What were the benefits of canals in the mid-1800s?

Answer 1

Saved time , labor , fuel , all costs by shortening the routes between countries .(one ocesn to another)

Before the introduction of locomotive power draught animals were the primary source of overland freight transport. Roads were often badly maintained and steep hills could limit the ability of horses to pull the loads required.

A horse pulling a barge on the prepared flat level of a canal could pull fifty times the weight of a road cart. Twenty five carts pulled by fifty horses would require 25 drivers. By road all these horses and drivers would need feeding and stabling at night wheras a bargee could sleep on his barge and carry enough fodder for his horse along with his freight. Canals also kept a huge amount of freight off roads which were used for passenger journeys. Often by high speed coaches drawn by teams of four horses which were changed regularly in order to maintain maximum speed. Without canals the main road routes would have been clogged with slow moving goods carts.