Lock Forty: Volume III

Volume III of Lock Forty brings up Mary's plight and her emotionally crumbling world although most of the events are presented through John's struggles in his business. At this point, Mary's struggle with her emotions becomes apparent through the numerous successes John is experiencing. With his aggressive imagination, John visualizes how a shipping business on the canal could be altered for him to strengthen his financial bottom line. John has found an unusual partner in the travel industry, with whom he is able to collaborate in developing a new form of valley tours in the backcountry of Ohio. Using the beautifully located canal and the river next to it for relaxing overnight tours, they offer these trips to Cleveland's wealthy dignitaries. This time, Alma, John's longtime friend and head of the women's philanthropy club, used John's tour boat to transport a number of Democratic Party activists to the Akron primary convention. During the return trip to Cleveland, those "industrial powerhouses" were offered a glimpse of ordinary life on the canal, which, in this case, also frequently involved death during these lawless times.