CHAP. VII. 



EAST INDIA DOCKS. 



203 



Mr. Rennie constructed and completed the Docks for 

 a sum considerably within that amount. Eventually 

 they were united to the West India Docks, under the 

 joint directorate of the East and West India Dock 



PLAN OF EAST AND WEST INDIA DOCKS. 



Company. 1 Mr. Rennie also introduced into these 

 Docks many improved methods of working ; his ma- 

 chinery, invented by him for transporting immense 

 blocks of .mahogany by a system of railways and loco- 

 motive cranes, having, in the first six months, effected a 

 saving in men's wages more than sufficient to defray 



1 Among the improvements adopted 

 by Mr. Rennie in these docks may be 

 mentioned the employment of cast 

 iron, then an altogether novel expe- 

 dient, for the roofing of the sheds. 

 One of these, erected by him in 1813, 

 was 1300 feet long and 29 feet 

 6 inches in span, supported on cast 

 iron columns 7^ inches in diameter at 

 bottom and 5| at top. Another, 

 still more capacious, of 54 feet 

 clear span between the supports, was 

 erected by him over the mahogany 

 warehouses in 1817. He also intro- 

 duced an entirely new description of 



iron cranes, first employing wheel- 

 work in connection with them, by 

 which they worked much more easily 

 and at a great increase of power. 

 He entirely re-arranged the working 

 of the mahogany sheds, greatly to the 

 despatch of business and the economy 

 of labour. His quick observation en- 

 abled him to point out new and im- 

 proved methods of despatching work, 

 eyen to those who were daily occu- 

 pied in the docks, but whose eyes 

 had probably become familiar with 

 their hurry-scurry and confusion. 



