41 06' 80 N
75 43' 39 W
Francis E. Walter Dam is one of the largest dams on the Lehigh River.
There were many sections of the river that could not be navigated by
the packet boats. The canal was built to avoid these dangerous sections.
A system of canal locks allowed passage in and out of the river to make
the trip south. During the height of the coal industry, there were 56
locks in the canal. Forty-eight were lift locks and eight were guard
locks. The total length of the canal was 46.01 miles with ten miles
of slackwater. The average width of the canal was 60 feet at the top
and 45 feet at the bottom. The canal was deepest in the center. A trip
from Jim Thorpe, to Bristol via Easton, took five days.
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Panorama 1 (Taken at 41 06' 80 N, 75 43' 39 W) (650 K)
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