Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-07-26
HER MIGHTY SEAPORT
How American Goods Are
Handled in Liverpool.
DOCKS COVERING ACRES
OWNED BY THE CITY AND PAY
DIVIDENDS.
The British Still Reign Supreme Upon
the Seas-The Shipbuilding
Industry.
DOCKS COVERING ACRES
Copyright. 1892. by Frank G. Carpenter)
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.

Copyright. 1892. by Frank C. Carpenter)
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.
LIVERPOOL, England.
The British are still worried over the sale
of their greatest steamship company to
PierpOnt MOrgans trust. Nothing con-
nected with the American invasion has ere
ated SO much real excitement and heart
felt alarm. The sale of the White Star is
looked upon by many as almost treason
able, and the government has been asked
to interfere, but so far nothing has been
done The White Star buildings here have
been taken over by the trust. and the Of
fees will be remodeIed on American lines.
American Shipping in Liverpool.
Liverpool is one of the centers of the
American invasion. 1t is the chief port of
England, outside London, and the port to
whic- the most of our American goods
come. 1t has long been second among the
English ports but the trust is now consid-
ering the landing of some of the White
Star steamers at Southampton, and, if so,
Liverpool may eventually lose its prece-
denCe. Southampton is within a much
shorter distance of London. 1t has about
three miles of splendid docks, and in this
respect can handle goods as easily as LiV-
erpool.
The shipping faClllJeS mere are one OF
the wonders Of the world. The town, which
IS the second largest in England, is on the
sloping right bank of the Mersey, about
three miles from the open sea. Just oppo-
site the city the Mersey is only a milo
wide, but farther inland it expands and
forms a basin about three miles across. 1t
has two channels for the entrance of yes
sells and the water is so deep that the
largest steamers can enter without danger.
The tide here. however, is very great. 1t
has a fail of thirty-two feet at certain
times of the year, and this has neCessi-
tated the building of the docks
These docks now flank the Mersey for a
distance of seven miles. There are sixty
of them, great watts of water, each cover
ing acres, surrounded by massive walls of
stone and entered by iron gates, which
can be closed to keep out the tide. The
gates work just like the lock of canal,
and when shut the water within them is as
quiet as a millpOnd. There are in all 1888
acres of such docks along the Mersey and
tweEty-siX miles of quays.
The Biggest Docks of the World.
There is an elevated railroad which runs
from one end of the docks to the other.
II is built upon a wall high up above the
street. the cars being laid on semi-cylin-
Gers Of iron. The trains are somewhat
like those of the elevated railroad of New
York, save that the cars are first and
second class
l took a ride on this road today to get
view Of the Liverpool shipping. We went
by warehouse after warehouse. and dock
after dock. passing steamers from all parts
OF the world There were enormous build
inEs filled with cotton from the United
States, grain elevators covering acres at
which were being uUlOaded car loads of
wheat from New York, Philadelphia and
New Orleans. the largest tobacco ware
house OF the world, filled with tens of thou
sands Of h0gsheads of the favOrite weed of
our southern states and on by other ware
houses. where all sorts of American goods
were being landed from the Atlantic liners
which carry passengers and freight. There
were ships from Australia, India China
and the Cape Of Good Hope. as well as
sailing ships from almost every part of
the world About $500 vessels come to
Liverpool every year, and the tonnage
which annually goes in and out of the
port aggregates almost 25.OOOOO0 tons.
Enormous Watts of Water.
I wish 1 could show you one of these
Liverpool docks. If you can imagine line
OF fields ranging from an acre to twenty
or thirty acres in area, surrounded by the
finest of masonry upon which have been
built enormous warehouses rising almost
from the waters edge. you may have some
idea Of them. The ships discharge their
cargo directly into the warehouses and
some of the docks have direct connection
with the railroads so that the goods can
be taken almost from the ships to the
trains.
ne largest OF al Is the Alexandra dock
w!ilch has water area of forty-four acres
II is into this dock that the most OF our
great grain ships come. The grain is I'M
loaded by means of enormous revolving
belts which take it under the roadway and
carry IL TO the elevators situated about q
quarter Of a mile from the landing | went
over the largest OF these elevators during
my trip along the quays. 1t Is modelled
after those built in the United States and
some or its machinery is American Nv
means Of these bands and an endless chain
OF buckets a stream of grain is carried AL
most directly from the ship under the
street to the top of the elevators 1t is
here emptied into 500 great silos, each of
which will hold about 200 tons From the
silos II can be let out into bags by the tnrn
or lever, and thus shipped over the coun-
Try. All OF the shipping Of our wheat
through the interior is in bags. A great
deal OF II goes on the cars some on barpes
through the canals, and not a little on
carts and wagons, hauled by the enormous
Liverpool is famous.
Liverpoors Floating Quay.
Consul Boyle tells me that the landing
stage at Liverpool is the largest thing
ahoat 1 can well believe 1t. The Celtic, the
Oceanic, and the Great Eastern put togeth-
er would be nothing like the size of this
mighty raft 1t is more than half a mile
long and from 50 TO 100 and more feet wide
1t would Just fill F street in Washington
from the pension office to the Treasury De-
partment and IL has itselfsa roadway as
smooth and solid the asphalt streets of
our national capital.
I'M, ms enormous raft floats on 300 iron pom
ICONS rising and falling with the tide III has
many bridges connecting 1t with the street
with passages for people and CARRIAGES
Inese bridges are in the shape of enormous
nlhses' 50 fastened that they rise and fan
as the great landing stage goes m 81
down with the tide. Upon the raft are