New York temporary cofferdam construction photographs

Collection

Identifier: D.544

Staff Only

Biographical / Historical note

The 20th century New York Barge Canal was completed in 1918 and is the successor of the towpath-era Erie Canal that ran from Albany to Buffalo. In 1912, the Walter Bradley & Co. engineering and construction firm sought to widen, modernize, and improve the locks along the Barge Canal through Fulton, New York, an important manufacturing link between Oswego, New York on Lake Ontario, and Oneida Lake in upstate New York. Contract No. 37 specifically required the company to dredge a channel in the Oswego River, construct Locks Nos. 5 and 6, dams, bulkheads, and other structures, as well as remove Battle and High dams between Fulton and Oswego, New York. About 3,022 cubic yards of material was excavated, and some 933 pounds of steel were placed in Lock No. 5.

Frederick W. Modry (1871-1918) took the photographs in this collection. In addition to being a photographer, Modry was a Swiss-American lithographer and house and sign painter living in Fulton, New York and Oswego, New York until his death during World War I.

Scope and Contents

The New York temporary cofferdam construction photographs, October 28, 1912, show images of the dam that existed prior to the construction of the dam destroyed in 1912 pursuant to Barge Canal Contract No. 37. Each of the four silver gelatin photographs depicts scenes of the progress as of October 1912 in the dredging of a canal in the Oswego River and the removal of Battle Island and High Dams. There are identical descriptions written by the photographer, Frederick W. Modry, on the back of each photograph. The photographs include scenes of a small steam locomotive moving a steam shovel back and forth, large piles of rubble behind the newly constructed temporary coffer dam, and the scale of the massive project with workers against the backdrop of the construction and factory buildings overlooking the project.

Creator

Modry, Frederick W., 1871-1918 (Photographer, Person)

Dates

Creation: October 28, 1912

Language of Materials

English

Extent

0.19 cubic feet (1 container)

Access

The New York Temporary Cofferdam Construction Photographs is open for research use. Researchers are advised to contact Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation prior to visiting. Upon arrival, researchers will also be asked to fill out a registration form and provide photo identification.

Use

Reproductions are made upon request but can be subject to restrictions. Permission to publish materials from the collection must currently be requested. Please note that some materials may be copyrighted or restricted. It is the researcher's obligation to determine and satisfy copyright or other case restrictions when publishing or otherwise distributing materials found in the collections. For more information contact rarebks@library.rochester.edu

Preferred Citation

[Item title, item date], New York Temporary Cofferdam Construction Photographs, D.544, Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation, River Campus Libraries, University of Rochester