Canal with a lot of ducks
QUESTION Did the Erie Canal in New York have particularly low bridges?
The erie Canal, proposed in 1808 and completed in 1825, spurred the first great westward movement of American settlers, gave access to the rich land and resources west of the Appalachians and helped New York usurp Philadelphia as the pre-eminent commercial city in the United States.
It was longer, by far, than any other canal previously built in America or europe, crossing rivers and valleys, cutting through deep rock and passing through marshes and forests over its 363-mile course across New York State.
Since so many towns lined the erie Canal, people needed to be able to get from one side to the other easily. The solution was the building of bridges.
As the canal was used purely for shifting freight, these bridges provided only enough clearance to let the barges through. To make matters worse, when the rail barons constructed their bridges across the canal, they often had them built as low as possible to save money and to disrupt their canal competitors.
The barges were originally towed by horses or mules on the towpath beside the water, and when passing under a tow bridge, the riders were forced to duck.
When the canal became a tourist attraction, passengers travelling on the water soon learned they had to bend down to keep from being knocked off their boat. Before reaching a bridge, the helmsman would call out a warning of ‘Bridge!’ or ‘ Low bridge!’ to urge passengers to crouch down.
The well-known erie Canal Song recalls it this way: ‘Low bridge, everybody down/Low bridge, we’re coming to a town.’
This song was a nostalgic piece written in 1905 by Thomas S. Allen after erie Canal barge traffic was converted from mule power to engine power, raising the speed of traffic.
Touring on the canal in 1836, Thomas S. Woodcock made the trip from Schenectady to Buffalo and recounted his experience aboard a packet boat: ‘The Bridges on the canal are very low, particularly the old ones. Indeed, the height of the bridges scarcely allows the baggage to clear, and in some cases actually rubbing against it. every bridge makes us bend double if seated on anything, and in many cases you have to lie on your back. The man at the helm gives the word to the passengers: “Bridge,” “Very low bridge,” “The lowest in the canal,” as the case may be.
‘Some serious accidents have happened for want of caution.
‘A young english woman met with her death a short time since, she having fallen asleep with her head upon a box, had her head crushed to pieces. Such things however do not often occur, and in general it affords amusement to the passengers who soon imitate the cry, and vary it with a command, such as: “All Jackson men bow down.” After such commands we find few aristocrats.’
In 1903, the State decided to enlarge the canal by the construction of what was termed the Barge Canal, consisting of the erie Canal and the three chief branches of the State system: the Champlain, the oswego, and the Cayuga and Seneca Canals.
The resulting canal was completed in 1918, and is 12-14ft deep and 120-200ft wide. The expansion allowed barges up to 2,000 tons to use the waterway and negated most of the problems associated with low bridges. This is the erie Canal which today is utilised largely by recreational boats rather than cargo-carrying barges.
Tina Shaw, oxford.
QUESTION Who is the oldest person to have had a
No 1 hit?
IN NOVEMBER 1952, Britain’s first popular music chart was published. Then, as now, the record-buying public was largely made up of teenagers and fans in their early 20s, and as such the charts have been dominated by young artists of the same age group.
The Beatles were only in their early 20s when they took the pop charts by storm. even Al martino, who had the very first No 1 in the official British singles charts with here In my heart, on November 14, 1952, was only 25.
Since 1952 we have seen, on odd occasions, a record topping the popular singles charts that has been recorded by a more mature artist.
many people believe that the oldest person to do so was Dad’s Army’s Clive Dunn, with Grandad, in July 1971.
This is not true, however. Clive was 51 years old at the time. Similarly, Lee marvin was only 46 when he hit No 1 spot with Wand’r in’ Star in 1970, as was Chuck Berry when my Ding A Ling topped the charts in 1971.
So who is the oldest person to top the pop charts?
That would be Louis Armstrong when he reached No 1 on April 24, 1968, for four weeks at the age of 66 with What A Wonderful World/Cabaret.
Louis remained the oldest person to hit the top of the charts until, in march 2009, Tom Jones ( who else?) teamed up with ruth Jones, rob Brydon and robin Gibb and took their cover version of Islands In The Stream to No 1 in aid of Comic relief.
Tom ( pi c t ured right) was 68 at the time, making him the oldest person yet to t op t he singles charts.
Cher became the oldest woman to have a No 1 single in the UK — with Believe, in November 1998 — at the age of 52.
The youngest person to top the singles charts was nine-year-old Jimmy osmond, in December 1972 for five weeks, with Long-haired Lover From Liverpool.
Vera Lynn became the oldest person to have a No 1 hit album. She took We’ll meet Again — The Very Best of Vera Lynn straight to the top of the charts on September 13, 2009, for one week when she was 91. Not bad for a nonagenarian.
Kevin Williams, North Hykeham, Lincoln.
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