APPENDIX D. PRINCIPAL CANALS OF THE WORLD. a CONTENTS. Page. Manchester Ship Canal. .. .. ... .. . ..------------------------------------------------------------------171 Kaiser Wilhelm Canal (Kiel Canal)---------------------------------------------------------173 North Sea Canal. .. . . . . .. ...-----------------------------------------------------------------------174 Suez Canal...--------....---------------------------------------------------------------------------175 St. Marys Falls Canal.. . . .. . . ...-------------------------------------------------------------------180 Corinth Canal-............--------------------.--...------------- --------------------------------182 Dimensions of the canals of Europe.. . .. . . ..---------------------------------------------------------184 THE MANCHESTER SHIP CANAL. By W. HENRY HUNTER. 1. Depth of water.-The depth in the canal, at low water, is 26 feet. Work is now in progress for an increase of the depth to 28 feet. For the estuary section of the canal, 21 miles in length, the increase will be effected by the raising of the low-water level. For the remainder of the length, 14 miles (including the Manchester dock), the increase will be effected by lowering the bed of the canal by dredging. 2. Width at botto.-For 28 miles, out of the total of 35 miles, the ruling width at bottom is 120 feet. That width has been and is being increased in many disconnected lengths to 180 feet; that is to say that lay-byes in which vessels can lie in order to discharge and load cargo have been formed on the sides of the canal. For 4 miles of the length the ruling width is 170 feet, which is being increased to 200 feet. The remainder of the length is occupied by dock coaling basins, etc. .3. Inclination of side slopes.-The inclinations of the slopes are: In rock.. . ... . .. ..------------------------------------------------ 5 vertical on 1 horizontal. In clay.. . .. . . ...-------------------------------------------------2 vertical on 3 horizontal. In sand (glacial).. .. ...------------------------------------------ 2 vertical on 3 horizontal. In silt and light alluvial soil.. . .. ...--------------------------------- 1 vertical on 2 horizontal. In peat and other vegetable deposit. . ..---------------------------- 1 vertical on 3 horizontal. 4. Proportion between sectional areas of canal and vessels navigating canal.-The minimum section of the canal (i. e., at Pool Ball cutting, where both sides are in rock) is 3,614 feet in area. The general section is 4,333 square feet in area. The largest vessels which regularly navigate the canal at present are (1) twin-screw steamers of the Somerset class, 7,010 tons gross register, 460 feet-between perpendiculars, by 58.2 feet beam, and (2) single-screw steamers of the Silvrlip class, 470 feet between perpendiculars, by 55.2 feet beam. The draft of water of these vessels is 25 feet, and the areas of midship section are aboutI1,310 square feet and 1,240 square feet, respectively. The proportions are therefore: Minimum section, I_1-=2.76 to 1; general section, 4f44= 3.30 to 1. a Memoranda prepared in accordance with the resolution of the Board of Consulting Engineers for the Panama Canal, passed at the meeting of the Board held September 8, 1905. 171