Engineering Wonders of the World
Volume I

THE MANCHESTER SHIP CANAL. 165 A SAILING SHIP AT ELLESMERE PORT. {Photo, K. R. Burgess.) in thirty different places. But notwithstanding all expedients, floods twice caused serious damage to the slopes of the cuttings. In November 1890, Cuttings 13 miles of the Canal were pre- damaged r by maturely filled, and in Decem- Floods, ber 1891 flood water rushed into 10 miles of the cutting. Both disasters inevitably entailed considerable additional ex- penditure as well as great delay. Five important railways cross the Canal, and deviation lines, each about two and a half ing vessels to remain at wharves loading or discharging without interfering with the pas- sage of traffic in the fairway. The total rise on the Canal above the low-water level below Latchford Lock is about 59 feet, which gives an average of under 15 feet for each set of locks. The Canal excavation amounted in all to about 54,000,000 cubic yards, including 12,000,000 cubic yards of sand- Excavation s^one rock • and the rate of ex- Work. . cavation varied between 750,000 and 1,250,000 cubic yards per month. Owing to the very extensive plant employed, the number of men and boys engaged never exceeded 17,000. The length of the single lines of railway temporarily laid down was 228 miles, and the rolling stock consisted of 173 locomotives, with 6,300 wagons and trucks. There were 124 steam-cranes and 192 fixed or portable engines, used chiefly for pumping. The total cost of the plant employed in construction was £980,000. As the upper portion of the Canal was exca- vated along the valleys of the Irwell and Mer- sey for a distance of 20 miles, a channel had to be kept open for the flood and ordinary waters of those rivers, which were intersected with gradients Railway Crossings. miles long, had to be laid sufficient to allow a clear head- way under the viaducts of 75 feet at ordinary water-level. The Runcorn Viaduct, previously constructed across the Mersey, gives that headway at high water of spring tides. For unimportant roads and footpaths, ferries on the Canal have been adopted. There are also seven swing bridges, five of which have a clear span of ]20 feet. Eight hydraulic installations are provided, each with duplicate engines and boilers, to work the cranes, warehouse lifts, the capstans at the docks, the coal tips at Partington, the lock gates and culvert sluices, and several of the swing bridges. Swing Bridges. Number of Men and Boys engaged. PART OF RUNCORN RAILWAY BRIDGE AND RUNCORN TRANSPORTER BRIDGE. CONCRETE EMBANKMENT ON LEFT. (Photo, K. R. Burgess.)