Welland Ship Canal opens for navigation

In 1930, as the work on the Canal neared completion, reaches were flooded. At the opening of navigation on April 21st. 1930, Locks Nos. 1, 2 and 3 were placed in commission, and this section of the Ship Canal was brought into use as far as the crossing of the Third Canal, above Lock No. 3. This brought Port Weller into regular use, replacing Port Dalhousie., and cut out the Third Canal between that point and Lock No. 11. As the Ship Canal works were not completed at the Twin Locks and above, vessels were turned into the Third Canal at the crossing mentioned, and continued along the former route by way of Locks Nos. 11 to 24. the latter at the turning basin at Thorold. At this point shipping was again diverted to the Ship Canal route, through the Guard Gate structure as far as Port Robinson, the stretch from Allanburg to the latter having been utilized by shipping throughout.

From Port Robinson to Station No. 900 the Ship Canal prism was far enough advanced to accommodate vessels of 14 ft. draught by June 23rd, 1930, and traffic was accordingly diverted to it. At the Chippawa Creek Syphon Culvert at Welland, however, the Ship Canal prism was only ready for similar traffic by July of the same year, and then only for the western half of the channel. This, however, was put in use and traffic through the old aqueduct discontinued. From this time on, the summit level was maintained at El. + 569-0 at the Guard Gate, Thorold.

In the following month. September, 1930, downward vessels were passed for the first time through Lock No. 7 and the Locks Nos. 4, 5 and 6, upbound traffic continuing to make use of the Third Canal Locks Nos. II to 24. Trouble at the division walls of the discharge valves of Lock No. 7 resulted in an interruption of the new route for 17 days, during which all traffic used the Third Canal locks.
Section No. 7, was mainly an enlargement of the Third Canal prism, and so for most of its length was in use all the time, but south of this the use of the new route was dependent upon the completion of Lock No. 8. Vessels were passed through this for the first time on September l6th, 1929.

With the completion of excavation on the summit level, the whole Ship Canal was made available for St. Lawrence size vessels drawing up to 18 ft., and on November 22nd, 1930, the last vessel, the S.S. ILI 102, passed through Locks Nos. 11 to 24 of the Third Canal, which was then out of use, all traffic moving, after this, by way of the Ship Canal.

Boats were waiting at Port Weller in April. 1931, for the opening of navigation when permission was given for vessels 450 ft. long by 18 ft. draught to pass through the Ship Canal; this was later extended to vessels 550 ft. long. The permissible length and draught were not further increased that year, but before the official opening in August, 1932, the permissible length had been increased to 650 ft. and draught to 21 ft.

It may be of interest to record that the first vessel to pass through Lock No. 1, was the S.S. Georgian, a vessel 250 ft long by 42ft 8 in beam, and 14 ft. draught. Before this Lock No. 8 has been opened by the passage of S.S. MEAFORD, CHARLES DICK, HASTINGS and NORTHTON locked through together on September 16th 1929.

In 1931 the first vessel to pass up the Canal. on April 20th was the D.B. HANNA, which was locked through with the S.S. CYCLO-WARRIOR. On June 8th the NORONIC a passenger vessel 375 ft long (362 ft. keel) passed through. This was the first passenger ship to use any part of the new Canal.

On July 15th the transit was made by S.S. WESTMOUNT, an ore carrier 529 ft. long (keel) by 58 ft. beam. On this trip this ship carried 9,000 tons of ore. The S.S. PRESCOTT, in July, took through a cargo of 287,000 bushels of wheat.

In 1932 the first vessel to pass through on the opening of navigation was S.S. SARNIA.

In the summer of 1932, before the official opening, various large vessels had passed through, including S.S. GLENEAGLES (keel length 574 ft., beam 60 ft. and depth 32 ft.). On July 6th S.S. ASHCROFT (length 538 ft., beam 60 ft., depth 32 ft., passed through; while on the same date one of the self-unloading ships, DOW CHEMICAL also made the transit.

The first passage of the largest Upper Lake vessels was reserved for the official opening on August 6th, 1932, when S.S. LEMOYNE was passed through.

In 1931, when the Canal was in regular use, except for the largest class of vessel, passages were early made in much less than the anticipated eight hours. June 19th, 1931, for instance, the S.S.NORONIC, with passengers, did the trip, from entering Lock No. 8 to locking out below Lock No. 1, in 6 hours 32 minutes. Again, on June 23rd, the same vessel did a passage in 5 hours 55 minutes.

Upward bound, no fast transits were recorded until July, when S.S. COLLINGWOOD, on the 13th, made the passage in 6 hours 15 minutes. S.S. R.P. DURHAM, on the 15th, passed through in 5 hours 37 minutes, and S.S. SARNIA, two days later, in 5 hours 40 minutes. The actual minimum time of the upbound passages in 1931 was 5 hours 11 minutes, and for downbound passages 4 hours 35 minutes.