The Lehigh Canal provided many job opportunities. At its height the Lehigh Canal employed almost 1500 people, and was responsible for the livelihood of 10,000 other workers along the canal route. This high demand for labor brought many immigrant workers into the Lehigh Valley. These immigrant workers spent their days working long hours in extraordinarily poor conditions. Disease, accidents, injuries, and even death was very common for these workers.A typical day started at 4 a.m. with preparing the mules for the day, work did not end until 10 p.m. or later when the locks shut down and the boats could go no further. A mule powered boat with 80 tons of cargo traveled 30 miles or more each day. This was a tremendous improvement over prior forms to travel even though it sounds like a short distance today.