Thu 7 Dec 1775
Dallaways article in the Gloucester Journal
Brimscomb- Dec 7
SIR,
IT having been now resolved to put the Act of
Parliament into Execution, obtained in the Year 1730, for
making the River Stroud-Water navigable from Framiload to
Wallbridge, upon a new, Plan, and chiefly by a new Canal :
And whereas it has been (since this Business has been agitated)
indasttiously reported, that this Scheme will greatly affect the
Mills upon the River, by robbing them of their Water; and
hence many of thé Mill-Holders and Mill-Owners, from
Misapprehension, and thro’ Fear of Injury to themselves, or to
the valuable Trade carried on by Means of this River, have
been highly prejudiced again this laudable Work: You are
therefore desired to publish in your useful Paper, for the Satis-
faction of such Persons, and of all whom it may concern, the
Report made by that ingenious Artist and long experienced En-
gineer Mr. Thomas Yeoman, F.R.S. who has lately
surveyed the line of this Navigation; and you will oblige
many of your Friends, as well as,
SIR,
Your most humble Servant,
WM. DALLAWAY,
Chairman of the Meetings of the Stroud-Water Navigation.
To the PROPRIETORS and PROMOTERS of the
Stroud-WaTER NavIGATION.
GENTLEMEN,
IN Pursuance of your Request, I have surveyed the Line
of the intended Navigation, as it is now proposed to be carried
into Execution, in which Iam glad to find the great Attention
you have had not to injure the Mills, which are any Ways con-
nected or liable to be damaged by the Waite of Water for the
Use of the Navigation.
I well remember, that the principal Objection that was
made to this useful Undertaking ninetcen Years ago, (when
with a like View I surveyed the old River) was that of taking
away some of the Water from the Mills, for the Use of the Na-
vigation ; to obviate this Objection, a Reservoir of about two
acres was proposed to be made at the Head of the Navigation
to receive the Sunday's Water : This was then looked upon by
the Generality of the Mill-Holders to be a sufficient Remedy to
supply the Loss above mentioned. But what you have now pro-
posed, by making the Upper Canal next Wallbridge, six Feet
deep and forty-two Feet wide, three Quarters of a Mile long,
added to the Bason at the Key, will be a much better Security
to the Mills above Ebley Mill, than any Thing that has been
proposed before for that Purpose ; becaufe 18 Inches or even
two Feet of this Canal may be drawn down without stopping the
Navigation; and if instead of one Lock of fifteen Feet and a
Half Fall, three Locks of five Feet two Inches Fall each be
built on this Branch, there will be but one Third of the Water
required that the fifteen Feet and a Half Lock would have used;
and the Lealage much less, for that will always be in a sub-
duplicate Ratio of the Height of the Water in the Lock above the
Leakeage. In this Case, the Reserve will contain at least 25 of such
Locks full of Water ; now if we allow even one Lock Full per
Day for Leakage, (which, if the Locks are well executed, will
not amount to one Quarter of that Quantity) there will remain
18 Locks full of Water, which will be ample and sufficient for
the Passage of three Barges per Day, for six Days in every Week.
I must not omit to mention, that Cuckolds Brook, which now
runs into Dudbridge Mill Dam, will be received into the Upper
Canal, which will be a Benfit to Mr. Cook’s Mill, and also
to those below it.
" The Canal which is proposed to be made through Ebley
Mill Dam, may, agreeable to your Design, with great Pro-
priety, be continued on a dead Level so far as the Road which
leads to Sandford Mill, because (except behind Mr. Philips’s,
where there will be a little deep cutting) the Surface of the
Water on the upper or North Side of the Canal may be carried
at or near the Surface of the Ground the greatest Part of the
Way, and will consequently be very ornamental to the Houses
above it. This,Canal, if it is made of the same Depth and
Width with the former, will be a Mile and Half long, and
will contain surplus Water sufficient to fill 26 Locks, whose
Fall shall be nine Feet *, this added to the surplus Water from
the Reservoir Canal above, will amount to near 40 Locks Full ;
and if we allow one Third of this Quantity for Leakage in these
deep Locks, there remains at least Water enough to navigate
26 Barges up or down, which is more than Fo?? in a Day for
six Days in the Week +.
" Here i must observe, that the two Reservoir Canals above
mentioned will not only be a reserve of the Sunday's Water,
which will come down from the several Brooks and Mill treams
above, but they will be also of eminent Service to retain the
waste water which comes down every Day and Night thro' the
Year from the Mills and likewise that from the Thunder and other
hasty Showers which may fall in dry and short Water Time. I
need not mention the great Benefit that will accrue to Mr.
Cook's Mill and that of Mr. Turner's by lengthening their se-
veral Mill Dams, and especially the latter, because they will
not be under the Necessity of shutting down for a Head, so often
as they are obliged to do now ; and will not this also be a Be-
nefit to all the Mills below them ?"
Mr. Yeoman next enumerates the various Works that will be
necessary to compleat the Stroud-Water Navigation, and annexes
the several Expenses that will be incurred in the Execution
thereof. But as there chiefly concern the Proprietors, the Par-
ticulars are purposely emitted here. Let it suffice that the
whole Estimate in the Judgement of this able Engineer, does not
amount to the Sum of 17,000l. and that in his Opinion, with
good Management and prudent Agency, something considerable
may be saved out of that Sum. He concludes his Report with
the following Observations.
As I have had Opportunities of seeing on the Canal Navi-
gations in the Kingdom, I cannot help obferving, that upon,
carefully Surveying the whole of the proposed Line of this Navi-
gation, that I never saw so good a one in all Respects ; you Have
no expensive Funneling thro’ Hills and Mountains, nor any very
remarkable Valley to be filled up ; the Canal is shorter than the
River by more than two Miles, and by three Miles than the
Public Road between Stroud and Framiload; and I must say
that in the Execution of the Whole, there will be less Damage
done to private Property, than I have met with in any modern
Navigation of the same Length, .and which will appear to every
candid Enquirer, when they examine the Plan which is now
proposing by Mr. Hall.
"The Size of the Locks will be different and various in their
Depth for Reasons apparent or already assigned. it is proposed
to make them all 70 Feet long and 15 Feet wide in the Cham-
ber, and as to their Depth, or rather Fall, the three upper
Locks are to be five Feet two Inches Fall each, the rest between
Ebiey-Mill and Mr. Cambridge’s, about nine Feet Fall each at
an Average; and the Depth of the Lock at Framiload will be
19 Feet.
"With regard to the carrying the several Works into Exe-
cution, I by no Means can advise you to contract with any Per-
son for the whole; the greatest Part of the Digging indeed may
be lett, and I think it will be adviseable so to do, and perhaps
it will be convenient to have some of the Bridges done by Con-
tract: But the Locks, Agueducts, Stopgates, and other impor-
tant Works, 1 earnestly recommend to be done by your own
People in the best and most effectual Manner; and particularly
the Locks, as the whole of your Success depends upon the good
and substantial Execution of them, especially for the saving of
Water, whichj if wasted to the Damage of the Mills, must be
paid for. The lower Lock I by all Means would advise to be
built with Stone, in a very substantial Manner; and if the fe-
cord Lock is alfo built with Stone, even if it cost something
more than if built with Brick, you will save much Time by it.
I need not suggefs that so soon as you are legally embodied into
a Company or Corporation, Preparations should be immediately
made for the making of Bricks, and providing Timber for the
Locks, &c. The Construction of the Locks I have fully ex-
plained to Mr. Glazebrook, as well as the Disposition of the
Materials, I shall always be ready to do you acceptable Service,
so far as my best Advice may be so.
I am, Gentlemen,
Your most obedient and humble Servant.
