The tall shaft (with the “box” on top) is the elevator shaft in the West Cottons complex. To the right in the background is the old freight & people elevator tower in the east mill. It has a flagpole on it. This photo appears to have been taken looking east-northeast and shows the houses on Race Street, most of which are still there. At the downstream end of the dry dock, there is a lock which can be seen on the (right-hand) side of the photo. Downstream of it was called “Boardy Bottom” where the brave kids went to swim. The water was emptied into the canal facing east and then into the river. This is where the tank farm for Universal Terminals was located. Boards or heavy beams were placed at the bottom east of the lock to prevent erosion when the bottom lock gates were opened to drain the dry dock after vessels were in. The dry dock was filled from the west end to take advantage of the difference in elevations of the river and canal. —Notes: Ray Amell

Memory Shared: I’d like to think that this unidentified dredge is part of the fleet abandoned/sunk up by the present-day Girls Guides camp near Long Sault. The sunken fleet consists of a dredge, two barges (one of which was possibly a floating crane) an old tugboat, (the boiler of which is said to have been used later in the original hospital at York and Water Streets), and a scow or “belly dumper” that hauled away the dredged materials. Amazingly the scow lies on its side, giving divers access to the top and bottom with excellent views of the bottom doors.

~ Note by Ray Amell