The mining barge
The canal barges found on Mars of the 19th century are the only reliable way to quickly travel over the planet, once the emptied martian canals are restored. Used to travel along the many channels that criss-cross the planet, they are armed with cannons for defense against the extremely aggressive canal worms, and actually come in two sizes:
- The mining barge is a huge barge, which has mining tracks on it and a total of six cannons, facing all directions. It is used in mining operations to transport the mining carts to their destination. The Avatar found one in Martian Dreams near the city of Hellas at 27°S, 62°E.
- Since the channels are smaller near Argyre, another, smaller type of barge has to be used to enter them. One is found at 4°S 7°W, and has only a single mounted cannon, but it was essential to enter Argyre.