Work started in 1773, and two sections were built, each with an inclined plane to connect it to the foreshore, but the canal was never completed. It appears that the southern section, from Lusty Glaze to Rialton Barton near St Columb Minor, which followed the contour and was long, was started first, but may never have been used, as there were problems with the canal holding water due to sandy soil. The northern section, from Trenance Point at Mawgan Porth, which followed the contour, terminated a little short of Whitewater, where it was fed by the River Menalhyl. Edyvean advertised for 50 able-bodied men in 1776, who would be paid 14 pence (6p) per day to dig the canal. This section was some long and was used for two or three years. Edyvean appears to have spent most of his own fortune on the project, and his sister's money as well. Realising that he was unlikely to recoup much of it, the project was abandoned, and he died in the 1780s.