The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1847-02-16 00:00:00

THE LIVERPOOL STANDAIIO.

WATER INQUIRY BEFORE THE ADMIRALTY

COMMISSIONER,

Yesterday morning, at eleven o'clock, JAMES ABER-
NETHY, Esq., Civil Engineer, opened a court of inquiry,
under the Board of Admiralty, with the view of making
such inquiries as would enable them to judge how far the
proposed waterworks for Liverpool at Rivingtou would be
calculated to affect the navigation of the rivers Douglas
and Ribble.

The business was opened by the TOWN-CLERK making
a short statement of his case for the promoters ; after
which, some conversation took place relative to the re-
quirements which they should give evidence upon, and
also regarding the maps, plans, and sections which they
intended to use

kBERNETITY stated that he would confine the
strictly to how far the rights of the Admiralty
would be affected.

Mr. BAWKESLEY examined :—I produce a plan of the
entire water shades on the River Ribble. It is intended
by the proposed works, to collect and impound the
falling on a district of sixteen square miles of a mounta-
tainous country, ten miles of which will be reserved for
the use of the inhabitants of Liverpool, and the remainder
to be passed down the river Ribble. This plan I propose
to put in before the Committee, and also a copy of the

bau wing in a more uestauci plan LIIC zivurs
which we affect. Mr. H. then showed on the maps the
extent to which the rivers would be affected. We collect

part of the water to reservoirs, which we will convey to
Liverpool, by means of a main pipe, and the remainder
, , r •

to he kept in reserve until the inhabitants of Liverpool
should amount to 800,000 people. The surplus will be
turned into the river, and used for the supply of the ma-
nufactures on the river, and also for the use of the Leeds
Canal

The contents of the whole of the reservoirs
are about 467,000,000 cubic feet. From the source of
the Rodelsworth to the point where it enters the reser-
voir is two miles and one quarter. The discharge of the
Ridelsworth, at the point where it enters, will be one
yard, and we know that the depth of water is 54 inches ;

and we know also that the evaporation is 14 inches ; so
that the balance will be the amount of discharge. The
united discharge of all the streams will be 231 millions of
gallons per diem, or some where about 3,500,000 cubit
feet. About 16,000,000 of gallons out of the 231 will be
removed.

Mr. ABERNETHY.—It would shorten our inquiry very
much if you could give us the quantity. which is discharged
by the river Ridelsworth at the point where it enters the
Darwin_ and also the tmantitir taken from all the-ctreamo

)ouglas

HAWKESLEI

-The entire water shad

4 square miles. The proportions would be one million and
half cubic feet per diem at the junction of the Ridelsworth
with the Darwin. The portion included within the oink

line on the map would be about 916,000 cubic feet'per
diem. The discharge of the Yarrow, at the point of its
junction with the River Rostock, is 6,873,800 cubic
feet, of which there would be affected by the pro-
posed works 1,968,300 cubit feet. It is necessary to ob-

serve that the Yarrow runs through low land, and there
will be more rain on the hills, therefore, these numbers
are not to be taken as exact. The discharge from the
Douglas, at a point near to its junction with the Yarrow,
is, taken the same way, 21,310,000 cubic against
716,000 cubic feet. This is to be taken with the same
reservations as before ; and it is on the supposition
that 36 inches will be the total rain fall. The total dis-
charge of the river Ribble is 201,640,000 cubic feet per
diem, of which the promoters Would affect 3,725,000. But
one-third of the water which they would affect they are
prepared to turn down the Old Channel. The rise and
fall of the Ribble opposite Lytham is stated to be no less
than 23 feet 71- inches in the month of July, 1836. The
river is navigable to Preston for vessels drawing about
from 50 to 100 tons. The Douglas is not navigable for
larger vessels than those in the canals. The Darwen is
not navigable, nor is the Riddlesworth. I do not think
that the portion which we propose to pump from the
Ribble would sensibly affect the navigation of the river.
Cross-examined by Mr. HAILSTONE..—I cannot give
any evidence other than I have given about the actual
discharge of water from either rivers Ribble or Douglas.
Mr. HAILSTONE stated that he intended to make but
very few observations on the subject of this proposed bill,
on the part of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal Company.
Mr. ABERNETHY said that they did not intend to take
cognisance of anything which did not affect the tidal har-
bours.

Mr. HAILSTONE wished to impress upon the court that
he only wished to offer evidence as regarded the lock at

Tarlton, which was a tide lock

-Mr. W. Stanley examined.—l have been engineer for
the Leeds and Liverpool Canal Company for the last 20
years. The water that passes by Tarlton tide lock is

derived from Rivington arid the hills thereabout. I made
a survey in 1842 of the river Douglas, from Tarlton tide-
lock to its junction with the river Ribble. That was done
with the view of having the navigation of the river im-
proved, as we had for_ some time previous been seriously
affected by stoppages from the dryness of the season.
We have depended on the floods of the Douglas to keep
open the navigation of the river. Having examined the
proposed schemes, I am of opinion it will have- some
effect, as they are about to take all the flood water of the
Douglas and Yarrow. This scheme, in my opinion, will
have an injurious tendency on the navigation of the river
below Tarlton tide-lock.

To the COURT.—I cannot give the quantity of water
proposed to be taken from the rivers Yarrow and Douglas.
Cross-examined by the TOWN-CLERK.—The river Los-
tock falls into the-Yarrow about. Croston. There is a very
large amount of water shade which will not be affected by
the proposed works. Tarlton lock is about 400 feet above
the level of the sea.

To the COURT.—I never guaged these rises.
To the TOWN-CLERK.—Several persons have places for

Thomas Turner, examined by Mr. HAILSTONE.—I have
been two years lock-keeper at the Tarlton Lock. 1 have
known the lock for twenty-five years,—and I have known
boats to be waiting for ten days
of an accumulation of sand in
can only be removed by freshes or floods. It takes seven
feet of water to allow the boats to pass up and down.
The chief traffic is to Ulverston and Wales, in the articles
of slate, limestone, marl, and grain. If no freshes came
down the river it would be stopped up altogether.
To the COURT.—The heaviest freshes occur in the

Lry weal

winter time.

To the TOWN-CLERK.--TI
feet and three at neap tide, a
which pass up the Dougl-
The TOWN-CLERK, in n

as are abo
pl

stated that

although they

.
proposed to take away some portion of the water, that
still it would be inappreciable, and not at all calculated to
injure the navigation of the river.
This-closed the inquiry.

CORRESPONDENCE

ST. JUDE'S RELIEF FUND

TO THE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL STA2VDAEn.
SlR,—Permit me, as chairman of the " St. Jude's Relief

ICommittee," to address a few lines through the medium

lof your paper

First—To those friends in England who have given us
their kind and generous aid.

Accept our sincere and hearty thanks. You have con-
ferred upon us the mournful but real satisfaction of act-
ing as your almoners : and it will be as gratifying to you
to hear generally in this authentic shape, as it has been
to us to learn by special cases in detail, that you are the

honoured instruments of saving men's lives.
men's lives ! Exalted privilege ! Yes, nothing less.
We have it in evidence before us, that many—
unable to venture to say how many, but literally many-
of our fellow-men who now live would have been now
dead : that many children who still have parents, would
now have been orphans : that many wives who still have
husbands, would now have been widows, but for your
bounty. Thanks_ frienfla • warm_ enr,li,d thanks for your

Saving

-we are

seasonable gifts. "The blessing' of him that was ready
to perish has come upon you."
Secondly—To those of our brethren in Ireland and
Scotland to whom we have sent relief.
Pray excuse the wretched inadequacy of our remit-
.

The applications made to us were very nume-
rous, and the funds at our disposal very limited. In the
exercise of a conscientious discretion, we selected your
cases ; but even the selection was numerous compared
with the fund. We did what we could. And now our
hearts are repaid by your grateful assurances that our
contributions, though small, have replenished your fail-
ing stores, so as to prolong your successful efforts in si-
lencing the cry of hunger, and checking the advance of

tanreg

7, .7
disease. You tell us, you have, by means of our help,
saved men's lives ! The God of all mercy be praised.
We thought of publishing a list of your names, and of
our remittances : but to shelter you from a probably in-
creased urgency of demand on the spot, accompanied by
a deteriorated sense of gratitude in those whom you sup-
ply,.we.postpone such publication.

n Thirdly—To those of our brethren in Ireland who have
applied to us in vain. .

We cannot

we do confidently rely on your forbearan
hat it was w

when we asst

ourselves compelled to refuse any applications : that
among the multitudes we received, many refusals were
absolutely inevitable : and that in every instance we were

)y what appeared to us the relative or comparative
urgency of the localities under our consideration. Dear
brethren, your unanswered letteri, still piled upon my
table, are a reproach to me—a reproach which, I must

candidly confess, I am wholly unable, in the 'ordinary

way, to remove. Pray accept this acknowledgment; and
believe that I have been so occupied while your letters
were arriving, and am still so occupied, (the same applies
to our Secretary, of whose untiring diligence in this good
work I cannot speak too highly,) as to render it altoge-
ther impracticable to answer you all seriatim. Let no
imagination of neglect, or even of discourtesy, damage
the brotherly affection of any of you towards us.

Fourthly—To the public generally ; and especially to
those who appear to be still sceptical as to the existence,
or at least the extent:of the►distress, and doubtful as to
the wisest measures for adoption.
Evidence, public and private—painfully convincing
evidence—abounds on every side. Inquest after inquest
has recorded the awful verdict, until (what is yet more
awful) our ears have become accustomed to the sound—
DEATH BY STARVATIQN. Read the following :
Extract of a letter from John Limrick, Esq., J. P.

Aidmana House, Schull

I, lan. 6,-4347,

"Stn,—ln forwarding to you 'a
forinal report of four in-
quests, I beg. leave to direct your attention to the truly horrible
details therein embodied, testifying so strongly the Melancholy
condition of the population.
"The medical officers being there examined on oath, de-
clared that these four cases, so far from being isolated, afford
no more than a mere illustration of what is taking place with
thousands around us, who must all sink under the same cala-
mity unless relief be speedily and extensively administered."

Extinct from the evidence

"Ellen Driscoll, sworn-LLives at Gubbeen, in the western
division of Sohnll ; knew Michael Crowley—knew him to be
exceedingly distressed—he had been at work on the Lowertown
road, but was put off, a number of hands besides having been

little bolt came into witness' hou-se, asking for somethini>::tOe4t;
another child was with him, and witness gave a few spoonfuls
of food to each, but the other child said that Crowley wanted it
worst, as lie had not eaten anything for some days. On this,
witness inquired of the child, why his father was not out look-

ing for frt° ? the boy answered, he was lying on the straw, and
not sick at all, and.was saying nothing, but had been kicking
with his feet. Witness went instantly to the house, and found
the door built up with loose stones, through the crevices of
which the child had crept out; the child said that his father
had built tip the door in that manner before he lay down. On
throwing down the stones, Mick Crowley was found dead in-
side, and his little daughter lying beside him, quite emaciated
and weak. From what witness heard and saw, she is fully per-
suaded that Crowley built himself in with his family, that they
might all lie down and die together."
This witness's evidence was corroborated by one of the jurors,
who was present when the hovel was opened, and the body
found. _

"Drs. Sweetman and APCormick, sworn—The countenance
?resented the appearance of much pain ; the body was emaci-
ated to the most extreme degree, not weighing more than five
stone. The immediate cause of death was the obstruction
created by Indian meal undigested. It is thus that the starva-
tion, now prevalent, usually terminates, as there is no strength
in the system to restore action, and death ensuea, and with
great anguish.
"Grace Gogblan, sworn—Lives at Gubbeen, in West Schull ;

dted, witness went into the cabin w
her in a dying state. She was too

"Catherine Hunt, sworn—Lives at Gubbeen; knew Marl
M'Carthy ; she, her husband, and two children, came to the

but little food, and had no employment.' One evening the hus-
band brought a pint of meal, of which a supper was made for
the four. They had then tasted no food 'for two days. The
day following he fell sick : before this he had been swollen,

this he died

scarcely any foOtt: witness had none to

them,

terrible, blitat last he died

lying on the mother's