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The Canal System of England.
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be associated with the growth of canals such names as Pioneers Smeaton, Watt, Nimmo, and Rennie—under whose guidance most of the present barge canals were constructed.[1] The barge canals laid out by Brindley alone, although not in every case executed by him, were as follows:—
| Miles. | ||
| The Duke's Canal — Longford Bridge to Runcorn | 24 | |
| Worsley to Manchester | 10 | |
| Grand Trunk — Wilden Ferry to Preston Brook. | 88 | |
| Wolverhampton | 46 | |
| Coventry | 36 | |
| Birmingham | 24 | |
| Droitwich | 5 | |
| Oxford | 82 | |
| Chesterfield | 46 | |
| Total | 361 | [2] |
It was by such men that apparently insurmountable difficulties were met, and overcome. By their indomitable perseverance and engineering skill, huge aqueducts were constructed, mountains were tunnelled, and valleys bridged, and there can be no doubt that these pioneers of the Canal System of England did much for the promotion of the true national economy and commercial prosperity of the nation.
- ↑ History of Inland Navigation particularly that of the Duke of Bridgewater, London, 1783.
- ↑ Smiles—"Lives of the Engineers," Jeans—Waterways p 41.
