Omaha daily bee., 1902-08-10

E1A NCHESTER, England, July 81
Especial Correspondence Of The
@ Bee.)-I have come here to give
tS&SM you the latest and newest infor-
- nation about the Manchester ship
canal. 1t is rumored that Pierpont Morgan
and his associates have bought a controlling
interest in it, and that they will shortly
put on a new line Of steamers to trade
between Manchester and the United States.
There is no doubt but that Morgan's Lon
don bank WINS a large amount Of the
shares. 1t took them when the canal was
begun and has held them ever since. 1t will
soon be the chief route for the entrance of
our goods into this busiest part Of the
United Kingdom, and Manchester will be-
come a headquarters Of the American in
vasion. Indeed, the city already receives
steamers from New York, Philadelphia,
Baltimore, Galveston and New Orleans.
Hundreds of thousands of cotton bales from
our southern states are here brought via
the canal, to be transferred to the mills; an
enormous grain elevator has sprung up
for the storage Of American wheat, and /
find that the warehouses along the Man
chester docks are already filled with all
sorts Of American goods.
seaport of EngIand's Heart.
But first let me tell you something about
this great port, which the English have
created in the very heart of their country.
Manchester is far back from the sea. 1t Is
one of the busiest cities Of the world, and
the country surrounding 1t is a vast bee
hive of work. In passing over the rail-
roads to and from 1t in every direction you
ride through groves Of smokestacks and
IL is impossible to get away from the dense
smoke which pours forth from the foun-
dries. factories and mills which dot the
landscape.
Including its sister city, Stafford, the
place has now about SOC, 900 population and
the manufacturing towns nearby are 80
close together that 100000 people live
within carting distance Of the Manchester
docks. This means that goods brought
here on the canal can be carried by horses
to the homes and factories Of these 2.0oO,O 900
D Seople.
Nearby are other industrial centers which
make all sorts of products for home trade
and export. shefheld, with its cutlery. gun
works and furnaces for making iron and
steel, IL but an hour away by train and
the wooden center Of Leeds is lmost as
near. Altogether Manchester forms the
nearest port for a population of about
5000. 900 and its people estimate that they
can land ordinary goods by means Of their
canal at a saving Of 81 per ton on the Inland
transport over the same goods landed at
Liverpool. The canal people have prepared
estimates Of the actual cost Of distributing
goods throughout this part of England
and It will pay American shippers to In
vestigate the advantages Of sending their
exports by the canal almos direct to the
factories.
Manchester Mighty waterway.
have spent some days in going over the
canal and in looking through the vast ware
houses and buildings which have grown up
about II. It is one OK the wonders Of
modern engineering and as a longtime in
vestment 1t Will probably be a success,
although the present generation and per-
haps the next cannot expect to have diVi-
dends out Of II. The cost Of the under
taking has been At the start Il
was thought that the canal could be con-
structed for $40. 200, 900, but when COM
pleted 1t was found to have cost SIS, OOO, 900.
Before 1t was built Manchester was on the
down grade. Its factories and warehouses
were falling and some OF the greatest Of
It's Industrial institutions were transferring
their plants and business to Glasgow, where
tney could have better shipping facilities.
Liverpool was steadily gaining and Man.
chester steadily declining. The former city
charged what tolls 1t pleased on goods
passing through to the Manchester region