The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-03-22
THE MANCHESTER CANAL.

One Of the Most Important Engineering
i Enterprises of Modern Times.
Within a year the great Manchester canal
Wbich.is to make England's cotton city a
seaport, will be completed. As the purpose
of the canal is to reduce the cost of trans
portatlon to Manchester, it IS not improb-
able that it's construction will have a bene-
fetal effect on the price of cotton and other
American products consumed by that CITY.
The capital for this great enterprise, $780,
100000, was subscribed before a spadeful Of
earth was dug. 1t will be membered that
when the question of its practicability was
first discussed, Capt. Eads was ummoned
to England, az one Of the worlds greatest en-
Rineers, to give %hi sopinion, when he declared
in its favor, as practicable and adyanta-
geous. 1T ID calculated that the canal will
reduce at Least 30 per cent. the cost OF
transportation on all articles brought to
Manchester as compared with the rates nre-
valllng at the time the canal was begun. the
reduction averaging from 81 to az. so per
ton. The canal will be nearly twice the
width of the Suez canal, the minimum
width at bottom being 100 feet, while that
of the Suez canal is but ~. Its minimum
depth is the same, viz: twenty-six feet.
Where 1t ID not cut through rock or where
the soil is soft and requires protection
from the wash of steamers, its sides are
pitched" with stone. -Four sets of locks.
the largest OF each set being 600 by so
feet, will lift vessels sixty feet Six inches
from the ordinary water level at the
entrance of the docks at Manchester. The
total length OF the canal will he thirty-fye
and one-half miles. and, including the time
consumed in passing the locks, it will be
traversed in about ten hours. The width
adopted will allow large steamers to pass
each other at n part. The fact that the
stills at the entrance of the canal are in suf-
hclently deep water to permit the passage
OF vessels at all stages Of the tide will often
enable a steamer entering the Mersey to be
berthed at Manchester before she could he
at LIVERPOOL. The docks at Manchester
will have an area of water space of III
acres, the area of quay space being 152
acres. The length of quays will be five
and one-half miles.
The directors Of the canal long since re-
celVed a formal declaration signed by 1872
leading firms and companies of ship owners.
that the CANAL, If constructed az sanctioned
by parliament, will be nhvigable without
difficulty by merchant steamers of the largest
class. With quay facilities and accommodate
tions for loading and discharging with dis
patch at Manchester, n if the charges on
the ships are not higher than those at other
ports, shipowners will make use of the canal
as soon as it is open for traffic. The addi-
tional t~hlrty-fve miles to Manchester
Woulo nob iHcTedSe Inc rate OF freight
charged by merchant steamers for a long
voyage" And the head of one of the
greatest transatlantic lines recently stated
that ne is building a cargo steamer of
1000 tons, which he intends shall discharge
at the Manchester docks and head the
opening procession
The canal will open the way into the verv
heart of England, and at Manchester it wilt
meet a network of canals and RAILWAYS
which will facilitate the distribution or uro-
duce IN all parts of the country. Manches-
ter Is the center OF the most populous dis
trict of England. Within a radius of
twelve miles of the Manchester Royal Ex.
change dwells a population of 2,0Ou,OgO;
within a radius of forty miles the popula-
ton is greater than that i'll a similar radius
about London; and the population within
forty-eight miles, for which the canal will
serve as an outlet. exceeds 1000, 600. or
nearly one-tifth the total population of the
United Kingdom,