The canal delivery

An original fiction passage set in the nineteenth century.

Amos had promised that the cargo of cloth would reach the warehouse before dawn. At the first lock, however, the wooden gate had swollen tightly within its frame and would not open. He strained against the beam until a narrow passage appeared. Later, as the boat entered a tunnel, the tow-rope caught upon an iron hook and snapped. Amos seized a pole to prevent the boat from drifting backwards while his assistant searched for the spare rope.

Give two things that go wrong for Amos as he takes the cargo along the canal.