The Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1861-01-02 00:00:00

THE WALLASEY FERRIES.

hake often balled attention to the imperative
demand for a better class of ferry steamers than
the old tugboats which are still running between
George's Pier and the Wallasey Ferries. The
inhabitants of Seacombe, Liscard, and New
Brighton, have been suffering much during the
late intinniciit and foggy NVeatlier; and it is now
high time that some improvement should take
place, the main obstacle to which has hitherto
been the fear of incurring an additional local
taxation, which alarm; we May no* bOngratillate
our Wallasey friends, has been entirely dissipated
in an elaborate report, issued for private circula-
tion only, and addressed to the Commissioners,
'by an eminent authority, Mr. BRAITHWAITE
POOLE, in which he illustrates forcibly a com-
parison between the working of the Thames
ferries and those of the Mersey, demonstrating a
result in the saving of tenpence in the pound to
the parisliionets en their 'local rates, by building
five new, suitable, swift steamers, at a cost of
£25,800; and purchasing the ferries from Messrs.
COULBORN BROTHERS, the present lessees, in
accordance with the terms of an award made in
April last, for the sum of £60,000. The report is
replete with interest, and lucid in detail. The
tables show the average daily working of each
boat ferrying across the river, its tonnage, horse.
power, cost, number of passengers licensed to be
carried, 8,7 c., and the most concise time table of
the whole that we have ever seen compiled. Many
very useful practical suggestions are made by
Mr. POOLE; amongst others) "A skilful fireman
may always prevent the formation of SMOKE,
which is unconsumed fuel, by raking back the
cinders, and properly grating the coal in the door
corners, when all the dust will pass over the red
hot cinders, and be consumed instead of wasted.'
This would remedy a nuisance still loudly com-
plained of. The following is an epitome of this
valuable report :

TO THE COMMISSIONERS OF WALLASEY.

GENTLEMEN,—The time is not at hand when you
may, probably, undertake the responsibilities attendant
upon the management of the ferries

On the river Thames there are 71 steam-boats plying
in summer from London to the various ferries ; which
steamers are owned by six different companies, with
different amounts of capital,

Of these 71 steam ferry-boats, 4 only arc 'built with
rudders at both ends, viz: the Endeavour, the Perse-
verance, the Jupiter, and the Venus, and a boat belong-
ing to the Victoria Docks Company, called the Cricket.
People there say that " two-ended" boats were not
found to be so convenient as expected ; that they are
disadvantageous in running with or against tide, or
turning it, and that they are only adapted for the direct
crossing of a river, such as from Liverpool to Woodside,
—that a "pink-stern'd" boat, with a light draught, is
the best, because she can turn as on a pivot within her
own length,

Each Thames ferry steamer shows a daily working of
80 to 120 miles in summer, notwithstanding tilt dial=
culties of the navigation, its narreWness, strong current,
frequent and dense fogs, and the immense number of
vessels always lying at anchor in the stream.
For example, the Hungerford Co.'s boats are run to
Woolwich and back, 4 round trips daily, i.e., 11 miles
there and 11 miles back, or 4 times 22=88 miles,
stopping at 10 different ferries in each trip whilst the
Iron Boat Company run each boat between London-
bridge and Chelsea, 12 round trips daily, 5 miles there
and 5 miles back, or 10 times 12=120 miles, stopping
at 15 ferries in each trip.
The running speed of these boats during 12 hours,
81 a.m. to 8 p.m , ranges from 15 to 22 miles an hour
with the tide, or 7 to 10 miles an hour in Hood and ebb
tide, stoppages included.

On the Mersey there are 30 ferry steamers, plying in
the summer, owned by five different persons or com-
panies, with various amounts of capital.
The average daily working of each ferry-boat on the
Mersey amounts to only 38 miles, whilst on the Thames
the average exceeds 100 miles; evincing to us the
practicability of accelerating the speed, or travel, across
the Mersey in an extraordinary degree, by building
suitable boats.

The Seacombe, Egremont, and New Brighton boats
are timed to run in such an orbit as to work only one-
third of their time, and idle two-thirds. Although a
boat is under steam, in summer, from 15 to 18 hours
per diem, only five hours are occupied in actual running.
Three or four boats ply half-hourly between Egre-
mont, New Brighton, and George's Landing-stage, 8
round trips daily, 3 miles there and 3 miles back, or
8 times 6 = 48 miles, stopping at those two ferries only
on each trip, during 71. a.m. to 104 p.m., 15 hours ;
whilst two other boats are run, also, half-hourly between
Seacombe and George's Pier, a distance of scarcely
1,500 yards, 16 or 17 trips daily, during 5 a.m. to 11
p.m., 18 hours ; thus a boat is absolutely occupied one
hour in performing this trip of only 3,000 yards ! Pas-
sengers can only cross the river to Seacombe once every
half-hour in the day time, although to the next ferry,
Woodside, precisely the same distance off, 1,500 yards,
they can cross daily every 10 minutes, nightly every
hour, and oa public holidays every 6 minutes, which
acceleration is soon to become their daily practice.
Various kinds of fuel are in use. The Mersey ferry
steamers consume from 3 to 7 tons of coal daily, accord-
ing to the number of hours working. The ordinary
consumption is calculated at 7 lbs. per horse-power per
hour, but it would appear that Messrs. Coulborn, by
damping their fires, have reduced their consumption to
31 lbs.

A skilful fireman may always prevent the formation
of smoke, which is unconsumed fuel, by raking back the
cinders and properly grating the coal in the door cor-
ners, when all the dust will pass over the red hot cinders,
and be consumed instead of wasted. I have given
orders to this effect to the firemen of six different sta-
tionary engines, which were under my management, and
the result was invariably good. The stokers of loco-
motive engines are very careful in this respect, and the
practice of " cornering" is equally applicable to marine
engines.

At Eastham, such obstructions as turnstiles are used,
and approved by the proprietor, but not by the public,
especially the ladies. At Rock Ferry there is one, not
often used. At Birkenhead they are used by the col-
lectors, who say they are useless. At Woodside and
Monks' Ferry they are used invariably, and are said to
be an efficacious check. At Seacombe they are in use
on the stage, but not on the coal wharf. At Egremont
and New Brighton there are none. At ferries on the
Thames tickets are issued by a rapid and inexpensive
process, effectuating a perfect check upon the receipts,
which system is adopted generally throughout the United
States and Canada.