Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1894-01-06
MANCHESTER RsJolcEs.
Ehe GrOab ship Canal Opened on, New
Yean's Day.

Years DHy.
MANCHESTER Jan. 3.-The great shin
canal from Eastman to Manchester is
now an accomplished fact and the
town of Manchester, situated about
forty miles from the seaboard, can be
reached by sea from New York about
ten hours after arriving at Liverpool.
On December a steamer conveying
the directors maGe the entire journey
of the canal, but the formal opening
did not take place until New Years
day.
The weather was brilliant and the
occasion was made notable in every
way possible. There was much rejoic-
ing in this city and all |long the line
of the canal. The mayors and corpora
tions of Manchester and Stafford started
for Latchford, and at Modewheel joined
the sea vessels which arrived here after
three hours passage, and were
cheered by over 100000 people
The procession started at an early
hour from Warrington-o on the Mersey,
| 16 miles east of Liverpool. AT the head
of the procession was the steamer
| Norseman, conveying the directors 1t
| was followed by other steamers bear
| ing the members of the corporations Of
Manchester and Stafford A number of
sea-going vessels, decorated with flags
and bunting, joined these steamers at
the Modewheel locks
There were twenty-five cargo-laden
vessels in the procession. Some of
them were from the leading British
ports, while others were from Med
iterranean ports, Holland and
Norway. Everything appeared to
work satisfactorily and the ves-
sells were locked through the
canal with considerable rapldity. The
first six vessels of the fleet occupied
three hours in making the passage to
Stafford dock, place that has now 311
miles of quays. All the swing bridges
over the canal worked admirably.
Mondays ceremony was performed
with much eclat, and the procession
was greeted with hearty cheers as it
passed along in the direction of Man
chester. Though Monday saw the for
NAL opening of the canal it is hoped the
queen or prince of Wales will open it
with elaborate ceremonies at Easter
The route of the procession was about
IA miles long. Probably 100000 persons
visited some part of the canal during
the day. There was no hitch whatever
in carrying out the days programme.
In order to realize the full signifi-
cance of the opening of the canal and
of all that it implies one must consider
the sudden creation of a great port in
| direct communication with all parts of
of the world, close to and partly with
| in the confines of an immense CONNER
cial city and surrounded by an indus
i'll. @s 8 - -
: Besides the actual canal the docks
are of a most extensive character.
/ The smaller docks and quays and the
: upper reach will be principally occu-
t pied by coasting vessels, while in the
= larger docks will be moored ships from
2 the United States, Canada, India, etc.
At other docks are accommodations for
: cattle, and, in fact, Manchester has at
a stroke become one of the largest and
a most important ports in the united
= kingdom.
t The work is the outcome of series
of long Investigations in parliamentary
y committees i'll the years 1888, 1884 and
s 1855. The supporters of the canal, who
: spent e15O,OOO in obtaining the act,
n were the manufacturers and merchants
y of Manchester, and its principal op-
s ponent was the corporation of Liver
= pool. With the use of the electric
n light steamers will be able to navigate
9 by night as well as by day, and the
: whole length of the canal will be trav-
S ersed in about ten hours
4 Some notion of the capacity of the
: canal may be arrived at when compared
h with the SueZ and Amsterdam canals.
e The minimum width of the bottom of
h the Suez is ~ feet and of the Amster-
J. dam IS feet inches, while that of the
S Manchester canal is l20 feet. The
minimum depth of the Manchester and
l. Suez waterways is 20 feet and that of
d the Amsterdam canal 23 feet.
= statement signed by lS2 steamship
l. owners, possessing more than 1,00C
g steamers, of an aggregate net tonnage
n of about 200, 900 tons-more than % PEI
IL cent. of the entire steamship tonnage
l. of the united kingdom-declares thai
the canal will be navigable without diff
IS ticulty by merchant steamers of the
# largest class, and that if the charges
If on the ship canal are not higher thar
r. those of the other ports ship owners
J. will at once make use of the waterway
l. 1t is believed that the quantity o1
r. grain carried over the canal will be a
IS least one-half of that now landed al
t, Liverpool. 1t IS estimated that at leasl
lie 105,00 tons per anuum of fruit anC
Is vegetables will at once be imported tc
Manchester by this route The large su
It gar merchants have stated that not less
ID than 100000 tons of sugar per annum
ID will pass through the canal With re-
n gard to raw cotton firms in the district
1t owning Is, 200, 900 spindles declare thai
e, nearly all the cotton they use will be
IF brought by the canal.
r. OF outward cargoes there will be nc
e. lack, and textile manufacturers have
re testified their belief that about 500, ,OOC
N tons per annum will be dispatched by
n the new canal
a.