<span>Proposed in 1808 and completed in 1825, the canal links the waters of Lake Erie
in the west to the Hudson River in the east. An engineering marvel when
it was built, some called it the Eighth Wonder of the World. </span>This was very beneficial to people whose jobs consisted of delivering
goods across long distances. A few of the disadvantages of the building
of the Erie Canal were that it cost seven million dollars to complete.
It was built as a commercial transportation route. Barges were towed
by mules, up and down the canal. This facilitated westward expansion.
It was replaced by railroads, which were faster and could reach further.
A canal has to be level, for the water to remain in it. A train can
run up and down slopes and through dry areas and dry seasons. A canal
is only useful if it is full of water. The erie canal was for nation building and was north america's most
successful + influential public works project built between 1817 + 1825
this 363 mile long canal was the first all water link between the
atlantic seaboard and great lakes <span>There
was very little in the way of 'technology' as we know it used in the
building of canals in the nineteenth century. Animals were used to pull
carts hauling away the soil as the digging of the waterway went ahead
while large groups of labourers dug out the soil with basic tools such
as spades and pick axes. There may have been some animal driven
machinery to plough up the soil but it would still need to have manpower
to move it from the bottom of the canal to a cart to be carried off. </span>
