Among
the main drawbacks to its present use is the great difference in level
between high and low water. The old London Bridge, with its multiplied
arches and pillars, acted as a lock. It admitted the flood tide more
easily than it released the ebb. The consequence was that when the tide
began to fall the waters above were pent in by the bridge, and the river
was kept at a level of three feet higher than it was below the
obstruction. Even now at flood tide it is a splendid and imposing river.
But the very improvements which add to its dignity when the tide is
flowing, have caused it to remain almost waterless for a longer period
during each day. The dredging and deepening of the channel forces the
waterway to contract its flow, while the embanking of its sides enables
the tide to slip down at great speed. For four hours in each tide the
Thames is not so much a river as a half-empty conduit. It is not in the
least probable that this will be allowed to continue. The success of the
half-tide lock at Richmond has been beyond all expectation. It has secured
a perpetual river, whether on the ebb or flow, with a mean level suited
for boating and traffic at all hours.
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