The Wadsworth dispatch. [volume] (Wadsworth, Nev.) 1892-1899, 1896-12-26
DEEPENING TIE A M
\ Channel re Feet Deep and 1000 Wide
From the More to Gravesend.

From the More to Gravesend.
Two years ago the president of the
board Of trade in Great Britain appoint
cd u connnis sion Of experts to inquire
whether dredging and other operations
were expedient for improving tho navi.
cation of the river Thames between
Thorney creek and the More lightship.
This movement was tho result Of the
demands ct owners CT deep draft ves-
fels for q depth Of 80 feet in the river
from the More up to Gravesend. provid.
ed London expected to hold its own in
competition with Liverpool, Southamp-
ton and other ports. Some Of them even
insisted that this depth should be car
ried 10 miles farther up. to the Royal
Albert docks.
The report Of the commissioners, Mr..
Barry, Sir George Mares and Mr.. Lys-
ter, US set forth in The Times of Lon
don, fully concurs in the d%esirability of
securing a navigable depth Of 80 feet ut
low water, at least up to Gravesend.
Above that point there are valuable
properties on the banks and other con-
%siderations making it doubtful whether
the scheme could be carried farther. 1t
was also found that dredging alone
could not make and maintain the chan
mel, and that q tidal training bank
should extend eastward from Canvey
island, i'll order to direct and control tho
current and prevent in the future such
shiftings of the channel as have some
times occurred.
But a great drawback to the scheme
was found to be the cost, while there
was opposition to meeting this cost by
increasing the tonnage dues upon ship
ping, and it was recognized that such
All increase would hurt London sin the
present severe competition with other
ports in this and foreign countries. p"
The authorities known rs the conserva-
tcrs of the Thames have, however,
helped to solve the problem in another
way. They have reduced the require
ment to q channel which at low water
spring tides shall be not less than 26
feet deep and !. 900 feet wide. This
could be- done without adding anything
to the charges upon ships.
IL support OF this plan it is shown
that during the four years from 1891 to
1894 inclusive the total number Ct. YES
sells entering the Thames that drew over
90 feet was 30, and Of these Is were Ell
ther~ telegraph ships or British or foreign
vessels of war. The remaining 81 were
ocean going steamers, and under the
scheme now proposed the delay which
occurs in the incoming or outgoing OF
these vessels will, in the large majority
Of cases, be entirely obviated.
1t being clear, therefore, that a 20
foot channel would be sufficient for at
least nipe.tenths of the shipping, it was
decided that next January work upon
it, which can be done solely by dredging,
should be begun. Then from Gravesend
up the river as far as Crawford Ness, cp-
posite Purf1eet, there would be n chan
mel width Of l, 200 feet and q minimum
depth of "a feet III low water spring
tide, while from Crayford Mss to the
Albert dos ks the width is 10 10 . feet
and the depth %, and f1om tho latter
TO the Millwall docks there will be Il
channel at least 500 feet wide aud Is
Iet Occp.
1t is believed that the entire work Can
be completed i'll ] 4 years. or by mid
summer Of 1893 Work, meanwhile, has
been going on upon the river, so that
an improvement in the Thames will DO
quite evident at the end Of the present
year.