Death and accidents
Life on the boats was hard and dangerous.
The most common death was by drowning, but accidents could be caused by a windlass when it flew off the paddle spindle at speed and broke the operators arm or struck them on the head.
The rack and pinion gear of paddles could injure or maim by trapping fingers as the paddles were dropped. Ropes and lines, used to control the boats, could also be hazardous, entangling limbs, fingers and feet as the ropes tightened.
Horses and mules could kick of bite without warning; some animals wore muzzles to prevent this. The boats carried heavy cargoes which could crush if they shifted and it was possible to be crushed by the boat if it swung suddenly leaving a lock.
The greatest hazard was the water in the canal, incidences of death by drowning seem high and travelling at night and in winter was hazardous.
When they died a boat person was always brought home, the coffin placed just back of the mast of their own boat. The boat was worked “fly”, which meant that every boat on the canal gave way as a token of respect and to speed the journey of the dead person.
No matter how arduous their life had been, boatpeople always had a good road home.
That's some dark matter right there. Thank you Ray! I am sure I am not the first to find stories, lore like this fascinating. There is still a type of "silence" like no other if your moored alone on the canal and in the middle of nowhere. I find the best time for my imagination to begin to wander, is when moored under partial tree covering, when the summer night sky is twilight for longer, you moor up near an old stone bridge of which carries a footpath to the seeming silent darkness of nowhere; its here that the silhouettes can play games with your eyes and mind.
Fascinating taking all that in. Chilling but utterly fascinating, Thank you!