The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-12-16 00:00:00

PROSPECTUS.

THIS Company is formed for the purpose of constructing
a Floating Dock and Harbour at Silloth Bay, in the
SolwayFrith, on the Coast of Cumberland, and connecting
the same, by a Railway twelve miles and three quarters in
length, with the Port Carlisle Railway, and so with the
Junction of the Caledonian, Lancaster and Carlisle, and
Newcastle and Carlisle Railways, at Carlisle, twenty-one
miles distant.

A safe Port on the North-West coast of England, where
Vessels may enter and load and discharge at all times of the
tide, has long been required—the other Ports on that Coast,
as Whitehaven, Workington, Maryport, and Port Carlisle,
being dry harbours, and only accessible at tide time.

Silloth Bay, in the Solway Frith, and distant about
twenty-one miles from Carlisle, is peculiarly well situated
for the construction -of Floating Docks, and a Harbour ac-
cessible to Vessels at all times of the tide, night as well as
day, being a safe anchorage, with deep water close to the
shore, in which large vessels may ride the whole of the
twenty-four hours --the depth of water at low water of the
highest spring tides being from three-and-ahalf to five-
and-a-half fathoms.

A Railway is now in course of construction from Carlisle
to Port Carlisle, which will be completed early next year,
and which at Drumburgh, eight miles and a-half distant
from Carlisle, will .be within thirteen ,miles distance from
Silloth Bay. It is proposed, with the concurrence and
under the sanction of the Port Carlisle Railway Company, to
take advantage of this, and to construct a Floating Dock
and Harbour at Silloth Bay, and connect the same with the
Port Carlisle Railway, by a line of Railway twelve-and-
three-quarter-miles in length, joining the Port Carlisle
Railway at Drumburgh, thus making the whole distance
from Silloth Bay to Carlisle twenty-one miles.
A large and increasing trade is carried on by Newcastle
and the other Ports on the East Coast of England, with the
West coast of England and Ireland, which the existing Ports
on the West coasts are quite inadequate to accommodate. A
great part of the traffic is now conducted in sailing vessels
round the South of England or North of Scotland, the
former being a distance of about 1,000 miles, whilst if goods
carried across from Newcastle to Silloth Bay by railway were
shipped there, the distance to Ireland would be under 200
miles. The important and increasing City of Carlisle is now
one of the greatest railway centres of the kingdom, —the
Lancaster and Carlisle, the Caledonian, the Glasgow and
South-Western, the Newcastle and Carlisle, and the Mary-
port and Carlisle lines all meeting there, and another line
from Hawick to Carlisle, in continuation of the North British
is also in contemplation. The projected Harbour at Silloth
Bay would be the nearest deep-sea harbour to this great
centre of railways, and as the Solway Frith in which it is
situated runs up so far into the land, as a glance at the Map
of England will show, the Carlisle and Silloth Bay Railway,
with the Port Carlisle and Newcastle and Carlisle Railways
would form a direct Railway connection between the Ger-
man Ocean and the Irish Sea at the narrowest part of the
Island. The Harbour at Silloth Bay would thus afford the
readiest and best Port for the coal, coke, and manufactures
of Newcastle and the surrounding district sent to the Irish
market. Steamers would also be enabled to ply between
Silloth Bay and the ports of Liverpool, Dublin, Belfast, and
other ports, by which short and easy passages would be
afforded at regular hours, quite independent of the tides.
It is proposed, in the first instance, to make a Floating
Dock, at Silloth Bay, of about four acres area, which would
serve as an Entrance Basin to Docks of a larger area, to be
constructed when the increase of trade should require them.
The Line from Silloth Bay to Drumburgh, on the Port
Carlise Railway, would pass through a fine agricultural
country, and a considerable income from local traffic and
passengers may safely be anticipated. A single line only
will be laid down in the first instance, but sufficient land
will be taken and works constructed for a double line when
the same may be found necessary. The landowners are in
general strongly in favour of the line, and some of them are
upon the Provisional Committee, and promoters of the under-
taking. The country through which the line passes is per-
fectly flat and level—there will be no heavy earthwork or
expensive works of any kind—and it is estimated that,
allowing liberally for all contingencies, the total costs of the
Railway, including the purchase of land, will not exceed
£65,000, being at the rate of £5,000 per mile. Contrac-
tors of undoubted respectability are ready to undertake the
construction of the line for this sum.

The Estimates for the Dock and Harbour have been pre-
pared by Mr. J. B. Hartley, of Liverpool, who has had great
experience in the planning and carrying out of such works.
They amount to £60,500. The total estimated cost of the
works will thus stand as follows :
Cost of Railway
Cost of Dock and Harbour
Parliamentary and Preliminary Expenses
and Contingencies

£65,000
60,500

£135,000

The sources of traffic have been carefully invired :into,
and fully tested by persons:extensively engaged m shipping
and manufactures, and in every way competent to make a
correct estimate of the various kinds of merchandise that
will enter the harbour and pass over the line.
Taking into account thepresent actual trafficfrom Newcastle
to Ireland, now carried by a long sea voyage round the island,
and which would be diverted into the new line, together
with the local traffic, a minimum return of £2O per mile per
week may be safely calculated upon for the Railway, which,
with the receipts from the Dock Dues, would yield a divi-
dend of upwards of six per cent., after allowing 50 per cent.
for working expenses.
The undertaking has the cordial support of the Port
Carlisle Railway Company.
Arrangements will be made with this Company,, under
the sanction of Parliament, for facilitating the carriage of
goods over their line.
Applications for Shares in the form annexed, and also
for Maps and Prospectuses, may be made to Mr. JOHN
CARRUTHERS, the Secretary, or Messrs. W. & J. NANSON,
Solicitors, at Carlisle; and the following Brokers :—Messrs.
F. W. Flint and Co. Hull ; Messrs. Redsdale and Myers,
Leeds ; Mr. James Watson, Glasgow ; Mr. Oliver Howden,
Edinburgh ; Messrs. F. and W. Gillow, Liverpool ; Messrs.
Hoyland, Son, and Ball, Manchester ; Mr. H. B. Jones,
Preston ; Bragg, and Stockdale, London ; Drewry and
Richardson, Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

FORM OF APPLICATION FOR SHARES.
To the Provisional Committee of the Carlisle and Silloth

Bay Railway and Dock Company.
Gentlemen,—l request that you will allot to me
shares of twenty-five pounds each, in this undertaking ; and
I agree to accept the same, or such less number you may al-
lot me ; and I undertake to pay the deposit of two pounds
ten shillings per share thereon, and to execute the par-
liamentary contract and subscribers' agreement, when re-
quired so to do. _

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