Existing comment:
Mule Power:
Mules were the "engines" for the canal boats.
Normally, a boat captain had four mules. Two worked while two rested in their stall in the front of the boat. Captains usually cared for their mules as if they were part of the family. In the canal's peak years, the 1870s, there were about 3,000 mules working on the canal. |