C A vN A L. 7oi 
expence of a canal compared with a rail-road, without 
being acquainted with the circumftances ; but thefe (hould 
be well confidered before a rail-way is laid down; and the 
canal (liould confiderably firrpafs the expence of the rail¬ 
road, particularly if the length is greater than two miles; 
for, when a rail-way is laid down, it excludes, in a great 
meafure, the return trade, and (huts out the profpedt of 
extenfion; the country, beyond itsextremity, has no more 
hope of afftdance than before its conhruftion ; and the 
palling places are inadequate to an important trade; yet 
the ('mail canal is diffidently wide to pafs at every part, 
and transfers a trade with equal eafe ; meandering the hills, 
it holds out ailidnnce to the fun-burnt fields, and feems to 
invite connection. In a country, through which a rail-way 
or canal is condrufted, there is fome hope of progreflive 
improvement and future extenlion ; which ultimately 
brings this enquiry to two queftkms : Whether do canals, 
or rail-ways, prelent the bed profpeft of extenfion? And, 
Which will mod facilitate conveyance by a union of bran- 
die's ? Rail-ways of one or two miles will no doubt be fre¬ 
quently neceffary, where it may be difficult to find water at 
the extremity ; or when the trade from the works is not 
fufficient to pay the expence of machinery, and its extent 
of little importance to the country. Yet, in order to add 
the conveniency of rail-ways to the fmall canal fydem, Mr. 
Fulton, at fig. 8, in the preceding Plate II. of Canal Na¬ 
vigation, has applied, for this purpofe, an apparatus for 
returning the empty boats to the collieries, orother works, 
in cafes where a regular defeent can be obtained. Suppofe, 
for indance, fuch works are didant 600 yards, or more; a 
iingle rail-way may be formed, on the fummit of which the 
apparatus D is placed; and, a carriage being conftrudred 
to receive the boat, the leading rope laps round the verti¬ 
cal wheel F ; which wheel works by a multiplied move¬ 
ment in the wheel of the (haft G, to which a weight is 
fufpended ; on a loaded boat defeending the rail-road, H, 
its power will wind up the weight; which weight is kept 
up by a dopper on the wheel, and is a power in referve to 
draw up an empty boat; hence, when a loaded boat de¬ 
feends, it winds up the weight, and on entering the canal, 
the fiiaft of F and G are cad out of gear, which differs the 
carriage to defeend fufficiently to allow the boat to float: 
an empty boat is then placed in this carriage; and, the 
ftopper being cad off the wheel on the G (haft, the de¬ 
feending weight will bring up the empty boat; the move¬ 
ment being regulated by a break, on the fhaft of F, there 
are two pinions of different diameters, which are, that the 
wheel F performs more revolutions in a boat afeending 
than defeending. When the boat defeends, railing the 
weight, (he lofes her power on entering the canal ; confe- 
quently, the pinions mud be caff out of gear in order to 
give more length of rope for the carriage to defeend, and 
allow the boat to float; therefore, the portion of rope thus 
let off, mud be wound up by the power of the weight, on 
returning the empty boat; which is done by cading the 
fmall diameter into gear. In the return movement, this 
mode of working will be found a very confiderable faving, 
in confequence of a Angle plane and rope anfwering the 
purpofe ; and, in order that the plane may be conftrudted 
cheap, a carriage to receive the boat diould be made ; the 
carriage to have from ten to twenty fntall wheels, which 
will divide the weight oft fo many points, and eafe the 
plane; confequently the rails may be light and cheap. 
But where the nature of the ground will not admit of a 
regular plane, or the didance is too great, the boats may 
float on a carriage for the purpofe, with fix or eight wheels, 
and be conveyed to the pits or works by a horfe ; there 
take in her cargo, and, defeending to the canal, be immedi¬ 
ately ready for navigation, . , 
The SINGLE INCLINED PLANE. 
This is condruded in every refped like the former; 
having the pit, mb, and balance chains, fimilar ; the drum- 
wheel about the fame diameter, and placed over the pit in 
the fame manner; the other parts only of the apparatus 
Voi. III. No. x56, 
varying for the following renfons: On this plane, tIre boats 
w ill both rife and defeend ; therefore, there are two degrees 
of power required, and two portions of (pace to pafs thro’. 
The fird, in railing the boat out of the upper canal over 
the bridge of the plane, will not require fo much'power or 
fpace as the fecond, in railing her from the lower to the 
upper canal. To effefl this, A, fig. 7, in the fame Plate, 
is a vertical wheel, eight feet diameter, three or four 
feet broad on the face, on which the leading chain or 
rope is to lap; the (haft of this wheel, extending to¬ 
wards the drum, has two wheels of different diame¬ 
ters; two of different diameters are alfo on tlie drum 
(haft: fuppofe the plane 400 feet long, and tire pit 100 feet 
deep, the works mud multiply four times, in order to raife 
the boat from the lower to the upper canal ; for this pur¬ 
pofe, let the drum be four feet diameter, B eight feet, C 
two feet; thus C, and the vertical, wheel A, on the fame 
fhaft, will make four revolutions,while thedr-U-ni performs 
one, and will raife the boat 4Cofeet, while the tub defeends 
100. Again, when the boat is to be raifed outof the up¬ 
per canal on the bridge of the plane, (lie will move through 
a fpace of about fifty feet, while the tub'defeends xoo; and 
now the fpeed mud be reverfed, the tub palling through 
more fpace than the boat: to eftebt this, let the diameter D s 
fig. 7, be eight feet, and the diameter E, two feet, which, 
is half the diameter of the drum; and the vertical wheel, 
A, will perform but one revolution while the drum-makes 
two; and the tub will defeend 100 feet while the boat 
moves fifty, rifmg out of the upper canal on the bridge of 
the plane; thus the two movements are produced by re- 
verfing the diameters : and, to cad them in and out of gear,. 
C and D Work on a round part of the (hafts, and may turn 
round though the (haft hood dill, which will be the cafe 
on the return of the water tub; between the two there is 
a bofs, on the fquare part of the (haft, which allows it to 
move from fide to fide, but cannot turn except with the 
fhaft: when it is neceffary that C and B fhould be inabliorr 
for the quick movement, the bofs is cad into C, by means of 
the lever, and D turns round on the (haft without con¬ 
fining the works; when the flow movement is to be per¬ 
formed, in railing the boat out of the upper canal, the bofs 
is cad into D, and C is left at liberty ; by this means, the 
teeth of the wheels are always in gear, and the bofs fixes 
that to the (haft which is to ait, leaving the other to turn 
as the revolution'of its opponent requires; the bo/s will 
alfo leave both wheels at liberty, as fhewn in the engra¬ 
ving, which mud be the cafe while the tub returns to the 
top of the pit. 
For the purpofe of raifing the boat out of the upper 
canal, there is a roller placed beneath the vertical w heel, 
as at F and G, round which the chain makes a double; in 
raifing the boat to the upper canal, die mud be hooked at 
the dern, or lower end ; and before the chain comes to a 
perpendicular, under the vertical-wheel, the boat will pafs 
the bridge of the plane and fun into the upper canal, con¬ 
veying with it the chain under 1 lie roller, at F, which repre- 
fents the boat entering the upper canal. On raifing the boat 
out of the upper canal, flic is alfo hooked behind, as at G ; 
the machine being then put into action, and the chain 
bearing on the roller G, will draw her over the bridge; 
when, cading off the water-tub, (he immediately begins to 
defeend without further trouble, the movement being re¬ 
gulated either by a break or centrifugal fans. At bottom, 
die is unhooked, and a boat linked to the chain, the boat¬ 
man at top, calling the bofs into C, draws water into the 
tub till a power is created ; the boat will then afeend the 
plane, pais the bridge, and run into the upper canal, the 
man cading off the bofs on palling the bridge. The wholp 
of tiiis operation may be performed in fix minutes, confe¬ 
quently, four tons up and four down, in fix minutes, will 
amount to 960 tons in twelve hours: fhould the trade fur- 
pafs this quantity, the machine may work by night, by 
which means 1920 tons may be performed in twenty-four 
hours by the Angle plane, 
The 
