AT our meeting on December 3, president Alex Wright welcomed new member Michael Burton.

The topic of the day was listed as Manchester Ship Canal, presented by Glen Atkinson using black/white pictures from Victorian years. The pictures had been transferred to digital format for screen presentation.

The extensive research by the speaker was amazing, and coupled with cine projection under the heading Building the Big Ditch.

Even though trading was buoyant in the late 1880s, the Liverpool Port Authorities charged excessive fees for the then existing waterways, so local industrialists, together with the Co-op Bank and others, decided to make their own waterway.

work started in 1888 and six years later it was operational.

A Mr Walker was the engineer fully in charge of this mammoth project. Health and safety were paramount, exceeding the norm of those early years. He also built a hospital for the injured.

The project workforce was around 16,000 with some 6,000 accidents recorded and 120 deaths, some caused by disease.

The pictures showed the huge Rushton steam navvies which could excavate many tons of clay/rubble etc per day, and 40 of these were used. Remember there were 36 miles to be dealt with, relating to half a mile per month (considerably less than it takes today to build a motorway), making a “ditch” 600ft wide x 65ft deep.

Later on Liberty ships (US wartime cargo ships) were built to transit the canal. During construction it was necessary to build 14 bridges, of which five were for the railways.

Members who were unable to be present missed a brilliant presentation for which Harold Holiday thanked Glen.

On December 17 R Bolton will present Christmas Past and Present.

GAV