408 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1805. 



rectly through, without going round 

 by Greenwich, was nearly finished, 

 and was to have been opened with 

 great pomp on the 12th of August ; 

 when, about twelve o'clock, being 

 near high tide, while a number of 

 people were at work at the extre- 

 mity next the river, they were sud- 

 denly alarmed by a hissing noise, 

 and the appearance of water enter- 

 ing from below. Scarcely had they 

 time to make a precipitate retreat, 

 when the outward dam burst Avith 

 astonishing violence; and what a mi- 

 nute before was dry land, was in- 

 stantly covered with twelve lect of 

 water : the second dam, about fifty 

 yards further on, composed of logs 

 of wood twelve inches thick, besides 

 a strong diagonal log by way of bar, 

 was in like manner lorced by the 

 current, and this amazing strong bar 

 snapped in two, as if it had been a 

 ])iece of lath. The canal was im- 

 mediately filled, as far as the second 

 flood-gate next to Limehouse, which 

 being shut, happily resisted the force 

 of the current. Considerable inju- 

 ry has been done to the banking 

 and masonry work at the extremity, 

 as well as at the first lock, great 

 part of the abutments on each side 

 having been carried away. 



All unparallaled instance of the 

 power of a horse, when assisted by 

 art, was shown near Croydon. The 

 Surry iron railway being completed, 

 and opened for the carriage of goods 

 all the way from Wandsworth to 

 IMertsham ; a bet was made between 

 two gentlemen, that a common 

 horse could draw thirty-six tons for 

 six miles along the road, and that he 

 should draw this weight from a 

 dead pull, as well as turn it round 

 the occasional windings of the road. 

 The 24th of July was fixed on for 

 llie trial, when a number of gentle- 



men assembled near Mertsham to 

 see this extraordinary triumph of art. 

 Twelve waggons loaded with stones, 

 each waggon weighing above three 

 tons, were chained together, and a 

 horse, taken promiscuously from the 

 timber cart of Mr. Harwood, waa 

 yoked into the team. He started 

 from near the Fox public-house, 

 and drew the immense chain of wag- 

 gons, with apparent ease, to near 

 the turnpike at Croydon, a distance 

 of six miles, in one hour arid forty- 

 one minutes, which is nearly at the 

 rate of four miles an hour. In the 

 course of this time he stopped four 

 times, to show that it was not by 

 the impetus of the descent that the 

 power was acquired ; and after each 

 stoppage he drew oif the chain of 

 waggons from a dead rest. Having 

 gained his wager, INIr. Banks, the 

 gentleman who laid the bet, directed 

 four more loaded waggons to be 

 added to the cavalcade,with which the 

 same horse again set off with undi- 

 minished power ; and still further to 

 show the effect of the railway in fa. 

 cilitating motion, he directed the at- 

 tending workmen, to the number of 

 about fifty, to mount on the wag- 

 gons, when the horse proceeded 

 without the least distress ; and ia 

 truth there appeared to be scarcely 

 any limitation to the power of his 

 draught. After the trial, the wag- 

 gons were taken to the weighing 

 machine, and it appeared that the 

 whole weight was as follows. 



Tons. Cwt. Qr. 

 12 waggons, first link- 

 ed together, weighed 38 4 2 

 4 ditto, afterwards 



attached - 13 2 



Supposed weight of 



50 labourers - 4 



Total. 53 



6 2 



26th. 



I 



