Washington Canal lock details and sections <a href="http://mallhistory.org/items/show/80">Henry Latrobe</a>, an architect of the US Capitol, was also the chief engineer of the <a href="http://mallhistory.org/items/show/41">Washington City Canal</a>. He prepared drawings of the canal locks in 1810, before <a href="http://mallhistory.org/items/show/317">construction began</a>. The Canal was about one mile long and passed in front of the <a href="http://mallhistory.org/items/show/59">Capitol</a>. According to Latrobe's early drawings, the canal lock located at 17th and Constitution Avenue was likely a vertical sluice gate. The <a href="http://mallhistory.org/items/show/257">lockkeeper</a> would manually raise and lower the gate to control the flow of water in the canal. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. <a title="washington canal lock diagram" href="http://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/cph/item/2001698968/">View original.</a> 1810 <a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=38&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=1830-1859">1830-1859</a>