very curious epoch in the annals of bridge building before the embankment
of the river Thames by the Romans. The Southwark side, which is in many
places considerably below the level of high water of spring tides, was
frequently flooded, and numerous creeks were formed in it, so that the
river must have been very unequal in its depth, and filled with numerous
shoals, and fordable at low water in several places near London; and
there was evidently an appearance of a ford at the site of old London
Bridge, as in many cases the piers were founded on the original ground,
which must have been dry, or nearly so, at low water; these piers were
in many instances wider than the adjoining arches, so that they offered
considerable obstruction to the free flow of the tidal and fresh waters
through the bridge. These obstructions necessarily increased the velocity
and scour of the current, and threatened to carry away the old bridge.
Great starlings, or timber casings of piles, were erected round the
bridge piers, and the spaces between them were filled in with chalk.
These starlings still further narrowed the openings of the arches,
so that at low water some of them were little more than 8 or 10 feet
wide, and the obstructions became so great, that the fall at low water
increased to 5 feet perpendicular. Five openings on the south end and
one in the north end were occupied by water-wheels for pumping water for
the City. The obstruction caused by these works was so great that the
celebrated Smeaton was employed by the Corporation of London to take down
the two arches near the centre, and replace them by a single one of 80
feet span.
The original bridge is said to have been built in the year 1176; but
between that time and the period of its removal in 1834, it underwent
so many alterations and changes that it may almost be said to have been
rebuilt several times. It was originally covered with houses, as everyone
knows, leaving a narrow passage between for the traffic. To describe
the numerous alterations would require a large volume, and the reader
is therefore referred to an interesting account of this curious old
structure called ‘The Chronicles of Old London Bridge.’
Numerous speculations were made by scientific men, engineers and others,
on the effect the removal of the old bridge would have upon the river.
My father pointed out the probable results in a very simple manner; he
said that the river was in an artificial state in consequence of the
old bridge acting as a dam to the free passage of the waters upwards
and downwards, both tidal and fresh; and the consequence was, that the
river above had to a certain extent accommodated itself to circumstances.
By the removal of this obstruction the river would soon be reduced to
its natural level; the fall of 4 to 5 feet through the bridge would be
removed, consequently the tide would rise so much higher and fall so
much lower above bridge, and so much more tidal water would be admitted
above the old bridge throughout the whole length of the tidal flow as far
as Teddington Lock; and this increased quantity of tidal water passing
up and down twice each way during the twenty-four hours would scour the
bed of the river, and thus remove the great quantity of mud deposited
along the shores. And further, that the drainage of the metropolis, and
in fact the whole valley of the Thames, at least as far as Teddington,
would be greatly improved; and the water, being constantly changed, would
be clearer and fresher. He further said, that the actual level of high
water would scarcely be materially affected, perhaps not exceeding 5 or 6
inches; and lastly, that the process would be gradual, and that it would
take several years before the river would attain its final and natural
state. Such has proved to be the result.
As the works of new London Bridge proceeded attention was drawn to the
irregular outline of the wharves, which were not only unsightly but
extremely injurious to the regular passage of the waters. At this time
also, people having visited Paris and other great continental cities,
were struck with the architectural beauties which they had seen, and
became much disgusted with the mean, shabby-looking appearance of London;
and well they might, for there were no great leading thoroughfares worthy
of the name. Cockspur Street, leading from the Strand to Pall Mall,
was scarcely 20 feet wide; the Royal Mews occupied Trafalgar Square;
the Haymarket was encumbered by haycarts; Cross’s Menagerie and Exeter
Change blocked up the Strand near Waterloo Bridge; the connection between
Holborn and Oxford Street was round by old St. Giles’, and Farringdon
Street was filled with a market, and surrounded by undertakers. Regent
Street had been commenced under the direction of that clever architect
Nash, which, from his novel mode of grouping shops into distinct masses
of different styles, excited considerable attention, and was totally
different to anything we had hitherto seen in the metropolis. This
great and really magnificent street was, I am told, entirely his own
idea, and according to the opinion of the late Sir Robert Smirke, was a
Herculean task, on account of the great variety of interests to be dealt
with, and he told me that nobody but the indefatigable Nash could have
carried it through. He built a house there for himself, now the Gallery
of Illustration, opposite to the Club Chambers near Waterloo Place, where
George IV. honoured him with a visit. In fact, just about this time there
was a perfect mania for architectural improvements.
A committee, called the Committee of Taste, was accordingly appointed,
in order to design such improvements as were imperatively required in
the neighbourhood of Charing Cross, the Strand, and Holborn and Oxford
Street. This Committee consisted of the late Lord Farnborough, John
Wilson Croker, Sir John Soane, Sir Robert Smirke, Nash, and two or
three others, and certainly no committee ever discharged its duties
better. To its labours we are indebted for Trafalgar Square and the
improvements in the Strand, Cockspur Street, the Haymarket, the old Opera
House, and those between Oxford Street and Holborn, which are really
very good, and the architecture, although not altogether faultless, is
nevertheless, taken as a whole, very effective; in fact, nothing like
these improvements has been effected since. The new street from Waterloo
Bridge to Oxford Street, undertaken soon after, has been a miserable
failure; instead of taking a direct line, they availed themselves as far
as they could of the old miserable intervening streets, so that this
thoroughfare, which ought to have been one of the best in London, is
now one of the worst, and the increase in the value of the property on
each side has been very little. But if this street had been made in a
straight line, and of ample width, the shops and buildings on both sides
would have been of a superior character, and would have yielded far
higher rents, which would have gone a long way towards paying part of the
expenses, if not the whole.
About this time Sir F. Trench, who moved in the most fashionable circles
and was a great amateur in architecture and fine arts, was seized and
enraptured with the idea of constructing quays along the banks of
the Thames, between Whitehall and Blackfriars Bridge, and converting
the space so recovered from the shore of the Thames into a handsome
carriage-drive and promenade ornamented with gardens and fountains.
He applied to the late Mr. Philip Wyatt and myself to assist him in
preparing the designs and in obtaining an Act of Parliament to carry
it into effect. At the request of the London Bridge Committee I had
previously, in company with the late Mr. W. Mylne, prepared a general
plan for this object, but it went no farther on account of the difficulty
of raising the funds. Trench, however, overlooked this, and said he had
no doubt that sufficient money would be obtained. He accordingly, with
his great influence and indefatigable activity, formed a committee of
the highest class; neither were the ladies excluded; amongst others,
the beautiful Duchess of Rutland took the greatest interest in the
undertaking, and at the first meeting, which took place at Her Grace’s
house, she was unanimously voted to the chair, and conducted everything
in the most business-like manner. Lord Palmerston, then Secretary for
War, took a leading part, and it is singular that many years later
his Lordship, then Premier, should have proposed a similar measure,
and the continuation of the coal duties for carrying it into effect,
which was adopted; but when we proposed the undertaking and the mode of
raising the funds, notwithstanding our powerful committee, the idea was
considered as chimerical. Trench, however, was so confident that the
means would be found, that he went to considerable expense in preparing
a book ornamented with numerous beautiful engravings showing the effect
which would be produced by the undertaking, to which Wyatt and myself
contributed our share. A solicitor, named Leech, was appointed, notices
for going to Parliament were duly given, and the necessary plans and
estimates were deposited; but when the question as to the means of
raising the funds came before the Managing Committee, everybody was at a
loss. To form a company appeared impossible, as it did not appear that
sufficient revenue would be derived from the undertaking; and as to
raising funds by increasing and extending the coal tax, the Government
was decidedly opposed to it; they said they had done as much in this way
as possible for London Bridge, and that the public would not submit to
any further tax of the kind. Thus, after a considerable deal of useless
trouble and expense, Trench, Wyatt, and myself were obliged to abandon
this great undertaking, which has since been carried into effect nearly
upon the same principles as we recommended.
As to the architecture of the approaches to London Bridge, I referred
the subject to my brother-in-law, Cockerell, a very accomplished and
competent authority, and I exhibited his designs to the Committee as well
as some of my own. They, however, considered them to be too ornamental
and costly, although they were as plain and simple as these important
approaches rendered necessary. The Committee, having rejected them,
referred the subject to the late Sir Robert Smirke, then one of the
Crown architects, and he designed the present buildings on both sides
of the bridge, as far as King William Street on the north, and the old
townhall of Southwark on the south; and certainly, with all due respect
to my late friend Sir Robert Smirke, a more unworthy set of buildings was
never designed. Thus not only has a rare opportunity of making handsome
and appropriate buildings to one of the greatest thoroughfares in the
world been lost, but the buildings are so low and badly built, that the
advantages of the ground, which it must have been foreseen were capable
of almost unlimited development as regards rental, have been in a great
measure thrown away.
Whilst building London Bridge I had also numerous other works to attend
to, namely, the Admiralty works, the harbours of Ramsgate, Sunderland,
Donaghadee, Port Patrick, Kingstown, and Port Rush, Staines Bridge,
the bridge across the Serpentine in Hyde Park, finishing the Eau Brink
Works, the Nene and Witham outfalls, the Ancholme Drainage, together with
a good deal of miscellaneous business. As the harbours and Admiralty
works are fully described in my book on ‘British and Foreign Harbours,’
I will proceed to the drainage: first, the Eau Brink. I have already
said that the Great Cut was opened in 1821, just at the period of my
father’s death; according to the latest Act, the engineers of drainage
and navigation were obliged to report within twelve months after the
opening of the cut; they were obliged to examine the whole, and report
how far they had been completed, and what further was necessary in order
to render them efficient. Mr. Telford and myself accordingly devoted
several days to this; on examining the Eau Brink Cut we found that it
had been made in exact conformity with Huddart’s design, as specified
by the Act; but, notwithstanding, the upper end was too small, and the
scour there was so great that it threatened to break through the bank
across the upper end of the old channel, and thus revert to its old
course. We therefore recommended that it should be increased one-third
in area, the greatest part of the increase being at the upper end, and
that the money destined in the estimate for clearing away the shoals
in the river between the cut and Denver Sluice should be used for the
purpose of widening the cut, as the bed of the river did not require
clearing. This report took the Commissioners by surprise. They said
they had been deceived, and did not believe that it was required, and
would have the whole subject investigated by other engineers, which was
accordingly done. However, it ended in proving that Mr. Telford and
myself were right, and the enlargement of the Eau Brink Cut was made
under my direction; this had the effect of lowering the low-water mark
at the upper end 2 feet more, making 7 feet altogether. The scour of the
cut was so much more than estimated, that the banks between Denver Sluice
and the cut were in many places undermined, the channel was diverted from
the old quays in Lynn, and several buildings on the opposite shore were
washed down, and as the Eau Brink Commissioners were bound under the Act
to compensate for any damages done to any interest or party, they, the
Commissioners, were compelled to pay for all these damages--50,000_l._
to the bank owners, 28,000_l._, and 700_l._ a year to Lynn Harbour,
10,000_l._ to the Marshland Drainage, and other minor sums. Having
settled this, they obtained an Act to relieve themselves from all further
liability.
My father had been employed by the Duke of Bedford, and other great
landowners in the north level of the fens, to consider the best plan of
improving the Nene, so as to render it a good outfall for the drainage of
the extensive low fen lands bordering it, which, on account of their bad
drainage, were frequently subject to floods, and comparatively valueless.
My father wrote a very able report on the subject, and recommended that
the Nene should be deepened, enlarged, and lowered throughout its course
from Peterborough to the sea; that a new channel should be made from a
place called Rummery Mill above, to the Horse-shoe Bend, below Wisbeach
(for the course followed by the river through the town was so crooked
and confined that it could not be sufficiently improved without incurring
great unnecessary expense) and that the navigation to and from the town
should still be preserved by locks connecting the old with the new
channel; and also to make a new outfall for the river from Kinderly’s Cut
to a place called Crab Hole, in the Great Wash, where there was ample
depth of water. He said that the new outfall might be made partly within
the estuary and partly in the marshes without, to Skates Corner, but that
then it would neither be so direct nor so effectual as if made entirely
within the banks of the Nene estuary. Mr. Rennie’s report was approved
of, but the necessary means for carrying it into effect were wanting,
so the matter for the time lay dormant. Subsequently Mr. Telford and
myself were appointed the engineers, and reconsidered the whole matter.
Finding the people of Wisbeach were violently opposed to the main channel
passing by their town, we were obliged to give up this part, as well as
the upper portion of the channel to Peterborough, and confine ourselves
to the improvement of the outfall below Wisbeach, and to commence the
new outfall near the lower end of Kinderly’s Cut. I strongly advocated
my father’s plan of making the new outfall direct to Crab Hole, within
the old banks, but as the first expense would have been a little more,
although far less in the end, as has been proved, it was resolved to make
the new outfall to Skates Corner, partly within, partly without the old
banks.
An Act of Parliament was accordingly obtained, and Messrs. Jolliffe
and Banks became the contractors. The works commenced, and the outfall
was opened in 1831. Whilst it was in progress Mr. Telford and myself
frequently visited the works together, and in June we went down the
old estuary of the Nene in a boat at low water, for the purpose of
examining more minutely the state of the channels near Crab Hole and
Skates, where we proposed that the new outfall should enter the estuary.
It was a very stormy day, accompanied by lightning, thunder, rain, and
a strong south-west wind. We got as far as Crab Hole at low water, when
the weather beat us completely, and we were obliged to walk over the
muddy shore half-way up to our knees, and drenched to the skin. We had
sent some refreshment to an old house, called King John’s House, near the
bank, said to have been erected during his reign, and to have afforded
His Majesty shelter after his retreat from Lynn. The rain now came down
heavier than ever, so that we had no alternative but to retrace our
steps back to the dirty old “public” at the Ferry, called Cross Keys,
about 3½ miles distant. We got back, thoroughly soaked, about three in
the afternoon. I immediately stripped and went to bed. Old Telford,
being a strong, hearty man, of about seventy, instead of following my
example, ordered a large fire to be made in the only sitting-room there
was, called for the newspaper, and sat himself down to dry. After two
hours’ nap I was thoroughly refreshed, and went down to the sitting-room.
When I entered there was such a steam that I could hardly see anything;
but, approaching the fire, found Telford had nearly dried himself,
and he abused me thoroughly for being so effeminate as to go to bed.
He suffered, however, severely afterwards for his imprudence; for he
was taken with a violent diarrhœa at Cambridge on his return, and was
confined there for a fortnight, and escaped with difficulty with his
life; but the diarrhœa haunted him more or less ever after, until his
death. He was a most agreeable, facetious companion, and I passed many
happy days with him. Previous to the diversion of the old channel through
the new outfall, Mr. Telford and myself ordered the contractors to
assemble as many men, horses, carts, and materials as possible, in order
that the old channel should be stopped up during the neap tides.
When everything was ready we went down and met the contractors, Messrs.
Jolliffe and Banks, and immediately gave them orders to commence
filling up the old channel; they had about thirteen hundred men, and
horses, carts, and materials, and appliances of all kinds, and set
to work in right good earnest. The Corporation of Wisbeach, who had
always opposed the measure, although they were compelled by the Act to
contribute 30,000_l._ towards it, which was perhaps the cause, offered
every obstruction in their power, and said that the new outfall was not
excavated deep enough according to the Act, and came down in their barge
with their law officers, giving us official written notices to stop all
proceedings. At this critical moment the contractors were rather taken
aback; Mr. Telford and I, however, nothing daunted, ordered the men to
proceed stopping the channel, and to take no notice of the Corporation.
We further told them, that if they did not go away, their barge and all
in it would be swamped, and that the responsibility would rest entirely
with them. Seeing that we were in earnest they turned tail, and, leaving
their protest, returned to Wisbeach. The third day afterwards the old
channel was completely closed, and the Nene diverted to its new outfall.
It should be observed here, that Mr. Telford and myself, calculating
upon the loose nature of the soil, which was silt, and which we felt
confident would scour when fairly acted upon by the current, only made
the contract for the excavation to the level of low water of spring
tides; and therefore it would have wasted money to have excavated that
which we knew the current would do for nothing. The current at first
appeared to have very little effect; and the Duke of Bedford’s manager,
the late excellent and talented Tycho Wing, a schoolfellow of mine at
Dr. Burney’s, became much alarmed, and was sadly afraid that the outfall
would be a failure. Telford and I knew better, and assured him that our
only doubt was whether the current would not be too strong, and render
it necessary to protect the sides with stone. This we considered to be
no disadvantage--on the contrary a great benefit; for making the cut
small in the first instance, we should always be able to regulate the
scour whenever it might have a tendency to enlarge the cut beyond the
size necessary to discharge the drainage water effectually, at the same
time preserving a sufficient depth for navigation; but if it had been too
large in the first instance, it could not have been properly adjusted
afterwards. Mr. Wing was comforted by our assurances; still he had his
doubts, and two months elapsed before any sensible scour appeared to
take place. The fact was, the fall in the bottom was so little, that
the current had to remove the obstacles to its progress, which it could
only do by degrees, when it had accumulated sufficient fall or head;
having done this, its progress was most rapid, and increased daily, so
that within six months after it had been opened it had scoured out the
bottom to 9 feet below low water of spring tides; the sides also had been
regularly scoured away, and the area of the cut was increased to three
times its original size. Spring tides, which had scarcely exceeded a few
feet at Wisbeach, and not much more at Cross Keys, rose remarkably at
both places, so that vessels of considerable tonnage could reach Wisbeach
even at neaps, whereas before they could only get up there at spring
tides. The trade of the port increased so rapidly, that they were soon
enabled to pay off the 30,000_l._ which they had been previously obliged
to borrow to contribute to the cost of the outfall.
The outfall by the scour had now attained its proper dimensions, and
we recommended that the banks should be paved with stone, in order
to prevent them from being enlarged, which was accordingly done. The
outfall went on improving until the year 1837, when I examined it, and
found that the low-water mark had fallen 10 feet 3 inches at Cross Keys
Bridge, that there was a rise of tide of 20 feet at springs, and depth
of 9 feet at low water, and a rise proportionate at Wisbeach at both
springs and neaps; so that vessels drawing 16 feet could go up to the
town at springs, and 12 feet at neaps, and the whole of the surrounding
lowland country was completely drained and the property nearly doubled in
value. Mr. John Young was appointed engineer under me for paving the new
outfall with stone, and afterwards entered business upon his own account
as merchant and shipowner at Wisbeach; and by his talents, energy, and
industry has since realized an ample fortune, has been elected mayor
several times, and has become member for the county of Cambridge.
It had long been a favourite idea with the late Lord William Bentinck and
his friend Mr. Thomas Hoseason, of Banklands, to make a bridge across the
Nene estuary, at Cross Keys, in order to shorten the distance between the
south of Lincolnshire and Norfolk. The bridge over the lower end of the
Eau Brink had been completed, and another had been made at the Fossdyke
Wash by my father, for the Welland; so that it was only necessary to
make another across the Nene estuary, at Cross Keys, to complete this
desirable line of communication. A company was accordingly formed for
this purpose, of which Lord William Bentinck was the head. An Act was
obtained at the same time as the Nene Outfall Act, and I was appointed
the engineer. The Nene Outfall Commissioners obtained a clause in the
Bridge Act compelling the Company to build the bridge over the Nene
Outfall Cut at the same time; this I told them was very unwise, for as
the bridge was to be built of wood, with a drawbridge opening in the
centre to allow vessels to pass, it would be impossible to drive the
great piles forming the piers of the bridge sufficiently deep to be below
the scour in the outfall; the better plan would be to wait until the
outfall had been scoured to its full depth, and then build the bridge.
My opinion was overruled; the bridge was built; and it was impossible,
as I expected, to drive the piles to the requisite depth. Where the full
effect of the scour had taken place it was found necessary to secure the
piles of the bridge by throwing a great mass of stone round them. This
materially obstructed the current through the bridge, until at length
there was a fall through it of from two to three feet, which greatly
injured the drainage, so that the Nene Outfall Commissioners ultimately
got an Act to make a new bridge for the Company at the Commissioners’
expense. All this might have been avoided if the bridge had been built
as I originally recommended. The spot where this bridge and line of
embankment is made is the same place where King John’s army was lost, and
where my father was nearly drowned some years before, crossing in his
carriage, being overtaken by the tide. Six thousand acres of this Wash
have been reclaimed from the sea by myself; and where once the tides used
to ebb and flow, are now fields under culture producing the finest crops.
Notwithstanding all the attempts to improve the river Nene above
Wisbeach, nothing had been done, and I was again requested by the Duke
of Bedford’s advisers to examine the subject and make a comprehensive
plan by means of which Whittlesea Mere and all the low fenny country
around it might be drained, to the extent of 55,000 acres, it being then
little better than a marsh. I accordingly surveyed and levelled the whole
country, and made my report in 1837. I showed that by improving the Nene
from Peterborough to the outfall, and making a main drain to Whittlesea
Mere to connect it with the Nene, and by making a catchwater drain round
the base of the surrounding hills, so as to discharge the highland water
into the Nene at Peterborough and the Ouse at Hermitage Sluice, the whole
country would be thoroughly well drained, the navigation would be greatly
improved, and there would be an ample supply of fresh water at moderate
cost. This plan was approved of by the late Mr. Robert Stephenson, but
was not adopted. The Middle Level Corporation, in whose district was the
greatest part of the lowlands to be drained, would not listen to it,
but insisted on draining them by the Ouse, 10 miles farther distant.
This measure was carried out at double the cost of my plan, and a minor
plan substituted for the improvement of the Nene, which is said to have
cost a great deal more than any benefits derived from it, although the
Eau Brink Cut had lowered the low-water mark on the Ouse nearly 6 feet.
Still the sands below Lynn, at the mouth of the Ouse, accumulated to
such an extent, that the navigation up to that town was so seriously
obstructed that moderate-sized vessels could only come up to the town at
spring tides, and they frequently got ashore upon the numerous shoals,
lost their tide, and were detained for days together, besides suffering
considerable injury. The drainage interests, moreover, complained that
the water in the Ouse did not fall low enough to enable the middle and
south level lands to be properly drained. In fact, the good effects
produced by the Eau Brink Cut were decreasing, in consequence of the
waters not being able to get off below Lynn, so that they were held up
to the extent of 2 feet at the lower end of the Eau Brink Cut, thus
reducing the original fall gained by that cut from 7 feet to 5, whilst
the fall gained by the Nene Outfall had been fully 10 feet 6 inches to 11
feet, being a difference of 6 feet in favour of the Nene. A committee,
consisting of Lord W. Bentinck, Sir William Foulkes, and others, leading
proprietors and parties interested, requested me to examine into the
whole subject and report as to what was best to be done. I accordingly
employed nearly twelve months in surveying and levelling the Great
Wash and the mouths of the Ouse, Nene, Welland, and Witham, which are
the principal rivers discharging their waters into the Great Wash, and
which drain all the adjacent fen lands, amounting to nearly a million of
acres, besides the high lands. I found that by improving all the mouths
of these rivers an additional fall of 7 feet might be gained for the
Ouse, 2 feet for the Nene, and a similar amount for the Welland and the
Witham, and recommended that all these rivers should be united and made
to discharge their waters into one great main channel in the centre of
the Great Wash, and that the main and minor channels should be properly
embanked. By this means not only would all these rivers be much improved,
and the drainage and navigation rendered as perfect as they could be
made, but, in addition to this, from 150,000 to 200,000 acres of land
would be gained from the Wash, or, in other words, a new county, of most
valuable land, would be added to the kingdom. This project was so vast
and important that it took the world by surprise. It was impossible to
deny the soundness of the principles or data upon which it was founded,
or the vast importance of it in a national point of view, if means
could be found to carry it into effect; but here was one of the great
difficulties, and another still greater presented itself, namely that of
uniting together the vast number of conflicting interests concerned, so
that they might combine together as one whole body for the completion of
the undertaking.
After the plan had been published and promulgated for some time, all
sorts of objections were raised and attacks made upon it. I replied
coolly and steadily to them all, and the more it was investigated, the
more the world became convinced of its practicability. Still it was
impossible to combine the various conflicting interests, and equally
difficult to form a company for such a vast and novel undertaking. The
public naturally said, if the drainage and navigation interests and
the landed proprietors, who were so much interested, did not see their
way, how could it be expected that a company should? Thus the affair,
although frequently agitated, lay in abeyance for several years. Its
chief supporters, Lord William Bentinck and Mr. Hoseason, having gone
to India, there remained none of sufficient energy and influence to
push it forward. At length the late talented and indefatigable Lord
George Bentinck became member for Lynn, in succession to his uncle,
Lord William, when he became Governor-General of India. Lord George was
unanimously chosen chairman, and examined most minutely, with his usual
sagacity, every detail of the measure, and was perfectly satisfied of
its practicability and value, but thought that it was too great to be
undertaken as a whole, and that it would be better to divide it into
two parts, one comprising the Ouse and Nene, the other the Welland and
Witham. I must not omit to mention that the late Prince Consort was much
pleased with the plan, and expressed his approbation to me of it. It was
accordingly decided to form a company for the Norfolk half, including the
Ouse and Nene, and to reclaim 35,000 acres of land from the Great Wash;
and at the end of 1845 the requisite plans were prepared and notices
given for a Bill to be applied for in the ensuing session, under the
title of the Norfolk Estuary Act. The Company originally calculated that
the land gained from the estuary would have indemnified them for making
the new cut for the Ouse; and so it would, if they had been allowed all
the land below high-water mark, without having any other burdens entailed
upon them. But unfortunately this was not the case; they were saddled
with the maintenance of the Great Cut, although, strictly speaking,
it ought to have been maintained by the navigation and the drainage
interests, which alone derived the benefit from it. The land frontagers
claimed all the land, or green marsh, to be embanked at the expense of
the Company, who were only to receive a certain portion of its improved
value; the Ouse bank owners were to be indemnified to some extent
also. The Crown was to have a commission of five per cent. upon the
expenditure; and the Church was to have a certain portion, or tithe, upon
the land gained: indeed, so many restrictions were placed on the Company
that their calculated profits were materially reduced; nevertheless, as
a number of the shareholders were otherwise greatly interested in the
improvement of the drainage, frontage, &c., they calculated that if the
shares were worth nothing, they would still be the gainers. I protested
as much as I could, without avail, against all these restrictions, and
I doubted much whether the Act could or would be carried into effect
with any benefit to those shareholders who simply looked to their profit
from the shares. It turned out as I expected. The Act passed during the
session of 1846. Still there was no prospect of the Norfolk Estuary
Act being carried into effect, on account of the restrictions above
mentioned; and the Company wisely determined not to proceed unless the
drainage and navigation interests, which were so materially concerned,
came forward with a handsome contribution towards it. The Middle Level
proprietors had obtained a Bill, in the year 1846, for the improvement
of their drainage, which was much opposed, and in which I took a leading
part. However, they carried their Bill, and the works were designed and
commenced under Mr. James Walker; but they soon found that the work would
be comparatively valueless. The Norfolk Estuary Act had now been carried,
and they therefore entered into negotiations with the Norfolk Estuary
Company, and these negotiations finally ended in the Middle Level
Commissioners and the Lynn Corporation, who represented the drainage and
navigation interests, agreeing to contribute each the sum of 60,000_l._
towards the completion of the new channel for the Ouse, contemplated by
the Norfolk Estuary Company, upon condition that the late Mr. Robert
Stephenson should be joint engineer to the Norfolk Estuary Company with
myself, to which, of course, I had no objection; and it was agreed
that an Act of Parliament should be obtained in order to ratify this
agreement, which passed in the year 1850.
At that time a former Act rendered it necessary that before any
improvement was made in any port or harbour, a Commission should be
appointed by the Admiralty to investigate the plan, the Commission to
hold its inquiry in public; Captain Washington and Captain Veitch were
appointed by the Admiralty for this purpose. They held their court at
the townhall, Lynn, and, singular to relate, the gallant gentlemen
advocated a curved instead of a straight channel, which, under the
circumstances, was so contrary to the practice of every good hydraulic
engineer, that their report was simply ridiculous, and when produced
by the Admiralty before the Committee of the House of Commons on the
Bill, was proved by the best engineers to be wrong, and was therefore
ignored by the Committee, and the plan proposed by Mr. Stephenson and
myself was unanimously adopted. The Bill accordingly passed, and the
agreement between the Middle Level Commissioners, the Corporation of
Lynn, and the Company, the two former contributing 60,000_l._ each, was
ratified; still there were several restrictive clauses, such as entailing
the maintenance of the works upon the Company, giving up the whole of
the green marsh to the several frontages, which materially abridged
the profits of the Company, and increased their risks, and which I in
vain protested against. The main cut commenced on the lower side of
Lynn, and was continued in a straight line 2½ miles. We calculated that
certain dimensions were ample in the first instance, because it was not
necessary to excavate the cut artificially to the full depth, as we knew
that as soon as the current began to act upon it, it would in a short
time be adjusted to its proper capacity for the admission and discharge
of the tidal waters, in the same manner as had taken place in the Nene
estuary outfall already mentioned. From the lower end of the above cut
the channel for a distance of two miles farther to deep water was to be
trained through the sands, formed by guide walls of rough stone raised to
about the level of half tide, with beacons upon it at certain distances
to indicate the channel; and when once the channel had been thus trained,
the remainder of the banks to their full height above high water would
be raised naturally by the silting up on each side, combined with the
gradual process of embanking the land from each of the shores of the
estuary, if properly managed.
Messrs. Peto undertook the contract of the main cut. The land having
been bought, and everything arranged, a day was fixed for turning the
first sod, at the upper end near Lynn. The ceremony was performed by the
late worthy Sir William Foulkes, the chairman of the Company, on the 1st
of November, 1850. On that day a grand procession, consisting of the
Company, the Corporation and trades of Lynn, the Earl of Leicester, Lord
Lieutenant, together with numerous gentry, and other spectators, attended
the ceremony, which went off with great _éclat_, and the whole, as usual,
terminated with a grand dinner to about two hundred persons at the
townhall. Unfortunately my friend Mr. Stephenson was abroad and could not
attend. The excavation of the great cut proceeded rapidly for some time,
until Mr. Stephenson and myself, judging that enough had been done, and
that the current would do the rest more effectually, ordered the dams
to be removed at both ends and the water admitted, which was accordingly
done. As soon as the fen proprietors heard of this, they were greatly
alarmed; they said that the Company had violated their agreement with
them, and had gone contrary to the Act of Parliament, in not excavating
the cut to the full depth required before letting the water in. We
endeavoured in vain to persuade them to the contrary. They immediately
applied for a mandamus to stop the works and restore the dams until the
cut had been excavated to the full dimensions required by the Act, and
obtained an injunction, so that we were compelled to restore the dams and
stop out the water. We determined, however, not to give up the point,
and argued the question before Vice-Chancellor Turner, and were beaten.
We then applied to the Admiralty, who would not assist. We appealed from
the Vice-Chancellor’s decision to the Lords Justices of Appeal, and were
again beaten; still we would not give up, and at last we found that there
was no alternative but to get a new Act of Parliament allowing us to
make the cut in any manner we pleased, provided that we made it of the
dimensions originally agreed upon. The Eau Brink Commissioners opposed us
by every means in their power, but our evidence, which was given by the
first engineers of the day, so completely satisfied Parliament that we
carried our new Bill as we wished it.
Thus, after a severe struggle for two years, we carried our point; but
this was so much valuable time lost, besides a great deal of money spent
in litigation. Having obtained our new Act, we set to work immediately
to remove the dams of the cut, and to let the water in, and at the same
time to commence the dam for stopping up the old channel of the Ouse at
the lower end of the town of Lynn, near the upper end of the new cut.
As the dams and bottom of the river near them were composed of strong
clay, it took some time to remove them so as to admit the waters freely
into the cut; but as soon as this was done, the scour began to have a
sensible effect; this was increased by the closing of the dam across the
old channel, so that within a few months afterwards not only had the
new cut been scoured out to the full depth required by the old Act, but
considerably beyond it. Thus Stephenson and myself were proved in the
right, and the opposition entirely in the wrong.
The effect on the port of Lynn was very remarkable. The depth of water
at spring tides was 18 to 20 feet, and neaps 14 to 16 feet; and there
was a regular depth at low water of spring tides of 9 to 12 feet in
the cut, so that the largest vessels could always come up and depart
with their full cargoes either at spring or neap tides, and the channel
was so direct and easy of navigation, that pilots, of whom there was a
large establishment, became in a great measure unnecessary, and their
numbers were considerably reduced as well as their charges, and the
increase of trade soon enabled the town of Lynn to pay off the 60,000_l._
contribution to the estuary works.
The drainage interests also derived a similar benefit by the lowering of
the low-water mark 6 feet, which, together with that obtained by the Eau
Brink Cut, was altogether 11 feet. The Middle Level Drainage, upon which
a large sum had been expended, obtained an increased fall of between 3
and 4 feet, which enabled the Commissioners to drain the greatest portion
of their lands naturally instead of artificially. In fact, the Port of
Lynn by means of these works has become one of the best on the east
coast of England, at the least expense, and with the most moderate dues;
indeed, if the Drainage and Navigation had paid double the money which
they did to this great work, and which in justice they ought to have done
for the benefits it has conferred upon them, they would have been more
than amply indemnified.
The Estuary Company having now completed the cut, turned their attention
to the best means of reclaiming from the Wash the 35,000 acres which had
been allotted to them by the Crown, or at least as much of it as they
could; but unfortunately there were so many different opinions among them
and their advisers, that they lost a great deal of time and money in
pursuing improper measures. I, who originally designed the undertaking,
and had acquired great experience in this department from having carried
on successfully similar works in the Great Wash and elsewhere, always
adhered to one system, namely, to work with nature, and never to go
against her; if we did, I invariably found that we were beaten.
We knew, from a variety of experiments that had been made, that the
alluvial matter held in suspension by the waters in the Great Wash was an
ascertainable quantity; that this alluvial matter was transferred from
one place to another, according to the prevailing winds and currents;
and that it was only deposited where circumstances were favourable, such
as eddies and sheltered stagnant places. Now my great object (after
having confined the fresh and tidal waters of the river Ouse to one
adequate channel, so as to preserve the drainage and navigation in an
efficient state) was to cause to be deposited the alluvial matter that
was held in suspension in the waters spreading over the other parts
of the estuary. This could only be done effectually by arresting the
progress of the flowing and ebbing waters in such a manner, that as much
of the alluvial matter as possible might be deposited in the places most
convenient, that is, in those places where it was desired to raise the
soil above the level of high water of neap tides. When this level is
reached grass may be expected to grow, and in a very short time the
whole is converted into a green marsh. The process simply this: when the
deposit has reached a certain number of feet above low water of spring
tides, a species of light green vegetation first covers the surface in
patches, then by degrees extends over the whole; the reclaimed land
still continues rising, and at a higher level above low water samphire
makes its appearance; the accumulation of soil still goes on increasing,
when the samphire disappears, and grass succeeds it, and in a short time
afterwards the place assumes the appearance of a level green marsh well
adapted for grazing cattle. After it has arrived at this stage, which it
does at about the level of high water of neap tides, the accumulation
is very slow; on our coasts it seldom attains a much higher elevation,
except where the sand is blown up by strong winds from the sea, which
forms dunes or banks, that, as in the case of Holland and other places,
sometimes attain an elevation of 30 feet and upwards above the level of
the highest tides. This, however, is not the case around the shores of
the Great Wash; there the marshes are simply produced by the gradual
deposit of alluvial matter in the manner above stated.
The great object, therefore, as I have said, is to facilitate this
deposit or accretion as much as possible by artificial means. Nature,
if left to herself, though sure, is very slow. We must therefore assist
nature, by following and working in unison with her laws. We must go
to work gradually, and not by great and expensive operations check the
currents violently and at once, which would only produce an equally
strong current elsewhere, so that while we gained in one place we should
lose in another. By a series of light works composed of bushy fagots or
other similar materials, raised about 12 or 15 inches above the level
of the sands, and disposed in a series of lines at certain distances
from each other, not continuous, but in lengths, so that the ends may
overlap each other, the currents will be gently checked without being
wholly obstructed, the water between them will be rendered stagnant, and
the alluvial matter with which it is charged will be deposited. When
the deposit has reached to the top of these works, the works themselves
should be raised higher in the same place, or in an intermediate
position, as circumstances shall render advisable. Where a certain space
is intended to be raised or warped up, it is generally better to commence
at the upper end and work downwards; the works themselves are less
expensive, the height to be raised is less, and the water impelled by the
mass of the tide behind brings up a greater quantity of alluvial matter,
and in proportion as the space above is warped up it accumulates in a
greater degree below. In carrying on works of this kind, wherever we find
that there is a tendency to make a channel, and with it a strong current,
it must be checked gradually from the upper end, so that the quantity of
water passing through it may be decreased, and this channel will soon
fill up. When a certain space has been naturally or artificially raised
to the level of a fine green marsh, provided that there be a sufficient
quantity to pay the expense, it should be embanked entirely from the sea.
As to the expense incurred in embanking it, and the value of the land
when embanked, generally speaking, we shall seldom err if we take as a
rule that the land should be worth double the cost of embanking. When we
have an estuary to deal with from which we may expect to reclaim several
thousand acres of land, it resolves itself into a serious question both
of time and money as to the best mode of accomplishing it. One object
should be as far as practicable to reduce the extent of main or barrier
banks, and if the situation be well adapted for the purpose, a barrier
bank may be commenced at the lower end, and gradually pushed forward in
proportion as the space above it exhibits a tendency to silt up; in
combination with this the minor operations should be carried on, so that
the one may assist the other. When a sufficient quantity of marsh above
the barrier bank has been formed, it may be embanked from the sea, and
by keeping the barrier bank always sufficiently in advance the interior
banks will become less costly, as they will not be exposed to the main
force of the waves during storms; otherwise each separate bank must be
made a barrier bank, and the whole cost will be materially increased. The
propriety of adopting either the one system or the other will greatly
depend upon the peculiar local circumstances.
With regard to the quantity of land, when fit for the purpose, to be
embanked or enclosed at one time, this also will, like the other,
depend upon the local circumstances. Generally speaking it is safer to
confine the operation to about 400 or 500 acres; and the proper time for
closing the embankment is during neap tides, when the work will be much
facilitated.
It is true that much greater quantities may be taken in at one time,
according to the Dutch system, but then several closing spaces must be
left open, and these must all be specially prepared for the purpose by
lining the bottom and sides with wicker-work and fascines to prevent the
scour, and then filling them up with clay, stone, fascines, and earth,
as the case may require; and if by chance a breach should take place,
which occasionally occurs under the best of management, the internal
space to be filled with water is so great that the violence and strength
of the inpouring current is increased in the same proportion, so that it
carries all before it, scoops out great channels in the interior space,
and damages the land by the great quantity of sand brought in, and it
becomes difficult to clear the internal space of water. And although by
this plan a less quantity of embankment is required, nevertheless the
expense per lineal foot becomes greater; but where the length of the
embankment is small compared to the depth of the land to be enclosed,
this system, if properly managed, may be adopted with advantage. The most
advisable plan must be left a good deal to the judgment and skill of the
engineer-in-chief taking advantage of the local circumstances.
The above principles for warping and enclosing land I recommended in
several reports to the Norfolk Estuary Company, but they were not adopted
to the extent I recommended; the consequence has been that several
years’ time and a good deal of money have been unnecessarily expended.
But I believe that they have been finally convinced that my system was
the proper one, and it has since been adopted to some extent, with
considerable success, and about 1000 acres (in 1867) have been enclosed,
the property of the Company, at the cost of about 15_l._ per acre, the
land being worth 40_l._ They have, moreover, enclosed 600 acres more
for the Prince of Wales, upon which they will be paid one-third of its
improved value. As several thousand acres in the estuary belonging
to the Company are rapidly approaching that state when they may be
profitably embanked, I confidently believe, by proper management, that
the shareholders will ultimately recover a good deal if not the whole of
their capital, and perhaps a good portion of their interest also; but I
shall always contend that if my recommendations had been followed from
the beginning, a great deal of money would have been saved. The Company
ought not to have submitted to the restrictions imposed by the Acts. The
contribution from the drainage and navigation interests ought to have
been double, for which they would have been amply repaid, and the land
gained would have been far greater, so that even by this time it might
have been a very profitable concern.
Whilst the Nene Outfall was in progress, I was employed by the
Corporation of Boston to improve the outfall of the river between the
Grand Sluice at the upper end of the town, and Hobhole near the mouth
of the river, a distance of nearly four miles. This had previously
been proposed by my father, in the year 1845, to the Corporation of
Boston, previous to commencing the great drainage of the East, West,
and Wildmere fens bordering upon the Witham between Lincoln and Boston,
amounting to about 125,000 acres of lowland, which for the most part was
little better than a marsh. It was here he proposed his grand system for
the drainage of lowlands by means of catchwater drains for the waters
from the highlands, and main and minor drains for the waters from the
lowlands, both systems of drains being distinct and separate from each
other, and which he afterwards most successfully carried into effect. In
order to obtain the requisite fall, it was necessary that the outfalls
of the two main drains should be carried into the Witham below the
town of Boston; but in order that this might be effectual, it was also
necessary that the Witham should be greatly improved between Boston and
the mouth at Hobhole; and as the navigation between these two points
was very defective, he thought that the Corporation should bear the
expense, as they would derive the greatest benefit. For this purpose my
father proposed two plans: one was to improve the old channel, partly
by cutting off the bends and confining and straightening its course,
and from Hobhole making a new cut to Clayhole, where there was ample
depth of water at all times of tide; and the other plan was to make a
direct cut within land from the lower end of Boston to Clayhole. He
proposed also, for the drainage, to make an outfall for the highland
water at Maudfoster, just below the town of Boston, as he said that by
bringing the highland water there, it would effectually serve to keep
the river open between that point and its mouth at Hobhole, and to make
an outfall for the lowland waters at the latter place; and he recommended
the drainage interests to contribute a certain portion of the expense
towards the improvement. The Corporation of Boston declined doing
anything, and the drainage was left to take care of itself. Mr. Rennie,
however, foresaw that if the Witham was not improved by either one or
the other of the plans that he recommended, the highland water would not
be effectively discharged by the sluice at Maudfoster, and therefore he
made a communication between the Maudfoster drain and the Hobhole drain
at a place called Cowbridge, a few miles above Boston, where there was a
gauge, so that whenever the water in Maudfoster drain exceeded the gauge
it passed into the lowland main drain, and from thence into the Witham at
Hobhole. What Mr. Rennie foresaw came true; the Witham, not having been
improved, became worse, and the river in front of the Maudfoster Sluice
was silted up, so that it could not discharge its water, and therefore
the whole of the water, highland and lowland, was obliged to go by
Hobhole, which drain and sluice, foreseeing what would take place, he had
enlarged for the purpose.
In the year 1827, the outfall of the Witham between Boston and Hobhole
had become so much silted up that at high water of neap tides there was
scarcely water enough for fishing boats to come up to the town during
the summer months and dry seasons, and at spring tides only sloops
of very small draught could get up to the town; in fact, it might be
said that at that time Boston as a seaport was lost, and the trade and
navigation of the port ruined. At this the Corporation became greatly
alarmed, and sent for me. I directed the late Mr. Francis Giles to make a
complete survey of the river, which he did in his usual able and correct
manner, and no person could do it better. Being provided with this
survey, I made my report, and saw clearly that there was no remedy but
to carry into effect either the one or the other of my father’s plans
of 1805. As the Corporation funds were very limited, I recommended the
plan for improving the old channel, partly by cutting off the bends and
confining the river as far as Hobhole, and from thence making a new cut
to Clayhole, as recommended by my father. There were three parties who
were to contribute towards the improvement of the outfall of the Witham,
namely, the Corporation of Boston, and the Witham and the Black Sluice
Commissioners. The Black Sluice Commissioners demurred to the plan
proposed by me, which was my father’s, on the ground that the cut ought
to be made from the Black Sluice inland direct to Hobhole, otherwise
they would not derive the advantages they had a right to expect from
their contributions; so the whole matter was referred to Mr. Telford,
who said that no improvement in the river below Boston would be of any
use, unless the Grand Sluice above Boston was removed, so as to admit the
tide to flow farther up the river. Now, although Telford was to a certain
extent right, but by no means wholly so, because by carrying into effect
either of my father’s plans there could be no doubt that considerable
improvement would be made on the outfall of the Witham below Boston,
as the sequel will show, nevertheless, if the Grand Sluice had been
removed the tide would have flowed farther up the river and the increased
quantity of tidal water passing upwards and downwards would have improved
the outfall still further; but there were insuperable objections to
the removal of the Grand Sluice, which neither of those parties above
mentioned who were to make the improvement in the outfall could control,
for the river above the Grand Sluice was under a different body. The
banks must have been raised to admit the tide; compensation must have
been made for the loss of fresh water, and various other interests must
have been consulted that were hostile. The Black Sluice Commissioners
stuck to Telford’s report, and withdrew from the contribution, so that
the whole matter fell to the ground.
The outfall of the Witham became worse, and the Corporation of Boston,
being left single-handed, and having determined to do what they could to
improve the river, again requested my advice. I said that the best thing
they could do under the circumstances would be to carry into effect by
degrees, as far as their means would allow, the plan of my father already
referred to for improving the old channel of the river, and to begin by
cutting off the bend between Hobhole and the upper end of Burton’s Marsh
(this cut would be about half a mile long), and blocking up the old
channel immediately above it, which was about half a mile wide. These
two works would shorten the navigation quite half a mile, and admit and
discharge the tidal and fresh waters more readily, and thus produce a
corresponding scour and lowering of the low-water line and bed of the
river all the way up to the Grand Sluice above Boston.
The Corporation adopted my recommendation, and entered into a contract
with Jolliffe and Banks for that purpose. Although a small work, it
was attended with considerable difficulty, particularly in closing the
old channel, on account of its great width and the great body of tidal
water which passed through it. The effect of this work exceeded my most
sanguine expectations; in a short time it improved the channel upwards
to Boston to such an extent that spring tides rose at Boston Bridge 14
feet, and neaps 10 feet, and the bed of the river was deepened from 3
to 4 feet below low water of springs, so that vessels drawing 15 feet
and 16 feet could come up to the town at springs, and vessels drawing 12
to 13 feet could come up at neaps; moreover, all the silt was scoured
away from the front of the Maudfoster Sluice, so that it discharged the
highland water from the fens, which it had not done for years before,
and improved also the discharge of the waters from the Grand and Black
sluices. I must confess that I was not a little elated at this successful
result, as it most completely established the correctness of my father’s
opinion as well as my own, and demonstrated the fallacy of my friend
Telford’s judgment. The cost of the above works was 33,000_l._, which was
very small compared to the advantage obtained. The Corporation of Boston
were so much pleased with the success that they determined to carry into
effect the remainder of the improvement in the old channel to Boston,
which was afterwards done by confining the channel by degrees to a proper
width by means of fascines and loose stone and clay properly combined
together up to the level of half tide, so that the flood and ebb always
acted to the greatest advantage in one and the same channel without
materially diminishing the quantity of tidal water.
The effect of these additional works was to still further deepen the bed
of the river and increase the flow of the tide by lowering the low-water
mark, which improved the navigation and drainage still further, so that
the trade of Boston revived and increased in prosperity, and all this was
effected by the resources of Boston alone; and it is only to be regretted
that the drainage interests, who derived so much benefit, were not
compelled to contribute their just proportion.
In 1852 a Bill was obtained to carry into effect my plan for improving
the mouths of the Witham below Hobhole, and the Welland below Fosdike
Bridge, and reclaiming 35,000 acres of land from the Great Wash, as
formerly described, but the Bill was clogged with so many restrictions,
and neither the drainage or navigation interests would contribute
anything towards it, although they would have been greatly benefited,
that it was found impossible to carry it into effect so as to remunerate
the shareholders, and therefore it was abandoned.
I about this time finished some minor works which had been designed and
partly executed for the improvement of the Witham near Lincoln. This was
part of a great plan of my father for improving the river Witham, so as
to make it navigable for the Yorkshire coasting vessels, drawing 6 feet
and carrying about 70 tons. From Lincoln they proceeded to the Trent by
the Old Foss navigation, which entered the Trent at Torksey, and from
thence to the Humber and the adjacent coasts. This improved navigation
of the Witham answered very well as a commercial speculation, and in the
year 1847 was sold to the Great Northern Railway Company, who established
a railway on its banks, which now forms part of their loop line between
Peterborough and Lincoln, which has in a great measure superseded the
navigation.
During this period I was requested by the Commissioners of the Ancholme
Level, consisting of about 50,000 acres of low fen lands, bordering upon
the Ancholme in North Lincolnshire, to give them my advice as to the best
means of improving their drainage, and at the same time the navigation of
that river.
The Ancholme takes its rise near Market Rasen, in the highlands of the
north of Lincolnshire, and after a course of some miles it enters the
lowland district of the valley, and proceeds through it in a northerly
direction for a distance of about 18 miles, when it joins the Humber at
right angles to its course. The valley varies from one mile in width at
the upper end to three miles at the lower end, where it joins the Humber.
It is bounded on the south by a ridge of chalk hills of considerable
elevation, and on the north by a similar ridge of sandstone hills.
The Ancholme having very little fall where it enters the lowlands, and
being prevented from discharging its waters with facility into the Humber
on account of the great mass of water and high tides in the latter river,
was forced back upon the lowlands, and frequently inundated them, so
that they became little better than marshes, and the river itself was
necessarily extremely circuitous. In 1806 the Commissioners applied to my
father for advice, and he recommended, in the first place, that the river
should be straightened as far as practicable, in order to utilize the
fall of the current to the fullest extent; also that a sluice should be
constructed to exclude the tides at Terreby; and a catchwater drain made
on the south side, with separate sluice to discharge the highland waters
into the Humber. This advice was only partly followed: the river was
straightened; the catchwater drain only extended as far as Brigg; a lock
was made for the navigation at Hortestow Green, where the river entered
the lowlands; and a sluice with a lock was made at Terreby. In principle,
these works were correctly designed and well adapted for the purpose as
far as they went; but I am not exactly aware whether they were carried
out according to his plan, or under his immediate direction; and twenty
years had elapsed before I was invited to give my opinion.
When I visited them the level was very badly drained; the river was full
of shoals; the navigation, which was intended for the Yorkshire coasting
vessels up to Bishop’s Bridge, was only practicable a few miles beyond
Brigg, and that in a very imperfect manner; and the works generally were
in a very bad state.
After having inspected the works, I recommended, first, that the main
river should be deepened, widened, and enlarged throughout the entire
length of the level, so as to accommodate the full-sized Yorkshire
coasting vessels drawing 6 ft. 6 in.; and that the river should be of
ample capacity to contain the floods fully 2 to 3 feet below the level of
the lowlands, so that they could not be overflowed, and might always be
able to drain into it.
Secondly, that a lock should be made with a lift of 6 feet, so that
coasting vessels might be enabled to get up to Bishop’s Bridge; and that
as a great deal of sand was brought down by the upper part of the river,
which continually produced shoals and filled it up, I recommended that
at the upper end of the lock an overfall should be made, together with a
capacious reservoir, into which the sand might be discharged, in order to
prevent it from getting into the river; then it could be removed whenever
necessary.
Thirdly, that a new sluice and lock should be made at Terreby, where the
Ancholme joined the Humber; that all the new sluices should be laid 6
feet below the old one; and that new bridges should be made across the
main river to replace the old ones, which were not of sufficient capacity.
Fourthly, that the south catchwater drain should be drained out and
enlarged, and extended to the upper end of the level.
Fifthly, that a catchwater drain of the requisite dimensions should be
made on the north side of the level, from the new sluice to the farther
extremity of the level, and that the water should be discharged through a
separate opening in the new sluice.
Sixthly, that wherever a brook entered the catchwater drain on either
side, there should be corresponding weirs and reservoirs for receiving
the sand and other deposits, so as to prevent them from getting into the
drains.
These several works were executed, under my directions, by Messrs.
Jolliffe and Banks, as contractors; and Mr. Adam Smith, as resident
engineer, to whom the real credit is due for the very able, honest, and
zealous manner in which he discharged his duties, particularly for
the execution of the new sluice at Terreby, which was done without a
contractor, and is one of the cheapest and best works of the kind.
These works have answered their object completely; and the Ancholme
district is as well drained as any level in the kingdom, and the
navigation is complete of the kind.
Whilst carrying on these works I was the frequent guest of the Earl of
Yarborough, the Commodore of the Yacht Club, and received the greatest
kindness and attention from his lordship; without his support, ability,
and firmness, these works would never have been attempted, nor carried to
a successful conclusion.
[2] I have always heard this story in Cornwall; and a pamphlet
on the subject, now very scarce, was published at the time. Mr.
Fox, I have been told, was taken before a magistrate, and made
an affidavit concerning it the morning after the occurrence,
and before the mail came down.--C. G. C. R.
[3] I may mention here that before Telford built the suspension
bridge near Bangor, Mr. Rennie proposed a cast-iron bridge of
several arches, on the site of the present Britannia Bridge,
which would ultimately have carried the railway, but the scheme
was considered too bold at the time. The possibility of the
construction of the present magnificent bridge, which marks an
era in engineering, is of course due to the great improvements
in the manufacture of iron since Mr. Rennie’s time. Thus every
age has its specialty, and what cannot be done at one time
becomes practicable at another.