The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1886-09-11 00:00:00

LOCAL CANAL COMMUNICATON.

At the British Assce.iaton meeting, on Monday,
Mr. E. B. Marzen reed papers on the Birmingham
Canal and the Stourbridge Canal. As to the former
be said: The district, around Birmingham abounds
in canals, and as some of the engineering works are
important and interesting, mention of them might
be useful to the visitors. The Act was obtained in
1766, and the canal was made by Brindley, the
well-known engineer, and completed from Birming-
ham to Antherley in 1772, and connected with
canals to London in 1783. In 1824 the canals bad
become so out of order as to be little better than
"crooked ditches," when Th. Telford, also a well-
known engineer, made a vast improvement by
straightening and deepening, so as to reduce the
lengta from twenty-two to fourteen miles, and
after expending much capitsl produced what was
considered a perfect specimen of a canal. The
supply of water to the canal was also much me.
Droved by the largo reservoir at Edgbaston, with a
good system of feeders for economising water,
In 1835 the Acts were consolidated, and subset-
quently arrangements completed with the London
and North-Western Railway. The group of largo
works Nt Se.ethwick still forms a striking feature,
with canals on two levels, railways one above
another, and ro el and railway bridges over both
canals and one railwai. In 1850 the splendid
Netherton Tunnel was made und r the floe:ley
Hills by Mr. James Walker, another engineer,
well known as a canal maker, to relieve t'ne old
Dudley tunnel wider the Castle Hills, which is still
maintained in use, and is a most interesting work
The numerous pumping-engines. are interesting as
giving specimens of the pr )gress of such machines,
and the chief station at Oeker Ull contains a tow
of six large engiaes, all lately pat in good order,
under one roof. Ths working of the rallies, cape-
cia'ly the thick coal (3 )it) cau-e1 very great injury
to the canal ; but, c.eajoietly with the Soath Staf-
fordshitae Mines De.iinggo Conirnissioners, both
canals and basins have been so much repaired that
the canal works were perhaps ~ever in a in .re
effici nt condition. Tee Steurbridge Canal, Mr.
Al<r en eta ed forms an important link between
the Birmingham Canal Navigation and the Severn
and Bristol Onannel. and is the water outlet for
the Black Country in that directioa. It was made
in 1778, and as an engineering work it has points
of interest in its twenty locks and its two large re-
servoirs, with a good system of feeders to gather
the supply of water so important for working the
locks. It also receives water from an under—
ground level about four miles longs cut from Coal-
bournbrook to the Level, near Du iley Woo iside,
to drain a large tract of mines, and which was itself
a very clever piece cf engineering for that time.
Some wooden pumps of curious cons'ruction were
lately found in this level, The canal gathers toll
only at the locks, as roads did at turnpikes; and as
the through traffic nas teen umb diverted by rail-
ways there is not much more than will pay the
cost of maintenance. The difficulty is increased by
a branch called Stourbridge Extension Canal, being
now owned by a railway company, and us, d like
the other canal to collect traffic for the railway
without paying toll to the canal. The traders on the
level parts also have the use of the canal without
toll or contribution towards maintenance.

. SPORTING NOTES.
(By our own Correspondent.)
THE DONCASTER CARNIVAL.

Very little speculatictn has taken place during
the past few days in connection with the last of tho
" classic " events—the Doncaster St. Leger. Or
monde continues to stop the way, odds of sto 1
being laid on the Duke of Westminst,r's colt, a
rate not eagerly accepted by the " metallicians,"
whilst those who come in for place recognition at
6 to 4 are St. Mirin and St. Michael. Prince Stolly-
koff is sure to throw down the gauntlet with one of
his trio Silver, Mephesto, and Argo Navis—'he
best of whom should run very forward. 31;ss
Jimmy of late h .6 done some good work, and might
put in an appearance, although holding an enlage-
ment later on in the week in the Park Hill Stake 3
which shooll be at her mercy. However, to make
a long story short, so long as the Duke of West-
minster's champion keeps well, the " "
for 1886, like the other two classical events, will
prove a mere canter for