The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1891-06-06

The Magnitude OF the Work and the Progress
Made On Ii.


According 10 the London Daily News the
Manchester canal is thirty-five miles long.
and being meant for the largest ocean steam
ers its other dimensions are in no case
less than those Of the Suez canal, while in
some il greatly exceeds them. Then the
amount Of excavation must be at many
places much in excess OF what a mere measure
ment Of depth and width in feet would indl-
cate. The water depth throughout being 20
feet. a cutting of GO or 20 feet In depth IS re-
quired wherever the surface level of the land
is so much higher. These depths OF excava-
ions a bottom width of 100 feet
for the canal. and a surface width never less
than 1875 feet. but at some points widening,
and that for considerable lengths TO 1O
feet or even 260 feet.
Provision on this scale has been deemed re-
quisite at busy centres of traffic like the
vicinity of the Manchester and Stafford docks.
The spacious docks and locks and basins here
and elsewhere swell the quantity TO be hol-
lowed out. making a total of some H,0C0. 600
cubic yards. OF which 5000 900 TO 5000 900
yards is solid rock. But the quantity Of
building-up and of construction 10 be done
IS perhaps still more striking than the excaya-
tons.
For instance, there is the sea-wall below
Runcorn bridge to be built in the bed of the
river about as far as Weston Point. Much OF
the work on this section is deferred by the
company act Itself uhtit aittf thS ShHht
from Eastman entrance up to the mouth of
the Weaver shall have been opened tor
traffic. According TO expectations that We're
still cherished at the end Of last summer, this
partial opening should have been effected in
the winter. But delay arose through neces-
sity Of coming TO terms with the rlyer au-
thorities and the Liverpool dock interests as
to the number and position Of the tidal OPEN
ings to be left in the canal bank.
Tlia pnaftar uvoc mot finally settled nv mar
liamentary ~enaction until latein the session OF
last year. Delay in the estuary portion
of the canal meant furthur delay in the work
that could not be begun until that was
ended, and again this delay of embank-
ment on one of the upper sections
entailed delay of some excavation still
higher up, where the material TO be
dug out was the very thing for use on the
bank work lower down. Taking them alto
gether, with one or two notable exceptions,
such as Warrington docks. the docks and
locks and viaducts, and most matters of that
kind. were either finished some time ago (as
in the case Of Randal's sluices and those at
the mouth of the Weaver. or they are de-
layed only by waiting for something else that
is preliminary TO them.
One remarkable work which is now to be
seen in some of its main outlines is the
swing aqueduct for the Bridgewater canal
at Barton. The new line of arches for the
old barge canal Is TO be seen coming up on
both sides of the ship canal that is 10
pass beneath. The arches have a clean and
rather smart look, with their white enam-
eled facings. But the wonder that is TO he
is reserved for the central span oyer the ship
canal, where a swing trough 80 feet long,
holding water. barges and all. will turn by
hydraulic machinery on a pivot, according as
the ship canal navigation requires the canal
above it TO open or allows it 10 close.
Another mu~ch-appreclated piece of work Is
of course the Eastman entrance locks for the
canal, where nearly all the masonry and ma
chinery was finished by the winter, and where
now the chief thing waited for on the spot is
the breaking down of the bar of land so far
kept at the canal mouth, which may take
place when the dredging outside is sufficient,
and other work on the way TO the Weaver
is ready. Manchester and Stafford docks
and most of the terminal work there was also
near enough 10 completion to warrant the re-
port of the company's consulting engineer in
January that the probable period Of finishing
them called for no comment or estimate. as,
in common with most things of the kid,
they depended on the amount of excavation
and dredging remaining to be done in adj
vance.