Canal Trip - Though most of the nations freight move by rail and plane and truck, water borne cargoes still flow along the inland canals. A major factor in the transportation of bulk loads New York's Barge Canal (originally The Erie Canal), has just finished another season. From December 1 until early next spring, the canal will be idle until the ice, which forces the closing of this State waterway system linking the Atlantic Ocean and the Great Lakes, Melts. These photos were made during a recent trip of a Colonial Oil Barge from Albany westward. Enroute thirty-five locks life traffic a net height of 564 feet. December 12, 1946. (Photo by Wide World Photos).