'^•V' The source of this uncorrected OCR text may be viewed as a digital facsimile at: http://fax.libs.uga.edu/ .' «". 8y t I .11 ''I ? fe \ TREATISE ON THE IMPROVEMENT OF CANAL NAVIGATION; EXHIBITING THE NUMEROUS ADVANTAGES TO BE DERIVED FROM SMALL CANALS. AND BOATS OF TWO TO FIVE FEET WIDE, CONTAINING FROM TWO TO FIVE TONS BURTHEN. WITH A DESCRIPTION OF THE MACHINERY for facilitating CONVEYANCE by WATER through the moft Mountainous Countries, independent of LOCKS and AQUEDUCTS : INCLUDING Obfervations on the great Importance of Water Communications, WITH THOUGHTS ON, AND DESIGNS FOR,AQUEDUCTS AND BRIDGES OF IRON AND WOOD. ILLUSTRATED WITH SEVENTEEN PLATES. BT R. FULTON, CIVIL ENGINEER. LONDON. Published by I. and J. TAYLOR at the ARCHITECTURAL LIBRARY, HIGH HOLBORN. 1796.. \ ( iii ) re 1 1 20 CONTENTS. i Page MINUTES of a Committee of the Board of Agriculture, holden Friday, March ^th, 1796, - - - v To MeJJrs. Jefop, Whitworth, Outram, Miln, and Rennie^ vii Preface, - - ix Introduction, - - - xiii CHAP. I. Of the Origin and progrejfive Improvement of Canals, i CHAP. II. Of the Importance of Canal Navigations, and the Benefits arifing to Society by eajy Communications, - CHAP. III. On the Formation of Canals, and the Mode of extend ing them into every Diftriff, - - - - - CHAP. IV. On cutting Canals for Coafting Veflels, River, or Forty-ton Boats, in Order to fave the transfer of Cargo to Boats offmallerDimenfions, - - - - 26 CHAP. V. Of the particular Conftruttion of the Boats, and their . Application to various Situations, - - o t CHAP. VI. Defcription of the Second Plate, exhibiting a Double- Inclined Plane, for thePurpofe of paffing Boats, and their Cargoes, to, and from, the different Ponds, or Levels, in Canal Navigation, 39 CHAP. VII. Of the Syflem of Navigating, - - cj CHAP. VIII. On the Saving of Water, - - - 68 CHAP. IX. Defcription of the Single-Inclined Plane, - 71 . CHAP. X. Defcription of the Medium Plane for a/mail Afcent, being a Medium between Locks and Planes, - 76 CHAP. XI. Of conftruEting AqueduSis, - - - 82 a 2 CHAP- Page 89 91 93 94 97 CHAP. XII. The Mode of crojfing Rivers and gaining Height at the fame Time, performing the Double Operation of an Aquedudt and Locks, - - - CHAP. XIII. The Parellel Plane CHAP. XIV. On Perpendicular Lifts to pafs Boats, CHAP. XV. Defcription of the perpendicular Lift, CHAP/XVI. Defcription of Plate XI. CHAP. XVII. Defcription of Plate XII. reprefenting the Second Mode of paffing the alternate Trade by a perpendicular Lift, 100 CHAP. XVIII. Of CaJi-Iron Rail Roads, - - 101 CHAP. XIX. On Conclu/ion of the Small Canal Syjlem, - 105 CHAP. XX. Plate XIII. reprefents an Aqueduft ofCaft Iron, 114 CHAP. XXI. On Bridges, - - - 117 CHAP. XXII. Plate XIV. On Bridges of Iron, 120 CHAP. XXIII. P&fe-XVII. Of Bridges of Wood, 126 To Thomas Mifflin, Governor of the Commonwealth ofPennfyhania, 132 MINUTES MINUTES of a COMMITTEE ef the BOARD o/* AGRICULTURE, holden FRIDAY, MARCH qth, 1796. Committee having taken into confideration the reference JL concerning Mr. Fulton's invention, and having examined* the Model of his Machines for improving Inland Navigation, by Inclined Planes] and various other apparatus, are of opinion: That the invention is deferving the attention of thofe who are engaged in the bufinefs of forming Inland Navigations. The above Refolution was afterwards confirmed by the Board of Agriculture, at its meeting on the 8th of March following. JOHN SINCLAIR, Prefident. TO THE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. MY LORDS AND GENTLEMEN, WHEN a fubject is firft brought forward, which has the ap-, pearance of novelty, however found and rational the principle may be on which it refts, yet it is with much difficulty the pre judice in favour of eftabliftied practice can be removed. The frequent failure of new defigns alfo itrengthens the arguments of oppofition, and feems to juftify thofe who are difpofed to perfift in the habits of their anceftors. On the other fide, a warm imagination is the ufual companion of thofe by whom any new plan is formed; hence it becomes ne- ceflary ceflary that cool, deliberate, and penetrating men fhould analyze the ideas, and preferve fuch as are of intrinfic worth and utility. For this purpofe I have a particular pleafure in placing the fol lowing pages before the fcfutinizing eye of the Board of Agricul ture j in which I have no doubt but there are numerous errors, which partiality to a favourite purfuit has prevented me from per ceiving : nor have I a wifh that any part of this Work fhould meet with favour, unlefs it can fta"nd the teft of the ftricteft in quiry, and fee fupported by reafon. To reduce the expence of canals, and extend the benefit of eafy conveyance into every diftrict, whatever natural obftacles may prefent themfelves, is certainly an important confideration; but if I have not .been fo fortunate as to point out the method, there undoubtedly is one among the infinite materials in the repofitory of Genius which will be brought into light by energy and in- veftigation. I fhall therefore feel happy, fhould this Work prove a ftimulus to induce ingenious men to direct, their attention and talents to further improvement. With the moft fincere thanks for the meafure which the ho nourable Board has been pleafed to take, in order to bring the fubject of fmall canals to the teft of difcuffion and experience, I remain, My Lords and Gentlemen, With the utmoft gratitude and refpect, Your obedient and very humble fervsfnt, ROBERT FULTON. MESSRS. yEsop, AND RENNIE. OUTRJM, MILN, ' GENTLEMEN, IN. fome obfervations on the utility of fmall canals, which I printed in the Star of July the 3oth, 1795, and in which I called on you to ftate your objections to the fyftem, the Printer, by miftake, having placed the words, -whofe merits I efteem, immedi ately after Mr. Whitworth's name, inftead of inferting it after tlje names were repealed, it might appear that Meffrs. Outram, Miln, and Rennie, were excluded from that refpect which I ever feel for men of fcience, I therefore take this opportunity to ex plain the error, in order to rectify any bad impreffion which it might occafion 3 and I hope this will be. deemed a fufficient apology. At the fame time I think it perfectly confonant to the nature of this Work, again to call on you, together with Meffrs. Telford, Cockftiot, Chapman, and Benet, to deliberately weigh the follow ing pages on fmall canals, and favour me with your opinion, or tranfmit it to the public, in order that they may be put in the poffeffion of the arguments for and againft the fyftem. In this requeft I conceive myfelf perfectly juftified: Firft, Becaufe the improvement of canals is of national importance j fecond, it is the duty of every man engaged in public works, to investigate every plan which has the appearance of facilitating fuch works; third, many ufeful works remain unnoticed, for ages,, for want of 7 immediate (••• * vm ) immediate confiderationj fourth, by the difcuflion I propofe, the ufeful or imperfect parts will be more immediately exhibited, and the mifapplication of the old mode will be detected: hoping that this fyftem, to its extent, will meet the moft candid and liberal in- veftigation, and be deliberately confidered and compared with the old practice for the various canals in contemplation, or which may hereafter be conftrufted. I remain, with all poflible refpeft, Gentlemen, Your moft obedient, ROBERT FULTON. London, March i, 1796, PREFACE. PREFACE. fear of meeting the oppofition of envy, or the illiberally of ignorance, is, no doubt, the frequent caufe of preventing many ingenious men ufhering opinions into the world, which may deviate from the common practice. Hence, for -want of energy, the young idea is fhackeled with timidity, and a ufeful thought is buried in the impenetrable gloom of eternal oblivion. But if we confider for a moment, how much men are the fons of habit, we mall find, that almoft the whole opera tions of fociety are the produce of accident, and a com bination of events, rendered familiar by cuftom, and inter woven into the fenfes by time; infomuch, that it is mere chance if the ideas are awakened to a fenfe of particular errors. But in fuch cafe it is fortunate, when they arife in a mind aaive to inveftigate, and which feels only contented to reft oil the balis of reafon : for without this, man muft ever remain in a fixed poiut, and improvement will be at an end: the adventurer muft therefore arm himfelf with b forti- •x PREFACE. fortitude to meet the attacks of illiberally and prejudice, determined to yield to nothing but fuperior reafon; refting aflured, that every virtuous mind will commend an exertion to remove the rubbiih from around the Temple of Truth, even fhould the undertaking fail. There is alfo frequently a fecret pride which urges many to conceal their fpeculative enquiries, rather then meet cri- ticifm, or not be thought the firft in their favourite purfuit; ever anxious to claim the merit of invention, they cannot brook the idea of having their works difleclred, and the minute parts attributed to the genius of other men. But in mechanics, I conceive, we fhould rather conlider them improvements than inventions, unlefs improvement may be called invention, as the component parts of all new machines may be faid to be old; but it is that nice difcriminating judgment, which difcovers that a particular arrangement will produce a new and delired effect, that ftamps the merit. And this may perhaps, with propriety, be called either in vention or improvement; which certainly exhibits that the j- artift has that penetration which is ufually dignified with the _ - . i term Genius. Therefore the mechanic fhould fit down •> among levers, fcrews, wedges, wheels, &c. like a poet among the letters of the alphabet, confidering them as the ex hibition of his thoughts; in which a new arrangement tranfmits a new idea to the world. It PREFACE. XI It is for want of this difcrimination, that many a worthy man; of eafy demeanor, is tormented by the criticifm of ignorant infignificance ; for men of the leaft genius are ever the firft to depreciate, and the laft to commend; and, for an obvious reafon, they have not fenfe to know the pro duce of genius when they fee it: But, " Men of true genius glow with lib'ral fpirit, And bind a garland round the buft of merit; While blockheads, void of wifdom's grateful light, Bury diftinftion in eternal night." MOREHEAD. INTRO- ( xiii ) INTRODUCTION. \N perufing a paper defcriptive of a canal prqje&ed by the Earl of Stanhope, in 1793, where many difficulties . feem to arife, my thoughts were firft awakened to this fubjeg level; then navigate to the fucceeding rail-way, proceeding thus till the fummit was attained. 7 In xiv INTRODUCTION. In a country with little water, and fo great a difparity be tween the levels, and where coals could not be obtained to work fleam-engines, fuch a plan was certainly a good me dium between navigation and cartage; but as the whole trade was to go up the country, I was aflonifhed to find, by cal culation, that the horfes to perform the eftimated four hun dred tons per day, would amount to 7,000!. per annum on the rail-roads only. Seeing thefe difficulties, and the rreceffity of an eafy com munication with hilly countries, I was imprefled with the importance of an apparatus, which might transfer boats and their cargoes, to and from the different levels ; independent of locks and their demand of water, or rail-roads and their appendage of horfes. To produce fuch a machine, the firft thing that occur red to. my imagination, was a water-wheel, to be put in motion by water from the upper level; and, by that means, raife the boat on an inclined plane. But in great afcents, I found the wheel deflroy more water than locks ; I then thought of a preponderating ciflern of water, and was fo certain of obtaining the power by that means, that I im mediately conceived I had accomplifhed the machine ; and having fome communication with his Lordfhip, on the practicability of navigating veflels by fleam, I fent him a fketch of my plan : his Lordfhip, in anfwer, was pleafed to com pliment me on the thought; but at the fame time informed me, it was the fame as defcribed by Mr. Edmund Leech, about lixteen years lince. Here, for the firft time, I dif- covered that the idea of a preponderating body of water, was INTRODUCTION. x.. was by no means new. But, on inveftigating Mr. :Leech's work, I found, that although our'ideas of the cift-eriir were nearly fimilar, yet we were far difiant from the'poirit to be attained; each ufing it on an-inclined plane, without any certain mode of getting the boat in and out of the upper canal. I then changed the ciflern from the inclined plane, td a perpendicular defcent; becaufe, in a perpendicular, the defcending body a which would be the cafe if the two planes were joined by a fharp angle. Again, on the fummit where the plane turns into the upper canal, the union muft be a regular curved bridge, which will prevent the bottom of the boat between the wheels from touching the planes j which would be the cafe if the planes were united in a fharp point,, (comparatively) like the ridge of a houfe. Each of thofe planes, as they proceed into the upper and lower canals, muft widen from two to about three feet j or have two rails, placed juft above the water, in order with the greater eafe to guide the boat to the exact fltuation; that her wheels may touch in the right part of the plane, and prevent her miffing the iron rails. Having formed the planes (fee the Top Drawing, which reprefents the Upper Works), A, in the ground plan, exhibits the mouth of the tub pit, and fhould be fufficiently large to receive a tub which will contain eight tons of water. A tub nine feet diame ter and five deep will contain upwards of nine tons, therefore fufficient room for eight without danger of fpilling; hence, if the pit is from ten to eleven feet diameter it will be fufEcient -, which pit may be walled with brick, or ftone, as moft convenient, like a common coal-pit fhaft or well. 3% CANAL NAVIGATION. 43 From the bottom of the pit a fough, B, to the lower canal, which needs not be more than three or four feet diameter j in fact, as fmall and cheap as the nature of the meafures will admit} as it is of no other ufe than to let off the water difcharged from the tub in the pit. , A tub muft be formed, as before mentioned, capable of containing eight tons of water, nine feet diameter, five deep; this may be made of wood, or fheet iron, like the boiler of a ftearn engine, and having in the bottom a hole from twelve to eighteen inches diameter, acrofs the hole a ftrong bar of iron, and in a right Une with the bar one muft be placed acrofs or near the top of the tub ; through each of the bars, and exactly in the centre of the tub, there muft be a hole to receive a perpendicular bar, fomething more than one inch diameter j on the laft bar a valve is placed, fufficiently large to cover the hole in the tub ; and fo placed on the perpendicular, that when it is fhut the bar will project about eighteen inches below the bottom of the tub : hence the valve will play perpendicularly, being guided by the perpendicular paffing through the crofs bars of the tub. The ufe of the eighteen-inch projection below, is in order that, when the tub defcends to the bottom of the pit, the bar may ftrike the bottom of the pit, and rifing with the valve by means of the blow, may difcharge the wa ter from the tub. See the Figure of the Tub in the Plate of Parts *. $fhly, A trough muft be formed, from about three feet below the top water of the upper canal, to the centre of the diameter of the pit, in which a common valve may be placed of twelve or eighteen inches diameter, in order to draw water into the tub. * Theremayalfobeguj4e$* tppreferve the tub in a direft perpendicular through the pit. G 2 bthly, 44 A TREATISE ON 6thly> C reprefents the drum-wheel, which fhould he about half the diameter of the tub, and fo placed that one fide may come exactly over the centre of the pit. Care muft be taken that this wheel be made fufficiently ftrong to fupport ten or twelve tons, 'which indeed is notfo much as the ordinary weight of a conftderable water 'wheel: its length may be from eight to twelve feet, but if kept fhort it will have the more ftrength. On one end of this drum a fpur- wheel, D, muft be conftruclied, that the motion may begin to multiply. For it muft be obferved, that as the plane will be fometimes fix, {even eight, or more times the length of the pit, the boat will have to pafs through fo much more Ipace than the tub; hence the movements muft multiply in proportion. I will, in this, fuppofe the plane fix times as long as the pit is deep, therefore let the ipur-wheel on the drum be three times the diameter of the drum, which will multiply the movement three times, leaving three to be made on the other parts of the machine; the drum and four-wheel being formed, a pinion may work in the fpur *, to the maft of which a pair of fans will regulate the increafed velocity of the tub in returning. The drum being fixed, the tub is to be fufpended by two or more chairisi and on the o ppofite fide a weight fomething fuperior to the tub -, the ufe of this weight, is to return the tub to the top of the pit when the water is difcharged. Balance chains, equal in length to the, depth of the pit, and equal 'in weight to the tub chains, three feet of one, for inftance, being juft as heavy as three feet of the other, muft be fixed, one end to the bottom of the tub, the other to the bottom of the weight -, and thus, as the tub and weight rife and defcend alternately, there will ever be the fame quantity of chain pendent, which will preferve a balance on the works j but, without this chain, fuppofe the tub to be fituated at bottom, the weight would have to raife not only the tub, but its chain • See Fig. I. ia the Ground Plan* 4 alfoj CANAL NAVIGATION, 4$ alfb; and the tub would have a fimilar weight to raife when the weight was at bottom ; but now whichever is at top has thewhok of the balance chain hanging to its bottom, therefore an affiftantto raife the oppofite chains and- prevent them from being a tax on the machine.. (See the Balance Chains in the Plate of Parts). E, a horizontal, or rather inclined wheel, being on an angle with the plane. This wheel fhould be of fuch a diameter, that its extremities might come exaftly oppofite the centre of the two planes, which will be about eight feet, therefore eight feet dia meter ; about ten inches broad on the fole, and two flanges : to keep the chain on the wheel round the rim, ftrong pins, or teeth, muft be fixed, on which the links of the chain catch promifcu- oufly, to prevent them flipping; the beft mode of forming this will be by fegments of iron caft with the flanges, and a row of holes in the centre and end of each, and acrofs the fegment, at about one inch diftant from each other. In fattening the fegments to the wood, the fcrew-heads may be left pointed, and projecting •about one inch, which will anfwer the purpofe of catching the links ; on the upper part of this wheel, fegments of bevil gear muft alfo be fcrewed, of the fame diameter as the wheels. A wheel of the fame fize and conftruclion, excepting the bevil gear, muft be placed at the bottom of the plane, and over the lower pond of canal this muft be horizontal. Round thefe wheels the leading chains perform a rotatory movement; a ftopper being placed on the up per wheel to prevent it turning back. (See the Plate of Parts.) F, a lying fhaft, to convey the power from the drum to the in clined wheel. By this the remainder of the multiplied movement is performed; by a fmall pinion working in the fpur-gear of the drum, and a large bevil working in the bevil of the inclined 46 A TREATISE ON, wheel, the pinion end muft be made to caft in and out of the drum* gear at pleafure, particularly to let the tub return. * G, is a bevil wheel with a fmall fhaft, receiving motion from the inclined wheel: to the fhaft a rope is fixed, and continued round a pulley, to a beam projecting from the front of the building; the ufe of this is to draw the boat out of the upper canal on the bridge of the plane, by means of the defcending boat, or tub, giving motion to the inclined wheel. When the rope is hooked to the boat, a pull will draw a knot, which anfwersas ajlopper, home to the lever H, which moving, the lever drops the wheel into gear. When it has raifed the boat to a certain point, another knot, draw ing the lever H inwards, lifting the wheel out of gear, it remains inactive, although the other parts of the machine are in motion. This mode of raifing the boats out of the upper canal, on the bridge of the plane, keeps a conftant fupply ready to defcend*. I, (fee the Top-works.) This is to flop the boat, when drawn on the bridge of the plane, from defcending till the man is ready. To place this, a fpace muft be made in the plane, between the rails, about five feet long. The ftopper may be a frame of wood, proje6ting about five feet above the plane, and defcending beneath it, where it muft be framed into a fhaft, working on gudgeons, one end of the fhaft projecting about three feet from the fide of the plane; to the fhaft a weight muft be fufpended by a chain, which weight will raife it to a perpendicular, aftel- the boat has paTTed; by which it fattens under the end of the lever, and flops the next boat, and fo on f. On the upper end of the ftopper there * As a diftinaion, this rope may be called the Preparer, in confequence of preparing the boats to defcend. See the Plate of Parts. muft CA&AL NAVIGATION* 47 muft be a roller, rather hollow on the face, to eafe the chain as it panes. J, are the centrifugal fans, compofed of wood, and hung to a perpendicular fhaft, by boffes on the fans, and a gudgeon through the fhaft. The object of thefe is to regulate the movement of the various weights, without the attention of the workmen, which will confequently be a means of faving time; thefe fans, as the weights are heavy, and increafe in1 velocity, expand, creating re- fiftance by their action oh the air, by which they retard the mo tion ; and, although the weight Df the boats may vary, they pre- ferve nearly an equal movement, which will render any attention to this part of the operation ufelefs. K, is a lying fhaft with two wheels- one fmall, working in the inclined wheel, another of a diameter four, or more, times larger than the firft, working bri the pinion of the fan-fhaft, which is to multiply the fpeed of the fens; they confequently will create greater refiftance. See the Plate of Parts, Fig. I. which reprefents the boat enter ing the upper canal, and thePmode df feparating from the leading chains, in confequenee ^f'rtheform of the hook, which hook is to be made with a pin about four inches long, croffing at a right angle through the head; by this means, fo long as the boat- chains are in a diagonal direction,' in afcending or defcending, the hook will hold faft to the leading chain; but on entering the dif ferent ponds, the roller caufes the boat-chains to rife in a perpen dicular direction, by which the pin prefles on the link, and turns out the bill of the hook, leaving the boat at liberty to run into the canal, without flopping the machine for that purpofe* which 4» A TREATISE ON is the means of faving much time, the man paying no attention to the unhooking of the boats. It muft be evident, that if the machine was flopped to unhook, at top and at bottom, the man would have to pafs from one place to another for that purpofe, and confequently lofe much time, but, by the hooks cafting off, the man's whole attention is employed in preparing boats to rife, or defcend j hence the machine is capable of being kept in almoft conftant motion, and the boats rife and defcend, in regular fuc ceffion, with very little interruption; the fame mode of cafting off being performed both at top and bottom of the plane, taking care that the roller at top is fufficiently within the bridge, that the boat may tend towards the upper canal, previous to the hook feparating from the chain. E, in the Plate of Parts, .exhibits the mode; of paffing long tim ber, all twenty-foots being put into the boats, -_ each plane is prepared with a carriage for this purpofe j and the timber being chained in four-ton parcels, or rafts, is floated on the canal, one horfe con veying eight, ten, or twelve, fuch rafts. On arriving at the plane, each, in fucceffion, is to be floated on the carriage, and, being hooked to the leading chain, they will confequently mount or defcend the plane, with the fame facility as a boat, anda by this means, timber of any length, or .dimenfions,, may be -tranfported by a final! canal. In Ruffia and America, all timber-is rafted in a fimilar man ner, as far as it is poffible to convey it by fuch means: and I fee no reafon for objecting to fuch. an'operation on canals, the mode ,of paffing to and from the different levels being accomplifhed. Having CANAL NAVIGATION. 49 Raving defcribed the formation and ufe of the particular parts of this machine, I will now go through the operation of palling the boats; in which obferve, that, in confequence of the chains performing a rotatory movement, the defcending boats will ever pafs on one plane, and the afcending on the other: hence the boats will rife, or defcend, in a regular fucceffion, and in the fame order, as they arrive at the plane; nor will the afcending boats ever incommode the defending, or the defcending be any obltruc- tion to thofe that afcend. Firft, it will be neceflary to go through the operation of a defcending trade, fuch as is frequent from coal-works, lime, jdelphs, &c. where the loaded boats defcending return thofe that are empty. In this cafe, let it be fuppofed a number of loaded boats are at top, and empty boats at bottom j the man hooks the preparer to a loaded boat in the upper canal, and the man below hooks an empty boat to the leading chains; water is then admitted into the tub, which, giving motion to the whole machine, draws the loaded boat over the bridge, to the Hopper, and at the fame time raifes the empty boat near to the fummit of the plane; this done, the preparer is hooked to a fecond boat j the loaded boat is hooked to the leading chains, and alfo another empty boat is hooked be low. The tub being call out of gear to relieve the works, the man lets go the ftopper j and now the loaded boat, by its de fcending weight, raifes a fecond on the bridge, draws; the firft empty boat into the upper canal, and raifes a fecond empty boat into the place quitted by the firfl; thus a regular rotation of paf fing is kept up, in a defcending trade, without the ufe of water H to • $0 A TREATISE ON to any but the firfl boat; the firfi prepares the fecond; the fe cond the third; and fb on, to any number of boats. The fame operation, in all its parts, is performed in an afcend ing or alternate trade j with this addition, that water is drawn into the tub, to create a fufficient power to raife the loaded boats.. It now comes to fpeak of the expedition produced by this fyftem. Firft, It muft be evident to every one, particularly thofe who 'have feen any fimilar operation, that if an alternate movement was adopted, and a boat was to come up the fame plane where one went down, the boat could not be raifed on the bridge of the plane while the other was paffing, becaufe it would occupy the fituation where the afcending boat mull pafs -y neither could the defcending boat draw the afcending into the upper canal, the defcending boat lofing its power in touching the lower canal -, confequently the afcending beat would not pafs through fnorfe fpace than the defcending, therefore a flop would take place be low the bridge of the plane, as is now the cafe j but it is the defcent of the fecond boat which draws the firfl over the bridge, into the upper canal, and raifes a fecond boat into the place of the firft; this fecond is alfo drawn in by the third defcending boat, and fo on, which is the confequent refult of a rotatory movement, which rotatory movement could not be applied if any kind of cradle, or carriage, was ufed to convey the boat, as fiich carriage muft neceflarily rife, and defcend, oil the fame plane, and confequently give an alternate movement. Hence the necef- ,fity of wheels to the boats, or of rollers to the plane. Secondly, CANAL NAVIGATION. 5'X y, The centrifugal fans regulating the -movement, and the faft-aff hook difcharging the boats from the -chains, is a great means of faving time, and, infacl, leaves little more for the men to do than hook boats fo the chains, in fucceffion, they rifmg, and defcending, in regular rotation, which admits of fuch extra ordinary fpeed, that two four-ton boats may pafs a plane, whofe perpendicular is 200 feet, in three minutes, as will appear by the following ftatement: Hooking the preparer to the boat, -« Hooking the boat to the leading chains, - Drawing water into the tub, if neceflary, - During this the man below has fufficient time to hook his boat. Pafling. the plane, _„„__- Minutes. O * During the paffing of the plane, the man above, having no thing elfe to do, may be getting his line of boats forward to the fituation for the preparer, or pull forward thofe boats which have afcended; or this might be the work of a boy, at is. '6d. per day. Hence 1920 tons may be performed in twelve hours ; and, if this is not fufficient, there can be no difficulty in working fuch a machine by night, changing the fets of men* who might live in the building over the machine; and thus, 3840 tons may be per formed in twenty-four hours, at one plane, which, I hope, is adequate to the greateft canal trade which the moft fanguine Imagination can conceive; particularly when it is confidered, that there is no canal yet known, where 1000 tons per day through out the year panes at one point of the canal: on a canal fixty miles long, for inflance, 5000 tons might move -on its various H 2 parts, TREATISE ON parts, the transfer of which would be divided among feveral machines j but, fo far as I can learn, there is no canal in Eng land where 700 tons per day moves through one point; there fore, confidering every circumftance, I conceive a finall canal, and machinery, adequate to a trade of the firft importance. CANAL NAVIGATION. 53 A COMPARATIVE VIEW of the EXPENCE of rijing ioo FEET, by LOCKS, or INCLINED PLANES, the ufual Expence of Locks for twenty-five ton Boats being jol. per foot, and for forty-ton Boats ioo/. which, in the firft cafe, would coft 7ooo/. and in the fecond io,ooo/. A Cota- IN this I fhall confider the average of fituations and circum- ftances, as to the form of the ground, carriage of materials, &c. the plane on an angle of 20 degrees. £• J. d. Removing 4000 cube yards, in forming the flope of the hill, at 5d. per yard, - - - - 82100 To forming the ends of canal, top and bottom, - ioo o o 536 cube yards rubble walling, at 53. per yard, - - 134 o o 268 yards fquared afhlar coping, 18 inches thick, 3 feet long, at 153. the running yard, - - - 201 o o 536 yards caft-iron rails, ioo cwt. per yard, 153. per CWt. _----__ 402 o O Bedding the rails in the coping, lead and pins, 2s.per yard, - - - - - - - 53120 26 caft-iron binders to unite the planes, 200 cwt. each, at 153. per cwt. - -~. - 39 o o Two horizontal wheels, eight feet diameter, fix inches on the face, ,.._-- I0o o o Carried over, £.1,112 a o 6 Brought I 14 ,JL TREATISE ©N Brought over, £.1,112 2 © ::8oo feet chain, 2s. per foot, - - — - 80 o o 34 yards tub pit, 11 feet diameter, 4!. ics. per yard, 153 o o no yards Tough, at i as..per yard, - - - 4)6 o p One wrought-irbn tub, - •» - - - 60 o o yop feet of ^chain to the tub, weight, and balance, 48, .per fpot, - -*• - - 140 o o Drum-wheel, eight feet long, f©ur diameter, fpur- gear, .&c. ___ — _- I.GO - o o Two lying fhafts, ftopper, and centrifugal fans, - 150 o o Trough to convey the water to the pit, - - 10 o o Sixty rollers to bear the chains off the plane, 55. each, 15 o o Building to cover the works, and anfwer as an office,, 200 o o Contingencies, i$ per .cent. ;2,o86 2 o f -i- 2O8 12 O Total, £* 2,294 14 q Locks for twenty-five ton .boats, IOQ feet rife, - 7^000 o p Double plane to the fame height, - 2*294 14 o .Saving, ------ Locks for forty-ton boats, 100 feet rife, Double plane to the fame height, - Saving, -----* 4 ,£.4,705 6 o 3O,OOO, -O O 2,294 14 p CANAt NAVIGATION.. 55 In cafe of a trade totally defceriding, the loaded boats raifing.. thofe that are empty, the tubj- pit, dram-wheel, and all that part of the machine for creating power, may be. faved, amount ing to 599!. the contingent expences being reduced in proportion j in which cafe, a double inclined plane* to the height of i oo feet, would coft 1,635!. 16s.. This, compared with the expence of locks for twenty-five ton boats, will be a faving of 5,364!. 4.8. and on locks for forty-ton boats 8,364!.. 43. In this operation, when a number of loaded boats have to pafs down during the day, it is only neceflary to leave a loaded boat on the bridge of the plane,, which will be a power in referve to begin work in the morning; or, if this is not confiftent with the nature of the trade,. the firft boat may be raifed on the bridge, by the man, with a common windlafs, tooth, and pinion, which may be a work of about ten minutes j but, that done, it will raife all the remaining boats on. the bridge, ready to defcend, as before de- fcribed. Thus the machine may be conftrufted for an alternate or a defcending trade;. which laft will frequently be required in lateral cuts, particularly in the lime and coal trade; but, fhould future extenfion open an alternate trade, the water-tub, and all the parts for creating, power, may be added to the plane,. with the fame propriety as in the firft inftance • and this^may be done with- out interrupting the trade one hour. - I now begin to apply the various apparatus to the feveral directions and portions of trade, in order that the expence may be contracted in proportion as the trade is frnall, yet enlajged with 50 A TREATISE ON with facility as trade varies in direction, or increafes in quantity: thus a canal may commence, like a .man, on a fmall capital, and rife to confequence out of its own earnings. As the machine is reduced in expence, the quantity which it will perform is alfo contracted: in the defcending trade about nine hundred tons will be the work of twelve hours. CANAL NAVIGATION; CHAP. CHAP. VII. OF THE SYSTEM OF NAVIGATING. AS a plane will rife from fifty to two hundred feet at one time, confequently, the ponds of canal may be longer, with out interruption, than on the lock principle; and as men will be ftationed at each machine, whofe bufmefs it muft be to pafs the boats at fo much per ton *, I conceive the beft mode of navigating will be, when a man arrives with his ten, or more, boats at a plane he Ihould immediately leave them for the men to transfer, and, taking fuch boats as are ready, return to the fource or machine from whence he came. When the boats have been pafled by the engine-men, they are navigated by a man to the next machine, and fo on, till the voyage is completed. In a trade of lime-ftone, coals, iron-ore, flate, flags, deals, and various other articles, it could not make the leaft diffe rence, in fuch materials, if a boat remained a few hours at a plane waiting for transfer j but in cafe of the arrival of merchandize, it fhould be pafled immediately, leaving the other boats for that purpofe. By this mode the feme boatman will not navigate the whole line of canal, but will always work on one pond; which I conceive to * On the Ketley and Shropfliire canals, a five-ton boat is paficd at a plane for 3d. the empty boats return gratis. I be 58 A TREATISE ON be a convenience: for if I fuppofe the ponds between the planes from one to ten miles long, it will be eafy to calculate the number of trips which a man can perform per day, on each refpeclive length, from which his wages may be determined -, he will fet out without fear of interruption by lock-keepers, or of being delayed by nu merous boats meeting at the fame lock or locks ;, and he may ever work -in the neighbourhood of his own habitation. In the courfe of a voyage a perfon at a particular place may want to receive four, eight, or more, tons of coals, lime, or other mate rials, who has no occalion for more j thus one, two, or more boats may be left at the moft convenient fituation to unload, without de taining the remainder, and the boats fo left may be emptied by the purchafer, before the boatman's return: but, in the cafe of a twenty-five ton boat, the whole muft be detained till the quantity purchafed is difcharged. This mode of a man always working on the fame pond, and in the neighbourhood of his own houfe, will be productive of boat men, as any kind of horfe will fet a poor man up in bufinefs; the fize of the boats enabling him to take a weight proportioned to the ftrength of his horfe, mule, or even afs. Befides, as the whole objecT: is merely to get them conveyed from one machine to another, he needs but little capacity, as he has nothing to do with machinery. Thus almoft any kind of man will do for a boatman, and hence a competition will arife on the different ponds, and competition will not only produce attention, and civility, but alfo moderate charges. Jt now remains to confider, how this fyftem will operate on a home, or extended, trade. As the property will pafs through various hands, CANAL NAVIGATION. 59 hands, or rather come under the care of many, during its paf- fage to any great diftance. To take a general view of this, the practice which moft refembles it, is the mode of fending valuable merchandize by the mail or other coaches, for inftance, from Scotland to London j which property pafles through the hands of various coach proprietors and changes of coaches, yet arrives at the deftined fpot with certainty : or it re fembles the practice of a merchant, who fhips^gpods for the conti nent ; in which cafe they have firft water, and then land carriage, fometimes for many hundred miles: he and his correfpondent have their agents eftabliftied, in various parts to facilitate the tranfit; who being alfo agents for many others, find it worth their while to pay a proper attention to' the. goods, and thus the articles fafely reach the foreign market to which they are configned j cuftom and Regularity having rendered the mode familiar and eafy. Intereft will alfo bend men to the various circumftances, if one mode can be proved cheaper than another j it is therefore almoft impofiible for a mode to be pointed out, which may be precifely followed on thefe navigations. But I will mention fuch as I con ceive will anfwer; and this by eftabliftied agents. •v Suppofe, for inftance, a man of good capacity refides near or in the building over the machinery, where at leaft he might have a counting-houfe; this man might be toll-colleftor to the company, and at the fame time agent to the various traders who ufed the canal; which employment probably would produce a handfome annual profit, and his agency might be performed at fo much per ton : on a canal, for inftance, with a trade of three hundred tons per day, allowing two hundred and eighty working days in the year, one 12 farthing 6o A TREATISE ON farthing per ton would produce him 87!. IDS. per annum; which, with toll-collecting, might amount to upwards of icol. a fum fuf- ficient to induce a very clever man to fill the office. For this far thing he fhould take boats and cargoes under his care for at leaft ten miles; if two machines were in that ipace, he mould govern both, but if they were twenty miles diftant from each other, he fhould have all goods pafling on that pond under his guidance, in which cafe the agency might be raifed. Therefore, averaging the agency at one farthing per ton, for ten miles, the expence of it could not be felt on the value of any kind of materials; the agency of one hundred miles being performed for two-pence halfpenny per ton. But as even ten-pence per ton on one hundred miles would be no object to the feller or buyer of the goods fent, I will therefore raife the agency to one penny per ton for ten miles, consequently feventy-five tons per day would pay an agent 87!. ros. per annum on a canal with finall trade. Having thus eftablifhed agents at proper fituations, who may be confidered fbmewhat analogous to the book-keeper at a coach-office, alfo to collectors of turnpikes, they collecting, the tolls, each propri etor of boats fhould have his name, and number, marked on each jboat. I will now fuppofe him to difpatch ten boats, to be left in dif ferent places ; with thefe boats he fhould fend a ticket to the firft agent, and perhaps to the following effect: Date. CANAL NAVIGATION. 61 Date. To Who m. A. B. C. D. E. F. G. H. ' C. W. Rejidence. Manehefter, Stockport, New Bridge, Romely, Chadkih, Proprietor's Name. Boats Number. No. 4 3 7 8 i No. 6 ii 9 No. 10 No. «4 ' No. No. No. Tons. 1 6. 8 4 8 i The agent, on receipt of fuch ticket, would draw a line over the numbers to be left in his diftrict, make out a direction for each, and deliver it to the next boatman j with the firft ticket to be forwarded; to the next agent with fuch boats as pafs over the next machine, and come under his care, and fb on. The agent, knowing the time of the boats paffing, would alfo know when the empty boats, or full ones, fhould return; he would likewife have the boatman on his pond immediately under his control, as "well as the men at the machine, therefore could correct any negligence, and the proprietor would know where, to apply if they were anywife remifs in their duty. The work might be fb regular, as even to afcertain when any particular boats pafled each machine, and when it arrived at its deftination, by marking the hour on the ticket. This mode of reducing the work to fyftem, and rendering every man by habit familiar with his part, I conceive, will facilitate na vigation, and render the paflage of goods of all kinds, to the moft diftant parts of the country, extremely fimple; boats, for inftance, from Manchefter to London, being carefully packed and covered with a tarpawling, would pafs with the ticket, by the various agents, 62 A TREATISE ON ;agents, with the fame certainty as others would go thirty miles, one fyltem being preferved throughout *. The perquifites of. the agent, already ftated, would be fufficient to warrant the company in demanding a bond to a considerable amount for the true performance of his office; the company would be refponfible to the freighter for any lories, and the agent anfwer- able to the company for neglect: this would not only link the va rious ponds of canal together, but would produce a continued chain of felf-intereft, the moft prevailing ftimulus to urge men to be active, and do what is right; the agent's emoluments arifing •out.of the tons:conveyed, I conceive to be mucli better than .a fixed falary; as his profits will, in fome degree, depend on his attention : which attention might be the means of influencing proprietors of .goods to fend articles on the canals that might otherwife be tranf- .ported by different means. Hence, even liy this plan, I fee no difficulty in conveying goods into the nioft diftant, and lefs important, 'parts of the country i and time, with concurrent circumftances, will no doubt infinitely improve this method. * It has been-obferved, that fome difficulty would attend fending goods to diftant parts by . ithefe boats, as a man could not .follow his property, or 'appoint a perfon to accompany it, in confequence of pafling through fuch various hands and boatmen; but the fame objection might arife againft the fending of game to London ; a man might fay he could not go with the game to fee it delivered: but, whatls much better, agency performs this part of the> bu- fmefs, nor do I know any conveyance where property is followed or accompanied by the proprietor. Property is given to the care of others, who are refponfible for the delivery into fife hands; .letters, for inftance, which pafs through the various pod-offices, are by .their fize=much more liable to mifcarriage ormiftake, from agency, than a four-ton-.boat, or poods conveyed by it; yet cuftom has rendered the transfer of letters perfectly .eafy and .fecure, millions of property being conveyed by letters, circulated into the moft obfcure parts £©£the country every week. To CANAL NAVIGATION. 63- To this .regularity, I conceive expedition will, in many cafes, be added, as before mentioned of the market, paflage, and dif- patch boats. Many valuable kinds of merchandize will bear fome ladditional expence in carriage; and it may be of more importance to the merchant to have them in market, in a given time, than to fave the difference in expencex between the flow and the more rapid conveyance. I will therefore fuppofe a canal from the great trading town' of Manchefter to London, diftant 182 miles, to which add 38 miles for the bonds, amounting to 220 miles, and on this length of canal twenty-two agents, one to every ten miles; A carrier at London, or at Manchefter, we fuppofe to have his difpatch-boats ready, which, containing from four to five tons, might be conveyed at the rate of fix miles per hour, by one horfe; as they would arrive periodically, each machine-man would know when to look for them; and the boatmen on the various ponds> in like manner, would be prepared with their horfes, fimilar to the operation with the ftage-coaches j the boat, thus navigated, would arrive at London, or at Manchefter, in about forty hours; of which the expence would be nearly as follows. Allowing one horfe to navigate a boat ten miles forwards, and ten back, in twenty-four hours, the horfe and driver may be eftimated at fix fhillings, all cafualties included; which will amount to three fhil- lings 'per boat for ten miles, and the total expence of ten miles will fland thus: Three- 64 A TREATISE s. 10 d. O JO O 030 O O 2 O O 2 - O O 2 6 Three-pence per tori per mile to the company, Horfe and boatman, - Agency, - - Faffing machine, Wear of the boat, - " For 10 miles, - "" For 220 ditto, - - ~ ~ o.^i.'* ui .or-iL i3s. 4d. per ton: what the carrier might expedfor his trouble .caioLbe eftimated, but it is probable this mode would not amount tohalf of whatisnowpaidtobroad-wheeledwaggons; theexpence from London. to Manchefter being about 81. IDS. per ton*, and the faving in time would be near three days. By the flow movement of the boats, every expence, except the horfe, will be the fame as the above, but by the flow movement a horfe would take forty tons twenty miles for fix _ (hxlhngs which ,s about three-pence halfpenny per boat for ten nules, thus the horfe- hire on a boat .to London would be ^ £-° - 5 But by the quick movement the horfe-hire is JL___ 2 19 7 which is i4s. iojd. per ton cheaper ,by theflow to the quick "This fedng .that difpatch may be produced by fmall boats, they -may become the means of conveying paffengers, and pafiage- boats rife to much national importance^ » ^convenience for ^ /engers might beconftrufted in a boat fuch as laft defcnbed, or • If tie tonnage was fixed at two-pence the ton per mile, which would be good tonnage " o London would be 21. ,5.. per ton, in which cafe there would be •4 NAVIGATION, 65 a boat might be built for the purpofe, fimilar to the Firft Figure in the Plate of Boats; which I fuppofe to be thirty feet long, four wide, and twenty feet in the centre for the accommodation of the paf fengers. This fpace would give ample room to fifteen perfons, which fifteen perfons would not weigh one ton and a half on an average; confequently, fome repofitory fhould be conftrucled for parcels, to endeavour to complete a cargo, and pay the boatman or proprietor. I will now fuppofe fuch a paflage-boat to navigate from London to Manchefter. In this cafe, as the weights would differ in almoft every journey, in proportion to the number of pafiengers, it would be proper to contraft with the company at a certain fum per mile, loaded or empty 5 and, as the boat would feldom have more than two tons, fuch contract at 4 d. per mile would, perhaps, be the beft encouragement to paflage-boats, and a fair toll to the com pany ; if fo, the expence of fuch a boat to London would be as follows: 220 miles at ^d. per mile to the company, Horfe hire, - Agency, at 22 machines, ad, each, Paffifig 22 machines, 2*/. each, Wear of boat, - £• •?• a a cheap conveyance for two hundred and, twenty miles, and not one-third of the fum which is now paid to the mail or ftage coachesj while the expedition with which the boat may proceed, in confequence of being finall, may be equal to the fpeed of the ftage coaches.. Thus we fee that the fmall boats, from being fuked to a flow progrefs, or to the moft expeditious conveyance, and being alfo, governed by one regular fyftem, would produce numerous con- veniencies, well calculated to draw conveyance of all kinds to fuch, canals. But fuch convenience never can be attained; on the lock ciple, for evident reafons : fmall boats cannot pafs locks fuffici*- ently quick j a man could not pafs one hundred feet lockage in kfs than one hour: But a four-ton boat may pafs. a plane whofe perpendicular is two hundred feet in four minutes j befides. the lofs of water would be fb great in locking finall boats, as totally to v exclude thefe quick movements ; nor could the expedition be per formed by a large boat, as the boat in itfelf is a load1 for the horfe in a quick movement; this, together with the delay of locks, would prevent large boats from reaching London from Manchefter in lefs than nine days, by the ufual mode of na* vigating. To the. advantages enumerated] may alfo be added, the con venience of fhort trips to market, or quick communication to- and from 'the manufactories, in the environs of great trading towns. In all fuch cafes, fanners, or manufacturers, may have thei? private boats^ which they may difpatch at pleafure> with the CANAL NAVIGATION. 67 the facility of a cart, without waiting for an allocation of inte- refts to compofe a cargo, as in large boats ; and thus the finall boats pafling machinery are fuited to the various kinds of trade, fituations, and circumftances j and have a direct tendency to draw almoft the whole carriage of a country into the channels of canal conveyance. CHAP. A P, VHJ. .ON 'OF 'WAT«Ri T*VERY one acquainted with canals, muft be fenfible of the importance of faving water, and many have been the expedients reforted to for this purpofe ; locks being frequently conftru&ed of only four, or four and a half, feet rife, in order to leflen the confumption of this neceflkry fluid; but fo fmall a rife, on the other hand, increafes the operations, and lofes fome time. Canal acts have alfo various reftriftions on boats pafling particuar locks, unlefs the water flows over certain weirs, on particu lar ponds*. The following calculations will therefore ex hibit the proportions of water ufed at locks, and inclined planes. A lock for a twenty-five ton boat is, ufually, eight feet rife, eighty feet long, feven feet fix inches wide; containing one hundred and thirty-three tons of water. A loaded boat, afcending, by prefling its weight (boat and cargo thirty tons) into the lower.-' * Such, reftriftions may be neceffary to fave water; but confid,ering cabals on the broad fcale of national improvement, and individual convenience, it is much the fame, a& if a cart flxould not pafs a turnpike without a certain load. If a boat muft exceed particular dimensions and weight, before it can pafs fuch lock or locks, in feafons when water is fcarce, it is evident that boats under fuch dimensions muft return, and their cargoes be transferred to the larger boats belonging to the canal fo reftri&ed, or be fent by fome otljer conveyance ; which, in either cafe, is an interruption of free intercourfe : on the fmall boat principle, fuch reftriftions will be ufelefs"; if one boat flops, all muft flop ; wherever one can navigate, all can go j wherever canals extend, whatever may be theis weights or their cargo, the ufe of water will be in proportion. canal canal from; the- lock, wiU require. Qn® hundred and tons, of watttf to lock to the next; afeendmg pond j while a load;.-* ^d boat, defcending, will prefs her weight out of the lock into 1&£ upper pond, wjll ufe one hundred ai\4 three tons in d^foeadi ing i hen.qe.the av.erag469 J4 ° Locks for 40 ton boats, 106 feet rife, Single inclined plane to the fame height, Saving, - - - JOjOOO O O 1,530 6 o £, 8,469 14 o CHAP. 76 A TREATISE ON CHAP. X. DESCRIPTION OF THE MEDIUM PLANE FOR A SMALL ASCENT, BE ING A MEDIUM BETWEEN LOCKS AND PLANES. (PLATE IV.) IN purfuing the fmall canal fyftem, long Hoping grounds will fometimes intervene, where it would be impoflible to obtain a rife of fufficient importance to erecl: the whole of either of the machines before defcribed, as a building, wheels, &c. would be the fame to a twenty as a two hundred feet afcent^ the expence would confequently increafe on the works, and the number of engine- men would add to the expence of conveyance. Nor would it be fyftematic or advifeable to ufe locks in fuch iituations, although the lock might be fo conftrucled as to take in ten boats at a time, five in length and two in breadth; yet the mari feparating his line of boats in the centre, and placing them fide by fide to pafs the lock, then forming the line, and again fide by fide to pafs the next lock, and fo on, when he could rife or defcend but eight feet by fuch operation, would be a tedious work. Or if two or three boats only were to pafs at a time, the wafle of water would be fo great as might produce reftriclions on paffing a fmall number in dry feafons, as before obferved of canals on the lock principle, which would confequently be an interruption of free intercourfe; nor could the quick trade, which I have propo- fedj be conducted with facility by fuch means. The CANAL NAVIGATION. 77 The medium will therefore exhibit the mode of mounting from twenty to thirty feet at one time, which are heights that can be obtained in any country, and probably one or two may rife, fuf ficient to extend a pond to fuch fituation as will produce a plane of one or two hundred feet perpendicular. In forming this I will fuppofe a rife of twenty feet, where a fmgle plane, on an angle of about twenty degrees, is to be extended from one pond to the other; alfo fixty feet of fuch plane paffing into each canal, turned hollow on entering the lower pond, and bridged on turning into the upper level. On the top and near the centre of the bridge a ftrong framing is to be conftruclied, croffing the plane, in which a roller is placed fimilar to that under the vertical wheel in the laft machine, and for the fame purpofe; two pulleys are alfo fixed to the frame in order to guide the leading chains over the centre of the plain. A water-wheel muft then be creeled near the fide of the plain to create the neceflary power (fee the Ground Plan}, on the fhaft of which a pinion working in a wheel will put a roller or drum in motion, on which the leading chains are to lap, which roller may be caft in and out of gear by a lever; three hundred and fifty feet of chain muft then be fixed to the roller, and pafs through the pul leys over the plane. I will now fuppofe ten or any lefs number of boats ready to de- fcend at one operation j the leading chain, making a double under the roller, is hooked to the ftern of the third boat; and the wheel being put in motion it will draw the three firft boats over the bridge of the plane, the other feven following: the three boats being now on the fharp angle will have power fufficient to draw out L A TREATISE" ON out the remainder j the water is then flopped from the ! wheel;,' fand the chain flill continuing hooked to the boat, they will begin -to defcend in regular rotation:; the chain,; defcending; with the boais, will turn the water-wheel backwards and anfwer ks 'a break to -re gulate the velocity. On a man arriving at a plane the whole opera tion is to hook the chain to the third boat, if there are three, or to the flern of one, if there is no more, and fet the wheel in mo_ tion; on that boat to which the chain is hooked, mounting the bridge, the water is flopped from the wheel, and the whole line of boats begin immediately to defcend into the lower canal ; during which the man attends to the break, and the time in performing this operation, I conceive, will be as follows : Hooking the leading chain, - *- Drawing the firfl boat out with the wheel, - Defcending the plane, - Unhooking the leading chain and applying the horfe, Minutes. 3 i 1 2 Hence, in a .defcending trade, forty tons may pafs in feven minutes. In afcending, the fpeed will consequently be in proportion to the power of the water-wheel; it will therefore be advifeable to give power to the wheel in order to fave time,; in rifmg there will be three boats out of water on the plane at a time, the plane out of water being fixty feet long; the, boats and their cargoes will weigh about feventeen tons, this, on a plane of twenty degrees, will be a refiflance of about five tons, friction confidered, perhaps fix tons; to raife this if I fuppofe an overfall wheel fifteen feet diameter, and the roller CANAL NAVIGATION,-, 79 roller on which the chain laps one foot and a quarter, or to that effect, by tooth on pinion, the power will increafe as one to twelve, and one ton actual purchafe on the wheel will raife twelve on the plane; the wheel fhould therefore be conflructed to give one and a half tons purchafe, or nearly fo; and, for this purpofe, Should hold about two tons of water; fuch a wheel would per form twelve revolutions in one minute, and draw the boats forty-five feet up the plane in that time, or two hundred and feventy feet in fix minutes, by which they would enter the upper canal. To perform this operation, the leading chain is continued over the ten boats in the .lower canal, and hooked to the flern of the lafl boat; the hook of each boat is alfo fixed in a link of the chain; thus the ten chains, being hooked to the leading chain, the wheel is put in motion, and the whole moving forwards afcend the plane, cafling off from the leading chain as they pafs the bridge, and run into the upper canal, where they are imme diately ready for navigation: the whole of this afcending operatiori: may be performed in ten minutes, the defcending boats being pafied in feven, the average may be eftimated nine minutes ; hence, forty tons pafling in nine minutes, three thoufand two hundred may be transferred in twelve hours. By the before calculation on the water-wheel, in which a very fufficient power is allowed to raife forty tons of cargo, twenty feet would require, - - - 288 tons water. In forty tons defcending - - 48 tons do. 336 This 8o. A TREATISE ON This will average one hundred and fixty-eight tons of water to forty of cargo, one, two, or more, boats ufmg water in propor tion j but a lock to raife forty tons would require about two hun dred and fixty-fix tons -3 hence there is fome water iaved. It is alfo probable, that thefe machines will be conftrufted on the lower ponds, where water will not be fo important, the fupply being obtained with greater eafe; the following will exhibit the expence of conftruc~ting fuch an apparatus: Eftimate for a Medium Twenty Feet Rife. j 80 feet plane, il. jos. per foot, Water-wheel, - - Drum-wheel, and pinion, 350 feet chain, at 4$. per foot, Wheel leet, .-.--. Trough, - Two large Pulleys Timber and workmanfhip, Contingencies 10 per cent. £. s. d. 270 o o IOO O O 40 o o 70 o o fio o o 10 O O 2 O O 60 o o 612 o o ^i" 4 o Total, £. 673 16 o Locks for 25 ton boats, twenty feet rife, Medium, - - Saving, - - 1,400 o o 673 4 o £. 726 16 o Locks CANAL NAVIGATION. Locks for 40 ton boats, 20 feet rife, Medium, - Saving, - 81 2,000 o o 673 4 o 1,326 16 o This machine harmonizes the whole fyftem of fmall canals, and fits them to every fituation (where water can be found), and preferves regularity. M CHAP. iiiir'"": A TREATISE ON r CHAP. XI. OF CONSTRUCTING AQUEDUCTS. 'AVING exhibited the mode of paffing the boats to and from the different ponds of canal, and fhewn the great difference in expence between the method defcribed, and locks ; the next confideration of the moil importance, in profecuting navigations, is the expence of conftru6ting AQUEDUCTS. In feeking to extend the benefit of water-carriage, and pafs to -certain towns or diflricls by the neareft rout, wide and deep valleys will frequently prefent their extenfive chafins, and feem to exclude connection; which, on the lock principle, would, in numerous inftances, be the cafe; for if I fuppofe a valley two hundred feet deep,'and fix hundred yards wide, what country could produce a trade to pay for an aquedu6l in fuch a fituation ? That there are an infinite number of fimilar fituations, where it would be defirable to pafs in order to open a near communica tion, I conceive no one will deny; and in fuch a fituation, 200,000!. would not pay the expence of an aqueducl. To lock down and up would be almofl equally difficult, confidering wafte of water and lofs .of time; and, if practicable, to go by a cir cuitous rout, the diflance might to be fo great as raife the material to the expence of land-carriage: confequently, the happy effedt of a water intercourfe between fiich diftricls, could never be experienced on the lock fyftem. But, to furmount thefe difficul ties, and open'an eafy communication, fee Plate VI. reprefenting the CONJUNCTION. This CANAL NAVIGATION. 83 This is fimply two fmgle inclined planes in conjunction, ex panding from hill to hill, and binding the two countries in the bonds of reciprocity. Each plane extending down the fide of the hill, they are united at bottom by a double plane, in the form of a long oval, on which the boats pafs each other. See the Ground Plan. On the ends of the oval, there are guides working on a bolt, which move from fide to fide of the plane alternately, as the boats pafs, which prevents the two boats ever landing on one plane, or interrupting the pafiage of each other. In this the operation at top is exactly the fame as the fmgle inclined plane; but at bottom a man is placed where the boats are to pafs ; and on each engine letting down a boat, the man at bottom removes the chain from one boat to the other, and giving the fignal to the men above, each draws up his opponent's boat; thus they are transferred acrofs the valley to the different ponds of canal. In performing the operation on the fmgle plane, fix minutes is allowed to pafs two boats, one down and one up; in do ing this,. the time will not be much more; for each man at top working at the fame time the fame operation, the two boats will be moving down the planes towards the centre at the fame time, where the man can transfer the chains in nearly the fame time that he could hook a boat; but as they may not all work regularly at the fame time, I will allow eight minutes to each operation, amounting to one ton per minute, or feven hundred and twenty in twelve hours, or one thoufand four hundred and forty in twenty-four hours j a quantity fufficient to ihew,. that if each M 2 operation I I, I $4 A TREATISE ON operation was much longer than here eftimated, yet a very impor tant trade may be performed. In the eftimate of expences, each man letting down and raifing a boat for threepence * ; and the man at bottom transferring the chains for threepence on two boats, would amount to one penny and a fraction per ton j but confidering empty with full boats, I will allow one penny halfpenny per ton for pafling this appa ratus, which I conceive adequate to every contingency; and the following will exhibit the probable expence of conftructing the machine. Eftimate for a Conjunction Two Hundred Feet high, Six Hun dred Yards in Width. Firft Half. 380 yards inclined plane, 4!. IDS. per yard, 67 yards tub pit, 4!. 155. per yard, 320 yards fbugh, 155. per yard, - Vertical-wheel, - - 1,000 feet chain, at as. per foot, Wrought-iron tub, - 1,400 feet tub and balance chains, at 48. per foot, Drum-wheel, - - - Pinions, bofs, and levers, - 1,710 o o 318 o o 240 o o 50 o o 100 O O 60 o o 280 o o IOO O O 60 o o Carried over, £.2,918 o o * Threepence for two boatslconfiderfufficient wages, when it is confidereda man will pafs forty boats, amounting to 55. in five hours and twenty minutes; hence, in working twelve hours, in a brifk trade, he might earn us. lod. halfpenny, a fum fufficient to fupport dif ferent fets of men. Brought CANAL NAVIGATION. 85 Brought over, £.2,918 o o Centrifugal fans, __--- 60 o o Building and timber to fupport the works, 200 o o 3,178 o o Second Half, - - - 3»I78 ° ° 6,356 o o In the pafling place, 60 yards plane, 4!. IDS. per yard, 270 o o Culvert or bridge, - - 200 o o Contingencies 10 per cent. Total, 6,826 o o - 682 10 o . 7,508 10 o As the whole water ufed in raifing the boats will defcend to the valley, and be loft from the canal, it will amount, on a trade of five hundred tons per day, to about two thoufand tons wafte,' equal to about eight lockings for forty-ton boats, which pafling from the upper ponds of canal, where water is fcarce, to the lower, where it is of little importance, water be ing there more]abundant from various fources, isfrnitlar.to the above wafte. In conftructing the conjunction, there is alfp the advantage of gaining height-, one plane may rife higher than the other if neceffary, and thus gain any number of feet which the ground will admit of, yet perform the transfer with the fame facility and if one pond muft be replenifhed with water from 'the other, a pipe may be laid .along the fide of the planes for that purpofe. Havbg A TREATISE ONf Having exhibited the difficulties which may be overcome by this machine •, I hope criticifm will pardon my attempting to difplay the advantages which will accrue, if I eflimate the probable ex- pence of a canal without feeing the ground. i f But fuppofe it neceflary to fupply a town with the very necefikry article of coal, the works diftant ten miles with fuch a valley, and two hundred feet rife intervening; in this, which is rather a dif ficult fituation, the expence would probably be as follows : Conftructing the conjunction, Two fingle inclined planes, 100 feet rife each, Refervoir, - Land, 5 acres per mile, lool. per acre, Cutting, planting quick, &c. 500!. per mile, Bridges and culverts, 300!. per mile, Contingencies, act of Parliament, &c. The intereft of 29,221!. 53. 7d. at 5 per cent. perann. - On this canal, 50 tons per day, allowing 280 working days, and 3d. per ton per mile, would produce, per annum, - - Which, after paying the fubfcribers 5 per cent. leaves for agency and repairs, - - .£- s d. 7,508 lo o - 3,056 6 o 3,000 o o 5,000 o o - 5,000 o o 3,000 o o 26,564 16 o - 2,656 9 7 £.29,221 5 7 1,461 i 3 1,750 o o' £.288 18 9 Thus, CANAL NAVIGATION. Thus, on a trade of no more than fifty tons per day, the fub- fcribers would have a fair profpect of receiving 5 per cent: And although threepence per mile may appear high tonnage for coals, yet they arrive at town for the following fum per ton, carriage : Threepence per ton per mile to the company, Faffing two inclined planes, - Faffing the conjunction, .----, Boatman 6s. 8d. per day, or to that amount, conveying 10 loaded, and returning 10 empty, boats in one day, - - Total per ton for ten miles, - Which could not be conveyed by land for lefs than Hence a faving to the inhabitants per ton, - *• d. 2 6 O 2 2 Ilf 7 6 6| Which might produce a further faving as the trade increafed; in which cafe the tonnage fhould be lowered: when one hundred tons per day is performed, and the company receive more than 10 per cent, the tonnage by the act fhould be reduced, on rude produce, to 2d. per mile. When one hundred and fifty tons per day is performed, and the company receive more than 15 per cent, the tonnage or rude produce fhould be three halfpence per mile, but never lower by the act; competition among canals will regulate the carriage of courfe, and competition will be a benefit to the county. It is therefore good policy in Parliament, to allow ample tonnage, that fubfcribers may have a profpect of a return on a finall trade, 7 which A TREATISE ON CANAL NAVIGATION. I which will be an encouragement to fpeculators ; the reduction of tonnage on rude produce to be governed by the returns ; but on merchandife, to ftipulate for a certain film, which the proprietors might reduce as policy dictates. And thus canals will be ex tended in every direction, in confequence of the beft of all en couragement, that of receiving a fair interefl on a finall trade j and the profpe£t of this interefl increaling to a very important return of wealth from a finall capital. I CHAP. XII. THE MODE OF CROSSING RIVERS AND GAINING HEIGHT AT THE SAME TIME, PERFORMING THE DOUBLE OPERATION OF AN AQUEDUCT AND LOCKS. (PLATE VII.) np'HIS apparatus is the double-inclined plane in all its parts, JL either for a defcending or alternate trade j the ftone piers fupporting iron rails which compofe the plane. It would be difficult to draw the exacl difference, in expence, be tween this machine and an aquedu6l to crofs a river, than locks to gain height; but if the immenfe labour in conftrucling an exten- five and high aquedu£l is confidered, I conceive the faving will be found very important. The great quantities of flone (which Jlxuld be of a good quality), hewn to certain fquares and templets j the frequent long carriage, the timber for centres, and the various preparatory works, all tend to load aqueducts with heavy expences, and render them one of the greatefl obflacles in profecuting canals. If I fuppofe it neceflary to carry a canal one hundred feet high *, and three hundred feet in length, over a river, it is a moderate cal culation, confidering the average of fituations, to eflimate it at the round fum of - - .£20,000 To which add one hundred feet lockage for twenty-five ton boats, - - 7,000 Amounting to £. 27,000 CHAP. * There are feme aquedufts in contemplation of greater dimenfions than here ipecified. N Yet I A TREATISE ON Yet a fimilar fituation may be croffed, and the height gained, in one movement, as appears by calculation, for about 8,oool.j confequent- ly 19,000!. is faved, which is almoft the whole expence of the aqueduct. Without entering into tedious eflimates to prove this, I conceive the common fenfe of thofe who have the ieaft knowledge of the fubjeci, will inform them of the reafon of thefe favings ; but to the peculating reader, if he ©bierves fey the plate that the part crofting the river is a fimple ftage, the weight of which, compared .with the load of water and ftone which prefs on the piers of an aqueduct, is trifling; confequently the piers are but as columns without arches, and the mafonry, which in aquedufts is almoft the whole expence, is here fo contracted as to be, comparatively, fcarce worth mentioning j iron arches or braces being adopted, the ex- pence of which is not more than the centres to 'build an arch of ftone, and the continued plane performing the part of locks, of which he has had a comparative view, I conceive it wall exhibit the obvious reafon of fuch important favings. This combination is indeed fo material, that, in projecting a fine of canal where a river or deep valley is to be crofled, it mould be well confidered, whether it can conveniently be brought to fuch a litua- tion that the ground will admit 'of riffeg a!tt?he time -of croffingj which, -even :on the finall fyftem, wHl fav« time and expence. CHAP. CANAL NAVIGATION. CHAP, XIII. 1T])LATE VIII. repfefcnts the parallel plane for fuch fituations JL where height cannot be obtained j it is to extend acrofs the river* or valley, and defcends about fixty feet into each canal. On each end, and over the canal, a horizontal wheel is placed, to one of which is fixed the whole machinery, except the preparer and Jlopper* of the double-inch" ned plane 5 the chains performing the rotatory movement. To pafs the boats, one is hooked to each chain; after which, water being drawn into the tub till a power is created, the boats will rife on the plane, paffing to the different ponds of canal, and fb on, in regular rotation. This is the moft expeditious of all the machines: the man having little more to do than hook the boats to the chains, and draw water into the tub j the caft off hooks afting as in the double plane. In this the water to pafs the boats defcends to the river, or val ley, and is loft to the canal j but as this plane is level, the refift- ance will not be great; in proportion as the length of the plane is to the depth of the pit, water will be required; but averaging fituations, one ton of water will pafs one of cargo: while its ex pence, confidering the various fituations and circumftances, will be about one third the fum neceflary to an aquedu<5l. But although rivers, or valleys, may be patted with eafe by the three modes defcribed, yet, in many inftances, it will be advifeable N 2 to 92 A TREATISE ON to conftruct aqueducts, particularly where there is no great dif ficulties to encounter j which aqueducts may be formed of iron, as in Plate XIII. averaging the fituations, much cheaper than of ftone. But the decifion on the erecting of an aqueduct, or its particu lar conftruction, muft depend on a variety of circumftances j fuch as, thefupply of water, faving of time, carriage of ftone, or iron, &c. &c. adopting that mode which will on inveftigation produce the greateft faving, yet anfwer the intended purpofe* CHAPj CANAL NAVIGATION. 93 CHAP. XIV. ON PERPENDICULAR LIFTS TO PASS BOATS. A LTHOUGH I have already .explained the mode of paffing ./A. the boats, which, I conceive, will be productive of fy£- tematic navigation, and ought to be univerfally adopted till a better is difcovered; yet the four following Plates will exhibit machines for transferring the boat by perpendicular lift. Thefe machines were originally intended for fmall canals, as lateral cuts from thofe of greater dimenfions, in order to extend into fuch diftricts as could produce from fifty to four hundred tons per day; principally to convey manure and fuel, and. thereby relieve the country by a medium carriage, between the large canals and cartage. This, for a long time, was the extent of" my thoughts ; the idea of an univerfal fyftem did not arife, till I difcovered the great faving which would be produced by fuch lateral cuts. I then wifhed to render the canal equal to a trade of more than four hundred tons per day, and capable of performing the work of a large canal ; in which, there was. nothing wanting but an im>- provement in the machinery to produce expedition ; but this baffled every experiment for fome months. At length the rotatory movement, and boats with wheels, occurred ; and they exhibited the power of paffing valleys. On revolving the thought, I found it would anfwer the purpofe, by performing the moft important trade, producing fyftem, and fimplifying the machinery: it has confequently raifed fmall canals (in my opinion} from lateral cuts, to the moft extenfive and important communications. CHAP. 94 A TREATISE ON CHAP. XV. DESCRIPTION OF THE PERPENDICULAR LIFT, PLATE IX AND X. •\ IN conftrucling this apparatus, the canal being run to fuch a point of a hill as will admit of a quick rife j the hill, if fteep, may be laid open, as in the Plate, or have two pits funk equal in depth to the difference between the levels of the two canals ; one of the pits of an oval form, and fufficiently large to fuffer a boat twenty feet long, four feet fix wide, to pafs through j the other, eleven feet diameter, for a preponderating tub. The two to be united to the canal by a tunnel. Having formed the tunnel and pits, two cranes are to be con- ftrufted, each fifteen feet high, capable of bearing three tons each, which muft be placed on the fide of the upper canal, and oppofite the jundtion of the canal and pit, as in Plate X. Thofe cranes muft ftand twelve feet apart from gudgeon to gudgeon, and their gibs to be united by a lever, alfo twelve feet long, as at A in Plate X.; by this means, the cranes will ever move parallel to each other, and keep their chains equi-diftant. Behind the cranes, and over the pit C, there is a drum-wheel of two diameters j to the largeft the crane chains are fattened, and thofe of the tub to the fmall diameter; to the crane-chains a cage of iron is fixed to receive the boat; thus fufpended, the cage and tub will move alternately between the fummit and lower canals. 2 For CANAi NAVI-GAf-ION. ^j For the purpofe of railing the feoat out of "die upper canal, in order to move her over the -pit previous to defcendj«g, there is a refervoir, D, formed in the fide of the 'tab-pit nea? the feottoHij Fig. 3. Plate 10, and of a fize to contain about thirty tens of water: at the time the cage is in the upper canal, the tub will be beneath this refervoir, from which water muft be drawn into the tub till a preponderating power is created; the tub will then de- fcend about eight feet, raifing the cage and boat out of the upper canal. The cranes are then moved over the pit, and a portion of water difcharged from the tub, till the boat preponderates; which, defcending to the lower canal, will raife the tub to near the upper level, in the fituation exhibited in the third Figure; where a valve opening, by means of the lever at E, the water from the tub pafies into a pipe, and defcends to the refervoir, in order to raife the next boat out of the upper canal, leaving the boat to float in the lower pond. To raife a boat from the lower pond, and pafs her into the upper canal, water muft be drawn from the upper canal into the tub by the pipe F, till a preponderating power is created; which defcending, will raife the boat about one foot above the upper pond; the cranes are then turned over the canal, and the water being difcharged from the tub, the boat will immediately float in the upper level. To regulate the movement of this machine, the centrifugal fans are applied, as reprefented in Plate IX. Alfo the balance chains to the tub, as in Plate X. Fig. III. The §6 A TREATISE ON The operation of this machine is eafily performed, and a four- ton boat may be transferred through a fpace of one hundred feet high, in eight minutes, or three hundred and fixty tons in twelve hours. The expence of conftrufting one hundred foot lift, averaging the filiations, will be about 2,500!. GANAL NAVIGATION. CHAP. CHAP. XVI. DESCRIPTION OF PLATE XI. 71 XHIBITING a machine for a defcending trade, in which the -A whole of the water is faved, while the trade defcends; yet fhould it be found neceflary, by a further extenfion of the canal, to form the apparatus for an alternate trade, the water tubs may be applied. In the firft cafe of a defcending trade, there is but one pit, which muft be thirty feet diameter, a capacity fufficjent to fufifer two boats to pafs; over the pit a building muft be creeled, to cpver and fupport the works; in the centre of which a drum-wheel pf one diameter is placed. On each fide of the drum, two chains and a cage to receive the boat is fufpended; which cage will move alternately between jtfre upper and lower canals; on the end of the upper canal, and on the fide of the pit, there are two gates, balanced fo as to rife perpendicular, as at A and B; and oppofite the gates, parallel to the canal, two lock-carriages, C and D, worked by rack and pinion, moving on iron rails j which car riages are conftructed with one end open, and of a fize to receive the cage and boat. When the lock-carriage is moye,d forwards, it fits clofe. to th,e end of canal in a :groove j and the gate being opened, the water p;f the canal fills the carriage; .which enables the man .to float his boat in the cage; after which, the gate be;in.g fhut, and a valve O opened A TREATISE ON CANAL NAVIGATION. 99 opened in the hind part of the carriage, below C D, to difcharge, the water, the carriage is run back and leaves the boat fufpended over the pit; during this operation, the man below having placed an empty boat in the lower cage, the two boats are now ready to pafs; the loaded one defcending, raifmg that which is empty; and at the fame time, by a crank movement taken off the end of the drum, three pumps are put in motion; and they raife the water, which was difcharged from the lock-carriage, into a Jide fond, about twelve feet high, into the upper canal; by which the whole is faved. The empty boat having afcended, the fecond lock- carriage is run forward, and the gate of the canal being opened, the water "filling the carriage, will float the boat into the upper canal; another for the purpofe of defcending, is then moved into the cage, and fo on alternately. To regulate this machine, the centrifugal fans are applied, as in the other apparatus; but the balance-chains will be of no eonfequence, as the loaded boat defcending will tie fufficient to raife the weight; of pendent chain, if the depth is not more than one hundred feet, alfo work the pumps and raife the-empty boat; four tons defcending would alfo raife three, by caftirig1' the pumps out of gear, by Jthe lever'E,fo that fome alternate trade might be performed. But mould future extenfion produce an alternate trade, the pits and tubs may be added to this apparatus, converting it to a double machine; for a return traife; this- machine would transfer two boats in about eight minutes • consequently, in the defcending trade, about three hundred andMixty tons might defcend, returning the empty boats, in twelve hours. In "the alternate trade, twice' the the above quantity would be performed by raifmg loaded boats at the feveral movements. Its expence for the defcending trade, one hundred feet deep, about, ... - JT. 2,500 o o For the alternate trade, - - 3>5°° ° ° 6,000 o o Which is about half the expence of locks. 02 CHAP. A TREATISE ON CANAL NAVIGATION, 10 r CHAP. XVII. DESCRIPTION OF PLATE XII. REPRESENTING THE .SECOND MODE.OF *• " "'*''''"_"""" .PASSING THE ALTERNATE .TRADE BY A PERPENDICULAR. LIFT. JN coriftrufting this machine, the tumiel and two pits are . fimilar to the firft lift, and the drum-wheel of two diameters, which muft be fo placed, that one fide may be over the centre of the pit; the cage chains being fixed to the large, and the tub to the fmall diameter. One gate muft then be placed on the end of the upper canal, as in the laft machine; alfb one lock-carriage, moving parallel to the canal. On the fide of the machine, and below the hind end of the lock-carriage, a fmall ^pond is formed to receive the water dif- charged from the lock-carriage; which water is afterwards drawn into the tub, to create the preponderating power, and anfwer the double purpofe of floating the boat into the cage, and then raifing one from the bottom to the top canal. To regulate the movement of this machine, the centrifugal fans are applied, as before defcribed. The expence of one hundred feet rife, about 2,5001. and the execution near three hundred and fixty tons in twelve hours. In thefe three machines, the quantity eftimated being the work of twelve hours, it confequently may be doubled by working at night -, which, I hope, exhibits that lateral cuts might have been extended to great advantage by thefe machines. CHAP. CHAP. XVIII. OF CAST-IRON RAIL ROADS. TO) AIL-ROADS have hitherto been conftrufted as a medium; JL\. between lock-canals and cartage; in confequence, of the expence of extending the canal to the particular works in its neighbourhood. But as the fmall boats, fb materially reduce the expence-of canals, they come nearer to the expence of rail-roads, with which they muft now be compared. The ufual eftimate of rail-roads is about 1,600!. .permiki which are fingle, with pafling places, and only calculated for a defcending trade; the whole being formed of a gradual,defcentfrom the works to the canal; generally fo cal culated-, that a horfe may return the empty waggons with the fame eaie the full ones defcend j on thefe the average work is about five tons to a horfe, defcending at the rate of three miles per hour, or one ton afcending, at near the fame fpeed; on which the wear of waggons is very confiderable; which wear mu-ft generally fall on the company; while the loading into waggons, then unloading at the canal, where there is ufualiy a depofit for want of boats, and again, loading into boats, tends to increafe the expence of conveyance, aiad injure the various articles. There can no idea be formed of the expence of a canal conn pared with a rail-road, without being acquainted with the cir- cumftances ; bur thefe (hould be well confidered before a rail-way is laid down; and the canal {hould confiderably furpafs the ex- pence of the rail-road, particularly if the length is greater than two miles, IO2 A TREATISE ON miles, in order to induce fubfcribers to relinquiih it for a rail-way; and my reafons are, that when a rail-way is laid down, it excludes, in a great meafure, the return trade, and fhuts out the profpect of exteniion ; the county, beyond its extremity, has no more hope of affiftance, than before its conftruction; nor will any company unite with it j for if it is added to, the difficulties in- creafe, as pafling places are inadequate to an important trade; confequently, it would be neceflary to form them double, increaiing the expence and repairs ; without the power of railing fuccours to the high and interior country. Yet the fmall canal is fufficiently wide to pafs at every part, and transfers a trade with equal eafe; meandering the hills, it holds out afliftance to the fun-burnt fields, and feems to invite connection: In a country, through which a rail-way or canal is conftructed, there is fome hope of progreflive improvement and future exten iion; which ultimately brings this--'enquiry to; two queftions r Whether do canals, or rail-ways,;": prefent the-beft Jprofpe6l of extenlion ? And, Which will moil facilitate conveyance by a union of branches B It is therefore prudent to confider well the various circumftances, before a rail-way, of even one mile in length, is laid down. Rail-ways of one mile, or thereabouts, will no doubt be fre quently neceflary, where it may be difficult to find water at the extremity; or when the trade from the works is not fufficient to pay the expence of machinery, and its extent being but one mile, can be of little importance to the country. But CANAL NAVIGATION. .*°3 But to bring thefe fhort fpaces into the general fyftem as much as poffible, fee D, in the Plate of Parts: which reprefents the apparatus for returning the empty boats to the colleries, or other works, in cafes where a regular defcent can be obtained. Suppofe, for iiiftance, fuch works diftant fix hundred, or perhaps, more yards, a fmgle rail-way may be conftructed j on the fummit of which the apparatus D is formed; and a carriage being con ilructed to receive the boat, the leading rope laps round the ver tical wheel F; which wheel works by a multiplied movement in the wheel of the ihaft G, to which a weight is fufpeiided; on a loaded boat defceiidiiig the rail-road, its power will wind up the weight; which weight is kept up by a ftopper on the wheel, and is a power in referve to draw up an empty boat ; hence, when a loaded boat defceiids, it winds up the weight, and on entering the canal, the ihaft of F and G are cail out of gear, which fuffers the carriage to defcend fufficiently to allow the boat to float: an empty boat is then placed in this carriage j and the ftopper being caft off the wheel on the G ihaft, the defcending weight will raife the" empty boat; the movement being regulated by a break, on the ihaft of F 'there are two pinions of different diameters, which are, that the wheel F performs more revolutions in 2 boat afcend- ing than defcending. When the boat defceiids, railing the'weight, ihe lofes her power on entering the canal; confequently, the pinions muft be caft out of gear in order to give more length of rope for the carriage to defcend, and allow the boat to float; therefore, the portion of rope thus let off, muft be wound up by the power of the weight, on returning the empty boat 5 which is done by calling the fmall diameter into gear. In the return 'movement, this mode of working will be found a very cohfider- able faving to the proprietor, in confequence of a fmgle plane and rope anfwering the purpofe; and, in order that the plane may be A TREATISE ON be conftructed cheap, a carriage to receive the boat fhould be made; the carriage to have from ten to twenty fmall wheels, which will divide the weight on fo many points, and eafe the plane; con- fequently the rails may be light and cheap. * But where the nature of the ground will not admit of a regular plane, or the diftance is too great, the boats may float on a car riage for the purpofe, with fix or eight wheels, and be conveyed to the pits or delphs by a horfe; there take in her cargo, and defcend- ingtothe canal, be immediately ready for navigation. The reader, by reverting to the various operations thefe fmall boats pafs through; many of which, where the trade is- great, muft be performed with the utmoft expedition, from which the greateft part of the numerous advantages arife, I hope, will now fee the neceflity of their wheels; which, like a boat and waggon com bined, has, in a great meafure, the properties of both: or, like an amphibious animal, the double advantage of living in two elements. Therefore, if it is neceflary to give them a name, in order to difcriminate from other boats; as fmall boats do not di vide the idea, in fpeaking of them, I have thought Beavers might be applicable. CANAL NAVIGATION. I05 CHAP, CHAP. XIX. ON CONCLUSION OF THE SMALL CANAL SYSTEM. HAVING exhibited the various machines for transferring the fmall boats, and gone through the operations, in which I have endeavoured impartially to prefent the fair comparative view of the general effe£t of large and fmall boats; I fhall now take a fummary review of the whole procefs, the obj eel: in view, and the effect which ought to be produced by canals. Firft, in the true fenfe of national improvement, to facilitate agriculture and, merchandize, the whole ponderous carriage of a kingdom fhould, as much as pojfible, be conveyed by canals, thus re ducing expence, opening eafy communications, exchanging the produce of one diftricl: for another, improving the country, re ducing the number of horfes, rendering manual labour more pro ductive, and fpreading with greater regularity the comforts of life. Hence there fhould be a power of extending canals into every dif-, tri£t, in order to draw from every fource; but it is evident this can only be done by portioning the expence of the cana.1 to the trade. Yet, however defirable this may be, it cannot poflibly be per formed by lock canals ; locks load a canal with certain and heavy; expences which defcend to one point, for twenty-five ton boats, below which there is no reduction, whatever the trade may chance to be: every country, therefore, which cannot produce a trade equal to thofe heavy expences, muft be fhut out from the benefit of water-carriage, and this is by much the greater part of the king dom. P Wherever .1 i .. io6 ON Wherever the importance of two great trading towns, or com mercial countries, can bear the expence of a lock canal, it may be conftructed;' but it is impoflible to branch off into the lefs important or poor diftriclrs with large boats, which carry with them all their confequent • expences : which is not only unmeehanical, but im politic, in two refpects ; it excludes the benefit of water convey ance to fuch diftricts, towns, and hamlets, and bars out a trade which ought to be drawn into the canal to the benefit of the pro prietors. But a fmall canal, forming a communication between two impor tant counties, is fo eafy of accefs, in confequence of the fmall boats, that lateral cuts are eafily conftrucled; they confequently will extend into the country, and others from them into every nook and cor ner where forty or fifty tons per day can be collected: thus the country will be npurifhed, as veins feed the constitution; and the canal become important, like a river receiving numerous {breams: while another advantage of the fmall boats, that of moving flow and taking quantity, or conveying a lefs quantity and paffing with the rapidity of a coach, 'which i&illmoft materially accommodate merchan dize and valuable articles, will take in almoft the whole ponderous carriage of the kingdom ; which circumftance will draw immenfe quantities of trade on canals that rnuft for ever be excluded on the lock principle. The canal being alfo cheap, and fuited to a fmall trade, yet adequate to a trade of the firft importance, confequently the boats of one may navigate the other wherever canals extend> perfevering regularly throughout j while their cheap formation is the greateft poffible inducement to their conftruclion: I fhaM there fore bring this fubje& to a few queftions, which I wifh every fpeeulator to apply to his own deliberations. Firft, CANAL NAVIGATION. 107 Firft? As a frhall canal, averaging the Jituations, may be conftruci- ted for one half the fum which a canal for twenty-five ton boats would coft, or about one third the expence of one for forty-ton boats; Is it not better for a fubfcriber to have as good a profpect of receiving ten or fifteen per cent, by the fmall, as five1 by the greater work; yet, guarded againft any material lofs, have every advan tage which the large canal could give ? Secondly , In constructing a navigation, is it not better to expend 33,000!. in a fmall canal, and have the profpect of drawing in numerous connections by the cheapnefs of the fyftem, than "to fpend 66,oool. for twenty-five ton boats, or ioo,oool. for forty- ton boats, in forming large canals, to accommodate a few unufual articles which the fmall boats cannot convey, and thereby prevent the poflibility of lateral cuts j which would return infinitely more trade into the canal than the fmall boats exclude * ? thirdly, Which will command the moil trade, the fmall boats,. by the cheapnefs with which they may be extended into every dif- tridt where there is any thing to carry j or the large boats, by their capacity to contain unufual and bulky articles ? Fourthly y Or will the confequence of thofe unufually bulky com modities be put in competition with goods of medium dimenfions : which are certainly ninety parts out of a hundred of the whole carriage of the kingdom ? ' Fifthly-, In a national view, is it not better to have three hundred miles of canal for the fame money which it now cofts to make one * I beg Gentlemen to confider what are the things which cannot be conveyed in boats twenty feet long, fonr feet wide, remembering my provifion for timber. P 2 or io8 A TREATISE ON or two hundred; and extend the conveniencies of water-carriage in a two or three-fold proportion ? Sixthly, If a company are about to expend 300,000!. in a canal for forty-ton boats, the canal only thirty miles long*, when ninety miles might be extended into populous diftrifts for the fame money; which, in common fenfe, would make the beft return to the fubfcribers ? Seventhly, It is not a fair criterion to judge of the application of afmall canal by thefe circumftances? ./ j Eighthly, £s it not alfo fair, to compare the intereft of the prin cipal laved, by adopting the fmall, inftead of the large boats, with the expence of transferring the cargoes from large to frnall boats j confidering, that the transfer of cargo will fall on the freighter ? Ninthly, To view this fubje6l to its extent, as of individual and national importance, will not the fmall boats draw infinitely more trade into the channels of canal conveyance, in confequence of their cheapnefs and expedition, than can ever poflihly be done by the large and expenfive mode of locks ? Tenthly, Will not this fyftem draw almoft the whole carriage of the kingdom on canals •, the greater part of which muft for ever be conveyed in wheel carriages! if the lock principle is purmed? Let each fpeculator, or member of a committee, contemplate thefe queftionsj and confider the procefs; let them propofe thefe questions to their engineerSj and requeft an anfwer; and I have no doubt of difcuffion drawing the large boats out of the ftreams of * This is the cafe in many canals, or nearly this fum. preju- CANAL NAVIGATION. 109 prejudice, and launching ±hem into the rivers, their natural and proper fituation. Having put the queftion to engineers, I conceive it neceflary to be properly underftood by them : for I really have as a great a deiire to be in harmony with all men, as to harmonife the canal fyftem.j I do not therefore mean to call their abilities to. account, by this queftion, or to find the leaft fault with the. works they have conftru<5ted •, the lock-canals, though limited in their extenfion^ and imperfect in their principle, were not invented by them j they have but profecuted the principle,, as the beft method hitherto known for general utility. When a company of gentlemen wilh a canal, they apply to and give credit to the reputation of an engineer; he confequently acts to the beft of his judgment, which judgment is ufually formed OIL eftablifhed cuftoms; and which, in many inftances, has been judicioufly exerted. But if fuch a fyftem of operation was in variably to be continued, there would be no more fcientific im provement among men, than in a bed of oyfters, I therefore look upon it as a duty in every man,, who has the leaft pretenlion to fcience, to investigate every plan, which has even the refemblance of improvement • and he is refponfible to his em ployers, if he periifts without pafling his candid judgment; his judgment fhould alfo be put to the teft, by oppoiing it to one well verfed in the fubject; and. thus light would appear, as friction brings forth the {parks of latent fire. I am A TREATISE ON I am aware, this Challenge to a fair difcuffion may be con- ftrued into felf-importance in me, by oppofing my opinion to all others: but be that as it may, I deem it indifpenfably neceflary in all improvements of a public nature. * A man, unthinking, may turn up a tuft of earth, and find a vein of gold, which intereft will urge him to purfue : I, by chance, ftumbled on this fubjec\by turning over a news-paper, or, in all propability, I fhould never have thought of canals. I men tion this to fhew, that I do not arrogate to myfelf a great deal of the ingredient which is called Genius ; but that fome of the moft ^ifeful difcoveries is the produce of accident. I found the fubjeft interefting, and I have had the pleafure, in profecuting it, to find it worth purfuing. It has alfo been fome fatisfaftion, that it appears of national importance: and, as I conceive, I have now removed the principal part of the rubbifli (except me ftrongjlrata of-prejudice), and got my machines ready to work, I lay the en- terprife open to the infpeaion of all, in order that, if there is any intrinfic worth, it may be afiayed; and, I have fome hope, it will not all evaporate in fufion. o Therefore, I do think it moft ferioufly important, for fpecula- tors and their engineers, to conflder this fubjeft well, before they bring their bills into parliament, or profecute another canal. If the fyftem is found, the fooner it is adopted the better; if not, let |t be buried in its own infignificance. As I venerate liberality and the light of reafon, I defpife the pufillanimity of the individual, who, like a dark lantern, conceals the light he receives. Therefore, whether this is a gleam radiat ing from a brilliant refleftor, or the pale glimmering of in- 6 flammable CAN-At flammable vapour, I am determined it fhall not be confined; and my reafon is, that many ufeful improvements fleep for ages, for want of the fire of energy in the projector, while the only mode of proving their utility, is to bring them to the teft of difcuffion : I, therefore, feel myfelf quite ready to meet every objeclion to. this fyftem of fmall canals ; and, for this purpofe, I here call on engineers, or others, who think proper to anfwer the arguments irv their favour. If they cannot do this, I hold myfelf perfectly juftlfiable in criticifing on the works of thofe men, who may hereafter either wilfully,, or ignorantly* profecute the lock principle, and draw their employers into the confequent errors : I will therefore, once more, revert to the comprehenfive view of the fubject, Which will draw the moft trade into the channels of water-conveyance,, large or fmall canals; and which consequently will produce the greateft benefit to fbciety ? It will therefore be a feeble fubterfuge to at tempt to. evade the queftion, by faying, this may do for fome canals, but not for ours. Such a reply would alfo be impolitic, and' exhibit a; limited fenfe of the fmall fyftem j for,, ag I have before hinted,, I wijl now affign my reafon why the fmall canals will, ruin the large ones. Which is, that when the fmall canals are well underftood, they will become fo numerous, and perform the work at fueh low tonnage,, as to reduce the lock canals,, or their emoluments, which: is the fame thing, tp the utmoft infignifieance, by drawing off their trade,. a§ lock canals now draw the trade out of rivejjs. The proprietors of the lock canals, will then have little more- than the bulky articles; and it will then be feen, what proportion they bear to thofe of medium dimenfions.. 2 Ta 112 A TREATISE ON' To give fome idea of this, I beg the proprietors of the Leeds and Liverpool, Lancafter, Rochdale, Grand Junclion, Kennet and Avon, Ellefmere, and various other canals, for river or forty-ton boats*, to fuppofe a fmall canal running fide by fide, or to the fame points; which fmall canal would carry all articles of medium dimenfions for one-third which the proprietors of the large ca nal could afford j where then would be the objecl of transferring cargo ? The fame tonnage which would produce five per cent, to the large canal, would be fifteen per cent, to the fmall company; and, as fif teen per cent, is a comfortable profit, they, for the fake of engroff- ing the trade, might continue to reduce the tonnage as the trad increafed, which ftill retaining fifteen per cent, to the fmall com pany, would prevent the larger from ever rifing above five. iThus the fmall canal would abfolutely be a diclator to the larger work, and fix its emoluments, above which it could not arife -, but might be reduced to lefs than two per cent, if competition or diiputes arofe, the fmall canal ftill receiving five per'cent. The reader will now judge, whether I have ufhered this opinion into the world without fome reafons to fupport it: he will alfo con- fider, whether any man would fubfcribe to large canals, taking upon himfelf a part of the rifque attendant on fuch heavy works, when he could not, at the utmoft, receive more than five per cent. From thefe confiderations, it is alfo a natural conclufion, that the large canal companies will endeavour to prevent thofe fmall works interfering with their trade; and, in cafe of danger, fly to Parliament with bills of infinite reftriclions. But, I hope, a wife * Twenty-ton boats in like proportion. Legiflature CANAL NAVIGATION; 113 Legiflature will fee, that competition is the true polifh of fociety; that to reduce the expence of public works, is to improve the na tion, and will therefore take off many of the reftriclions with which they are now fhackled. As far as my judgment extends on this point, I conceive, if Parliament guard landed and mill property, alfo the feeders to eftablifhed canals, the relative effecl which the trade of one may have on the other, fhould never be confidered •„ if all reftriclions of this kind were abolifhed, canal fpeculations would ftill find their level j and competition would reduce the expence of carriage, which is the real objecl of canals: competition always takes as little profit as it can afford, monopoly as much as it can draw out of the freighter $ therefore competition fhould meet with every en couragement, reftriclions fhould be as few as poflible, and cir culation as free as the air we breathe. Till this is the cafe, the nation never can receive the full benefit which ought to arife from water conveyance. CHAP. -114 A TREATISE ON CHAP. XX. PLATE XIII. REPRESENTS AN AQUEDUCT OF CAST IRON. IN conftructing an aqueduct by this means, the hutments and piers being raifed, it will only be neceflary to extend two pieces of timber acrofs the (pan; each to be braced back to the piers, and covered with plank to form a ftage or fcaffoldingj which will anfwer every purpofe of centres neceflary to works of ftone. The iron-work, as in the fectiori, may all be caft in open fand, and of the following dimenfions ; fuppofmg the fpan one hundred feet, and the fpring one fixth of the fpan. Firft, Three fegments of a circle, each in three pieces, about thirty-fix feet long, eight inches by four diameter, to be united as at A. Second, three ftrait bars, to extend from one pier to the other, to be of the above diameters, may alfo be caft in three pieces; which bars are to extend along the top of the fegments to the piers, and form a line parallel to the horizon ; the bars and fegments to be united by perpendicular ftirrups, like B, ten or fifteen feet diftant from each other. The mortife in the lower end of the ftirrup being thirteen inches long, will be fumcient to receive the fegment, and leave room for a hole two inches fquare; through which a crofs-brace, C, is to pafs, and faften the fegments at proper diftances; the brace to 7< have CANAL NAVIGATION. 115 have a mortife caft on each fide of the ftirrup, in order to tighten the work by wedges. On the top of the ftirrup, the fquare hole to receive the crofs- brace may be beneath the mortife, as in the Figure; by which means, the whole may be combined and form an iron ftage to fupport the troughs. The trough plates fhould be at leaft one inch thick, the fide plates fix feet broad, and as great a length as can conveniently be caft; which may be performed twelve feet, and perhaps more, itt length: the flange to be outfide on thefe plates. The bottom plates may be fix feet wide, thirteen feet long, feven feet plate, and four arms projecting, each three feet long, in order to fupport the horfe-path and braces; as exhibited by a bottom and fide-plate at D. Two of thefe plates laid acrofs the ftage, and fcrewed together, with the flange under, will compofe a length equal to one of the fide-plates; which may either meet or break joint as is thought proper. The whole may, in this manner, be fcrewed together, on packing of wool and tar; and have the feams pitched like thofe of a fhip. On the plates compofing one fide of the trough, fmall brackets, about three feet from the top, muft be caft, as at E, in order to fupport the horfe-path; perpendicular rails, eight feet long, be ing raifed from the arms of the bottom plates, will fupport the outfide of the horfe-path, alfo the iron railing, as in the feclion. CL? By lit A TREATISE ON By this mode, two patterns will anfwer for the whole of the trough-plates, and but few will be required for the fprings, rails, and fpurs j while the faving in time and expence will be confidera- ble 3 particularly where it is neceffary to bring the ftone by long land-carriage j for the arches being difpenfed with, and the piers not more than one-third the dimenfions neceffary to an aqueduct of ftone, will moft materially reduce the quantity of mafonry. But, according to the various circumftances of fituation, car riage of ftone, iron, &c. the difparity between the two modes will be eafily determined, added to which, the durability may be of fome importance. In aqueducts of ftone, one of the great difficulties is to line and puddle fo tight, as to prevent the water penetrating into, and injuring the mafonry j but in one of iron, fhould a leak take place, it will inftantly appear •, and on fhutting the flop-gates at each end, and difcharging the water, it may be flopped in a few hours, if not minutes: this circumftance, in aqueducts, is, per haps, one of the greateft prefervatives; they are confequently lefs liable to injury, and only fubject to the corroding tooth of time. CHAP. CANAL NAVIGATION. CHAP. XXI. ON BRIDGES. fjpHOUGHTS on aqueducts, and their contraction of iron, JL bear fo near a relation to bridges, that the ideas naturally tend to that fubject, and hence I am led to offer fome drawings on their formation of iron and wood. In this country the attention of engineers, of late years, have been much engaged in bridges of iron, which bridges are progref- fively expanding as experience produces courage; nor fhould I be furprifed, if genius in time gave the mechanic rainbow of one thoufand feet to wide and rapid rivers. In fuch countries as Ruffia and America, an extenfive arch feems to be a confideration of the firft importance: in crofling their rivers, as the rivers, or even rivulets, in time of rain fuddenly fwell to a great height, and in the Spring, on breaking up of the ice, the immenfe quantities which is borne down with a rapid ftrearn would, if interrupted by fmall arches and piers, collect to fuch a weight as ultimately to bear away the whole; it is therefore necef fary that one arch fhould be extended as far as poffible, in fuch fituations, and fo high as to fuffer every thing to pafs through; or the inhabitants muft, without fome other expedient, fubmit their paffage to the cafualties of the weather. The moft extenfive fpan of wooden bridges, as far as I am ac quainted with the fubject, are thofe of Schaffhaufen and Wettingen, n8 A TREATISE ON in Switzerland : the firft, conftrufted over the Rhine, is formed in two fpans, one of one hundred and feventy-two feet, the other one hundred and ninety-three, amounting to three hundred and fixty-five, fupported by one pier, relative to which there has been numerous arguments. The pier being the remains of an old bridge, and the artift ha ving exprefled his defire to crofs the river in one fpan, or arch; but being over-ruled by the magiftrates, who ordered him to give it a bearing on the pier, it is faid he feemingly complied with their injunctions, but fo contrived that no part fhould actually touch the pier; yet the pier is not in a line with the buttrefles, but out of the rectilineal direction eight feet, forming an obtufe angle j and this circumftance is fufficient to convince me, that it muft reft on the pier; therefore the greateft arch cannot be confidered more than one hundred and ninety-three feet; yet certainly a confiderable ftretch of genius, and a ftrong inftance of the curious fabric in which fhe frequently refides, the artift, Ubrick Grubenman, being a common carpenter, without the. leaft knowledge of the princi ples of mechanics. In a drawing which I have feen, the leading beam, compofed o£ two pieces laid on each other, rifes in a fpring of about twenty feet over the pier, fimilar to the principles of a roof, and braced by per pendiculars and diagonals, in order that it may preferve its pofition, fo that in fome degree it operates like an arch, although in appear ance the framing refembles a right line, the whole being roofed; a man on foot croffing this bridge will feel the whole fabric tremble, yet it is fufficient to fupport waggons heavily loaded, and bears every hardfliip ufual to bridges. The CANAL NAVIGATION. 119 The bridge of Wittengen, over the Limmat, is a Ipan of two hundred and forty feet, raifed about twenty feet from the water, and may be faid to hang between two bows, the fyftem by which it is fupported being a ftrong bow or arch compofed of eight tim bers bolted on each other to create breadth, and back up againft the weight, one of the bows being on each fide, forming a fpring of about twenty-five feetj the horfe road is fufpended between the two near the centre of the bend, this is alfo roofed, and by the mode of combining, has more fimplicity and true mechanifm than that of Schaffhaufen, although conftru&ed by the fame felf-taught artift. CHAP, I2O A TREATISE ON CHAP. XXII. PLATE XIV. ON BRIDGES OF IRON. A LTHOUGH various have been, and are, the opinions rela- Ji\. tive to the conftruclion of bridges of iron and wood; each artift feems neceffitated to refort to fomething like an arch, but differing in their mode of producing it: they frequently create labour and expence by erefting a complicated fabric. But, on this head, I conceive the firft care is to have fufficient butments; after which, let each fegment of a circle, compofing a rib, be formed of fingle pieces as long as can conveniently be caft j and it is evident, a circle muft be compreffed into a flreight line, or the butments feparate before the bridge can come down. It is therefore only neceffary to form a fegment, fo that it may not change its pofition, by finking in one part and rifmg in another, by the various weights which it may have to fupport, alfo guard againft yielding fide-ways ; for this purpofe, the great quantity of iron or wood is not fo material as a judicious arrangement of the parts. In iron, or wood, the artift may be furnifhed with pieces of greater length than poffibly can be obtained of ftone; confe- quently, there will not be fuch numerous joinings; and thus the fpan may be further extended: on which fee Fig. I. This CANAL NAVIGATION. 121 This reprefents a fegment of iron fixty feet long, eight inches broad by four thick, and may be confidered as a fingle ftone of that length; which being placed between butments and the fpring, preferved in a perpendicular direction, let five weights be fufpended at equal diftance; and, in all probability, though each weight amounted to twenty tons, it would fupport the whole five equal to one hundred tons: yet, let one weight of twenty tons be fuf pended between the centre and end, as in Fig. II. and it is rea- fonable to fuppofe, the whole would come to the ground, as the weight would comprefs one part and raife the other, deftroying the fhape of the fegment, and preventing the direft longitudinal prenure of the parts on each other, for want of counter-weights to preferve the equilibrium. Therefore, after forming a fegment, the great point is to difpofe of the braces, fo as to divide the weights equally on the curve. To effecl this, Fig. 111. reprefents a fpan of one hundred and thirty feet, by a fcale of one inch to twenty feet; and is an arrangement of parts which, I conceive, would ftand without butments, this may be confidered as a bow and firing; which firing, by keeping the bow bent, anfwers the purpofe of butments; all the other braces being for the purpofe of preferving the bow and firing in their proper fituation, by dividing the weight on the bow. For inftance, a weight over the perpendicular B, will tend to extend i, and 2 ; in which cafe, they pafs on A and C, and they pull down the bow at F and G; F and G, by the fame fyftem, pull down H and I, and fo on, wherever the weight is placed its pref- fure will be divided along the bow, which confequently cannot vary its pofition: according to the width of the bridge required, four or more of fiich ribs muft be conilructed and placed perhaps ten feet diftant from each other; the whole being fattened by R crofs- 122 A TREATISE ON crofs-bars paffing through the ftirrups, as in the aqueduct, and prevented from yielding fideways, by the diagonal braces exhibited at A, B, &c. Fig. IV. After which, the whole may be covered with plates of iron, foiled and gravelled, or planked, and covered with earth and gravel in like manner. Although, I conceive, there is little doubt but a bridge, as above defcribed, would ftand to the length of two or three hundred feet, yet the multiplicity of pieces of which it is compofed, in order topreferve the lhape of the fegmentand relieve the butments, would evidently occafion much labour and nicety of workman- fhipj therefore it exhibits the importance of fimplifying fuch works, in order to facilitate their formation, and apply every particle of materials, fo that they may tend to ftrengthen the whole, and not be liable to alter the pofition. I fhall therefore return to th'e firft propofal of adequate but ments, to refift the longitudenal, preflure of an arch of any dimenfions. In this it muft be confidered, that the butmerits * need not be of the immenfe fize which firft ftrikes the imagination; for whatever dimenfions an arch of iron or wood may be, the quan tity of materials is eafily calculated, and the weight which the but ments will have to refill; for inftance, if an arch weighs five hun dred tons, and the butments oppofed to its preflure weighs one thoufand tons, they confequently cannot move, not to mention the weight of earth backing, which tends to render them more per manent ; therefore, feeing that the foundations are fecured, and the fprings, if any, well drained, in order to keep them dry, I fee no difficulty in conftructing butments to fupport an arch of any dimenfions, and that at much lefs expence than butments and piers could be erected for a ftone bridge; in the fame fituation particu larly, CANAL NAVIGATION. 123 larly, if fuch piers were to be built in water of any confiderable depth. Having premifed the butments to be of fufficient ftrength, I con- fider the arch, whether it be compofed of iron or wood, to be like the fegment of a hogfhead, and the component parts as near as pof- iible like the ftaves : for this purpofe, in conftrucling one of iron, Fig. VIII. reprefents two ftaves, each of which might be caft in open fand, four feet broad from twelve to fifteen feet long, the pattern being formed to the radius of the fpring, a flange on the lower fide of the ftave Ihould be caft, about one foot broad, with holes to receive the fcrew pins; acrofs the ftave one or more ribs, if thought neceflary, ihould be caft, to give ftrength to the top plate; thefe ribs and flanges, in uniting the ftaves would butt on each other, and ultimately compofe a rib to the whole extent of the bridge. Having caft the ftaves as wide and long as experience may here after prove expedient, I will fuppofe it neceflary to ere6l a bridge one hundred feet fpan, as in Fig.V.; in building the butments, it would be advifeable to place two or three fegments, of the fame radius, as the bridge, in each butment, they being caft with arms, or united to binders, in order to take a firm hold on the mafonry, and become a permanent fupport; the fegment thus pafling into the butments, might be confidered as a part of the arch, which, by this means, would butt againft the centre of the whole weight of the butment, and muft pufh the whole away before the arch could yield; but, without this precaution, the arch would' reft fo near the top of the butment, as to raife the ftone-work and endanger the whole. Having thus prepared the butments, a centre of three or more fegments, fo that each ftave may have two bearings,lhould be R 2 erected; ,-s A TREATISE ON erecled -, and the ftaves being ready, all of one dimenfion, and the fcrew-pins all of a fize, the arch might be fprung in a few days, breaking joint, as in Fig. VII. Thus each flange and rib would butt upon its neighbour, and the fcrew-pins confining the whole, it would become like one folid fegment of a cylinder one foot thick, extending into the piers. By this mode, the difficulties which arife in fitting diagonal, per pendicular and lateral braces, are avoided, the top plate perform ing the office of all fuch braces; which top-plates, in other com- pofitions, have no tendency to ftrengthen : thus every particle is applied to refiftance, and the materials have but few joinings j which junctions have alfo broad and permanent bearings of one foot on each other, the flange and ribs being caft of that depth. Thus, I conceive, a bridge of one hundred feet, or perhaps one hundred and fifty feet fpan, might be erefled at a cheap rate, with with a fmall quantity of materials, yet with the profpea: of great durability. If I fuppofe a bridge one hundred feet fpan, thirty wide, with the top plate one inch thick, five flanges or ribs, each one foot broad and two inches thick, the whole weight of the arch would not be more than feventy-eight tons, allowing one pound to every four cube inches of caft-iron* So far relates to iron bridges of one hundred or one hundred and fifty feet fpan; but fhould it be neceflary to extend them to a greater length, to fay three hundred feet, two fegments would then be requifite j the firft, as in Fig. VI. as the principal fupport. the feeond, to eafe the paflage, Ihould be of fuch a bend as would admit an eafy afceiit and defcent; and, by being part of a curve, it alfo tends to ftrengthen -, thus,, if I fay, fpan three hundred feet, the firft fpring thirty, the feeond fpring only ten feet, they both muft be CANAL NAVIGATION. :i2$ be comprefled into ftreight lines, before they can come down; they will alfo have twenty perpendicular feet of bearing on the butment, the bearings oppofite to the two fegments being oppofed by feg ments entering the hutments, as before defcribed -, the two fegments muft be kept afunder by perpendiculars in the haunches, placed at about ten feet diftance from each other, as in the Figure. See Plate XV. exhibiting the combination by ribs and braces j alfo Plate XVI. reprefenting the arch of ftaves. Having exhibited the mode of conftruftion, I conceive it unne- ceflary to comment on the particular formation, or to draw a com parative view of this and other bridges of iron; as in cafes where they may be required; the artift will weigh the various circum- ftances, inveftigate the feveral modes of building, and choofe for himfelf; in which there is a leading deliberation, viz. By what means can a given quantity of materials be arranged, fo as to incur the leaft expence in erecting,, and be rendered moft permanent -f and by which mode will the leaft materials anfwer the purpofe ? CHAP. 126 A TREATISE ON CHAP. XXII. PLATE XVII. OF BRIDGES OF WOOD. important objection to bridges of wood, is their rapid JL decay: and this objection is certainly well founded, when particular fituations are alluded to, where timber is fcarce, and confequently expenfive j but in fuch countries as America, where wood is abundant, I conceive it will be a fair criterion to judge of their application, by calculating on the expence of a bridge of ftone and one of wood ; then compare the intereft of the principal iaved in adopting the wood-bridge, with the expence of its annual repairs. I have before exhibited the neceflity of conftrufting bridges in America, of an extenfive fpan or arch, in order to fuffer the ice and collected waters to pafs without interruption: and for this purpofe, it muft be obferved, that a wood arch may be formed of a much greater length, or fpan, than it is poffible to erecl: one of ftone j hence they are applicable to many fituations, where ac cumulated waters, bearing down trees and fields of ice, would brufh a bridge of ftone from its foundation. It therefore becomes of importance, to render bridges of wood as permanent as the nature of the material will admit. Hitherto the immenfe quantity of mortifmg and tennants, which however well done, will admit air and wet, confequently tend to expedite the decay of the weak parts, has been a material 7 error CANAL NAVIGATION. I27 error in conftrucling bridges of wood j the mode of arranging the parts, by a repetition of bracing, has alfo expofed almoft every fide of the whole of the timbers to the changes of the weather. confequently, the whole was reduced to the durability of one ftick, fimilar to fufpending a cage in open air, each flick is expofed to decay, without receiving fhelter from each other. It has alfo been ufual to place fupporters in the water, fubject- ing them to the furge of floods, which fhake the whole fabric; which^ fupporters decaying progreffively let down the upper works. But to render wood-bridges of much more importance .than they have hitherto been confidered; firft, from their extenfive fpan j fecond, by their durability; two things muft be confidered : Jirft, that the wood-works fhould ftand clear of the ftreani, in every part, by which it .never would have any other weight to fuftain than that of the ufual carriage > fecond, that it be fo combined as to exclude as much as poffible the air and rain. For this purpofe, in creeling a bridge of wood, I would pro ceed much on the fame fyftem as in conftrucling the one of iron ftaves. For inftance, fuppofe a bridge three hundred feet fpan, thirty feet wide, the butments being rendered fecure, and centres raifed on piles; let timbers, if convenient, be procured thirty feet long, and of as great diameter as the country will produce •, fuch timbers being fquared and planed to the radius of the arch, with the holes to receive a bolt or trundle, about four feet diftant from each other; the whole operation in fpringing the arch, will be to tar or paint the junctions with white lead, and infert the trundle, as at A, Fig. II. and prefs them clofe, thus lay them fide by fide, by which means an arch might be laid in a few days, 128 A TREATISE ON days, and as foon as the laft timber is placed, the centres may be removed, and each piece preffing on its neighbour, will tend to render the whole compact; this being done, bolt down the belts C and D, diftant from each other, in a lateral direction, about ten feet; then cover the whole with old fail-cloth, or tarpawling, tar, and fand; of the tar and fand, two or three coats may be laid on, which will fill every appeiture, and form a permanent cover to the total exclufion of the air and rain. The arch being thus covered and kept dry, would prefent a fegment of a cylinder, at leaft one foot thick, guarded from the change of feafons, and in all probability would laft many ages. The firft fegment'being formed, proceed to raife the perpendiculars off the belts to fupport the fecond or upper fegment j which fegment fhould be coated in like manner with tar, &c. previous to laying on the earth and gravel; which earth and gravel fhould be, perhaps, eighteen inches thick, in order that wheels might never wear to the tim bers or coating. Having deitribcd the conftmarion, and exhibited the formation, by the engraving, it is but neceflary to obferve, that the ftaves compofing the arch are not eat away by mortifmg, but preferve their whole ftrength ; thus being joined like ftaves, two fides only of each ftick is expofed, which being coated, the whole of the timber is completely covered from the weather. I will now leave my reader to reflect on the ftrength and durability of this arrangment; and then proceed to confider to what extent of fpan fuch bridges may be conftructed. In this I muft call to mind my former remarks, that the feg ment of a circle muft be comprefied into a ftrait line, or fink in one part and rife in another, or the butments feparate before it is poflible for a bridge to fall; by longitudinal preflure, the lateral tendency flail hereafter be obferved, admitting the above propor tions, CANAL NAVIGATION. 129 tions; the queftion is, Whether the arrangement of parts is fo calculated as to guard againft fuch accidents ? which probably will appear by the following confiderations: m Firft, the butments may.be made to refift any weight, by giving a greater weight of ftone than there is weight of materials in the arch *. Second, the timbers being laid fide by fide, like ftaves, and prefling on each other, leave not the leaft aperture into which the parts of mortifed and framed timbers might be comprefled; hence, feveral timbers, in a long arch, muft abfolutely be comprefled into nothing, before the fegment could become a ftrait line. Third, that it may not vary its pofition, by finking in one part and rifing hi another, with the various weights, I will confider the ftaves and belts only: it muft be obfcrved, that by bolting down the belts, which belts may be from thirty to forty feet long, and break joint, as in Fig. II. the whole arch will become like one folid piece of timber, bent between the piers. I will now fup- pofe iuch a bridge forty feet broad, the timbers combined eighteen inches thick; hence, admitting that it was conftrufted of wood as light as fir, each lineal foot would weigh one ton and a half, hence every thirty feet forward would weigh forty-five tons j as a waggon, when loaded, feldom weighs more than five tons -f-. * Although this may not be neceffary, it is certain ; and as it is more my intention to exhibit the poflibility of conftrufting bridges of a great fpan, than to point out the precife proportion of the parts, I conceive, by ftiewing it poffible, future deliberations of ingenious men will determine the proportion. f By this I mean the broad-wheeled waggon- of England, the American waggon is feldom more than three tons. S And 130 A TREATISE ON And admitting four fuch waggons, weighing twenty tons, to ftand abreaft on the bridge, in which fituation they would have .the greateft poffible preffure, by acling near the fame fpot j yet, to comprefs the part, thirty feet of the bridge, at leait, on each fide, muft rife, and this in fome meafure railing the whole of the fpring, which would be a weight of at leaft one hundred tons ; hence, as twenty tons cannot move one hundred, without fuperior leverage, and as there is no leverage obtained, confequently there is no weight which it is reafonable to fuppofe can come on a bridge at one time can injure it. The longitudinal preffure being eonfidered, the tendency to yield fideways may be prevented, by conftrucling it wide at the ends and contracted in the centre; the preffure will then be refifted by an arch in every direction. Having exhibited the con- ftru6lion, and afligned my reafons for its permanency, I hope it will eafily be admitted, that a bridge of three hundred feet would be perfectly fafe; but if the reader fhould hefitate at this, he has my reafon why it would ftand, and it will be well to difcover the reafon why it would not: but fuppofing it admitted, that three hundred feet would be fafe, I fee no difference between that and one of five hundred, or even more feet fpan, the proportions being preferred by a fpring one tenth of the fpan*. * When the true principle of building bridges of wood is difcovered, their progreffive extenfion is as reafonable, as the increafed dimensions of fliipping; which, in early ages, was deemed a great work if they amounted to one' hundred tons burthen ; but time and ex perience has extended the art of fliip-building to two thoufand tons; and in the combination and arrangement of the various and complicated parts, there certainly is more genius and labour required than in erefting abridge of five hundred or one thoufand ieetipan: but the great demand for {hipping has rendered- the formation familiar, and their increafed bulk gradually grew into the fenfes: but had a man, in the infancy of naval architefture, hinted at a veflel of two thoufand tons, I am inclined to think his cotemporary artitts would fix him with the gentle appellation of mad-man. 7 Having CANAL NAVIGATION. 131 Having made this affertion, I almoft fear I have Forfeited the confidence of my reader, who may now be inclined to doubt the ftability of my fenfes ; but patience fhould accompany inveftiga- tion, and I muft beg of him to proceed to give fome idea of the proportion of fuch a bridge of five hundred feet fpan, fifty feet fpring, and forty feet broad: take a board eleven feet long, ten inches wide, and half-inch thick, and bend it be tween two blocks till it rifes twelve inches, and it will give a model of the fpring of an arch compofed of two rows of ftaves, each a foot thick, amounting to two feet in thicknefs; extend this idea, by meafuring off five hundred feet in a field, and imagining a perpendicular in the centre fifty feet high, then draw a fegment by the eye, conceive the whole well wedged and bolted 'together, the proportions of the timbers preferred, and deliberate on the part where it could give way. TO A TREATISE ON TO THOMAS MIFFLIN, GOVERNOR OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA. SIR, URING the profecution of my experiments on Canal ope- _ rations, which are exhibited in the preceding treatife, I frequently contemplated their great importance to the States of America, and much wiftied to awaken the public mind to a full fenfe of the fubject j but, on confidering the habits of the people of the interior country, accuftomed only to land carriage, I feared much difficulty would arife in removing the prejudice in favour, of waggoning, and. in raifing a fum of money adequate to the firft expence of a canal of importance.' In deliberating on the mode of furmounting thefe obftacles, I was fo fortunate as to meet with your Addrefs to the Houfe of Reprefentatives 01.1795, and parti cularly happy to find your ideas, of the importance of eafy com munications between remote parts of the country, fo confonant to my own, and at the fame time fo earneftly recommended to the public attention: which circumftance has urged me to addrefs this Chapter to you, convinced that your fenfe of the fubject will not fuffer any obfervations which may be ufeful to lie dormant. I muft therefore requeft you deliberately to perufe the fyftem laid down, which you will find, by Chapter VII. totally explodes the eld practice, for two reafons: Firft y Becaufe they may be conftruc- ted for half the fum neceflary to a lock canal; arid, Secondly, Be caufe on them you may perform difpatch, and pafs through the moft mountainous country at the fpeed of fix miles per hour; an advantage CANAL NAVIGATION, advantage which lock canals can never give, and which precludes an immenfity of carriage: yet the fmall canal takes in every kind of conveyance, and performs the double office of a canal and road j therefore, if founded and governed by found principles, a moun tainous country may have all the bleffings of water conveyance, fo celebrated in the level and fertile plains of Egypt. But how to extend thefe conveniencies into every corner and diftrict of America, is now to be confidered. While the mind hovers over the immenfe continent of America, and views its vaft interior, inhabited in various diftricts remote from the marts of trade, with infinite fcenes for the improvement and nourifhment of millions of human beings, philanthrophy feeks to combine the exertions of the prefent inhabitants to facilitate their labour, extend their interefts, invite population, and give a cultivating hand to every acre of that extenfive territory. To fuch a wifh, in one point of view, is prefented a great and fertile country, interfperfed with luxuriant vales and numerous mountains, nourilhing infinite rivulets, which, meandring the country, feed long and rugged rivers, diminifhing to naked fhoals in dry feafons, or fwelling'to roaring torrents in time of rain.j prefling their way through ftupendous cliffs and infinite rocks, prefent objects hoftile to navigating the ftreams of nature. But fuch are the materials, which art muft bring into unifon; the performance of which is a fubject the moft benevolent and important, and worthy the ferious contemplation of the penetra ting members of fociety, as a great national queftion. On this head it muft be evident, that in proportion as produce is remote from market its value is diminifhed, in confequence of the 134 A TREATISE ON the expence of carriage, and hence remote parts are excluded the market* or a facility of exchanging their furplus produce for ne- ceflaries which they may require; thus the nerves of exertion are cramped, the faculties of body and mind are not called forth, and the country remains a dreary and inhofpitable wafte. But to en courage population and increafe the value of the lands, the cheapeft poffible conveyance of the produce muft be eftablifhed on found principles; for, exactly in proportion to the eaie of reaching the market, the remote countries of equal fertility will be of more or lefs confequence in the fcale of fbciety; therefore, to fum up the idea, w.ould not the lands about Fort-Pit be as valuable as thole round Lancafter, if the produce could be brought to market for the fame fumj and would not population confequently be en couraged ? For this purpofe, as I have the ftrongeft conviction operating on my mind, that canals are the1 only effectual means of producing eafy communications, and that they confequently are of the ut- moft importance; I much wifh that the public may be made thoroughly fenfible of their utility, and that each State might efta- blifh a fociety to inveftigate the propriety of forming them in fuch diftricts as the prefent ftate of population and trade may moft re quire them ; keeping one important object in view, that all future canals may be conftufted on one fcale and principle, In order that when the various branches meet the boats, one may navigate the other wherever canals extend. This you will obferve has been my wifh throughout, and in which I hope I have been fo fortunate as to fucceed; if fo, canals appear in a new light, and are ftill more important than formerly, becaule they may now be fitted to every kind of country, and by their cheapnefs approach near to the ex- pence of conftractlng turnpike roads. At CANAL NAVIGATION. 135 At a period when a country is improving by turnpike roads, the queftion is, whether it is not belt to adopt canals; and the criterion to judge of the propriety of the canal, will depend on fimple cal culation, to the following effect; ift, what is the expence of the road; 2.d, what.is the expence of the canal; 3^ what is the ex- pence of carriage by the road; 4^, what is the expence of carnage by the canal; and probably it will be found the canal will perform the work fo cheap, as to juftify three or four times the fum being ex pended in the canal, that would be neceffary to conftructing a road of the fame length; to which one conflderation muft be added in favour of the canal, viz. on all roads, however good, the great expence of carriage is the number of horfes; but on canals, the principal expence is the tonnage or tolls to the proprietors, as intereft for the money ad vanced in forming the canal: yet this tonnage by a judicious ar rangement may be reduced, if not 'liquidated, and the carriage on a canal may be fo regulated, that goods conveyed four hundred or more miles, will not coit more than thofe which are navigated eighty or one hundred miles; yet the eighty or one hundred miles canal conveyance will notcoft half the fum necelTary to land car riage, on the belt of roads. To elucidate this, I will fuppofe a canal from Philadelphia to Fort-Pit, or any other long line, to fay, three hundred and fifty miles; on liich a canal a man, boy, and horfe, would convey forty tons twenty miles per day, and arrive at Philadelphia in (fay) eighteen days, at IQS. per day, amounting to 180 (hillings for forty tons, or 4-r. bd. per ton, the expence of boating, independent of tolls. By a road of the fame length, four horfes, perhaps five, would fet out with not more than two tons, and, travelling at the - rate of twenty-five miles per day, arrive at Philadelphia in fourteen days; and to fay only two dollars, or 15*. per day, amounting to 210 ihillings, or j/. 5*. per ton for waggoning, independent of turn pike. 136 A TREATISE ON pike. This, I hope, will exhibit the immenfe difparity between the two modes, and fhew that roads, however good, can never ef fectually relieve a remote country. The queftion then is, how to conftrufet a canal in order to reduce the tolls, and completely affift the dijQMt diftricts; this I conceive will totally depend on the mode of ra8j$g and appropriating a fum of money to the firft fifty or one hundred miles of canal. In this%>untry, canals are paid by companies of fubfcribers, who receive a toll on the carriage of goods as an intereft for the money advanced, and the immenfe quantity of carriage throughout every part of this compact kingdom, ufually produces a confiderable in tereft for the money expended, while the expence of carriage is reduced below that of land conveyance; but as England is envi roned with water, with numerous fea ports, there is no part very remote from the market, and hence, they never will have canals of any comparative length with thofe neceflary in America, to fay feven or eight hundred miles; therefore the mode of proprietors receiving tonnage at fo much per mile, although it will ever be much below land carriage, yet even that tonnage would preclude the market from the remote country, and by no means anfwer for American canals: for inftance, £. d. A conftructs a canal fifty miles long, and re ceives two-pence per ton per mile - 084 B ditto - - 084 C ditto - 084 D ditto - - -084 E ditto - - - 084 F ditto - - 084 G ditto - 084 3 50 miles- - 2 18 4 per ton, tolls, CANAL NAVIGATION. 137 tolls, independent of boating; and hence I conceive the produce could not bear the expence of carriage by this method. But as it is the produce of the interior country which muft be drawn forth, the leading canals fhould be national works, perhaps by the following fyftem. Firft, That the legiflature, by fuch duties or impofts as they con ceive moft eligible, raife a fum of ^money adequate to the expence of the firft fixty or feventy miles of canal; to fay from Philadelphia to Lancafter, which perhaps may coft 150,000!. of which 30,000!. per annum, may be required till the canal is finifhed. On this canal, fixty miles long, if I fuppofe fifty tons per day to be navi gated at two-pence per ton per mile, allowing two hundred and eighty working days per year,-it would amount 107,000!. per annum, which fhould be applied to extending the canal; the tolls on fuch extenfion being appropriated in like manner to further extention, and fo on, the toll to be continually devoted to form ing more canal; till canals would pervade the whole country by virtue of their own produce arifmg from the tolls. If this mode of extending the canal, by appropriating the tolls fhould be deemed too tedious for the fpeedy relief to the interior country, and the funds of the ftate would admit of the advance of a further fum, they might immediately extend the canal two hundred miles, and receive the tolls, till the laft advanced fum was liquidated; or, as the proprietors of the lands in the interior would be much benefited by their property being raifed in value, probably they might raife the fum, and receive the tolls till fuch fum was liquidated : the lands being increafed in value, might be deemed T fufficient I1 ....i 138 A TREATISE ON CANAL NAVIGATION. 139 fufficient intereft till the principal was difcharged, which would diminifh every year. If by either of thefe modes, or any better which can be devifed, I fuppofe the firft two hundred miles of canal to be formed, the trade will be more in proportion to the length than on the firft fixty miles before eftimatedj becaufe, being more remote from the metropolis, the interior inhabitants will be neceffitated to fly to the canal, the tonnage will alfo be greater; therefore, if I allow on the two hundred miles one hundred tons per day, to be navigated at twenty millings per ton for the whole length, or in propor tion for a fhorter diftance, the annual produce would be 28,000!.; and having arrived at fuch annual income, canals would proceed with difpatch, and progreffively increafe, both in riches and ex- tenfion; each year the produce of tonnage would increafe, and each year a greater length of canal might be conftrufted. Therefore, if I proceed with this progreflive and creative fyftem, till a canal reached Fort-Pit, which, with fome bends, I will call three hundred and fixty miles; the country, which fuch canal would accommodate, would widen _as it was more remote from Philadelphia. For inftance, the man who lived twenty miles from Philadelphia, might convey his goods feven to the canal; the man at forty miles diftance might go fourteen or fifteen to the canal; at fixty miles, twenty to the canal; and fo on, till at the extremity of three hundred and fixty miles, they probably would go fifty on each fide to the canal; hence, if I average the whole, fuch canal may be faid to accommodate a country three hundred and fixty miles long, fifty miles widej on which the tonnage muft new be regulated. 7 The The man who refides twenty miles from Philadelphia, and feven from the canal, fhould he convey a ton of goods by land, it would be worth at leaft fifteen (hillings, as it would employ a man and two horfes two days*. The carriage to the canal, feven miles in like proportion, _____ Carriage on the canal, - - s. 5 4 Total, Thus the faving would be fix (hillings, and the tonnage fhould increafe to a certain fum on the firft hundred miles of canal, keeping much within the limits of land-carriage; then decreafe as the boating increafed, in order to draw the trade of the back country into the canal. The expence of boating a ton twenty miles will be as follows : a man, boy, and horfe, will convey forty tons twenty miles for ten (hillings, which is three-pence per ton for twenty miles; but to allow contingencies, fay four-pence per ton, for boating twenty miles ; the tonnage and boating on the three hundred and fixty miles fhould then be regulated, perhaps, in the following order. * The Englifli reader, who may look over this chapter, may perhaps be furprifed at dating the land-carriage of America fo low. But as I do not know the average expence of that country, I eftimate it low in order to give it every advantage, in a comparative view, with the canal. In England, it would coft at leaft one guinea, with all the advantage of good turnpike roads. T 2 Miles. Miles. 20 40 60 80 * IOO 120- 140 160 180 200 22O 240 260 280 300 320 340 f 360 A TREATISE ON tonnage. s. 4 8 12 16 20 ig ig ig 18 18 18 J7 17 17 16 16 16 i« d. o o o o o 8 4 o 8 4 o 8 4 o 8 4 o 8 Boating. s. o o i i i 2 a 2 3 3 3 4 4 4 5 5 5 6 d. 4 8 o 4 8 0 4 8 o 4 8 o 4 8 o 4 8 0 Amount, s. d. 4 4 8 8 13 o 17 4 21 21 21 21 21 21 21 21 21 21 21 21 21 21 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 By this fyftern, the country at the extremity of three hundred and fixty miles, would deliver goods at Philadelphia for twenty- one (hillings and eight-pence; which is the fame as paid at the diftance of one hundred miles j to which the land-carriage to the canal muft be added. But as fuch a fyftem would open a market to the remote country, every acre of ground within reach of the * This being 'within the limits of land-carriage, the tonnage muft now begin to decreafe as the boating is increafed. f If the boats return without back-carriage, the expence of boating, which on the three hundred andfixty miles is fix millings, mult be deducted from the tolls; and in proportion on the various parts of the canal. canal CANAL NAVIGATION. 141 canal would become more valuable, and the carriage to the canal muft be borne for fome years. But as population increafed, and the tonnage on the main line became productive, lateral branches would be cut from the canal, and thus further improve the coun try ; the tonnage on fuch branches being proportioned as before ftated, according to the diftance from the city. The carriage on fuch canal would confequently be immenfe; for, as I before ftated, it would accommodate a country three hun dred and iixty miles long, fifty miles wide, in the main, contain ing eighteen thoufand fquare miles, or eleven million five hundred and twenty thoufand acres. If, by further improvement, I allow that only every fiftieth acre will produce one ton of carriage per annum, the amount would be two hundred and thirty thoufand four hundred tons j which appears, by averaging the preceding tonnage, would coft fifteen ftlillings per ton, in tolls to the canal, amount ing to 172,800!. per annum, in order to conftruc~l further canal; a fum adequate to forming, perhaps eighty or one hundred miles per year: having arrived at fuch a length, it is evident canals would increafe with aftoniftiing rapidity, and produce convenien- eies, even beyond the limits of calculation j for it muft be obfer- ved, and ftricHy adhered to, that by canals you may equalize the carriage of the near and remote country, as before exhibited by the mode of regulating the boating with the tonnage, in proportion to the extent; inafmuch as that a ton of goods may be carried three hundred and fixty miles for il. is. 8d. Yet, was I to extend the idea to a ftill more diftant diftrift, by reducing the tonnage as the boating increafed, till the tolls were annihilated, and the boat ing amounted to il. is. 8d.; a ton of goods might be boated thirteen hundred miles for that fum; yet a ton could not be waggoned the fame diftance for lefs than 38!. los. fo great is the diiparity between land and water-carriage. Hence 142 A TREATISE ON Hence it muft be evident, that roads, however good, can never effectually affift the remote country, each mile is attended with a heavy expence on carriage, till penetrating fo far, that the value of the produce is confumed in carriage; it terminates in a luxuriant wildernefs, fable and uncultivated as the interior of Africa. But by canals, the conveyance may be fo eafy, that they may penetrate the moft remote diftrifts, draw down the produce to the ports of trade, and bear Up the various conveniencies of life; thus each man may exchange his furplus labour for the neceffaries or lu xuries which he may require; hence his faculties will be put into action, cultivation will flourifh, and enjoyment be more equally diffufed; canals will pafs through every vale, meander round each hill, and bind the whole country in the bonds of focial inter- courfe j hence population will be inereafed, each acre of land will become valuable, induftry will be ftimulated, and the nation, gaining ftrength, will rife to unparalleled importance, by virtue of fo powerful an ally as canals. Having exhibited the immenfe difparity between canals and roads, with the mode of extending canals in every direction, by appropriating the tolls j it is evident, that fuch a fyilem will pro duce infinite navigation. But the mode of conftrudting them muft be maturely confidered j and in this, two things muft be fcrupuloufly adhered to. Firft, that canals may truly benefit a country, it is neceffary the paffage fhould be performed with equal eafe each way. Se cond, that the neareft courfe fhould be taken to the princi pal points of the country; and for both thefe reafons, the beds of the rivers, beyond tide, 'muft almoft univerfally be for- CANAL NAVIGATION. '43 forfaken *j becaufe torrents, in time of rain, which is extremely in jurious to the works of art, with the fhoals in dry feafons, together with the current ever ftanding one way, will very frequently inter rupt free intercourfe, and render frefh-water river navigations precarious. The rivers, creeks, and rivulets, which are numerous in all parts, muft be confidered as the-feeders of canals ; and, in this refpedt, having an abundance of water, America is very for tunate ; land is alfo cheap and timber plenty, fo that the great expence of an American canal would be labour. Therefore, as it is the channels of art, which can only effec tually aflift the country, I have conftantly endeavoured to find a fyftem which might pafs by the ftreighteft line to a given point j hence you will obferve the mode of mountinghills, crofling val leys, rivers, and defiles, by the various machines j which, I hope, will difplay an ealy means of extending water communications through a great continent, and bear the mind to thofe days, when a well-dire6led ceconomy in manual labour will give enlightened and rational enjoyment to many millions of inhabitants : hoping, that this important fubjecT: will make a part of the deliberation of a wife Legiflature, I remain, with all poflible Refpecl, London, March, 1796. Yours fincerely, ROBERT FULTON. * By forfaking the beds of the rivers I mean, that they fhould not compofe or make a Principle part of a leading canal; yet, however numerous canals may be, it will frequently happen that feme miles of a river will afford eafy navigation in particular feafons, and pro bably touch the leading canals into which the goods, or perhaps boats, may be transferred from the river j for fmall boats will live on the American rivers in particular parts and fea fons, of which there are innumerable inftances by the batteaus and even canoes. 144 ADDITION. IN conducting a line c* canal through a mount^noub counti, it may, in many inftances, be tremely difficult > fupply the top level with water to work the machinery; yet the country mav produce fufficient at the next lower level; for iiiftance, at one < two hundred feet below the top pond of canal. In fuch cafe, if the ground is Hoping, fo as to admit of a difchargc from the bottom of the tub-pit, or e~ n a -water 'wheel, the machinery e Jiibited by the preceding Engravings may be placed at the bottom of the plane, and r ceive motion from the water of the lower level; by which the boats may be paffed to and from the fummit with the fame facility ao if the machinery on top of the plane, and thus the water of the fummit level will be preferved: which exhibits another important advantage over lock canals. The whole of the apparatus will alfo equally apply, whether there are wheels to the boats or rollers to the plane. 'I VI' //, r 'Off/. / J 1 If ci 1,, HI & ^J mm i in nil Illllll III II B .'//„ '//'//S//S /,„//„„/, V $ V -\ N X N IF T1IJE r. 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