. To Ottawa, Ontario via the Rideau Lakes and River from the Thousand Islands and the territory of the New York Central Lines . the work standsas an apparently enduring monument not only of the power ofbrains, and pluck, and financial resource, but likewise bearingon every lock, every dam and every revetment wall the hall-mark of capable labor honestly performed. To fully recognizethis, one has to but step off either of the steamers of the Navi-gation Co., in their passage of any one of the locks along theroute, and carefully note the nature of the work done by theseearly artisans and engineer
. To Ottawa, Ontario via the Rideau Lakes and River from the Thousand Islands and the territory of the New York Central Lines . the work standsas an apparently enduring monument not only of the power ofbrains, and pluck, and financial resource, but likewise bearingon every lock, every dam and every revetment wall the hall-mark of capable labor honestly performed. To fully recognizethis, one has to but step off either of the steamers of the Navi-gation Co., in their passage of any one of the locks along theroute, and carefully note the nature of the work done by theseearly artisans and engineers. They will scarce need be toldthat thoroughness and strength entered largely into the workon hand. There is an air of solidity and massiveness aboutevery inch of the great structure which not only leaves upon themind a sense of strength, but is also very apt to lead to the for-mation of contrasts between the contracting results of this ageand those of the long, long ago. Of course much of this isexplainable from the fact that the route, as originally intended,was nothing more or less than a military highway independent. OLD BLOCK HOUSE AT MORTON DAM, RIDEAU ROUTE—REACHED BY THENEW YORK CENTRAL. of that already established along the St. Lawrence. One needsto realize this, too, in looking about for a solution to the evi-dences of massive strength which are met with at almost everyturn. At many of the locks the original dwellings of the earlylockmasters are still to be seen. These structures, known asblockhouses, are very solidly built of stone, loopholed for mus-ketry; situated always so as to thoroughly command the ap-proaches to the locks, and underneath not a few of them arestill to be found drilled wells capable of supplying water to theinmates in the event of their being besieged. History happilytells us, however, that during all these years the great work hasnever been put to the use for which it was originally , not a little food for reflection, on the c
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookidtoottawaonta, bookyear1902
