The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1884-05-25
The Manchester Ship Canal.

There Is no longer any doubt that Man
chester, the manufacturing centre of Lam
cashire. is to be connected with the ocean by
Q ship canal, the money required for Its CON-
struction having been subscribed In ad-
vance to satisfy the condition imposed by .
committee Of the House Of Lords. What are
the details Of the scheme now definitely
sanctioned, and why should a canal be needed
by city so near to the port OF Liverpool
It 10 tho heavy freight charges on the Lam
cashire railways and the exorbitant dock
dues at Liverpool that have forced the man
ufacturers and merchants Of Manchester to
adopt the expedient OF ship canal as the
only means of saving their business from
decay. The evidence given on this head at
public meetings and before Parliamentary
committees seems conclusive. Since the
railways acquired direct or Indirect control
OF the Duke Of BRIDaEwATER's canal and OF
the old water route along the streams
OF the Mcrsey and Irwell. there
has been no restraint upon railway
monopoly and oxtortion. Tho cost Of
transporting Manchester merchandise by
rail to Liverpool Is double what it is to Hull,
treble what 1t Is to London. and quadruple
what IL Ia to Southampton. 1t Is cheaper to
chip cotton goods from the iuland towns of
Lancashire to Calcutta through Aberdeen
than Ii Is through Liverpool An Oldham ma
chinist has testified that he has to pay two
shillinRs ton more to convey machinery to
Liverpool and place 1t on board ship than to
forward 1t from Liverpool to Bombay. Prod
uce importers say that the charge for carry
ing Indian corn from Liverpool to Manchcs-
knr do bot ho nt.-t,t
Atlantic and the cost OF a long preliminary
railway journey In America. In these
circumstances 1t Is natural that the
inland towns OF Lancashire should appre-
bend the displacement OF their business to
stations on the coast, where tho profit OH tho
export and import of merchandise would not
be swallowed up by railway and dock impo-
sitions. Already tho cost of carriage has al
most extinguished the production OF steel
rails In this region; such industries as sugar
refining and glass manufacturing are seeking
other quarters; and even the manstay Of
Lancashire. the cotton trade. feels itself
heavily handicapped. No wonder that the
prospect Of relief from intolerable burdens
should excite enthusiasm In Manchester and
the neighboring bOroughs. or that the
$4,000 900 called for by the promoters OF the
ship canal should have been subscribed In o
few hours.
Tho canal bill which was some time ago
carried through the House Of Commons, and
which is now. Notwithstanding strenuous
opposition from Liverpool, oh the point OF
being passed by tho Lords, Is based upon the
plsn devised by Mr.. LEADER WILLIAMS.
According to this scheme the canal will avail
itself. Us far rs this IL practicable, OF the
channels OF the Irwell and Msrsey rivers,
but by means Of locks tho water level at the
inland terminus will lie raised nearly ma
high above tho sea as the foundations of the
Manchester warehouses. In the fifteen
miles Intervening between Manchester and
Latchford there will be three large pounds,
or enclosures Of water. whose levels will be
successfully lower 40 thcy approach the
Mersey. Throughout this distance tho canal
will be one hundred feet wide ut bottom, but
It will subsequently widen until at Runcorn
It attains breadth OF three hundred fest
Beyond Runcorn tho river is itself deep
enough for large vessels.
There will be, then. three sets Of locks
whose gotes and sluicos are TO be worked by
hydraulic power. It u calculated that the
supply Of fresh water from the rivers will be
sumdsut to al tho canal to to required