A respectable boat owner, named Stapleton, when passing through Tullamore, on Saturday morning, and while putting his boat through lock No 27, lost his balance and was precipitated into the chamber, the water in which was then so low as to prevent those on the bank from rendering immediate assistance; he was sucked through one of the sluice gates, and completely removed from human exertion. His body was ultimately got out of the water, and medical assistance promptly, but fruitlessly, afforded.
Statesman and Dublin Christian Record 5 June 1846 quoting the King’s County Chronicle
Irish waterways history 