2009/12/1 Michael Askin <[email protected]> > On Tue, Dec 1, 2009 at 6:26 PM, Steve Haywood > <[email protected]> wrote: > > So how much coal could a traditional narrowboat carry? > > > > Steve > > Why do you ask? > > First of all thanks for some terrific stuff from everyone. The thing about the canals is that however much you think you know, there is always so much more to be known. I asked the question because it was asked recently of me, and I started the reply before I realised I didn't know the answer. I found that astonishing! Such a basic question! Something I'd have said I always knew; something that I'd known for years. At first I attempted a bit of Archimedes like Captain B did. Somehow from the depths of my memory I could recall that a cubic foot of water weighed 62.5 lbs. But I soon realised this was unsatisfactory. It wasn't just the design of boat but all the other factors which you cover in this reply. The whole question of depth particularly fascinated me. We know the dredging depths of the GU because of the concrete dredging marks and the associated dates, but I still have no clear idea of, say, the depth of the Oxford during the 1930s. It struck me as the sort of simple question that raises a whole raft of waterways issues. I wondered what you lot would make of it. You didn't disappoint me.
Steve [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
