The Principles and Practice of Canal and River Engineering

An influential treatise on inland navigation, this work was revised and updated for a second edition in 1872.

David Stevenson (Author)

9781108057721, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 6 May 2013

396 pages, 74 b/w illus. 7 maps
23.4 x 15.6 x 2.1 cm, 0.55 kg

One of the leading figures in the age of great engineers, David Stevenson (1815–86) was the son of a lighthouse builder, and while studying at Edinburgh University he was already gaining experience at his father's side. It is for his lighthouses and works of inland navigation that he is best remembered: he designed Britain's most northerly lighthouse and worked on improving navigation on rivers such as the Dee, the Forth and the Clyde. His article on inland navigation for the Encyclopaedia Britannica was published separately in 1858, and was revised and updated for this second edition in 1872. Although Stevenson acknowledges that the age of the canal has been superseded by the age of the railway, he maintains that there is much to learn from the older technology. Illustrated with cross-sections and plans, this work will be of interest to readers seeking to explore the history of Britain's industrial infrastructure.

Preface to second edition
1. Barge canals
2. Ship canals
3. The compartments of rivers defined
4. Hydrometric observations
5. Discharge of rivers
6. The 'river proper' compartment
7. Tidal propagation and tidal currents of rivers
8. Tidal compartment - works for its improvement
9. Application of those works in practice
10. Situations where the principles of improvement recommended are not applicable
11. Works for accommodation of vessels
12. 'Sea proper' compartment of rivers
13. Reclamation and protection of land
14. Crossing of navigations by railway bridges
Physical characteristics of rivers
Index.

Subject Areas: History of science [PDX]