338 LIFT FOR CANALS. 



Machinery for from my house at Bordesley, a large fire engine, which till of 

 lowem/ 1 boits late was an insu ff erable nuisance to the neighbourhood, by the 

 upon canals immense volumes of thick black smoke it was pouring out, 



without the night and day, without intermission. This inconvenience of 



saino expesoe 4 . . . . 



of water as by tne smoke has been lessened, in a great degree, by a contrivance 



locks, j n the management of the fire place, which ought to be adopted 



in all such cases. When I observe this engine employed solely 

 in throwing back water to the upper level of the Warwick 

 canal, for the floating of the boats, up and down through half a 

 dozen locks, within the space of half a mile, I cannot help 

 considering, that had the lift been known and applied, the 

 canal might, at a little expence, have been continued on a level 

 to the place where the fire engine is constructed,the expence 

 of working the engine and all the lockage saved, and the boat, 

 by one lift removed from one level to the other; the first cost 

 of the lift, no doubt, would be great, and then you have said 

 nearly the whole ; no fear of dry seasons, the reservoirs and 

 feeders being sufficient to supply the loss of water from exhala- 

 tion by the summer sun. 



Again, to look at the Birmingham canal at Smethwick, with 

 its fire engine, reservoirs, and double range of locks— to what 

 advantage might this machine be applied in such a situation 1 

 Plata VIII. Is a perspective view of the internal pajt of the ma- 

 chine, when viewed from the lower level of the canal. The sur- 

 rounding walls are taken away to avoid confusion : the centre 

 wall is also broken off, at the nearest end, in order to shew the 

 manner in which the balancing weights, at the back,are suspend- 

 ed. The better to display the construction of the trough, it is 

 raised five feet above the lower level j the dimensions of it are as 

 follows ; length 72 feet — breadth 8 feet— depth 4 feet 6 inches, 

 til outside measures. It is composed of planks, 3 inches thick ; 

 its weight, when filled to the proper height with water, is 64 

 tons. The paddles, and their appurtenances, are marked as 

 clearly as the nature of the case would admit ; a further explana^ 

 tion of them, will be found in the references to figures 2, 3 and 

 4, Plate IX. 



From the. corners of the trough, rise four strong posts, 12 feet 

 high, in each of which is a groove, which receives the respective 

 paddles. Parallel to these, are similar posh, in which slide the 

 paddles of the qanal. When a boat is to be introduced at the 



lower 



