the life of thomas telford-第42章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！



friends；　being　careful；〃　as　he　said；　that　〃no　copies　should　be

smuggled　and　sold。〃



Later　in　the　year　we　find　him；　on　his　way　to　London　on　business；

sparing　a　day　or　two　for　the　purpose　of　visiting　the　Duke　of

Buckingham's　palace　and　treasures　of　art　at　Stowe；　afterwards

writing　out　an　eight…page　description　of　it　for　the　perusal　of　his

friends　at　Langholm。　　At　another　time；　when　engaged　upon　the　viaduct

at　Pont…Cysylltau；　he　snatched　a　few　day's　leisure　to　run　through

North　Wales；　of　which　he　afterwards　gave　a　glowing　account　to　his

correspondent。　　He　passed　by　Cader　Idris；　Snowdon；　and　Penmaen　Mawr。

〃Parts　of　the　country　we　passed　through；〃　he　says；　〃very　much

resemble　the　lofty　green　hills　and　woody　vales　of　Eskdale。　　In　other

parts　the　magnificent　boldness　of　the　mountains；　the　torrents；

lakes；　and　waterfalls；　give　a　special　character　to　the　scenery；

unlike　everything　of　the　kind　I　had　before　seen。　　The　vale　of

Llanrwst　is　peculiarly　beautiful　and　fertile。　　In　this　vale　is　the

celebrated　bridge　of　Inigo　Jones；　but　what　is　a　much　more

delightful　circumstance；　the　inhabitants　of　the　vale　are　the　most

beautiful　race　of　people　I　have　ever　beheld；　and　I　am　much

astonished　that　this　never　seems　to　have　struck　the　Welsh　tourists。

The　vale　of　Llangollen　is　very　fine；　and　not　the　least　interesting

object　in　it；　I　can　assure　you；　is　Davidson's　famous　aqueduct

＇Pont…Cysylltau＇；　which　is　already　reckoned　among　the　wonders　of

Wales。　　Your　old　acquaintance　thinks　nothing　of　having　three　or

four　carriages　at　his　door　at　a　time。〃*＇9＇　　It　seems　that；　besides

attending　to　the　construction　of　the　works；　Telford　had　to

organise　the　conduct　of　the　navigation　at　those　points　at　which　the

canal　was　open　for　traffic。　　By　the　middle　of　1797　he　states　that

twenty　miles　were　in　working　condition；　along　which　coal　and　lime

were　conveyed　in　considerable　quantifies；　to　the　profit　of　the

Company　and　the　benefit　of　the　public；　the　price　of　these　articles

having　already　in　some　places　been　reduced　twenty…five；　and　in

others　as　much　as　fifty；　per　cent。　　〃The　canal　affairs；〃　he　says　in

one　of　his　letters；　〃have　required　a　good　deal　of　exertion；　though

we　are　on　the　whole　doing　well。　　But；　besides　carrying　on　the

works；　it　is　now　necessary　to　bestow　considerable　attention　on　the

creating　and　guiding　of　a　trade　upon　those　portions　which　are

executed。　　This　involves　various　considerations；　and　many

contending　and　sometimes　clashing　interests。　　In　short；　it　is　the

working　of　a　great　machine：　in　the　first　place；　to　draw　money　out

of　the　pockets　of　a　numerous　proprietary　to　make　an　expensive

canal；　and　then　to　make　the　money　return　into　their　pockets　by　the

creation　of　a　business　upon　that　canal。〃　　But；　as　if　all　this

business　were　not　enough；　he　was　occupied　at　the　same　time　in

writing　a　book　upon　the　subject　of　Mills。　　In　the　year　1796　he　had

undertaken　to　draw　up　a　paper　on　this　topic　for　the　Board　of

Agriculture；　and　by　degrees　it　had　grown　into　a　large　quarto

volume；　illustrated　by　upwards　of　thirty　plates。　　He　was　also

reading　extensively　in　his　few　leisure　moments；　and　among　the　solid

works　which　he　perused　we　find　him　mentioning　Robertson's

'Disquisitions　on　Ancient　India；'　Stewart's　'Philosophy　of　the

Human　Mind；'　and　Alison's　'Principles　of　Taste。'　　As　a　relief　from

these　graver　studies；　he　seems；　above　all　things；　to　have　taken

peculiar　pleasure〃　In　occasionally　throwing　off　a　bit　of

poetry。　　Thus；　when　laid　up　at　an　hotel　in　Chester　by　a　blow　on　his

leg；　which　disabled　him　for　some　weeks；　he　employed　part　of　his

time　in　writing　his　'Verses　on　hearing　of　the　Death　of　Robert

Burns。'　On　another　occasion；　when　on　his　way　to　London；　and

detained　for　a　night　at　Stratford…on…Avon；　he　occupied　the　evening

at　his　inn　in　composing　some　stanzas；　entitled　'An　Address　to　the

River　Avon。'　And　when　on　his　way　back　to　Shrewsbury；　while　resting

for　the　night　at　Bridgenorth；　he　amused　himself　with　revising　and

copying　out　the　verses　for　the　perusal　of　Andrew　Little。

〃There　are　worse　employments；〃　he　said；〃when　one　has　an　hour　to

spare　from　business；〃　and　he　asked　his　friend's　opinion　of　the

composition。　　It　seems　to　have　been　no　more　favourable　than　the

verses　deserved；　for；　in　his　next　letter；　Telford　says；　〃I　think

your　observation　respecting　the　verses　to　the　Avon　are　correct。

It　is　but　seldom　I　have　time　to　versify；　but　it　is　to　me　something

like　what　a　fiddle　is　to　others；　I　apply　to　it　in　order　to　relieve

my　mind；　after　being　much　fatigued　with　close　attention　to

business。〃



It　is　very　pleasant　to　see　the　engineer　relaxing　himself　in　this

way；　and　submitting　cheerfully　to　unfavourable　criticism；　which　is

so　trying　to　even　the　best　of　tempers。　　The　time；　however；　thus

taken　from　his　regular　work　was　not　loss；　but　gain。　　Taking　the

character　of　his　occupation　into　account；　it　was　probably　the　best

kind　of　relaxation　he　could　have　indulged　in。　　With　his　head　full　of

bridges　and　viaducts；　he　thus　kept　his　heart　open　to　the　influences

of　beauty　in　life　and　nature；　and；　at　all　events；　the　writing　of

verses；　indifferent　though　they　might　have　been；　proved　of　this

value　to　himthat　it　cultivated　in　him　the　art　of　writing　better

prose。



Footnotes　for　Chapter　VI。



*＇1＇　The　Ellesmere　Canal　now　pays　about　4　per　cent。　dividend。



*＇2＇　'A　General　History　of　Inland　Navigation；　Foreign　and

Domestic；'　&c。　By　J。　Phillips。　　Fourth　edition。　　London；　1803。



*＇3＇　＇Image＇　Section　of　Pier



Telford　himself　thus　modestly　describes　the　merit　of　this　original

contrivance：　〃Previously　to　this　time　such　canal　aqueducts　had　been

uniformly　made　to　retain　the　water　necessary　for　navigation　by

means　of　puddled　earth　retained　by　masonry；　and　in　order　to　obtain

sufficient　breadth　for　this　superstructure；　the　masonry　of　the

piers；　abutments；　and　arches　was　of　massive　strength；　and　after　all

this　expense；　and　every　imaginable　precaution；　the　frosts；　by

swelling　the　moist　puddle；　frequently　created　fissures；　which　burst

the　masonry；　and　suffered　the　water　to　escapenay；　sometimes

actually　threw　down　the　aqueducts；　instances　of　this　kind　having

occurred　even　in　the　works　of　the　justly　celebrated　Brindley。

It　was　evident　that　the　increased　pressure　of　the　puddled　earth　was

the　chief　cause　of　such　failures：　I　therefore　had　recourse　to　the

following　scheme　in　order　to　a　void　using　it。　　The　spandrels　of　the

stone　arches　were　constructed　with　longitudinal　walls；　instead　of

being　filled　in　with　earth　（as　at　Kirkcudbright　Bridge）；　and　across

these　the　canal　bottom　was　formed　by　cast　iron　plates　at　each　side；

infixed　in　square　stone　masonry。　　These　bottom　plates　had　flanches

on　their　edges；　and　were　secured　by　nuts　and　screws　at　every

juncture。　　　The　sides　of　the　canal　were　made　water…proof　by　ashlar

masonry；　backed　with　hard　burnt　bricks　laid　in　Parker's　cement；　on

the　outside　of　which　was　rubble　stone　work；　like　the　rest　of　the

aqueduct。　　The　towing　path　had　a　thin　bed　of　clay　under　the　gravel；

and　its　outer　edge　was　protected　by　an　iron　railing。　　The　width　of

the　water…way　is　11　feet；　of　the　masonry　on　each　side；　5　feet　6

inches；　and　the　depth　of　the　water　in　the　canal；　5　feet。　　By　this

mode　of　construction　the　quantity　of　masonry　is　much　diminished；

and　the　iron　bottom　plate　forms　a　continuous　tie；　preventing　the

side…walls　from　separation　by　lateral　pressure　of　the　contained

water。〃'Life　of　Telford；'　p。　40。



*＇4＇　Letter　to　Mr。　Andrew　Little；　Langholm；　dated　Shrewsbury；

13th　March；　1795。



*＇5＇　Matthew　Davidson　had　been　Telford's　fellow　workman　at　Langholm；

and　was　reckoned　an　excellent　mason。　　He　died　at　Inverness；

where　he　had　a　situation　on　the　Caledonian　Canal。



*＇6＇　Mr。　Hughes；　C。E。；　in　his　'Memoir　of　William　Jessop；'　published

in　'Weale's　Quarterly　Papers　on　Engineering；'　points　out　the　bold

and　original　idea　here　adopted；　of　constructing　a　water…tight

trough　of　cast　iron；　in　which　the　water　of　the　canal　was　t