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MANCHESTER SHIP CANAL

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Originally appearing in Volume V17, Page 552 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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MANCHESTER See also:SHIP See also:CANAL . The See also:advantage of a waterway for the See also:conveyance of goods between eastern See also:Lancashire and the See also:sea is so obvious that so far back as the See also:year 1721 See also:Thomas Steers designed a See also:plan for continuing to Manchester the See also:barge See also:navigation which then existed between See also:Liverpool and See also:Warrington. See also:Parliamentary See also:powers were then obtained to improve the See also:rivers See also:Mersey and Irwell from Warrington to Manchester by means of locks and weirs. This See also:work was successfully carried out, and proved of See also:great benefit to the See also:trade of the See also:district. The See also:duke of See also:Bridgewater, who had made a canal from his collieries at See also:Worsley to Manchester, afterwards continued the canal to the Mersey at See also:Runcorn; this See also:extension was opened in 1722 and competed with the Mersey and Irwell navigation, both routes being navigated by See also:barges carrying about fifty tons of See also:cargo. The Liverpool & Manchester railway at a later date afforded further facilities for conveyance of goods, but the high rates of See also:carriage, added to heavy charges at the Liverpool docks, prejudiced trade, and the question was mooted of a ship canal to bring See also:cotton, See also:timber, See also:grain and other goods See also:direct to Manchester without transshipment. The first plan was made by See also:William See also:Chapman in 1825, and was followed by one designed by See also:Henry See also:Palmer in 184o, but it was not until the year 1882 that the See also:movement was originated that culminated in the opening of the Manchester In determining the plan of the canal the See also:main point which arose was whether it should be made with locks or whether it should be on the sea-level throughout, and therefore tidal. The advantage of a still waterway in navigating large steamers, and the facilities afforded by one See also:constant See also:water-level for See also:works on the See also:banks and the See also:quick See also:discharge cf goods at the terminal docks at Manchester, secured the See also:adoption of the plans for a canal with locks as designed by See also:Sir E. See also:Leader See also:Williams. The fresh-water portion of the canal extended between Manchester and Runcorn, while from the latter See also:place to See also:Garston it was proposed to improve the upper Mersey See also:estuary by constructing training walls and dredging to See also:form a deep central channel. Parliamentary powers to construct the canal were sought in the session of 1883, when the See also:bill passed the See also:committee of the See also:House of See also:Commons but was rejected by the committee of the House of Lords. Brought forward again the next year, it was passed by the Lords but thrown out by the Commons.

The opposition from Liverpool and the railway companies was very strong; to meet to some extent that of the former, a continuation of the canal was proposed from Runcorn to Eastham along the See also:

Cheshire See also:side of the Mersey, instead of a trained channel in the estuary, and in this form the bill was again introduced in the session of 1885, and, notwithstanding strong opposition, was passed by both houses of See also:parliament. The cost of this contest to promoters and opponents exceeded £400,000, the various committees on the bill having sat over 175 days. Owing to difficulties in raising the See also:capital the works were not begun until See also:November 1887. The See also:total length of the canal is 35i M. and it may be regarded as divided into three sections. From Eastham to Runcorn it is near or through the Mersey estuary for 124 m., and thence to Latchford near Warrington, 81 m., it is inland; both these sections have the same water-level, which is raised by high tides. At Latch-See also:ford the locks stop tidal See also:action, and the canal is fed by the See also:waters of the rivers Mersey and Irwell from that point to Manchester, I ; m. from Latchford. The canal begins on the Cheshire side of the Mersey at 'Eastham, about 6 m. above Liverpool. The entrance is well sheltered and adjoins a See also:good See also:low-water channel communicating with the Sloyne deep at Liverpool. Three entrance locks have been provided See also:close to and parallel with each other, their length and width being 600 by 8o, 350 by 50, and 150 by 30 ft. These locks maintain the water-level in the canal nearly to mean high-water level (14 ft. 2 in. above the Liverpool datum) ; when the See also:tide rises above that height the See also:lock See also:gates are opened and the tide flows up to Latchford, giving on high See also:spring tides an additional See also:depth of water of about 7 ft. On the ebb tide this water is returned to the Mersey through large sluices at Randles See also:Creek and at the junction of the See also:river See also:Weaver with the canal, the level of the canal thus being reduced to its normal height.

The canal throughout to Manchester has a minimum depth of 28 ft.; the depth originally was 26 ft., but the lock sills were placed 2 ft. See also:

lower to allow of the channel being dredged to 28 ft. when necessary. The minimum width at bottom is 120 ft., allowing large vessels to pass each other at any point on the canal ; this width is considerably increased at the locks and other parts. The slopes are generally about i to 1, but are flatter through some portions; in See also:rock-cutting the sides are nearly See also:vertical. From Eastham to Runcorn the canal is alternately inland and on the See also:foreshore of the estuary, on which embankments were constructed to See also:act as dams and keep out the tide during the excavation of the canal, and afterwards to maintain the water-level at low water in the estuary; both sides are faced with heavy coursed See also:stone. The material for the embankments was principally See also:clay excavated from the cuttings. In some places, where the See also:foundation was of a porous nature, sheeting piles of timber had to be used. At See also:Ellesmere See also:Port, where the See also:embankment is 6200 ft. See also:long on See also:sand, 13,000 whole timber sheeting piles 35 ft. long were driven, to secure the See also:base of the embankment on each side; water jets under pressure through 12 in. wrought-See also:iron pipes were used at the See also:foot of each See also:pile to assist the sinking, which was found most difficult by See also:ordinary means. At the river Weaver ten Stoney See also:roller sluices are built, each 30 ft. span, with heavy stone and See also:concrete piers and See also:foundations; at Runcorn, where the river Mersey is narrow, a concrete sea-See also:wall 4300 ft. long was substituted for the embankment. At various points under the canal See also:cast-iron See also:siphon pipes were laid to carry off any See also:land drainage which was at a lower level than the canal ; the largest of these siphons were constructed to allow the tidal and fresh water of the river Gowy to pass under the canal at Stanlow Point, between Eastham and Ellesmere Port. Two 12-ft. siphons are there placed close together, built of cast-iron segments; they are each 400 ft. long, and were laid on concrete 4 ft. below the bottom of the canal. From Runcorn to Latchford the canal is nearly straight, the depth of cutting varying from 35 to 70 ft., partly in rock, but generally in alluvial See also:deposit. The whole length of the canal passes through the New Red See also:Sandstone formation, with its overlying beds of See also:gravel, clay, sand and silt, which gave much trouble during the progress of the work; retaining walls of stone and See also:brickwork had to be built in these places to maintain the sides of the canal from slips and injury from the See also:wash of steamers.

The canal from Latchford to Manchester is in heavy cutting through the valleys of the rivers Mersey and Irwell. As these rivers are circuitous in course, only very small portions could be utilized in forming the canal; a See also:

line as nearly straight as possible was there-fore adopted, and involved many crossings of the river channels. During the whole progress of the work these had to be kept open for the discharge of floods and land water, and in some places temporary cuts of considerable length had to be made for the same See also:object. In November 1890 and See also:December 1891 high See also:winter floods covered the whole of the river valleys, filling many See also:miles of the unfinished canal and causing great damage to the slopes. Altogether 23 M. of canal had to be pumped out to enable the work to be completed. After the cuttings between the river channels were finished, the end dams were removed, and the rivers Irwell and Mersey were turned into the new channel now forming the upper portion of the ship canal. The total rise to the level of the docks atManchester from the ordinary level of the water in the tidal portion of the canal below Latchford locks is 6o ft. 6 in.; this is obtained by an See also:average rise of about 15 ft. at each of the sets of locks at Latchford, Irlam (71 M. nearer Manchester), See also:Barton (2 m. farther) and Mode See also:Wheel (31 M. above Barton locks at the entrance to the Manchester docks). For the greater See also:part of this last length the canal is widened at bottom from 120 ft., its normal width, to 170 ft., to enable vessels to See also:lie at timber and other wharves without interfering with the passage of large vessels to or from the docks. The locks are in duplicate, one being 600 ft. long by 65 ft. wide, the other 350 ft. long by 45 ft. wide, with Stoney's sluices adjacent. They are filled or emptied in five minutes by large culverts on each side with side openings into the lock. Concrete with facings of See also:blue See also:Staffordshire See also:brick is largely used, and the copings, sills, hollow See also:quoins and See also:fender courses are of Cornish See also:granite.

The lock gates are constructed of See also:

greenheart timber. The sluices near the locks take the place of the weirs used in the old Mersey and Irwell navigation; they are 30 ft. span each, four being generally used at each set of locks. In ordinary seasons any water not used for lockage purposes passes over the tops of the sluices, which are kept closed; in See also:flood times the sluices are raised to a height which will pass off floods with a comparatively small rise in the canal. There are eight See also:hydraulic installations on the canal, each having duplicate See also:steam-engines and boilers; the mains exceed 7 m. in length, the pressure being 700 lb to the See also:inch. They work the See also:cranes, lifts and capstans at the docks, lock gates and culvert sluices, See also:coal tips, See also:swing See also:bridges and See also:aqueduct. At Barton, near Manchester, the Bridgewater canal crosses the river Irwell on the first navigable aqueduct constructed in See also:England. It was the work of See also:James See also:Brindley, and since it was built at only sufficient height to allow of barges passing under it, means had to be found to allow of this important canal being maintained, and yet to permit steamers to use the ship canal below it. Brindley's canal is on one level throughout its whole length, and as its water See also:supply is only sufficient for the See also:flight of locks by which it descends at Run-See also:corn to the Mersey, locks down to the ship canal would have involved the See also:waste of a lock of water on each side and caused serious delay to the See also:traffic. Sir E. Leader Williams surmounted the difficulty by means of a swing aqueduct for the Bridgewater canal, which when closed enables the traffic to pass as before, while it is opened to allow of See also:ships See also:crossing it on the lower level of the ship canal. The water in the swing portions of the aqueduct when opened is retained by closing gates at each end, similar gates being shut at the same See also:time across the fixed portion of the aqueduct. The swing portion is a large See also:steel trough carried by side girders, 234 ft. long and 33 ft. high in the centre, tapering 4 ft. to the ends; the waterway is 19 ft. wide and 6 ft. deep.

The whole works on a central See also:

pier with similar arrangements to the largest swing bridges on the canal; it has two spans over the ship canal of 90 ft. each. It is somewhat singular that the first fixed canal aqueduct in England should, after the See also:lapse of 136 years, be replaced by the first swing aqueduct ever constructed. The swing aqueduct is moved by hydraulic See also:power, and has never given any trouble in working, even in times of severe See also:frost. The See also:weight of the movable portion, including the water, is 1600 tons. The manner of dealing with the five lines of See also:railways that were cut through by the canal was one of importance, both in the interests of the travelling public and the trade on the canal; they are all lines with a heavy traffic, including the main line of the See also:London & See also:North Western railway near Warrington, with its important route to See also:Scotland. Swing bridges, although in use on some lines to See also:cross navigations, are dangerous and inconvenient, and high-level deviation lines were adopted for each railway crossing the canal. No such alteration of a railway had been previously sanctioned by parliament, and it was only the importance of a ship canal to Manchester that secured the requisite powers against the strong opposition of the railway companies. Embankments were made close to and parallel with the old lines, beginning about a mile and a See also:quarter from the canal on each side, the canal itself being crossed by viaducts which give a clear headway of 75 ft. at ordinary water-level. Vessels with high masts trading on the canal are provided with telescopic or sliding See also:top-masts. The gradients on the railways rising up to the viaducts are 1 in 135. The span of the viaducts is so arranged as to maintain the full width of the canal for navigation; and as the railways generally cross the canal on the skew, this necessitated girders in some cases of 300 ft. span. There are nine main roads requiring swing bridges across the canal ; all below Barton have a span giving a clear water-way of 120 ft.

The width of these bridges varies with the importance of the roads from 20 to 36 ft., and they are constructed of steel, their weight ranging from 500 to 1000 tons each. They work on a live See also:

ring of conical cast-iron rollers and are moved by hydraulic power supplied by steam, See also:gas or oil engines. The Trafford Road See also:bridge at the docks at Manchester is the heaviest swing bridge on the canal ; being of extra width, it weighs 1800 tons. The canal being virtually one long See also:dock, wharves at various points have been erected to enable chemical or manufacturing works to be carried on, widenings being provided where necessary. At Ellesmere Port coal tips and sheds have been erected, and the canal is in direct communication with the docks there as well as at See also:Weston Point and Runcorn, where a large trade is carried on with the Staffordshire See also:Potteries and the Cheshire See also:salt districts. At Partington branches from the railways connect the canal with the See also:Yorkshire and Lancashire coal-See also:fields, and the canal is widened out 65 ft. on each side for six hydraulic coal tips. At Mode Wheel there are extensive abattoirs and lairages, erected by the Manchester See also:Corporation; also large See also:petroleum oil tanks, graving dock and pontoons, See also:cold-See also:air See also:meat stores and other See also:accommodation for traffic. At Manchester the See also:area of the docks is 104 acres, with 152 acres of See also:quay space, having over 5 m. of frontage to the docks, which are provided with a number of three-See also:storey transit sheds, thirteen seven-storey and seven four-storey warehouses, and a large grain silo. The London & North Western and Lancashire & Yorkshire railway companies and the Cheshire Lines Committee have made See also:branch lines to the docks, the railways and sidings at which are over 30 miles in length. Much traffic is also carted, or dealt with by inland canals in direct communication with.the docks. The substitution of a wide and deep canal, nearly straight, for comparatively shallow and narrow winding rivers, and the use of large sluices in place of fixed weirs to carry off the river water, have been of great advantage to the district in greatly reducing the height of floods. The total amount of excavation in the canal, docks and subsidiary work amounted to over 54 million cub. yds., nearly one-See also:fourth of which was sandstone rock; the excavated material was used in forming the 'railway deviation embankments, filling up the old beds of the rivers and raising low lands near the canal.

As many men were employed on the works as could be obtained, but the number never exceeded 17,000, and the greater part of the excavation was done by about eighty steam navvies and land dredgers. For the conveyance of excavation and materials, 228 miles of temporary railway lines were laid, and 173 locomotives, 630o wagons and trucks, and 316 fixed and portable steam-engines and cranes were employed, the total cost of the plant being nearly £1,000,000. The See also:

expenditure on the works, including plant and equipment, to the 1st of See also:January 1900, was £10,327,666. The See also:purchase of the Mersey and Irwell and Bridgewater navigations (£1,786,651), land and See also:compensation (£1,223,809), See also:interest on capital during constructions (£1,170,733), and parliamentary, superintendence and See also:general expenses brought up the total amount to £15,248,437. The traffic on the canal gradually increased from 925,659 tons in 1894 to 2,778,108 tons in 1899 and 5,210,759 tons in 1907. After its opening considerable reductions were made in the railway rates of carriage and the charges at the Liverpool docks in See also:order to meet the lower cost of conveyance by See also:shipping passing up it. The result has been of great advantage to the trade of Lancashire and the surrounding districts, and the saving in the cost of carriage, estimated at £7oo,000 a year, assists manufacturers to meet the competition of their See also:foreign opponents who have the advantage of low rates of carriage on the improved waterways of See also:America, See also:Germany, See also:France and See also:Belgium. Before the construction of the canal, large manufacturers had See also:left Manchester to establish their works at ports like See also:Glasgow, where they could See also:save the cost of inland carriage. Since its opening, new See also:industries have been started at Manchester and along its banks, warehouses and See also:mills that were formerly empty are now occupied, while nearly 10,000 new houses have been built for the accommodation of the workpeople required to meet the enlarged trade of the See also:city. For further details see Sir Bosdin See also:Leech, See also:History of the Manchester Ship Canal (Manchester, 1907). (E. L.

End of Article: MANCHESTER SHIP CANAL

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