14 WILLIAYS ON THE NANCHESTER SHIP-CARAL. [lIiriutes of 0 November, 1S97. Sir JOHNWOLFE BARRY, E.C.B., LL.D., F.R.S., President, in the Chair. (Pap-No. 3046.) ii The Manchester Ship-Canal.” By Sir EDWARDLEADER WILLIAJIS, M. Inst. C.E. HISTORICAL. THE necessity for providingeficient water comnunication between Manchester and Liverpool was recognized as early as the year 1721, when Nr. Thomas Steers, who was then constructing the first dock at Liverpool, issued a plan for canalizing the Rivers Mersey and Irmell between Warrington andManchester. The tide- way between Warrington and Liverpool had been long previously used by small coasters and barge traffic. An Act was then obtained bycertain persons called therein “ undertakers,”who carried out the works as designed by Mr. Steers. Another Act passed in l794 incorporated the undertakers into a company. The Rivers Mersey andIrwell wereimproved bycuts to straighten their courses, and locks and weirs mere built to enable barges carrying about 50 tons to pass to &Tanchester. These barges were towed down the tideway between Warrington and Liverpool as soon as steam-power was introduced. Frequent delays were caused by the shoals between Warrington and Runcorn at low tides, and there- fore about the year 1521 a canal was constructed between those towns, with tidal basins at Runcorn. The Mersey and Irwell navigation was, for many years, largely used in competition withthe Bridgewater Canal, whichwas opened throughout for Liverpool traffio on the 31st December, 1772. The navigation was purchased in 1844 by the Bridgewater Trustees, the owners of the canal, and was worked in connection with it, competing successfully with the railway companies. In 1872, both navigations, with the Runcorn docks and the Duke’s dock at Liverpool, were sold to the Bridgowater Navigation Downloaded by [ UNIVERSITY OF EXETER] on [26/09/16]. Copyright © ICE Publishing, all rights reserved. Proceedings.] WILLIAMS ON THE MANCHESTER SHIP-CANAL. 15 Company, who transferred them in 1886 to the Manchester Ship- Canal Company for thesum of %1,712,000. The illersey and Irwell navigation was then utilized for the construction of the ship-canal, whilethe Bridgewater canal and docks continue to carry a large trade. In 1825 the first company proposing to construct a ship-canal to Manchester wasformed; and on the advice of Mr. Telford, Past-PresidentInst. C.E., and Mr. John Bennie, Nr. William Chapman was instructed to make a survey and to report on the best route for bringing sea-going vessels to 1fanchester.l In June of thatyear he presented a detailed reportwith plans. He stated that the approaches to Dawpool on the River Dee “are as good as those of any port in the United Kingdom,” and he there- fore selected that place for the entrance to the canal. Docks were to be constructed at Dawpool for thelargest class of vessels, their cargoes being lightered to BIanchester, the smaller vessels passing to Manchester, a distance of 51 miles. Fourteen locks were proposed, with a rise of 110 feet above high tides, the last 25 miles being on one level. The dept,h of the canal was to be 16 feet, and the locks 110 feet by 28 feet. Steam-pumps were to be used for maintaining the level of the canal if the local streams flowing intoit werefound insufficient. Theplan shows the canal as first skirting the Dee ; it then passes to Dlanchester, by Frodsham, Grappenhall,and Altrincham. The estimate was Sl,560,000. It is obvious that this canal would have been of no use for the present size of steamers, and Dawpool has long ceased to be a proper entrance fora ship-canal. In 1838 SirJohn Rennie, Past-PresidentInst. C.E., made a survey on behalf of a Committee of Traders at Warrington, and reported in favour of a ship-canal between that town and Runcorn to avoid the difficulties of navigatingthat part of theRiver Mersey on low tides. He considered that the river below Runcorn might be improved by low jetties, but on the whole he preferred a ship-canal between Runcornand Knotts Hole, near Liverpool, along the northernside of the estuary. In the year 1840, Mr. Henry Robinson Palmer, Vice-President Jnst. C.E., made a report to the Mersey and Irwell Navigation Company on the improvement of their navigation, so as to adapt it for sea-going vessels. The report deals fully with the condition of the tidal portion of the Mersey above Liverpool. Nr. Palmer was of opinion that the improvements should commence at Hale See Tracts 4t0, vol. 7, in the Library Inst. C.E. Downloaded by [ UNIVERSITY OF EXETER] on [26/09/16]. Copyright © ICE Publishing, all rights reserved. 16 WILLIANS ON THE NANCHESTER SHIP-CANAL. [&!kIutes Of Tlead, 2 miles below Runcorn, with a training-wall on t.he Lanca- shire side of the river, extending to Cuerdly Marsh, 14 mile above liuncorn. His plan shows anothertraining-wall commencing at the docks at Runcorn ; he considered that, by thus concentrating the scour, a depth of 10 feet of water would be ensured on the lowest tides. An entrance lock was to be constructed in a new cut across the Marsh, and other cuts with five locks and weirs were to be built higher up the river, wit11 sills at a level that would give it depth, with river-dredging, of 12 feet. to Manchester, and enable steamers of 400 tons burthen to navigatethe canalized rivers. ,Sailing vessels with fixed masts were to be discharged below the Bridgewater Canal Aqueduct at Barton, as Mr. Palmer considered the expense of passing ships over that canal, though practicable, wouldbe too costly. In January and February, 18+1, meetings were held at Manchester to discuss the question of bringing ship- ping there, which are fully reported in the’‘ Annals of Electricity, -etc.,”May, 1841.l They were attended bysome engineers and mer- chants. Mr. Bateman, Past-President Inst. C.E., after Mr. Palmer’s report had been discussed, presented a report he had made for the Mersey and IrwellNavigation Company, with plansshowing a darn across the Mersey at Runcorn Gap, where the bed of the river is sandstone rock overlaid with sand and silt. Theproposed darn was to he constructed of rock and earth faced with heavy squared pitching, vith a puddled clay centre. Pour rows of piles were to be driven where the dam did not go down to the rock. The length of the dam would have been about 1,260 feet, and on the top a roadway was to be formed. Mr. Bateman proposed to construct two sea- locks on the Cheshiro side of the dam, and on the Lancashire side ten self-acting floodgates each of 33 feet span to admit the flow and ebb of the tide. At half ebb he proposed to empty the great tidal basin above the dam to maintain the channelbelow Huncorn. Mr. Bateman also reported on an improvement of the Mersey and Irwell navigation. No action was taken on these reports ; at that date the success of railways was proved, and it was generally con- sidered that canals would beof small utility in the future, and Parliament sanctioned the sale of some important canals to railway companies. It was not until the year 1882 that the questionof a Manchester Ship-Canal was again revived, and on the 27th June a meeting of upwards of seventyleading merchants and manufacturers was held at the house ofMr. Daniel Adamson, whena Provisional SeeiTracts 8v0, vol. 71, in the Library Inst. C.E. Downloaded by [ UNIVERSITY OF EXETER] on [26/09/16]. Copyright © ICE Publishing, all rights reserved. Proceedings.] WILLIAMS ON THE X4BCHESTER SHIP-CANAL. 17 Committee was formed, and the Author and the late Mr. H. H. Fulton, M. Inst. C.E., were instructed to make surveys and report on the“feasibility of constructing a navigation to Manchester available for ocean-going vessels.” The late Ur. James Abernethy, Past-President Inst. C.E., was retained as consulting engineer. Mr. E’ultcn proposed to constructtraining-walls between Garston and Warrington, and to excavate a tidal canal thence to Manchester, 80 feet wide at the bottom, with extra width every li miles or 4 miles to enablevessels to pass. At Manchester a tidal basin was to be formed about 90 feet below the level of the land there. The depth of water in the canal was to be 22 feet at low water and 37 feet at high water of spring tides. The Author did not consider this scheme was practicable on account of the difficulty of navigation, and the great depth of the excavation; he therefore made a separa.te report in fawur of a canal with locks above Warrington, utilizing the waters of the Mersey and Irwell,with large sluices to pass off floods. The bottom width of the canal was proposed to be 100 feet, to allow of vessels passing at any point,a dimension which was after- wards increased to 120 feet. The depth was to be 26 feet. Tht: report set forth that, “The higher the level at which the cargoes can bebrought in bulk the better both for speed and cost ip delivery, and there is no mode of lifting cargo SO good, in either respect, as utilizing water-power in a luck. The reduced cost of excavation in the channel and docks, and the smaller quantity of land required through the saving of large slopes, will be much greater than the cost of the locks required, while the locks will convert the upper portion of the navigation into still-waterpound* which may be widened at any point into docks, while the ease andsafety of navigating deep andquiet pounds alwap main- tained at one level would be of great advantage.” The report8 were referred to Mr.