The port of Saint Usage at Saint de Losne

The small port at Saint Usage is a wide part of the canal just above the entrance to the canal from the river Saône. It has always been a important centre for building and repair work on barges. In this photo which dates from 1902 you can see people standing by the lock. In the back ground to the left there is large barge which is where the dry dock is today.

The canal continues from here to the town of Dijon some 20 locks away.

The same view as above but with a wooden barge moving out of the lock by human power. There are two people on the left and right of the top lock gates pushing the barge and a man on the barge bulling on a line which is drawing the barge to the left. With a closer look at the barge, you will notice that there are two "wooden poles" on the stern which means that this barge would have been pushed by another boat.

The dry dock which today is on the left does not yet exists at the time the photo was taken.

A beautiful "remorqueur" tug boat called Griffon which is about to pull a loaded barge. There is a man on the towed barge who is standing on the bow of the boat and is using a bow tiller. The shoot is taken on the river Saône with the the first lock on the Burgundy canal to the left of the building. The tug is in front a bridge which is the entrance to the "Garde Eau", a type of port on the river which once gave a refuge to boats whilst the river as in flood.

This photo looks over the "Garde Eau" on the river Saône newt to the canal, which is mentioned above. You can see floating tree logs which are attached together. This would have been floated down from the Jura hills and are to be transported to nearby factories.

Collection of Postcards

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