282 ROD AND RIVER 



upper side is furnished with bridge hand-rails, 

 the upright supports of which are placed at 

 regular intervals. At either end of this bridge 

 there is a powerful check-windlass. 



A large net, considerably deeper and wider than 

 the river, is lashed on to a strong rope at the upper 

 edge, and similarly so to another at the lower, 

 sufficient rope being left spare at either end to 

 admit of the entire net being moved across the 

 river without exhausting the spare rope on the 

 opposite side. 



The spare ends of the upper rope are each 

 fastened to one of the windlasses. The upper 

 edge of the net is secured to the hand-rail supports 

 by means of cords placed at intervals correspond- 

 ing with them. The lower rope is passed at 

 either end beneath strong iron catch-hooks, which 

 are driven into the piers as close to the bottom of 

 the river as possible. This bottom rope is then 

 drawn tight, and its spare ends lashed to posts 

 driven firmly into the ground a few yards up- 

 stream on either bank. The upper rope is 

 tightened by means of the windlasses, and the net 

 is let go. As may be supposed, the action of the 

 stream and the weight of the weeds cause the net 

 to bulge considerably hence the necessity for the 

 net being over long and deep. At first a few 

 small weeds may pass through the meshes, but in 

 a few minutes the whole net becomes filled, and 



