Quote:
Originally Posted by Prince Charon
Likewise, any relatively cheap high explosive (in the sense of 'better than black powder for this purpose') that is developed before the age of steam can lead to significant canal-building in regions that are more united than the Holy Roman Empire.
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Really? There are places where it’s nice to be able to clear a few rocks — and note that the same technology will be used for road-building in lumpy areas — but mostly, surely, canals need manpower to shift all that earth. (Hence imported Irish “navigators”, hence the cliché of the navvy.) I doubt that you can blast your way all the way for miles.
Incidentally, I gather that one important technology involved in Steam Age canals was clay lining for the beds. The Canal du Midi apparently fudges round that because the trees that grow alongside it shed leave that rot down to a somewhat waterproof mulch, but it’s one more thing to develop most times.