History of Madeley: including Ironbridge, Coalbrookdale, and CoalportRandall, John
History
History of Madeley: including Ironbridge, Coalbrookdale, and Coalport
Randall, John
Madeley (Shropshire, England) -- History
No. 50 Principal arch, 100 ft. for an iron bridge for level crossing (no
date).
No. 51 Plans and Drawings of ribs &c., for an Aqueduct, by Thomas
Telford. With William Reynolds’ name signed to it.
And a number of others.
* * * * *
CLAY INDUSTRIES.—We have in earlier pages of this work spoken of some of
these. There are still the White Brick-works of the Madeley Wood
Company, near Ironbridge; the red brick-works of the same company at
Blissers Hill; the clay works of W. O. Foster, Esq., at the Court; and
those of Messrs. George Legge & Son at Madeley Wood and the Woodlands;
works which from the excellence of their varied productions, no less than
from the number of persons employed, are of considerable importance to
the district.
CAPTAIN WEBB.
We have in the course of these pages given prominence to the names of men
who have in different ways merited distinction, and whose deeds are
deserving of record in a local history of this kind; and we cannot omit a
passing recognition of the unparalleled feats of this distinguished
Salopian, whose early life is so closely associated with this parish. We
had prepared copious extracts from our “Life of Captain Webb,” in which
is detailed his extraordinary performances, but can only give here a
brief summary.
Before he was seven years old he had learnt to swim in the Severn; and in
his case the adage that “the boy is father to the man” held good, for
when a boy he and his elder brother succeeded in saving from a watery
grave another brother, whose strength, in attempting to cross the Severn,
failed him, so that he had already sunk beneath the surface when he was
rescued. As shewing his pluck and daring it may be mentioned that going
along the Severn banks to Buildwas, where boys usually go to bathe, he
took off his shoes and walked along the top of the bridge, with his hands
in his pockets, his third brother standing by not daring to look up lest
he should fall and be killed; but the chief actor stood calm and unmoved
when they afterwards met.
His second life-saving feat was performed on the Mersey, when he
succeeded in rescuing a comrade who had fallen overboard into the river.
The services he rendered to the owners of the _Silver Craig_ in the Suez
Canal; but much more his performance on board the _Russia_ in his daring
attempt to save a seaman who fell overboard, shewed him to possess
qualities of the highest order as a man. He swam the English Channel,
Tuesday, August 24th, 1875, at the age of 27. Being weighed and measured
it was found that his height was five feet eight inches; his weight when
stripped, before starting, 14 st. 8 lbs.; and his girth round the chest
40½ in.
Webb’s subsequent feat in distancing all competitors in his six days swim
adds another laurel to his crown as the champion swimmer of the world!
HOTELS, INNS, PUBLIC HOUSES, AND BEERSHOPS, IN THE PARISH—THEIR SIGNS,
&c.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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