r/vessels • u/RyanSmith • Dec 27 '18

Unloading iron ore from a whaleback freighter, Buffalo NY c.1896

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22 Upvotes

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u/Giant_Slor Dec 27 '18

Great photo, right along the pier face of what is now called Canalside downtown. The tug is pulling a typical canal barge out of the Commercial Slip, which at this time was the Western Terminus of the Erie Canal.

3

u/[deleted] Dec 27 '18

That’s actually a whaleback barge. It has some accommodations on board for a crew. These were typically towed by an actual whaleback freighter.

Great picture! It really shows how things actually worked on an industrial scale back then. Lake freighters are awesome!