Thorold
Section 3, Welland Ship Canal, 1914. This section shows Thorold and Locks 4, 5, and 6, also known as the twin flight locks.
Transformer Station on the Welland Canal, Thorold, 1910. Courtesy of Toronto Public Library.
Niagara, St. Catharines, and Toronto Railway swing bridge in Thorold, ca. 1900.
The next stops were in Thorold. This area contained Section 3 of the Welland Ship Canal, but many of the sites noted in the programme involved the third Welland canal. The party travelled up the present canal bank, past Locks 11 to 24. It is noted that "Lock 24, at the brow of the mountain, is historical by reason [of] the fact that it was this Lock which three dynamiters unsuccessfully attempted to blow up in the year 1900, for which outrage they were sentenced to imprisonment for life in the Kingston Penitentiary".
Just above Lock 24 is the Transformer House, "where electricity is received for use on the Canal and where it is transformed and sent out in both directions to perform its various duties of lighting, operating the gates, bridges, etc.".
"Just beyond the Transformer House will be seen a large swing bridge carrying the Niagara, St. Catharines, and Toronto Railway over the Canal. This road is a trolley line connecting St. Catharines with Niagara Falls".
Details about the construction of the Welland Ship Canal in Section 3 are also included. It is noted that this section, "while only two miles in length, is the most expensive section on the Canal, the estimated cost being $10,000,000. It comprises the excavation of a large quantity of earth and rock, and the building of three Twin Locks in flight, one single Lock and a pair of Guard Gates, in addition to several minor structures."
After viewing the construction in Thorold, the party proceeded to the Library, where the Duke and Princess were presented with an address by the Council and the Town of Thorold. This was followed by a short visit to St. John's Church.