Historic tragedy at Day's Lock

[Andrew Denny]

When passing through Day's Lock (on the Thames) about 30 years ago, I heard the lock keeper relate a tragedy that he said led him to set up the World Poohsticks Championships a decade before. Apparently a child fell in the chamber from a boat, and a boater from another boat jumped in to rescue him.  Having handed him back to his parent, the rescuer was then accidentally killed by the prop of the boater whose child had been rescued. Is this story true?  And if so, when? Thanks.

 

[Tonka]

39 minutes ago, Andrew Denny said:

When passing through Day's Lock (on the Thames) about 30 years ago, I heard the lock keeper relate a tragedy that he said led him to set up the World Poohsticks Championships a decade before. Apparently a child fell in the chamber from a boat, and a boater from another boat jumped in to rescue him.  Having handed him back to his parent, the rescuer was then accidentally killed by the prop of the boater whose child had been rescued. Is this story true?  And if so, when? Thanks.

 

That lockkeeper could certainly tell some good stories

[David Mack]

Since engines are turned off in Thames locks it sounds unlikely.

[OldGoat]

2 minutes ago, Tonka said:

That lockkeeper could certainly tell some good stories

He's one of the 'old school' lockies - ever diminshing year by year as  their name implies.

'tis one of the features that makes the Thames "special".

Too many folk rush through to get to the K&A or Oxford canals (we did in our hiring days)...

[Andrew Denny]

20 minutes ago, David Mack said:

Since engines are turned off in Thames locks it sounds unlikely.

Well, it happened (or was said to have happened) as the gates opened and the boats got going. I think he said the boater with the rescued child was a hirer, and thus inexperienced.

[MtB]

26 minutes ago, David Mack said:

Since engines are turned off in Thames locks it sounds unlikely.

 

Perhaps the 'engines off' rule being introduced as a result of this incident...

 

If true.

[Tacet]

5 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

Perhaps the 'engines off' rule being introduced as a result of this incident...

 

If true.

The engine off rule goes back at least 50 years.  It seems to be less strictly enforced now than it was.  Fewer petrol engines? 

[Andrew Denny]

The story was told to us by the lockkeeper who started the Poohsticks event (named on Wikipedia as Lynn David). We never learned the details, but the story has haunted me ever since. Proofing our next issue (whose cruising guide will cover this section), I deleted the reference to Poohsticks at Day's Lock because it no longer takes place there. But I was reminded of the story told by the lockkeeper and would like to find out if it was fanciful fiction, or embellished, or true. 

 

(Incidentally, I was struck by the fact that the championships now takes place on the River Windrush, which brings a whole new meaning to 'the Windrush generation')

[David Mack]

23 minutes ago, Tacet said:

The engine off rule goes back at least 50 years.  It seems to be less strictly enforced now than it was.  Fewer petrol engines? 

Fewer lockkeepers?

[Dav and Pen]

Engines off rule usually depended on the lock keeper when we were coal boating in the 70s. Most of them were ok as we were delivering to them but one in particular near Reading who didn’t have coal from us used to insist. I told him the old PD2 wouldn’t start again as the battery was low but no it had to go off. When the lock was full I dropped into the engine hole and pretended to hand start the engine but with the decompression lever over and every few minutes put my head out of the doors gasping for breath. He was getting really cross so I said I’ll give it one last go with the battery and started it. Big queue outside the lock and an unhappy jobsworth at the lock but a very happy steerer.

[Tonka]

45 minutes ago, Tacet said:

The engine off rule goes back at least 50 years.  It seems to be less strictly enforced now than it was.  Fewer petrol engines? 

Had nothing to do with the engine being petrol or diesel. More to do with smoke but also if the engines are all off it makes it easier for the lock keeper to hear a shout for help

1 minute ago, Dav and Pen said:

Engines off rule usually depended on the lock keeper when we were coal boating in the 70s. Most of them were ok as we were delivering to them but one in particular near Reading who didn’t have coal from us used to insist. I told him the old PD2 wouldn’t start again as the battery was low but no it had to go off. When the lock was full I dropped into the engine hole and pretended to hand start the engine but with the decompression lever over and every few minutes put my head out of the doors gasping for breath. He was getting really cross so I said I’ll give it one last go with the battery and started it. Big queue outside the lock and an unhappy jobsworth at the lock but a very happy steerer.

I remember a chap at Romney lock tried to use that excuse. The lock keeper promptly told him to get the boat back out of the lock and to come back when it was in a fit condition to proceed through the lock

[David Mack]

Heard a similar story about a certain well known Bolinder powered boat. They asked the lockie if they could keep the engine running. He said no. So engine off, lock emptied, bottom gates open and all the other boats left. Bolinder boat stayed there. Lockie eventually asked if they were going. "We've just put the blowtorch on to heat the cylinder head. Will take about 20 minutes." Lockie looking at queue of boats waiting to come up: "Can't you just pull the boat out on to the piling so I can let these waiting boats come up?" "I'm not taking my boat out on the river without the engine running...". Twenty minutes later, a couple of deliberate misstarts put a load of unburnt diesel into the exhaust, so when it did fire, a jet of flame shot out of the stack.

Funnily enough they were allowed to keep the engine running in the rest of the locks.

[Dav and Pen]

8 minutes ago, Tonka said:

Had nothing to do with the engine being petrol or diesel. More to do with smoke but also if the engines are all off it makes it easier for the lock keeper to hear a shout for help

I remember a chap at Romney lock tried to use that excuse. The lock keeper promptly told him to get the boat back out of the lock and to come back when it was in a fit condition to proceed through the lock

Would have had even more fun trying to back out a loaded boat could have taken all day.  Seriously the old Thames conservancy men were with the odd exception great people and we had a very good relationship with them but occasionally it was good to wind one up but only if they weren’t customers.

Life can’t be all serious.

[IanD]

5 minutes ago, David Mack said:

Heard a similar story about a certain well known Bolinder powered boat. They asked the lockie if they could keep the engine running. He said no. So engine off, lock emptied, bottom gates open and all the other boats left. Bolinder boat stayed there. Lockie eventually asked if they were going. "We've just put the blowtorch on to heat the cylinder head. Will take about 20 minutes." Lockie looking at queue of boats waiting to come up: "Can't you just pull the boat out on to the piling so I can let these waiting boats come up?" "I'm not taking my boat out on the river without the engine running...". Twenty minutes later, a couple of deliberate misstarts put a load of unburnt diesel into the exhaust, so when it did fire, a jet of flame shot out of the stack.

Funnily enough they were allowed to keep the engine running in the rest of the locks.

 

Been there, done that -- you don't just get a jet of flame, you get a bang that can be heard half a mile away.

 

I've got a funny story involving just such an occurrence and a tin of beans... 😉

[Ogwr]

Semi diesels in Thames Locks, John Liley  reported a similar experience  in ' Journeys of the Swan' starting the Gardner. In the 60's and 70.s they got a bit more used to them and  used to ask hand or electric start? At a lock on the lower end when asked we turned our diesel  off as we were eclectic start. The keeper  then went talking to the crew of a large white twin engined cruiser. 

They didn't turn their  engines of as I could see their wet exhaust working all the  time.. As we left  I challenged the Lockie  asking if it was our black sides saying I bet that boat had twin bolinders. Happy Days .  

[JamesWoolcock]

Heading downstream on the Thames on the way to the HNBC gathering at Woking on the Basingstoke Canal in 2016, two of us (Lister FR3 & Petter PD2) slid into a crowded lock to be instructed " You two gentlemen leave your engines running please" as everyone else turned their's off. Asked why, he said "We don't get to hear anything nice much these days" casting a glance at the now silenced lock full of modern 'buzzers'. I thanked him and said that this was probably his lucky week, knowing that there were more of us to come.