Editing Chesapeake and Ohio Canal (section)

===Business after 1924===
The last known boat to carry coal was Pat Boyer's Boat #5, which returned to Cumberland on November 27, 1923. The only boats recorded to operate in 1924 were five boats that carried sand from Georgetown to Williamsport to construct a power plant.<ref name="Hahn p. 79"/>

====Flood of 1924====
The flood of 1924 caused major damage to the canal. Most of the railroad and canal bridges near Hancock were destroyed, a breach opened in Dam No. 1, and much damage to the banks and masonry of the canal occurred. Although the railroad did some maintenance, ostensibly so that the canal could quickly be restored to operation, mainly the Georgetown level (Dam No. 1 and below) was fixed to supply Georgetown's mills with water for operation.<ref>[[#Unrau|Unrau]] p. 318</ref> The rest of the canal remained in disrepair.

The boating season lasted only three months in 1924,<ref name="Hahn p. 79">[[#hahn-boatmen|Hahn, Boatmen]] p. 79</ref> and after the flood, navigation ceased. Unfortunately, some communities such as Glen Echo and Cumberland already used the canal to dump sewage, and G.L. Nicholson called the canal a "public nuisance" due to the sewage and being a breeding ground for mosquitoes.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/choh/trouble.pdf|title=We are Again in the Midst of Trouble: Flooding on the Potomac River and the Struggle for the Sustainability of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, 1828-1996|author=Donald R. Shaffer|publisher=[US Department of the Interior, National Park Service]|access-date=2013-05-23|archive-date=2012-11-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121113144619/http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/choh/trouble.pdf|url-status=live}} p. 64</ref>

In 1928–1929, there was some talk of restoring and reopening the canal from Cumberland to Williamsport, but with the onset of the Great Depression, the plans were never realized.<ref>[[#Unrau|Unrau]] p. 499</ref> In April 1929 after some [[freshet]] damage, the railroad repaired a break in the towpath, so that they could continue to flush out mosquitoes as demanded by the Maryland board of health.<ref>Shaffer, p. 62</ref>

The boatmen, now unemployed, went to work for railroads, quarries, farms, and some retired. At that date, the only other canal using mules, was the [[Lehigh Canal]], which was soon to close in 1940.<ref>[[#hahn-boatmen|Hahn, Boatmen]] p. 79.</ref>

Some of the lockkeepers stayed on, and there were a few canal superintendents were listed for the now disused canal.

====Flood of 1936====
[[image:Lock_6_Flood_of_1934_on_Chesapeake_and_Ohio_Canal.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Floodwaters around Lock 6 in 1936]]
This winter flood in March 1936 caused even more damage to the abandoned canal, still recovering from the damage caused by the extreme floods just over a decade prior. This flood, caused by the thawing of earlier ice, combined with the flow of heavy rains, led to the highest water mark the Potomac River had ever had thus far, destroying lockhouses, levels, and other structures. There were some efforts at restoration, mainly to the Georgetown level so that the factories could have their water supply.<ref>[[#Unrau|Unrau]] p. 321</ref> Due to the inattention of the B&O Railroad, the canal became a "magnificent wreck" and would need intense repairs and reconstruction throughout many areas destroyed by the floods.<ref>Shaffer p. 65</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Floods on Potomac|url=http://www.glenallenweather.com/upload/Floods/Floods%20on%20Potomac%20Flood%20Marker.pdf|access-date=28 March 2014|archive-date=31 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140331112808/http://www.glenallenweather.com/upload/Floods/Floods%20on%20Potomac%20Flood%20Marker.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>