to an agreement on tolls for such transfers and the construction in 1858 of a transhipment siding on Stourbridge wharf. Trade held up well, derived from six ironworks and a tinplate works situated on the canal above the Stourbridge flight, traffic from the collieries on the Extension Canal, and various other industrial concerns, including fire-brick manufacturers and glassworks. In 1865, a new Act of Parliament introduced powers to charge mileage tolls for traffic using the upper level, but not passing through any locks. Income gradually dropped, and the dividend was below 8 per cent for the first time in 1873. For many canal companies, the Railway and Canal Traffic Act 1888 had a detrimental effect on revenue, but the Stourbridge tolls increased significantly, from £1,695 in 1894 to £2,718 in 1896. A programme of dredging and other improvements, which enabled local trade to continue, kept the company profitable until effective competition from road vehicles began. In 1929, tolls were £3,750, although revenue from other sources increased income to £5,270, and a 3 per cent dividend was paid. By 1938, the operating profit was just £222. Tolls were down to £1,278 in 1946, and commercial traffic continued to decline until it ceased. Stourbridge Extension Canal A separate company built the Stourbridge Extension Canal from the Fens Branch to Shut End (in Kingswinford) thus opening up another part of the coalfield to development. This passed into the hands of the West Midland Railway, the successor to the OWWR in 1860, which then became part of the Great Western Railway soon afterwards. It remained in use until after the Second World War. Most of it was then filled in, apart from a few yards at the Fens Branch end, which remain watered and serve as a mooring place. 1903 Breach On 14 November 1903 a portion of the canal bank and bottom collapsed into mine-workings, affecting a section of the canal. The breach occurred in the basin that was then on the west side of the canal as it passes between the Brettell Lane bridge and the railway bridge. The section of the canal from the Delph Locks to a short distance north of Brettell Lane bridge was completely drained of water, while further beyond the bridge the water level was significantly reduced as far as Leys junction. The water flooded nearby factories to a considerable depth, including the G. K. Harrison brick