It was considered dÃ©classÃ© to refer to one's own townhouses, estates or villas (or those of friends) as mansions and modern etiquette books still advise that the terms house, big house or great house be used instead.
Waste weir. A waste weir on a navigable canal is a slatted gate on each canal level or pound, to remove excess water and to drain the canal for repairs or for the winter shutdown.
A big ditch filled with water. CRADLE-Part of a scale in a weighlock used to weigh canal boats. ERIE-The original 363-mile canal that ran from Albany to Buffalo, connecting theAtlantic Ocean and the Great Lakes. FLOTILLA-A fleet of small boats.