New-York tribune., 1903-03-22
COSTLY SHIP CANAL.
Made a Seaport of the Great Manu-
featuring City of Manchester. -


interest in this country because of the ratification
by the Senate OF the Panama Canal treaty. the
especial attention OF American capitalists has been
attracted TO the recent report OF the Manchester
Ship Canal Company. OF England. which shows O
growth Of business of 100 per in the last eight
years. Indeed. set Of American hnenciers.
known commonly the Morgan Shipping Com
binstion. and officially as ths International Mer-
camille Marine Company. was 30 impressed with
the development Of Manchester as port that it
has just established direct line OF steamships be-
tween that city and Boston. In & few months the
two ships OF Lamport and Holt, now plying be-
tween this port and Manchester. will have new
vessels added to them, so that the growing COM
nlerce Of this naturally inland English city will
make its influence felt the more strongly upon
many export and import houses Of this city.
Twelve years ago Manchester was practically
suffering from lack OF communication with the
outside world Its merchants and manufacturers
were compelled to ship their goods by the way OF
Liverpool. thirty-tHo miles distant, and the wharf
rates this port had grown so costly that they
ate up profits and compelled curtailment Of wages
Manchester is the centre of a vast manufacturing
district. where town IS crowded against town. ana
where from height the whole country. as far as
the horizon reaches. seems TO be spiked with the
smoking chimneys Of factories.
For years there had been talk about building
ship canal that would extend for thirty-hve miles,
from Manchester to the mouth o: the Mersey
River. There water enough for q canal. What
was lacking was a strong Meetings were
held; petitions signed; speeches were made
Then Daniel Adamson called meeting at his
house. Jure y. 1882. and e provisional committee
was formed start the enterprise 1t long
and bitter fight The wharf owners OF Liverpool
the railroads, rival canal interests. and hundred
and one other forces ell combined to defeat the
undertaking. Bill after bill was killed in Parla-
u1e.t and 1t until 1885 that the people OF
Manchester united IN a. great popular celebration
and Thanksgiving. for the final act had been passed
and she canal assured. The Parliamentary
proceedings alone cost SS50,00o. Nine years later
eued IN wit
monies The entire SIS, ,o0o0 0o0-
The construction Of the canal would have been
impossible decade ago Railroads had to be d.
verted and carried across the route on bridges OF
such height that ships might pass beneath Canals
that crossed its path had TO be turned away or
purchased outright. and in a small barge
canal was carried over the ship canal by means OF
a turn bridge made In the form or great
elongated tub, which can carry a canal beat
horses. crew and all as 1t swings around. There
ere locks at either end. to prevent the water es-
Gaping. and then, when a ship has passed and the
bridge swings into place again the locks are
opened and the canal boat that has been imDris-
oned can go its way. This piece Of engineering
IS called the Barton aQueduct 1t is z35 feet long
IS feet wide. feet deep. and weighs on the SWING
400
Because OF q minimum depth OF twenty-six feet,
TIE Manchester Ship Canal permits ocean-going
ships OF this draught TO enter its locks at Eastman
on the south shore OF the Mersey. about seven
miles from the central wharves Of Liverpool After
following the shore OF the Mersey to Runcorn II
then strikes out for distance in straight line
IN the direction OF Manchester. Further along the
canal follows the bottom of the Mersey and Twill
rivers and its terminus the wharves in Man
chester are grouped alongside Of two arms Of an
artificial lake Here the land has been laid out TO
accommodate the greatest amount Of freight with
the least amount OF handling. There are eight
wharves ranging in length from $50 20 1880 feet
and In width from Iac to 250 feet. A mammoth new
wharf Is now being built which will be 2.70 feet
long and go feet wide. and which Will enable ten
ahips the size OF the steamship New-fo-k 20 unload
at once alongside. The largest locks are bVJ leet
fonq an that anv ship not exceeding this length.
and thus including the major1g OF Atlantic liners
!a able to the Manchester canal. Ii is eSti-
mated that II the canal utilized to Its 1uliest
oansctty II could for 100000 tons OF cargo In
sna uorknr DAYS Of the year. This is double that
et present handled the wharves OF lAVerpoo!
The Canal Company purchased an estate OF -.9'V
acres on the banks and at the terminal OF 'he
canal which is being sold. a parcel at a time
=. .i+es for manufacturing plants. Much land has
already been bought by large American concerns
and here has been built the British plant OF 'h9
Uestinghouse electric WORKS, occupying se'ela1
sc-es Of land. Within immediate access OF the
docks are oil tanks cattle yards and auction rooms.
q grain elevator Of American make, cold air store
houses for frozen meat, huge warehouses for stor-
ing cotton and other bulky commodities. drydocks.
oil tanks and canal pontoons to accommodate
every character Of cargo. The different parts Of
wharfage property connected by railroad
system forty miles in extent, SO that freight may
be unloaded direct from the snip INTO cars lor III
terror points Consignments which are 10 be sent
% other sea coast towns unoaded uIrecty into
cos Strvise steamships moored alongside
The facilities for dispatch:Elg traffic to all parts
cr England from the docks direct by rail give Man
chester great advantages. Not only is there con-
siderable monetary saving. but the handling Of the
cargo IS reduced a minimum by being loaded
direct from ship to railIaT truck when destined
for interior towns Fresh meat and peT'shahles
especially are kept in better condition hy being
dispatched direct from the docks by rail instead OF
having 70 be carried from ship 70 railway station
as s the case Liverpool
II thus costs much less 10 ship goods to the Man
chester manufacturing district by way Of Man
chester than Liverpool. For example, cotton con-
egred to Manchester by way Of the canal cos'S
for terminal charges shillings pence ton while
h1 1Jverpool the cost would he y shillngs pence
For cotton consigned to Oldham the canal route
would cost shiIngs pence, while the Liverpool
route would have cost Il shiY9gs pence On one
chin carving a ncis@eane cargo from this port
70 various towns and Lities OF the United Kingdom
& was estimated that the canal cost s69 less than
Liverpool charges would have amounted TO- Ihis
ship was the Vienna. which reached Manchester
from this CITY August 2s with cargo Of 5S77 tons
The steamship Manchester Corporation from
New-CrIeans with 59l6 tons cotton and large guam
ti,ias Of grain and lumber. showed a saving OF
Sc sq3 or SIG cents 10 the hundred pounds: the
Manchester Port with 6.25s tons general cargo and
1--we stock from Montreal s229. or 519 cents to the
hundred pounds.
The Levland Line which the first Of the
FnrIisb lines purchased by MIR. Morgan. has es-
- b;shed a new service between Manchester ana
Boston II this is extent experimental
as far as Manchester is concerned. 1t is regarceo
as equally test Of the capacity or the New
York Haven and Hartford Railroad to nandie
g roree export traffic at South Boston. The
A-e1y- IN