[36] The Manchester ship canal is 35 miles long, 120 feet bottom width, and 26 feet in depth. The docks at Manchester cover 104 acres and have five miles of quays. It was estimated to cost £10,000,000 sterling, but cost over £15,000,000 before it was completed. Arrangements are in progress by a Manchester syndicate for the establishment of a weekly line of steamships of 8,500 tons capacity, to be provided with cold storage and the most approved equipments for carrying live stock. The best modern appliances for loading and discharging cargo, grain elevators being included, are among the attractions which enterprising Manchester presents to the shipping trade of Canada.
[37] “Montreal Board of Trade Report, 1897,” pp. 52, 88.
DIMENSIONS OF THE GREAT LAKES.
| LAKES. | Length. (Miles.) | Greatest Width. (Miles.) | Depth. (Feet.) | Above Sea. (Feet.) | Area. (Sq. Miles.) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ontario | 180 | 65 | 500 | 247 | 7,300 |
| Erie | 240 | 80 | 210 | 573 | 10,000 |
| Huron | 280 | 190 | 802 | 581 | 24,000 |
| Michigan ‡ | 335 | 88 | 868 | 581 | 25,600 |
| Superior | 420 | 160 | 1,008 | 601 | 32,000 |
| ‡ Lake Michigan lies wholly within the United States. | |||||
[39] These figures refer exclusively to vessels belonging to the merchant marine of the United States on the Great Lakes and are taken from official reports.
[40] Mr. C. H. Keep, in his report on the “Internal Commerce of the United States for 1891,” has given a graphic History of Navigation on the Great Lakes, and is our chief authority for these notes on the early American lake steamers.
[41] Robertson’s “Landmarks of Toronto,” p. 847.
[42] Bryce’s “Short History of the Canadian People,” p. 333.
[43] Hugh McLennan’s “Lecture on Canadian Waterways, 1885.”