Gloucester Waterways Museum
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2.9 Propulsion

Boat Horse and Harness
     Where there was a towing path, the main means of boat propulsion until well into the twentieth century was by horse towing. A boat horse had ropes running back from his collar on either side, passing through coloured bobbins to avoid chafing his body. Behind the horse was a wooden spreader, and then the ropes joined together further back in a loop to which the end of the boat line was attached. The towing line had a peg about three or four inches long spliced into one end, and this was attached to the tackle by pushing it through the loop at the back and turning it sideways. Then, if necessary, it could be unhitched quickly. Some horses were given crochet ear-protectors to keep away the flies.

Model of the Humber Sloop Lily of Mirfield
     On wide navigable rivers linked to the sea, wind power could be used to move vessels when conditions were suitable. This model of a Humber sloop, carved from a solid piece of oak, was made in 1862 by ten-year-old George William Thornton who was apprenticed to his father's ship building firm at Shepley Bridge on the Calder & Hebble Navigation.
     If sails could not be used and there was no horse towpath, vessels were towed by gangs of men known as 'bowhauliers' because of the 'bow' or loop at the end of the tow rope. Very occasionally, boats were propelled by oars, such as those hanging from the ceiling, which came from Butler's tar works at Sandhurst.

Simple Steam Engine from a Narrow Boat
     In the second half of the nineteenth century, there were attempts to fit steam engines in narrow boats but with only limited success. This simple engine is the only known survivor from a steam powered narrow boat, and it was capable of generating 10-12 horse-power. It was discovered in the remains of the wooden hull of the boat Seagull which was abandoned about 1904 on the Basingstoke Canal at Up Nately brickworks. Although badly damaged and incomplete, new parts were made, and it has been restored to running order.
     Engines of this type were used by the Grand Junction Canal Company from the 1860s. However, the large size of the boiler and engine reduced the space available for cargo, and so they were only used where it was practical for the steamer to tow a 'butty', and both could pass through a wide lock together. They were superceded by oil engines in the early years of the twentieth century.

Savery Triple Expansion Steam Engine
     For larger vessels, steam engines were developed to have three cylinders, with high pressure steam entering a small cylinder, passing at intermediate pressure into a medium size cylinder and then at low pressure into a large cylinder. This high speed marine steam engine built by T & A Savery & Co of Birmingham could produce 130 horse-power. The insulated pipe fed steam to the high pressure cylinder and the large copper pipe carried exhaust steam away from the low pressure cylinder.
     The engine was bought by Bathurst's of Tewkesbury to power their river steamer King, launched in 1902. King carried passengers on trips along the rivers Avon and Severn until 1960 when she was sold for service in Bristol. Her new owners installed a diesel engine, and the steam engine was preserved by an enthusiastic private owner until it came to the Museum in 1988.
     The column-mounted ship's telegraph (from an unknown vessel) was a means of communication between the captain on deck and the engineer below.

Sissons Compound Marine Steam Engine
     For medium size boats, it was sufficient to have two cylinders using the same steam at high and low pressures. This example, built by Sissons of Gloucester in 1944, produced 75 horse-power and was one of the last marine steam engines to be built. Thirty of these engines were supplied to the Admiralty for use in 52½ feet long wooden harbour service launches, some of which were built in Gloucester.

Gardner 1ACR Petrol Engine
     In the early years of the twentieth century, internal combustion engines began to be used in boats as they took up less space than a steam engine and boiler. For small launches, petrol engines were often favoured. This 4.5 horse-power engine was built for the Admiralty in 1916 by L Gardner & Sons of Patricroft, near Manchester. Ignition is provided by a spark-plug in the cylinder head which is charged by a gear-driven magneto. After the First World War, it was sold to a private owner who fitted it in a pleasure launch. Unfortunately, the launch was destroyed during the Second World War, but the engine was salvaged and restored for display.

Petter S Type Engine
     For a working canal boat, a popular power source was a semi-diesel engine which could run on a range of crude oils but had to be started by heating a ‘hot bulb’ on the cylinder head with a blow lamp. Once the cylinder was warm, the compression of the fuel-air mixture was sufficient to cause ignition. Such engines were safer than petrol engines, and they ran more slowly and so could be connected directly to the propeller.
     This 8 horse-power engine with an epicyclic gearbox for reversing was built by Petters of Yeovil in 1936. It was fitted in a Severn & Canal Carrying Co boat that carried cargoes between Gloucester and Birmingham.

National 2DM Diesel Engine
        By the 1930s, the slow running 'hot bulb' engines began to be replaced by faster and smoother running full diesel engines which had higher compression in the cylinder and did not need external heating. These could be smaller and lighter yet produce the same power. This 18 horse-power twin cylinder diesel engine was manufactured by the National Gas and Oil Engine Company of Ashton under Lyne in 1930. It uses a patent cylinder head design developed by the manufacturers of the Russell Newbery engine, and many other features of the two makes are very similar. It was installed in the wooden boat Isis, built in 1935 by Walker Bros Ltd at Rickmansworth. The control rods are for changing gear and altering the speed.
     Twin cylinder versions of both makes of engine were used by the Grand Union Canal Carrying Company for the large new fleet of narrow boats built between 1934 and 1937. In all, 136 National and 40 Russell Newbery engines were supplied for the company's boats.

Bolinder Single Cylinder Engine
     Although the full diesel engine was popular in some quarters, the 'hot bulb' semi-diesel also continued to be used as it was one of the simplest and most reliable engines available. Particularly popular were the Swedish designed Bolinder engines which did not have a gearbox - for reversing, they were made to stop and then run the opposite way. This Bolinder engine came from the Guinness barge M that worked on the Grand Canal in Ireland, and it could produce 25 horse-power. The big lever worked a simple clutch.
     Smaller Bolinder engines, supplied by agents James Pollock & Sons of Faversham, Kent, continued to be used in many narrow boats to the end of commercial carrying. Their main disadvantage was that the single cylinder engine was a source of vibration, which was a particular concern in wooden boats.

Widdop Engine (in stair well)
     This twin cylinder diesel engine was made by Widdop & Co of Keighley and came from the tar boat Jolly, which carried gas works waste to Butler's tar works at Sandhurst. One of the cylinders has the head in place and all the pipes connected, while the other cylinder has the piston protruding to show what it looks like. Similar engines were used on vessels on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal.

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