No. 48 Drawings of an engine under James Glazebrooks’ patent Feb. 24th, 1799. beautifully drawn and coloured.
No. 49 Outside front view of Horsehay large Engine Feb. 21, 1793.
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.