The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1852-08-03 00:00:00

GARSTON DOCK

AND ITS RAILWAYS•

SOME few years ago one of the most unprofitable con-
cerns in the kingdom was the St. Helens and Runcorn
Gap Railway. Its shares were almost valueless in the
market. Perseverance and tact, however, will generally

suffice to rescue even apparently desperate undertakings
from utter failure ; and, in the case of this railway, they
have succeeded to an extent which ought to encourage
the directories of other railways, similarly situated, to put

forth their energies as that of the St. Helens Railway have
The original £lOO shares of the company, which

we have already said were at one time nearly worthless,

are now quoted in the market at £75 to £76, with every
probability of an increase in value. The first step to this
improvement was the amalgamation of the Railway with
the St. Helen's Canal, by which both undertakings were
relieved from the evils of an unprofitable competition.
The next step was an improvement of the inclined

planes on the old line. Not content, however, with
merely perfecting their old line, from the St. Helens
coal field to Widness—their port of shipment opposite
Runcorn—the directors, about five years ago, sought for
and obtained powers to construct a line, of about seven miles
in length, to Garston, and to construct a dock there upon
the best principles for the shipment of coals in sea-going
vessels ; and have also fortified their position by a branch
joining the Altrincham line at Warrington, and by
arrangements with the London and North-western Rail-
way, by means of which they will have easy access not
only to the Wigan coal field, but also to the principal
seats of the Lancashire cotton manufacture. On Friday
last we were favoured with an invitation to view the works
upon the line, in company with a party of the shareholders
in Liverpool and St. Helens; and a few particulars may,
perhaps, be interesting to our readers.
Leaving the old Garston road at the point near the
Aigburth Hotel where it winds in an easterly direction to
the village, a new road has been constructed almost direct
to the east side of the Salt Works. Westward of this
road to the river side, extending nearly a mile, the whole
of the land has been purchased by the Company for the
' purpose of forming upon it the necessary sidings for

keeping a large supply of coal in waggons, ready for ship-
ment, and for the erection of the necessary offices, &c.
Several other judicious purchases of land, in the locality,
have been made by the directors, portions of which have
been resold at a considerable profit. The Dock itself,
however, is the principal object of attraction here ; and,
although it has besn previously described, we shall now
give its dimensions, and the state of the works :

The Garston Dock is situated a little to the north of
the Salt Works, and is 360 yards long by 90 yards broad in
the middle, the ends being of irregular formation, in or-
der to give as much berthing space as possible. The water
acreage is 6a. Or. 23p., or nearly as much as the Prince's
Dock of Liverpool. It is to be excavated to a depth of 9
feet below the old dock sill ; and from the bottom of the
quay wall the height is 34 feet. The entrances are by
two gates ; one being 50 feet in width, and excavated 6
feet below the old dock sill, and the other, which is
intended to admit small craft at all periods of the
tide, 20 feet wide. Wharfs are being formed all round,
with quays 100 feet in width, upon a portion of which it
is contemplated that warehouses shall be erected. On
the east side of the dock four staiths for coal will in the
first instance be erected. These will communicate with
branches of the railway, which is carried on a high level ;
and machinery will be erected for lowering the waggons
to the ship's deck, from which the coals will be " end-
tipped" into the hold. About four-fifths of the work of
excavation, &c., are already completed, although on the
first of January, 1851, not £2OO had been expended.
The quay walling is of the most substantial character, as
also is the dock walling. The cost has been materially
lightened by the fact that, with the exception of about 20
blocks of limestone, the whole has been formed from the
red rock cut out of the dock itself. It is confidently ex-
pected that the entire undertaking will be in full working
order before the close of the present year.

Leaving Garston, we proceed to the Railway Station,
which is at present at the bridge crossing the road which
leads from the village to the Salt Works. A more delight.
ful ride than that from the point in question to Widness,
the present port of shipment for the St. Helen's coal, it
is impossible to conceive. Nearly the whole of the dis-
tance, we have the broad expanse of the Mersey, and the
opposite shore of Cheshire in view, with the Welsh
mountains in the distance ; and, on the landward side,
the scenery is diversified and beautiful. Already, little
as we in Liverpool have thought of this line, it has a
traffic of SOO passengers per week, notwithstanding the
discomfort of parties bound for Liverpool having to be
transferred to omnibuses at Aigburth. When the
Altrincham Junction is completed, there can be no doubt
that this traffic will be increased. From St. Helen's to
the Liverpool and Manchester Railway and to Runcorn
the passengers are now 6000 weekly.
There can be little doubt also, that the facilities afforded
at the port of Garston will not only attract a large coal trade
there, but divert a considerable amount of traffic between
Liverpool and the manufacturing districts from its present
channels. If this resuit be accomplished to anything like
the extent which the directors and shareholders contem-
plate, the property in the railway, canal, and dock must
become one of the most valuable in the kingdom. We
cannot conclude this short description, without according
our thanks to the secretary, Mr. Sinclair, and Mr. Court,
the engineer of the works, for their kind attention, and
the information afforded by them, during the trip on
Friday ; and we may also remark that the impression
made upon the shareholders present on the occasion was
most satisfactory.