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Colley's Patent Railway
(For more Norfolk geography tidbits, click here.)
"Messrs Editors: As it has always been a source of much gratification to me to witness any improvement in the mechanic arts, particularly where it facilitates any of the marine operations (in which I have had some experience) I have no doubt that you or any other of our citizens would be equally pleased on visiting the ship yard of John G. Colley, Esq., near the Custom House, and observing the operation of hauling up a vessel on his newly constructed Railway. The writer of this was present a few days ago when this operation was performed, and although on a small scale, it convinced him that the improvement is destined to be of great importance to our shipping interest.
The vessel drawn up was a small schooner, drawing five or six feet water; it was put in the cradle at low water, to test the general utility of the plan; for the higher the tide, the easier it is to perform the operation, and the larger the vessel that may be taken up on the Railway. After being secured in the chocks, to keep her upright, with only a single purchase taken to a captain, with 10 or 12 men, she was in 40 minutes (much of which time was used in fleeting the purchase around the barrel of the capstan) as high out of the water as they wished, and set with her keel as nicely on the blocks as though she had been built there. After scraping and cleaning her bottom, and giving it sufficient time to dry, she was completely coppered; and the next day, before the usual dinner hour, was launched safely back into the element from whence she had been taken only the day before.
While on the ways no time was lost by the crew, who were going on with their usual work, thus saving the time which is lost when vessels are hove down for this purpose. I shall not pretend to give you any description of Mr. Colley's Railway, but I understand it to be an improvement of his own, and that he has very properly secured the patent right. I hope and trust that he will be well rewarded for his ingenuity and enterpries. Our port has long been in want of some convenient way of getting vessels out of the water, and I have no doubt that Mr. Colley will find this Railway a great saving of time and money over his former mode of hauling up on sliding boards, which required an immense purchase and great consumption of time, consequently much more expense."
(letter to the editor, from "Citizen," in Norfolk Herald, Oct. 23, 1837)
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