News item canal user causes 3 million wort if damage

[john6767]

5 hours ago, Dave123 said:

Can all the paddles left up really cause a strong enough flow to overcome the bywashes at the next lock (Wardle)?

I've encountered similar on the Northampton arm and the by washes were more than adequate to cope with a whole pound being quickly drained into them...

I guess it depends on the specific locks, but certainly possible. We arrived at Walsall top lock to find all 4 paddles open, below the lock the towpath was under water as the bywash at the next lock could not handle the flow.  It was not vandalism but a boater trying the run water down to the low pounds further down.

[rgreg]

Here's some TV coverage of the breach and an interview with the "lucky" boater. Paddles left open is given as the reason for the breach.  https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0bj7v8k/close-calls-on-camera-series-6-episode-11

(10 minutes into the programme)

Edited September 7, 2018 by rgreg

[AndrewIC]

I had a look at the bywash entrance at Wardle a few days after the breach, when the pound was still empty. It was badly silted up.

[Peter X]

7 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

You must be thinking of 'nightshade' - deadly !!!

Not necessarily, there's also another species in the same genus, black nightshade. It's ... er ... black and not so deadly.

Back in 1978 I had one in a pot on my office desk, I saw it as a sort of parody of all the usual pretty plants people had on their desks. As I recall, it has black berries which are poisonous but the rest of the plant is not so dangerous as its deadly relative.

 

On another off topic matter raised, good quality chessboards are generally light and dark brown because they're made of contrasting types of wood. A friend of mine who was a very good chess player won some prize money at a tournament in the Soviet Union and came home with a particularly splendid board (and matching pieces), because currency rules meant he couldn't bring the roubles out, and as he put it the only other quality thing there worth buying was vodka and he didn't drink it.

[bigcol]

 

 

[Dr Bob]

13 hours ago, Peter X said:

 

On another off topic matter raised, good quality chessboards are generally light and dark brown because they're made of contrasting types of wood. A friend of mine who was a very good chess player won some prize money at a tournament in the Soviet Union and came home with a particularly splendid board (and matching pieces), because currency rules meant he couldn't bring the roubles out, and as he put it the only other quality thing there worth buying was vodka and he didn't drink it.

OK, OK, but are badgers black and white then?

[WotEver]

44 minutes ago, Dr Bob said:

OK, OK, but are badgers black and white then?

No, they’re white and black. 

[MtB]

33 minutes ago, WotEver said:

No, they’re white and black. 

 

To develop the theme, are they black with white bits on them, or white with black bits on them?

[Alan de Enfield]

8 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

To develop the theme, are they black with white bits on them, or white with black bits on them?

Working on the presumption that the predominant colour (as it is only the mask that has white stripes) would be the first part of the description I would say "Black with white stripes", rather than "White striped head with a black body"

But even then - the body is 'flecked' rather than pure black. Where do you draw the line ?

 

[Boater Sam]

Update.

 

Kier (Contractors) are dumping hundreds of tons of clay from the breach  off site for some odd reason.

Surely they will need it to repuddle the canal even though they plan to install a floating channel?

I think that the channel will not be floated on water but on a crushed concrete bed, there is certainly enough concrete in the canal now, and it has been so long that there is grass and tomatoes growing.

Hope they allow for a reasonable draught  boat to pass, not like Minworth.

[Dr Bob]

5 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Working on the presumption that the predominant colour (as it is only the mask that has white stripes) would be the first part of the description I would say "Black with white stripes", rather than "White striped head with a black body"

But even then - the body is 'flecked' rather than pure black. Where do you draw the line ?

 

We are not going to see them on a zebra crossing then?

[WotEver]

5 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

Working on the presumption that the predominant colour (as it is only the mask that has white stripes) would be the first part of the description I would say "Black with white stripes", rather than "White striped head with a black body"

But even then - the body is 'flecked' rather than pure black. Where do you draw the line ?

 

I think we’re back to grey...