The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1838-07-13 00:00:00

STEAMING ON THE CANALS

As our American neighbours would say, we are "going a-
head" in the use of steam as a locomotive power. But a few
weeks ago, we noticed the starting of a small steam-boat to
ply on the Irwell, with passengers, between this town and
Warrington; and we have now to announce the application
of steam to carriers' canal boats for the transit of goods be-
tween this town and London. In canal navigation in this
country, a long period of time has elapsed since any altera-
tion or improvement of any great importance has been made.
The boats are of the same construction, and so inartificial
is the mode of working them, that the only means in practice.
at the present day for propelling them through the immense
tunnels, of which one is nearly a mile in length, and another
three quarters of a mile, is 'for the boatmen to lie on their
backs on the tarpaulin which covers the goods with which the
boats are deeply laden, and, by pushing their feet against
the roof of the tunnel, work the boats upwards at a tediously
slow rate, with great labour and fatigue, amidst the smoke
from the boats' chimneys or funnels, which, to any one unused.
to its effects in a long tunnel, would seem wholly unendura-
ble. This is what the boatman term " legging through;"
and in this way every boat load of goods is worked onwards
through the tunnels on every great water-line of internal na-
vigation in the country. The first application of steam on
canals has been made, not on a new form or construction of
boat, nor even on an iron boat of similar form, but on one of
the long narrow canal boats, with sharp stem and stern,
which had for some time been plying on the canals in the
usual way. The experiment which has been tried, at little
cost, and which, at best, is an imperfect one, has, however,
been eminently successful; and there appears very little
doubt that its results will be a revolution as complete in canal
navigation, as the introduction of marine steamers has work-
ed in our coasting packets. The merit of making this expe-
riment belongs to Messrs. Robins, Mills, and Co., carriers,
of London, and of Castle Field Wharf, in this town. Into
one of their canal boats, near the stern, they introduced a
small high-pressure marine steam engine, of only four horses'
power, to which a boiler that had been used for one of the
locomotive engines on the Liverpool and Manchester rail-
way was adapted. As the narrowness of canal tunnels, and
the injury likely to result to the banks from the use of side-
paddles, must always have thrown a difficulty in the way of
applying steam power in the ordinary mode to, canal naviga-
tion, it became necessary to substitute some paddle which
should not be in the way, while it should not be liable to the
objection of injuring the banks. This difficulty has been
surmounted, as it seems to us very satisfactorily and com-
pletely, by an ingenious application of the principle of the old
fish-tail paddles. These paddles are placed at the extreme
stern of the boat; and this terminating in a sharp point, it
was necessary to lengthen the boat, and make a square box
to contain the paddles. They consist of two small wheels,
placed side by side, not working parallel to the boat, but
transversely, and revolving contrary ways. The paddle-
boards, or plates of iron, of which there are six on each wheel,.
have an inclination of about 450. When in action, there-
fore, it will he aeon that, as one wheel of paddles strikes the
water on the starboard side of the stern, the other strikes it
on the larboard; thus producing an action on the water re-
sembling that which sailors call "the double scull," and
which is the best effort of art that we have seen in imitation
of the mechanical action of the tail of a fish when swim-
ming. The defects of the present experimental engine, &c.
seem to be rather in its adaptation and arrangement, than in
itself. In the first place, we should think a more powerful
engine necessary to the fair development of the power of
steam in this species of navigation, considering the great
length of the boat, and the bulk and weight of its cargo,
which is probably eleven or twelve tons. Then, we have no
doubt, that that torm of boat which has hitherto sufficed for
the slow dragging of horses and a towing line, is not pre-
cisely the shape and build, nor, perhaps, is timber the best
material for canal steam navigation. gain, it appears ta
us that the engine was rather too far from the paddles to ex-
ercise its full available motive power. But these and several
other points, into which we have not time to enter, will
doubtless receive a full and sagacious consideration from
scientific and practical men, when once their attention is di-
rected to the subject. That the time for this is not far dis-
tant, we think, bearing in mind the force of competition in
every branch of trade and mode of communication, cannot
be far distant. But to return to the Novelty, which is the
new name the boat received, when, from a (tow) liner, she
became a steamer,—the first voyage she made very recently,
from London to this place, with very considerable success.
Like her great prototypes the Great Western and the Sirius,
a log was kept of her rate of steaming during this, her first
outward voyage ; bot we kave not been able to obtain a sight
of this log, and can theeefore only very generally notice her
performance, which, we understand, was at the rate of nearly
eight miles per hour. She left Paddington, on Thursday
wkatnoon with about eleven tons of goods, but was de-
tained for several days on the Grand Junction Canal, waiting
here turn
to proceed. Notwithstanding this delay, she reached
here about half-past three o'clock on Wednesday afternoon
last, without sustained having the least injury, except that,
having been
lengthened she was a little too long conveniently
of the locks; and the result was that her paddle-
boards passards somew
were little bent, and put out of order. They were
speedily put to rights.
and, on Monday last, the proprietors,
we bet' ss far
proceeded with the boat on an ex-
Iciu'ittlisioanpa rdowntyo thfer
canal,nds
believe, as Runcorn, when
her speed was tried, with the favourable results already no-
ticed.iogwohketon
üboard a cargo of bale
On MondaeyL etohvneednoisnna, gm
asehn edn,t
believe, started on her
rate of eight milts an hour, she does not
We nderstand that,
oN,
homeward
e when
packgo gi
nogo
vdaostyftaohgre
occasion the least swell. it is anti:ipated that she will be
able to deliver goods in London in three days from her de-
parture from this place. On one ociasion, shortly before her
first canal voyage, the Novelty tcwed the city barge, on
board of which' were 150 gentlemen, up the Thames as far as
Teddingt,e lock, at the rate of about eight miles an hour;
and her performance then gave the highest satisfaction to
all who witnessed it. —Manchester Guardian.