The Richmond Aqueduct, now abandoned, was the longest aqueduct on the Erie Canal. The Erie Canal we had been traveling on from Seneca Falls toward Rochester was the latest iteration of a 363- mile system that began operation in 1826. At that time the canal was 40 feet wide and four feet deep as it rose 600 feet through a series of locks from the Hudson River to Lake Erie.

There was a towpath on one side. Horses or mules pulled three and a half foot wide canal boats.

Many of the rivers encountered during construction were crossed by aqueducts so as not to disturb the river flow. The canal water on which the boats floated was carried over the river in a wooden trough supported by stone piers. A stone arched bridge carried the towpath.

Between 1834 and 1862, the canal was widened to 70 feet and deepened to seven feet. The route of the Old Erie Canal was straightened, locks were widened, and new aqueducts were constructed.

After World War I, the "Modern New York State Barge Canal" changed much of the old route, abandoned several sections, and utilized (canalized) the rivers that were avoided before. The channel was widened to 120 feet and deepened to 12 feet. In 1992, the canal sys- tem came under the NY State Thruway Authority and began to serve recreational traffic primarily. It is subsidized by Thruway tolls.

Old Lock 60 was opened in 1826 and abandoned in 1914. We passed the historic Richmond Aqueduct near the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge. This longest of the aqueducts once crossed the Seneca River.

Captain John stopped at the Macedon Marina for fuel. He pumped 100 gallons of diesel into the tank of the

Fantessy. The $500 fee was charged to the company from which we rented the boat.

We stopped at Old Lock 60 and got out to have a look at history. The lock opened in 1826 as a single chamber with a 10- foot lift, then enlarged in 1841. Another chamber was added in 1874, and the lock was lengthened to 110 feet in 1888. It was abandoned in 1914. It is now part of the NY Park System.

The Fantessy Four roamed around the lock for about an hour before moving on to Fairport. I was amazed at the simple construction such as the mule- operated gate that opened and closed to let water in the lock and raise the boats. Linda admired the flowers blooming along the trail that now leads through the locks.

The modern Erie Canal Lock E30 has a lift of six feet. It was constructed soon after 1918 and has been renovated several times since. The huge stone walls brought forth memories of Tikal, Macchu Picchu, and Ankor. Though not as old or as spiritual as the Mayan, Incan, or Khmer temples, the Erie Canal structures tell a story of man's ability to conquer the environment and open up the American West.

This model of a canal aqueduct shows the arched stone foundation supporting the wooden trough on which the boats float across the river. The tow path is on one side and the foot path on the other.