The herald., 1894-01-02
AN ACCOMPLISHED FACT
The Manchester Ship Canal
Completed.
A Great Seaport Created at a
Single Stroke.
1t Will Rival Liverpool in Foreign
Commerce.
A General Raid on Anarchists in France
Many Arrests and Seizures of I'm
portant Papers General
EOref1u News.
By the Associated Press.


MANCHESTER, Jan. 1.-The great ship
canal from Eastman to Manchester is
now an accomplished fact, and the town
of Manchester, situated about 40 miles
from the seaboard, can be reached by
sea from New York about 10 hours
after arriving at Liverpool. This means
the sudden creation of great port in
direct communication with sill parts of
the world, close to and partly within
the confines of an immense commercial
city and surrounded by an industrial
population of 3,250,000. Besides the
actual canal, the docks are of the most
extensive character. The smaller docks
and quays and upper reach will be prin-
cipally occupied by coaeting vessels,
while in the larger docks will be moored
ships from the United States, Canada,
India. etc. At other docks will be ac-
commodations for cattle. In fact, Man
chester has at stroke become one OF
the largest and most important ports OF
the United Kingdom.
The work is the outcome of series of
long Investigations in parliamentary
committees in the years 1882, 1884 and
1885. The supporters Of the canal who
spent Gl50, 900 in obtaining the act were
manufacturers and merchants of Man
chester, and the principal opponents
were the corporations of Liverpool.
With the use of electric light, steamers
will be able to navigate by night as we'll
as day, and the whole length of the
canal will be traversed in about 10
hours. Some notion of the capacity OF
the canal may be drawn when compared
with the Suez and Amsterdam canals.
The minimum width of the bottom of
the Suez canal is 72 feet, and the Am
sterdam 88 feet 7 inches, while the
Manchester has 120 feet. The minimum
depth of the Manchester and Suez ie 26
feet, and that of Amsterdam %
feet. A statement signed by 1872
steamship owners, possessing more
than 1000 steamers with an aggregate of
1000, 900 tons. more than % per cent Of
/ the ateamsnip tonnage Of the United
Kingdom, declares the canal will be
navigable without difficulty by mer-
chant steamers of the larger class.
and that if the charges on the ship
canal are not higher than those at other
ports (and they are actually less than
most) shiDowners will at once make use
OF the waterway as soon as open for
traffic, and the additional 331 miles to
Manchester from the sea will not in
crease the rate of freight charged to
Liverpool by merchant steamers for long
voyages.
1t is believed the quantity of grain
carried over the canal will be at least
one-half that is now landed at Liver
pool. 1t is estimated that at least l05,-
600 tons per annum of fruit and vegeta-
bles will at once be imported to Man
chester by this route. Ten large sugar
merchants have stated that not less than
800, 900 tons of sugar will pass through
the canai. With regard to raw cotton,
the firms in the district, owning Is. 000,-
600 spindles, declare nearly all the cot
ton they use will be brought by the
canal. iOf outward cargo there will be no
! lack. and textile manufacturers have
testified the belief that about 100000
tons per annum will be dis patched by
the new canal.
The financial success of the enormous
undertaking seems assured. The pro-
moters of the canal are confident OF
their ability to secure very large and
remunerative traffic, and the estimates
of profit, based upon the capital as or
iginally proposed, were very favorable.
The original capital was 9S, 100000. 1t
has, however, grown to nearly double
that amount, and the anticipations of
profit are not now 80 sanguine as they
formerly were. That there are, how
ever, enormous probabilities OF traffic
cannot be disputed.
The canal was formally opened today.
The weather was brilliant, and the oc-i
casion was made notable in every way
possible. There WAS much rejoicing in
this city and all along the line of the
canal. The mayors and the corporations
of Manchester and Stafford started for
Latchford aud at Mode Wheel joined the
sea vessels which were due at Man
chester at o'clock. Great enthusiasm
was manifested everywhere. The news
papers publish list OF vessels en- route
TO Manchester from New Orleans, The
vessels arrived after three hours pas
sage, and were cheered by over 100000
people.