[8] DAM4_160613_018.JPG	[9] DAM4_160613_024.JPG
[10] DAM4_160613_032.JPG	[11] DAM4_160613_037.JPG	[12] DAM4_160613_039.JPG
[13] DAM4_160613_042.JPG	[14] DAM4_160613_051.JPG	[15] DAM4_160613_055.JPG
[16] DAM4_160613_060.JPG	[17] DAM4_160613_063.JPG	[18] DAM4_160613_070.JPG
[19] DAM4_160613_075.JPG	[20] DAM4_160613_077.JPG	[21] DAM4_160613_083.JPG
[22] DAM4_160613_085.JPG	[23] DAM4_160613_093.JPG	[24] DAM4_160613_094.JPG
[25] DAM4_160613_099.JPG	[26] DAM4_160613_105.JPG	[27] DAM4_160613_110.JPG
[28] DAM4_160613_115.JPG	[29] DAM4_160613_125.JPG

Specific picture descriptions: Photos above with "i" icons next to the bracketed sequence numbers (e.g. "[1] ") are described as follows:
1. DAM4_160613_008.JPG: Dam 4: Dam #4 is one of a series of seven feeder dams along the Potomac River which provided water to fill the C&O Canal. The water in the canal was kept at a depth of 6 feet, the amount needed for boats to move through the canal ditch. Located about twelve miles upstream from Sharpsburg, Maryland and Shepherdstown, West Virginia, Dam #4 was built using timber cribs filled with stone. In 1856 a masonry dam was built to replace the original structure. In 1909, a power plant was built by Martinsburg Power Company on the West Virginia side of the dam. It continues to produce electricity, partially supplying power to Shepherdstown, West Virginia.
2. DAM4_160613_018.JPG: Dam 4: Dam 4, one of the finest masonry dams of its day, was built in 1856 after the first rubble and brush dam proved vulnerable to flood damage. The dam watered the canal between here (mile 84.4) and Dam 3 near Harpers Ferry (mile 62.2). The dam created Big Slackwater, a pool reaching 13 miles upriver. Because of rocky cliffs that reach down to the water's edge, canal boats entered the river at the inlet lock located one mile upstream. The towpath was cut into the rocks. Dam 4 backed up water on the Potomac River for 13 miles, enabling canal boats to enter and float this section of the river called Big Slackwater. The winch house, standing over the canal, could drop a gate to dam off floodwaters. The winch house, however, proved to be highly susceptible to flood damage.
3. DAM4_160613_042.JPG: Guard Gate and Wall: When Dam No. 4 was built, it created a huge pool of water known as the "Big Slackwater" section of the Potomac River. This high, deep reservoir provided a large volume of water to feed the canal, as well as relatively smooth water upstream for canal boats entering the river. River water was essential for C&O Canal navigation, but it could also be destructive. The guard gate in front of you stored wood planks that could be lowered during floods to protect the canal below from damage. The high guard wall you are standing on also protected the canal from floodwaters. The winch house contained machinery to operate the guard gate during floods. The original building is gone. The National Park Service built the current structure in 1970. Today hikers and bicyclists use this high guard wall instead of the historic towpath for about a mile upstream. Under the winch house you can see grooves cut into the limestone gate by the tow ropes.
4. DAM4_160613_075.JPG: Grooves cut into the stone from tow ropes
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