No More Cans on the Canal

Surprise, surprise, surprise!  I just couldn't stay away.  Had to see one of the tanks in the air.

But first, a correction.

The allusion to the old Erie Canal song in the previous post should have been "Fifteen Beers on the Erie Canal," since the words to "Low Bridge" are:

I've got an old mule and her name is Sal
Fifteen years on the Erie Canal
She's a good old worker and a good old pal
Fifteen years on the Erie Canal

We've hauled some barges in our day
Filled with lumber, coal, and hay (and a few beer kegs, don't you think?)
And every inch of the way I (we) know
From Albany to Buffalo

Chorus:
Low bridge, everybody down
Low bridge cause we're coming to a town
And you'll always know your neighbor
And you'll always know your pal
If you've ever navigated on the Erie Canal

Regardless, I returned to the Canal, and this is what I saw.

Getting ready.
The workers attach the straps to the tank.

The big crane in position, ready to do the deed.

There was an entire flock of cranes nearby.
By relative size, I judged them to be newly hatched.

We have liftoff!

Up it goes.  I wonder how much the barge rose in the water
as the tank departed.

Lifting with ease.

Scurrying around to the landward side, I saw the tank deposited on this trailer.
It took some time to get it into the proper position before letting it settle.

Which gave me time to examine some crane-top details.
Why aren't the lights balanced so that they're always upright?

Interesting what you see in a back lot.
This electrified fence was no longer operational,
but I did not do the tongue test to verify.

Nice antenna support work at an adjacent business.
Looks like someone needed to "phone home."

The man in the green hat drove up while delivery was in progress.
"I have to talk to the delivery people," he said, and then went off in search of hard hats.
Later, he said, "I had to tell the workers that they should have delivered via the river."
I'm sure they appreciated the tip,
thinking, "Damn, Why didn't we think of that!"

Disconnectin' this connection.

The connections released from the other side of the tank.

This man was speaking into his phone in an animated fashion,
Though he was speaking Chinese, I could tell he was not happy.

Another massive crowd watches the event.

The Angry Man informed us, in "good-enough" English, that the reason for his lack of Confucian Composure was that CSX, the rail company, was not cooperating with the delivery schedule.  "Everyone local is on board, but CSX is not helping."

Tank on truck, the crane swings to pick up the last tank.
Though the big event is in progress in the dusty back lot of Al's Maintenance,
Al's dump truck (on the left) is still doing business as usual.

Less clearance than an MG Midget,
and nowhere near as fun to drive.
Are they really going to use this setup to trailer the tanks downtown to the Brewery?

If anyone can make it work, it's Jersey's Finest.

I'm not going back tomorrow.  Honest.

Here is a tad of live action:

And a tad of info on the Chinese connection:

http://www.syracuse.com/drinks/index.ssf/2017/05/upstate_ny_lawmakers_question_use_of_state_money_for_genesees_china-made_beer_ta.html

The lawmakers also urge support for a bill sponsored by Brindisi that would require state officials to give preference when offering financial help to projects using New York goods, products and services.

"It disgusts me to know that state economic development dollars were used to support a project where goods were manufactured in China, when we have companies like Feldmeier Equipment that produce products like this right in the Mohawk Valley," Brindisi said in a news release Friday. "New York should put its money where its mouth is and support our state workers and state companies first, before they ship taxpayer's money right out the door to China."

On Thursday, Feldmeier vice president for sales Dave Pollock expressed similar frustration that the tanks came from China, noting the irony that the barges carrying them on the canal passed just 100 feet in front of one of the Feldmeier facilities in Little Falls.

"Our issue is they're getting $9.5 million from the state for this project," Pollock  told NYup.com Thursday. "And they're asking people to come down and toast the tanks on the canal that are coming from China. And we have employees to feed here."

Pollock said his company had submitted a proposal for the work to Genesee, but it was not accepted.

Genesee responded that it asked bidders to submit proposals for the entire tank project, and Feldmeier instead bid on just a piece of the tank work. Feldmeier, in fact, did not bid on the specific tank work that ended up with the Lehui Group of China, Genesee officials said. 

And a bonus tad:  

It is rumored that the union at Feldmeier was instrumental in not providing a bid of the type desired by the Brewery.  And the the membership protested the tanks as they floated by.  Hmmm...

Sixteen Beers on the Erie Canal

Well, not really beers.  Tanks for making beer.  And not really 16.  Twelve giant tanks were delivered via the Erie Canal for a short truck ride to the Genesee Brewery.  The biggest news to hit the canal since...uuhhh...  Believe me, it's really big news!

Each of the tanks is 60 feet high and at least 20 feet in diameter, though they were probably manufactured to metric tolerances.  The reason they had to be floated in was that they were manufactured in China, but maybe that's OK, because now with the tanks here in Rochester, NY, we're gonna be manufacturing a lot of beer, dadgummit!  
Amazing that it is cheaper to create something that big and move it half way around the world instead of building closer to the usage site.  

Not a good vantage from the canal path,
or from the abandoned railroad bridge where I took this shot.
I hate walking on those railroad ties where you can see the long drop between them.
How long has this bridge been abandoned, and how long does it take for ties to rot?

They've hidden pretty well.
A tug boat was used to move the tanks along the waterway.
Seems like 12 Horses would have been more appropriate.

A little better view of the barge from another bridge on the opposite side,
but the CMT OTTER oughta' get outa' the way so we can see.

Here is the rest of the crowd watching the event.
I caught up with them later and the woman said,
"I thought half the town would be here."
Free beer samples might have made a difference.

For those of you who turn your noses up at the thought of sipping Genny Beer, I suggest you visit the Genesee Brew House on Cataract Street, next to the brewery.  Many pilot batch options to choose from, and even if you don't wish to imbibe, the vista of the falls where Sam Patch met his end is worth the visit.  Food ain't bad either!

The impressive crane doing the lifting.
Would be great fun to have one of these.

High and dry, awaiting land transportation.
These oversized containers came all the way from Albany on the canal,
even on the stretch that is actually a river.

Yes, it was truly "Drums Along the Mohawk."

I'll have to calculate if one tank would hold a lifetime supply of beer.

I was very disappointed in this packaging.
I really expected a nice Genny Beer can simulation.

More like this.
Don't you agree?

Here's one with the packaging material removed.
Hmmm.... Maybe the "tanks" are really rejects from Kim Jong-un's missile program.
Maybe THAT's how they came so cheap.

That's about it.  If I get really ambitious on Thursday morning, I'll head back to see the last two tanks in the air.  Not likely.  Regardless, I'm pleased to have seen this small bit of Erie Canal history. 

Tanks for the memories!

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Here are a few shots from my friend Tom who caught the transport in progress:

As Tom said, it was pretty amazing how the tug operator negotiated the double barge around a turn in the canal.