_____________________________________________________________________________________ ( 39 ) CHAP. VI. DESCRIPTION OF THE SECOND PLATE, EXHIBITING A DOUBLE-INCLINED PLANE, FOR THE PURPOSE OF PASSING BOATS, AND THEIR CARGOES, TO, AND FROM, THE DIFFERENT PONDS, OR LEVELS, IN CANAL NAVIGATION As a thorough intelligence of the principles of this machine will give a good introductory idea to the succeeding apparatus, I will endeavor to be particular in the description of it, therefore I hope to be executed if it appear a little tedious, to those who are familiar with some of its component parts; as my wish is to explain the principle to those persons who are totally unacquainted with the subject, which I know by experience to be somewhat difficult; I will therefore first enumerate the parts which compose it. 1st, A double-inclined plane, extending from one pond or level of canal to the , a and running into each canal about sixty feet. 2nd, A pit (or well) in depth equal to the difference between the levels of the two canals. 3rd, A sough from the bottom of the pit, to communicate with the lower canal. 4th, A tub, cistern, to move in the pit, into which water is drawn from the upper canal in order to create a power to put the machine in motion. 5th, A trough to convey the water from the upper canal to the tub 6th, A drum wheel, over the pit, to which the tub is suspended; which wheel gives motion to the remainder of the apparatus; with a small fan to regulate the increased velocity of the tub, in rising from the bottom to the top of the pit. 7th, A weight suspended to the opposite side of the drum; which must something superior to the empty tub 8th, Balance chains, which are equal in length to the depth of the pit; these must be fastened, on end to the bottom of the tub, the other to the bottom of the weight. 9th, A horizontal wheel at the bottom of the plane, and over the lower canal; also a wheel inclined on the same angle as the plane, to be placed on top; round these two wheels the leading chains are continued, and perform a rotary movement. 10th, A lying shaft with two wheels multiplied movement, to convey the motion from the drum to the inclined wheel. 11th, A small wheel receiving motion from the back of the inclined wheel; in order to draw the boat out of the upper canal on the bridge of the plane. 12th, A stopper on the plane near the bridge, to prevent the boat descending until the man is ready. 13th, A pair of centrifugal fans to regulate the movement. 14th, A lying shaft, multiplied movement, to communicate the motion without he fans and inclined wheel. 15th, Building to cover and support the works, with some levers and valves, to be described To erect such a machine; the first consideration is, in surveying the proposed line of the canal, to run it to such points of hills as will admit of the greatest possible rise at one time, as this will prevent much machinery and reduce the number of operations. The slope of the hill must be then formed into a regular plane of any angle under forty-five degrees, to which the ground is best adapted; and extending from one pond to another, as in Fig II. Two planes must then be formed, in width two feet one inch, and each distant from the other six feet; the ground work of these planes may be timber, framed together and laid on a bed of rubble, or rough ashlar, and the ashlar cover with rough coping stones, each of which should be at least three feet long crossing the plane, and not less than one foot diameter, neatly dressed and jointed; this mode would form a permanent plane of stone, the two should be united by wood binders at about every fifteen feet, or cast iron rails with a flange, a and six or more feet long, must be carefully placed two feet one inch apart from flange to flange; if laid on wood, strong spikes will be sufficient security, and if laid on stone they should be carefully bedded, and the spikes or pins fastened by melted led, observing to fill every aperture to prevent the admission of water, which freezing in winter might split the stone; such a plane of iron and stone is most advisable as it is most lasting. Of such plane about sixty feet must descend into the lower canal, but of less angle then the first; it should not exceeded four degrees, that by lying flat it may let the boat into the canal without danger of filling. At the part where this plane joins the first, in entering the lower canal the angle must not be left sharp, but the union formed by a hollow curve, which will let the boat down with a regular motion, without the danger of her bow, or stern, touching either of the planes; which would be the case if the two planes were joined by a sharp angle. Each of those planes, as they proceed into the upper and lower canals, must widen from two to about three feet; or have rails, placed just above the water, in order with the greater ease to guide the boat to the exact situation; that her wheels may touch in the right part of the plane, and prevent her from missing the iron rails. 2dly, Having formed the planes (see the Top Drawing, which represents the upper works), A, in the ground plan, exhibits the mouth of the tub pit, and should be sufficiently large to receive a tub which will contain eight tons of water. A tub nine foot diameter and five deep will contain upwards of nine tons, therefore sufficient room for eight without danger of spilling; hence, if the pit is from ten to eleven feet diameter it will be sufficient; which pit may be walled with bricks, or stone, as most convenient, like a common coal-pit shaft or well. 3dly,. From the bottom of the pit or trough, B, to the lower canal, which needs not be more than three or four feet diameter, in fact, as small and cheap as the nature of the measures will admit; as it is of no other use than to let off the water discharged from the tub the pit. 4thly, A tub must he formed, as before mentioned, capable of containing eight tons of water, nine feet diameter, five deep; this may be made of wood, or sheet iron, like the boiler of a steam engine, and having in the bottom a hole from twelve to eighteen inches diameter, across the hole a strong bar of iron, and in a right line with the bar one must be placed across or near the top of the tub through each of the bars, and exactly in the center of the tub, there must be a hole to receive a perpendicular bar, something more than one inch diameter, on the last bar a valve is placed, sufficiently large to cover the hole in the tub, and so placed on the perpendicular, that when it is shut the bar will project about eighteen inches below the bottom of the tub: hence the valve will play perpendicularly, being guided by the perpendicular passing through the cross bars of the tub. The use of the eighteen-inch projection below, is in order that, when the tub descends to the bottom of the pit, the bar may strike the bottoms of the pit, and rising with the valve by means of the blow, may discharge the water from the tub. Sec the Figure of the Tub in the Plate of Parts. 5thly, A trough must be formed, from about three feet below the top water of the upper canal, to the center 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. 6thly, C represents the drum-wheel, which should be about half the diameter of the tub, and so placed that one side may come exactly over the center of the pit. Care must be taken that this wheel be made sufficiently strong to support ten or twelve tons, which indeed is not so much as the ordinary weight of a considerable water wheel,: its length may be from eight to twelve feet, but if kept short it will have the more strength. On one end of this drum a support wheel, D, must be constructed, that the motion may begin to multiply. For it must be observed, that as the pane will be sometimes six, seven, eight, or more times the length of the pit, the boat will have to pass through so much more space than the tub; hence the movements must multiply in proportion. I will, in this, suppose the plane six times as long as the pit is deep, therefore let the spur-wheel on the drum be three time 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 the spur-wheel being formed, a pinion may work in the spur, to the shaft of which a pair of fans will regulate the increased velocity of the tub in returning. The drum being fixed, the tub is to be suspended by two or more chains, and on the opposite side a weight something superior to the tub; the use of this weight, is to return the tub to the top of the put when the water is discharged. Balance chains, equal in length to the depth of the pit, and equal in weigh to the tub chains, three feet of one, for instance, being just as heavy as tree feet of the other, must 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 rise and descend alternately, there will ever be the same quantity of chain pendant, which will preserve a balance on the works; but, without this chain, suppose the tub to be situated at the bottom, the weight would have to raise not only the tub, but its chain also; the tub would have a similar weight to raise when the weight was at bottom; but now whichever is at top has the whole of the balance chain hanging to its bottom, therefore an assistant to raise the opposite 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 should be of' such diameter, that its extremities might come exactly opposite the two planes, which will be about eight feet, therefore eight feet diameter, about ten inches broad on the sole, and two flanges to keep the chain on the wheel round the rim, strong pins, or teeth, must be fixed, on which the links of the chain catch promiscuously to prevent them flipping; the best heft mode of forming this be by segments of iron cast with the flanges, and a row of holes in the in the center and end of each and across the segment, at about one inch distant from each other, and across the segment at about one inch distant from each other. In fastening the segments to the wood, the screw-heads may be left pointed and projecting about one inch, which will answer the purpose of catching the links, on the upper part of this wheel, segments of bevel gear of the same size and construction, excepting the bevel gear, must be placed at the bottom of the plane, and over the lower pond of canal, this must be horizontal. Round these wheels the leading chains perform a rotary movement; a stopper being placed on the upper wheel to prevent it tuning back. (See the Plate of Parts). F, a lying shaft to convey the power from the drum to the inclined wheel. By this the remainder of the multiplied movement is performed; by a small working in the spur gear of the drum, and a large bevel working in the bevel of the inclined wheel, the pinion end must be made to cast in and out of the drum-gear at pleasure, particularly to let the tub return. G, is a bevel wheel either small shaft, receiving motion from the inclined wheel: to the shaft a rope is fixed, and continued round a pulley, to a beam projecting from the front of the building, the use of this is to draw the boat out of the upper canal on the bridge of the plane, by means of the descending boat, or tub, giving motion to the inclined wheel. When the rope is hooked to the boat, a pull will draw a knot, which answers as a stopper, home to the lever H, which moving, the level-drops the wheel into gear. When it has raised the boat to a certain point, another knot, drawing 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 raising the boats out of the upper canal, on the bridge of the plane, keeps a constant supply ready to descend. I, (see the top-works.) This is to stop the boat, when the bridge of the plane, from descending till the man is ready. To place this, a space must be made in the plane, between the rails, about five feet long. The stopper may be a frame of wood, projecting about five feet above the plane, and descending beneath it, where it must be framed into a shaft, working on gudgeons, one end of the shaft projecting about three feet from the side of the plane; to the shaft a weight must be suspended by a chain, which weight will run it to a perpendicular, after the boat has passed; by which it fastens under the end of the lever, and stops the next boat, and so on. On the upper end of the stopper there must be a roller, rather hollow on the face, to ease the chain as it passes. J, are the centrifugal shafts, composed of wood, and hung to a perpendicular shaft, by bosses on the fans, and a dudgeon through the shaft. The object of these is to regulate the movement of the various weights without the attention of the workmen, which will consequently be a means of saving time, these, fans, s the weights are heavy, and increase in velocity, expand, creating resistance by their action on the air, by which they retard the motion, and, although the weight of the boats may vary, they preserve nearly an equal movement, which will render any attention to this part of the operation useless. K, is a lying shaft with two wheels; one small, working in the inclined wheel , another of a diameter four, or more times larger than the first, working on the pinion of the fan shaft, which is to multiply the speed of the fans; they consequently will create greater resistance. See the Plate of Parts, Fig. I. which represents the boat enter entering the upper canal, and the mode of separating from the leading chains, in consequence of the form of the hook, which hook is to be made with a pin about four inches long, crossing at a right angle through the head; by this means, so long as the boat chains are in a diagonal direction, in ascending or descending, the hook will bold fast to the leading chain but on entering the different ponds, the roller causes the boat chains to rise in a perpendicular direction, by which the presses on the link, and turns out the bill of the hook, leaving the boat at liberty to run into the canal, without stopping the machine for that purpose which is the means of saving much time, the man paying no attention to the unhooking of the boats. It must be evident, that if the machine was stopped to unhook, at the top and bottom, the man would have to pass from one place to another for that purpose, and consequently lose much time, but, by the hooks casting off, the man's whole attention is employed in preparing boats to rise, or descend; hence the machine is capable of being kept in almost constant motion, with very little interruption; the same mode of casting off being performed both at the top and bottom of the plane, taking care that the roller at top is sufficiently within the bridge, that the boat may tend towards the upper canal, previous to the hook separating from the chain. E, in the Plate of Parts, exhibits the mode of passing long timbers, all twenty-foots Mug being placed into the boats, each plane is prepared with a carriage for this purpose and the timber being trained in four-ton parcels, or rafts, is floated on the canal, one horse conveying eight, ten, or twelve, such rafts. On arriving the plane, each, in succession, is to be floated an the carriage, and, being hooked to the leading chain, they will consequently mount or descend the plane, with the same facility as a boat, and, by this means, timber of any length, or dimensions, may be transported by a small canal. In Russia and America, all timber is rafted in a similar manner, as far as it is possible to convey it by such means: and I see no reason for objecting to such an operation on canals, the mode of passing to and from the different levels being accomplished. Having described the formation and use of the particular parts of this machine, I will now go through the operation of passing the boats; in which observe, that, in consequence of the chains performing a rotary movement, the descending boats will ever pass on one plane, and the ascending on the other: hence the boats will rise, or descend, in a regular succession and in the same order, as they arrive at the plane; nor will the amending boats ever incommode the descending, or the descending be any obstruction to those that ascend. First, it will be necessary to go through the operation of a descending trade, such as is frequent from coal-woks, lime, delphs, &c. where the loaded boats descending return those that are empty. In this case, let it be supposed a number of loaded boats are at top, and empty boats at bottom; 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 stopper, and at the same time raise the empty boat near to the summit of the plane; this done, the preparer is hooked to a second boat; the loaded boat is hooked to the leading chains, and also another empty boat is hooked b low. The tub being cast out of gear to relieve the works, the man lets go the stopper; and now the loaded boat, by its descending weight, raises a second on the bridge, draws the first empty boat into the upper canal, and raises a second empty boat into the place quitted by the first thus a regular rotation of passing is kept up. In a descending trade, without the use of water to any but the first boat; the first prepared the second; the second the third, and so on, to any number of boats. The same operation, in all its parts. is performed in an ascending or alternate trade; with this addition, that water is drawn into the tub, to create a sufficient power to raise the loaded boats. It now comes to speak of the expedition produced by this system. First, it must be evident to every one, particularly those who have seen any similar operation, that if an alternate movement was adopted,, and a boat was to come up the same plane where one went down, the boat could not be raised on the bridge of the plane while the other was passing, because it would occupy the situation where the ascending boat must pass; neither could the descending boat draw the ascending into the upper canal, the descending boat would not pass through more space than the descending, therefore a stop would take place below the bridge of the plane, as is now the case, but it is the descent of the second boat which draws the first over the bridges, into the upper canal, and raises a second boat into the place of the first, this second is also drawn in by the third descending boat, and so on, which is the consequent result of a rotary movement, which rotary movement could not be applied if any kind of cradle, or carriage, was such to convey the boat, as such carriage must necessarily rise, and descend, on the same plane, and consequently give an alternate movement. Hence the necessity of wheels to the boats, or rollers to the plane Secondly, the centrifugal fans regulating the movement, and the cast off hook discharging the boats from the chains, is a great means of saving time, and, in fact, leaves little more for the men to do than hook boats to the chains, in succession, they rising; and descending, in regular rotation, which admits of such extraordinary speed, that two four-ton boats may pass a plane, whose perpendicular is 200 feet, in three minutes, as will appear by the following statement: Minutes Hooking the preparer to the boat......................................................................................................0 1/2 Hooking the boat to the leading chains.............................................................................................0 1/2 Drawing water into the tub, if necessary..........................................................................................0 1/2 During this the man below has sufficient time to hook his boat Passing the plane.............................................................................................................................1 1/2 _______ 3 0 During the passing of the plane, the man above, having nothing else to do, may be getting his line of boats forward to the situation for the preparer, or pull forward those boats which have ascended , or this might be the work of a boy, at 1s. 6d. per day. Hence 1920 tons may be performed in twelve hours; and, if this is not sufficient, there can be no difficulty in working such a machine by night, changing the sets of men who might live in the building over the machine; and thus, 3840 tons may be performed in twenty-four hours, at one plane, which, I hope, adequate to the greatest canal trade which the most sanguine imagination can conceive; particularly when it is considered, that there is no canal yet known, where 1000 tons per day through out the year passes at one point of the canal: on a canal sixty miles long, for instance, 5000 tons might move on its various parts, the transfer of which would be divided among several machines , but, so far as I can learn, there is no canal in England where 700 tons per day moves through one point , therefore, considering every circumstance, I conceive a small canal, and machinery, adequate to a trade of the first importance. A COMPARATIVE VIEW of the EXPENSE of rising 100 FEET by LOCKS, or INCLINED PLANES, the usual Expense of Locks for twenty-five ton Boats being 70l. per foot, and for forty-ton Boats 100l. which, in the first case, would cost 7000l and in the second 10,000l. In this I shall consider the average of situations and circumstances, as to the from of the ground, carriage of materials, &c. the plane of an angle of 20 degrees. L. s. d. Removing 4000 cube yards, in forming the slope of the hill, at 5d. per yard 82 10 0 To forming the ends of canal, top and bottom 100 0 0 536 cube yards rubble walling, at 5s. per yard 134 0 0 268 yards squared ashlar coping, 18 inches thick, 3 feet long, at 15s the running yard 201 0 0 536 yards cast-iron rails, 100 cwt per yad, 15s per cwt 53 12 0 Bedding the rails in the coping, lead and pins, 2s per yard 39 0 0 Two horizontal wheels, eight feet in diameter, six inches on the face 100 0 0 _______ Carried over L 1,112 2 0 Brought over L 1,112 2 0 L. s. d. 800 feet chain, 2s per foot 80 0 0 34 yards tub pit, 11 feet diameter, 4l 10s per yard 153 0 0 110 yars sough. at 12s per yard 66 0 0 One wrought iron tub 60 0 0 700 feet of chain to the tub, weight, and balance, 4s. per foot 140 0 0 Drum wheel, eight feet long, four diameter, spur gear, &c. 100 0 0 Two lying shafts, stopper, and centrifugal fans 150 0 0 Trough to convey the water to the pit 10 0 0 Sixty rollers to bear the chains off the plane, 5s. each 150 0 0 Building to cover the works, and answer as an office 200 0 0 _______ 2086 2 0 Contingencies, 10 per cent 208 12 0 _______ Total L 2,294 14 0 Locks for twenty-five boats, 100 feet rise 7000 0 0 Double plane to the same height 2294 14 0 _______ Saving L 4705 6 0 Locks for forty-ton boats, 100 feet rise 10,000 0 0 Double plane to same height 2,294 14 0 Saving L 7,705 6 0 In case of a trade totally descending, the loaded boats raising those that are empty, the tub, pit, drum-wheel, and all that part of the machine for creating power, must be saved, amounting to 599l. the contingent expense being reduced In proportion: in which case, a double inclined plane, to the height of 100 feet, would cost 1635L 16s. This, compared with the expense of locks for twenty-five ton boats, will be a saving of 5364l 4s. and on locks for forty-ton boats 8364l 4s. In this operation, when a number of loaded boats have to pass down during the day, it is only necessary to leave a loaded boat on the bridge of the plane, which will be a power in reserve to begin work in the morning; or if this is not consistent with the nature of the trade the first boat may be raised on the bridge, by the man, with a common windlass, tooth, and pinion, which may be a work of about ten minutes; but, that done, it will raise all the remaining boats on the bridge, ready to descend, as described. Thus the machine may be constructed for an alternate or a descending trade , which last will frequently be required in lateral cuts, particularly in the lime and coal trade, but, should future extension open an alternate trade, the water-tub, an all the parts for creating power, may be added to the plane, with the same propriety as in the first instance; and this may be done with out interrupting the trade one hour. I now begin to apply the various apparatus to the several directions and portions of trade. In order that the expense may be contracted in proportion as the trade is small yet enlarged with facility as trade varies in direction, or increases in quantity: thus a canal may commence, like a man, on a small capital, and rise to consequence out of its own earnings. As the machine is reduced in expense, the quantity which it will perform is also contracted: in the descending trade about nine hundred tons will be the work of twelve hours. _____________________________________________________________________________________ ( 57 )