Sher, my Empress.... here is a bit more info on the canal horse analogy. The Trent-Severn is in Ontario.
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BUILDING THE CANAL - HOW
Dredge Cecil at work on the Trent River-1910, 12K
The Trent-Severn Waterway was built over a period of 80 years. Construction methods changed as time progressed. However, one thing did remain the same: man and horse power accomplished the bulk of the construction and transportation work.
Unlike today, the workers could not rely on the mechanized tools. Instead, they used shovels, hods, spades, wheelbarrows, horses and wagons to dig and clear the canal.
The first step in building the link-up waterway was to peg out the actual line fom one natural body of water to the next. Once completed, the men began the long and hard task of dredging and excavating the canal. In some places the excavating was as deep as 40 feet. The men worked in teams digging through the soil and rocks. Large rocks were blasted out of the ground and the smaller pieces of rock were used to secure the sides of the canal. Horses and wagons were used to take the soil and rocks from the trenches. As well, they transported supplies to the men. The rough and unkept roads made this a long and difficult task.
Trent Canal Gate Lifter-1910,12K
In the early years of canal building - during the mid 1800's - picks, shovels and wheelbarrows were the chief excavation tools. But by the time of the great construction phase of the Trent Canal - 1896 to 1920 - the traditional navvy's spade, barrow and drill steel had been supplemented by sixty-ton shovels, narrow gauge construction railways, and steam-driven dredges, hoists, pumps and rock drills. Picks, shovels and horse-drawn scrapers were still required for finishing work, because steam equipment was cumbersome and lacked mobility.
The complete mechanization of most construction tasks did not occur until the 1940's, with the widespread use of highly mobile and powerful gasoline or diesel dumptrucks, bulldozers, backhoes and compressors.
