Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1890-02-13
MANcAESTER'S CANAL.
One of the Great Engineering Feats of
the Present Age.

the Present Age.
The objective point of our trip was
the famous ship canal now in course Of
construction between Liverpool and
Manchester, says Julian Hawthorne in
letter TO the Detroit NcWS These
two great towns, each containing at
least 500.0 900 inhabitants, have long
been Jealous rivals. after the fashion of
our own st. Paul and Minneapolis or
ST. Louis and Chicago. BY making
this canal Manchester will immensely
improve her position, for it will render
her n seaport in every way as couyen-
lent and accessible rs Liverpool her.
self The canal has long been i'm con-
temptation, but has been delayed by
many causes, among which the oppo-
stion of the railway corporations are
not the least formidable.
But all the obstacles were at length
overcome. The route of the canal was
surveyed with extraordinary care and
judgment. The contract was given to
one man. the renowned Mr.. Walker,
whose successful management of an
enterprise at Buenos Ayres, involving
a cost of e., 600, 900, and of the Severn
| tunnel have given him an unsurpassed
reputation. No part of the contract
has been Sublet; he conducts it all him
self and so careful were his calcutta
tons that he will clear handsome
profit from the transaction. He be-
gan work eighteen months ago and viii
complete the Job in 1891. or in about
four and a half years. The total cost
will come within El0 600, 600 500, UO0,-
| 600 He employs an army of Il, 900
workmen, and dredging and other ma
chnery that save the labor of ten times
q, many men The men work ten
i ms a day. beginning at a. N. and
e ling at 5;3B p. nI., with intcrmissions
f. breakfast and dinner. | was in
! f med by the ovcrSecr of the ninth
'tiou (wun>o department we were
tiug) that no workman had been
/ q charged since operations began.
The wages arc from fourpencc to six
| pence per hour The contractor has
built at intervals of five miles along the
route Of the canal cottages, chapels
and gymnasiums for the use of the
workmen and | believe schools for their
children, all free. This has never been
done before and the results have been
very gratifying. We visited one of
the chapels, a fine, airy, clean editice
/ OF wood perfectly simple but entirely
adequate The men themselves, so
far as we saw anything of them Sat
urday was holiday, were fine, healthy
! quiet fellows, not perhaps so intelli-
gent as the corresponding class would
be in America but undoubtedly well
up TO their work. In fact, English OPP
orators are, as rule at least as ex-
! pert as ours. because they have been
ut work all their lives, and not only
that, but their fathers and grandpa
theirs before them Their skill is, so
to speak, congenital.
The operations are being pushed for
ward all along the route of the canal
from Liverpool through the valley of
the Mersev. The lines are as straight
as practicable the river winding along
beside it. The entrance is at Eastha1n,
q place on the Cheshire bank of the
Mersey, a few miles above Berkenhead.
which is opposite Liverpool The cut
has "a uniform depth of 80 feet with
breadth of 10 feet Gas against y feet
in the Suoz) and the water is % feet
deep. J, is lined throughout with
solid concrete, the walls slopiur slight
~ outward. and is faced 40 the top with
huge blocks of Cornish granite riveted
together. There are four locks I'm the
total length of IS miles. each giving
lift of ID feet The largest steamships
aiioat can come up this canal direct
from the ocean and unload their carr
goes IN the vast basins that are build
Iug there and in a few wears tha sim .r.fI-