Old pictures in a box

[jeannette smith harrison]

In a box of stuff from a family member that has long passed I have these 2 x photos & have always wondered  why they where in the box or if any connection there is no writing on the back as he could not read or write .

I have seen these pictures elsewhere so there must have been a few in circulation .Could anyone shed some light on place ,date I have posted before with plenty of comments but nothing to pin the origin of pictures down

[David Schweizer]

I cannot locate it at the moment, but I am sure that I have seen one of those, or very similar,  photos in a book somewhere. When I have a monment I will look for it.

Edited August 21, 2017 by David Schweizer

[billh]

The motor's tunnel light looks to have been turned round to face the deckboard in the melee. Or is that some old GU tradition to indicate that there is a not so obvious problem 

[jake_crew]

How about Stockers Lock, Ricky ?

I think the second old picture shows the porch - or does it ?

 

[David Mack]

I seem to recall that in previous discussion it was established that this is on the Erewash Canal. Can't remember the details though.

[zenataomm]

It's on The Erewash, the lock is just before the junction with the Derby Canal.

And the boatman is Ike Argent who came in breasted up and picked up a bladeful.

Curiously he later lived his last years in a house below that lock with his boat Amy the Pup tied up to his garden, and was able to see the site of his accident every day.

 

[pete harrison]

I wrote the following on this Forum on 10 December 2009:

"These two photographs were published in Waterways World magazine October 1979 page 39. The text states that the pairing was PURTON and STOULTON, the location was Sandiacre Lock, Erewash Canal and the date as September 1941. The crew are given as Mr and Mrs Alec Winston but Ike Argent assisted with the text (rather than being the steerer).

Apparently Ike Argent had been mate on LUPIN and DEVON six weeks earlier when the same thing had happened to him !"

I hope this clears up any miss-understandings regarding these photographs 

 

Edited August 21, 2017 by pete harrison

[jake_crew]

Ah yes, Sandiacre lock looks right.

 

[jeannette smith harrison]

9 hours ago, pete harrison said:

I wrote the following on this Forum on 10 December 2009:

"These two photographs were published in Waterways World magazine October 1979 page 39. The text states that the pairing was PURTON and STOULTON, the location was Sandiacre Lock, Erewash Canal and the date as September 1941. The crew are given as Mr and Mrs Alec Winston but Ike Argent assisted with the text (rather than being the steerer).

Apparently Ike Argent had been mate on LUPIN and DEVON six weeks earlier when the same thing had happened to him !"

I hope this clears up any miss-understandings regarding these photographs 

 

Thank you so much Pete

I was unable to locate the 2009 posting.  I have just ordered the 1979 magazine 

 

Alec winston's wife had a  connected to the Nixon family so that may be why the photos where in the box & I have certificates listing some of my Nixon's being born on the Erewash. one was also a lockkeeper.I cant say 100% Nixon is the connection & will never know for sure as they have all gone now . the same as Stoulton spelt stalton on my dads brothers birth cert another family loose end with no one left to clarify.

Ike Argent was also connected to the Boswells & Nixons

[X Alan W]

As Pete says Ike would have been on FMC books at that time. I remember talking to Ike in the late 60's & him telling me that where the Derby/Erewash Jcn was there was always a big silt bar where the water from the defunct Derby canal flowed into the Erewash being used as a feeder & outlet for the surpless Derby canal water, depending on the amount of rain & Erewash traffic the bar built up in different places between the Jcn & lock top gates. some weeks before the incident in the photo Ike approached the lock loaded with coal from the Shipley coalfields"Chucked back" & a combination of a blade full & the bar lifting his back end caused him to ram the bottom gates & the motor some how jammed in/on the bottom gate & hung up. Ike in his "got to get on mode" didn't notice straight away & had all the bottom paddles fully open. IIRC he said he was filling his water cans ,by the time he noticed the motor had heeled over & it & butty jammed before the bottom paddles were dropped. drawing the top paddles failed to right the problem as the hanging up had dislodged some of the brick/stone work.How much of this is fact & how much Ike's tale telling I'm not sure but the senerio is feasible & it certainly happened to the GU pair.

[Tonka]

But how does above make the bottom gates fold outwards

[Rose Narrowboats]

Hitting them really, really hard because you've got a bladeful and can't hold back.

I'm thinking someone already had the bottom paddles up as well.

I bet the top gates shut with a thump!

 

[David Mack]

But how did they get the boats out again?

[Rose Narrowboats]

I've been wondering that too.

I think I'd start with pulling the motor back into the lock, having first put the planks in under the bridge and raised the water level as much as possible.

If a big enough winch is not to hand, then unload the boats, and try again. The motor would probably float itself when empty, but you'd have to be careful whilst unloading it and it would be a slow old job.

Failing that wait a few years until the butty rots or someone builds a mobile crane big enough

[IanM]

23 hours ago, Tonka said:

But how does above make the bottom gates fold outwards

If you look at the 2nd picture the heel post of the left hand gate and the mitre post of the right are broken so hitting them hard caused them to fail and distort allowing them to 'fold' the wrong way.

Or that's the way it looks to me anyway.

[Derek R.]

Once one mitre is forced past the other, then partial or total failure can occur. Happened to us at Gargrave, but only partially, back in '83. We had entered the lock and closed one side behind us with another boat approaching to take up position beside us when the mitre gave way causing a sudden drop in water level. I ran around and closed the other gate which did so with a slam, leaving the other boat wondering why we had shut them out! Phone waterways and advised them of the problem, only to be told: "That often happens".

[zenataomm]

Umpteen twelve'ty years ago some poor bloke on a steel hulled nb was approaching Hertford lock to go up.

It was full and against him.

Unknown to him his gear cable had snapped. So when he selected reverse on the lever nothing happened at the gear box.

Of course the throttle still worked, so with it stuck in forward he opened the throttle. The less he slowed down the more he opened the volume.

He hit the shut gates smack on the mitre and forced them back a couple of feet.  The weight of a full double lock of water slammed them shut with so much force they reversed.

For a mere second he gazed up at a tall wall of water soaring above him. Then after the ride from hell .... backwards .... he picked himself up from a muddy field on the off side, and discovered his boat high and dry next to him.