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'«^»4^'## SHIP TRANSPORTATION AND THE CHIGNECTO SHIP RAIlWflY PAPKRS ..-.j^" .*^ Read bbfobe the Canadian Society of Engineers, AT Montreal, Deo. 29th, 1891. BT H. G. C. KETCHUM, M. Inst. C. E. 1892 ^"•1*- • m.. ■■Ie* ;t' ■.»■ I' i r J ,> 4{ • 1(1 f" Tl Re i.C^'V'* SHIP TUANSI'OHTATKIN AND THE CHIGNECTO SHIP RIllLWAY PAl^BRS JIead before the Canadian Society of Engineers, AT ^lONTREAL, DeC. 20tH, 1801. BY H. G. C. KETCHUM, M. Inst. C. E. 1892 - *" - - m^km^^^^ • •*■ i r '"^, - w < U "^ ■ fii^imsmM^iiiiM ^.^..i,., -ZJiT Ui < o > d o CO < o I- < z < V- iiBMi Mi* •^ «i I- 3 a. o > (J (J o c/) < o o I- o < to < mm riai^th-i hiV 11.111 •mmmmmmmmmmnnmm i/mim mmmmm iim$iii,m TRANSACTIONS C VOL V PL i C^ SACKVI^.m X ■m •-■*?" TRANSACTIONS CAN. SOC. C. E. VOL V. PLATE XII, '<^SACKV1LL^\ /'// j, \ -svlf"'" y\ v;---'iv^'Li;i'' ^ WOOD* fQINT^'-^ t>-'*s=«»ii£Li:-^ CHIGNECTO SHIP RA By H. G. C. KETCHUM. rO SHIP RAILWAY, H. G. C. KETCHUM. I ! f ' ' ! PORT EL6! TIIWfCR RIVCfl I \A GULF •Pf OF S'LAWRENCE |f«iM fwiiilfa^Ji ''jMii'lip ' '^.^ ■-■^ '•''"'.•tiyi''i"i'ifr.'iir" " ' '•-■■^-^ '■^'■•'•'•^ immmmm <*t0l ■M Thiu'Bda}', 29th December. JOHN KENXEDY, Vice-President, in the Chair. *aper Ko. US, SHIP TRANSPORTATION. By TI. (r. C. Ketciium, M. Can. Soc. C. lO. Ship transport, in Homo form or othei-, has been practised for ges, even before the Christian era. The first example we have n record is that of the Diolcas of Corinth.. Some excavations ecently made on the isthmus of Corinth exposed to view omains of this ancient Diolcus It was a means for hind arriai-e of ships of that period from the harbour of Schainus to he eastern extremity of Port Lech(uum. Ships were run ashore i,nd dragged from one sea to the other. The derivation of the vord Diolcus is from the Greek verb ' to drag.' The work •xisted in the time of Aristophanes 427 B.C. and is said to have )een in operation ;jOO years. The site of Sehfcnus is now called Jocosi. This ship road is thus described in the Lexicon of Uornelius Schrievelius JioXx"^ (Diolcos) : '• Tractatus in Jsthmo * Corinthiaco iibi naces ex lonio in (Kijivum et vicissum trahebantur " —"A track on the Corinthian Isthmus where ships were hauled ' out of the Ionian into the(Ega'an Sea and neighbourhood." It svas such a great advantage to commerce (owing to the difficulty Df weathering ('ape Maltea) that Corinth became, by its means, the emporium of trade between Italy and Asia. The size of the ships eanied is said to be about 149 feet long, 18 feet wide, with a draught of 8i feet. It is said that this] method of ship transport was practised by the Greek Admiral Nicetas Ooryfas in the year 831 in order to enable him to attack the Arabian Corsairs who were then devastating the coasts of the Peloponesus. In 1438 the Venetians carried a fleet of thirty galleys overland from the River Adige to Lake Garda, a distance of 200 miles, the motive power being oxen, assisted on the mountains by wind- lasses. One thousand oxen are said to have been employed. 1 111 t > t 2 Kelchum on Ship Transporla/ioH and ThiK herculean enterpriHe was proposed by Blasio do Arboribus and Nic(>l(j Sorbolo and wa^ siui-essfully cairied out with the Iohs of but one vessel. In 1453, at the siei^'c of Constantinople, Soleiman Pacha trans- ferred his fleet by land into the (iulf of the (lolden Horn by tim- ber ways, greaseil and laid on trestle-^ and stagiiit!;. The feat was eai'ried out in order to avoid a hu/jje chain laid across the llelleH- p( nt, which jircsenlcMl an impassable ba'iier to the t'litrancc of his fleet by water. This cniip de (juerre was accomplished in a single iiijifht. The vessels weie dragged over two miles, so, on (he nioiniiigof 22ti(l April, lir»;i, the astonished iidiabitants saw u lai'ge lloct lying close under their walls, and capitulated. In 1718 Count Kmanuol Swedenboi-g conveyed a siiallop, two galleys and four large boats five leagues over mountains and valleys from 8tr(;mstadt to Idefjal, in Sweden. Swedenborg, the foundci' of the Swedenborgian religion was ennobled on account of his invention, which is described as ' a sort (jf rolling machine." Jt was also used by Charles XII. to transport cannon to thosiege of Frederickshall. All these examples of ship transportation ovei'land weic under- taken and carried out ])i'incipally foi- warlike enterprise.<. Coming neaicr our own time, we have the example of a Poi'tage railway, fifty years ago, from Holidaysburg to Johns- town, Pennsylvania, where catud boats were carj-ied in sections thirty miles from one canal to another, before the Pennsylvania Central Iiailrt)ad was o|)ened. The Portage liaihvay was con- structed to connect the caiud sy>tem of lOastern and Western Pennsylvania. It was a system of -'gravity railways," with ten inclined planes, and u]) and dinvn these steep inclines the large boats of the '" Pioneer Packet Line " made i-egular (rijis until the Pennsylvania liailroad was built, when it ceased to be opei-ated. There was another of similar cotistruction on the Morris and Ksso.K Canal, in the State of New Jersey. In Cornwall, Englaiul, between Bude and Launceston, the Budo Canal has existed since 182(1. At JIol)bacote Downs the canal boats, which are furiushed with small iron wheels, ascend the up- lands by an inclined plane 'JOO feet long, provided with two lines of rails terminating at each end in the canals. The iion wheels lit the rails and the boats are raised by an endless chain moved by two vast tanks alternately tilled with water and descending "^WF'Tii'r'-ifljpi lJ''& ■ '''mmim9mm:iimm''mmm»'m> wmmn ,. i imr^iw - the Chignecto Ship Railway. 3 into wells 220 feet deep. There are seven of theHe inclined planes in operation on the Budo Canal. In Germany vessels of sixty tons capacity aro cai-ried overland from the upper to the lower part of the Klbin{,'-Oborland Canal, in West Prussia. This transport system has been in successful operation for over twenty years, but When the idea was first broached it was ridiculed by everybody. In 18(50 Sir James Brunlces and the late Mr. E. 13. Webb pro- posed to the Emperor Napoleon III. a ship railway across the Isthmus of Suez in lieu of the present ship canal. Marshal A^ail- lant, Minister of War for the Hmporor, referred the matter toM. de Lcsseps,who rojecteil the idea. Amon^'st the advantajjjes men- tioned in favour of the proposed Suez Ship Etiilway was the con- venience with which the ship's hulls could be examined whilst on their ciadles during the passage from sea to sea. The i-ailway was to have been level throughout. The ships were to be sup- ported on a framing of iron resting on numerous wheels and springs, these, again, on ten rails. The speed was to have been twenty miles an hour, and the estimate of cost was one-seventh that of a ship canal. The passage from the Meditori-anean into the Ked Sea was to have been made in 16 hours. The speed of steam vessels in the present canal is reduced to about 2^ miles an hour. The Hydraulic Lift invented by Mr. Edwin Clark, M. Inst. C. E, was proposed to be used for the first time by Sir James Brun- lces as the means to be employed for raising and lowering vessels at each terminus of the proposed Suez Ship Railway. This invention, first carried out at the Victoria Docks, London, renders it ])ossible to construct Ship Railways any- where on the globe where canals have been [)rqjecte(l. Tlie author will have the pleasure of exhibiting a model of the ship lift this evening by which it will be plainly demon- strated that by its means, not only ships can be lifted out of their natural element, but that anywhere on dry land, physical difficulties, hills and valleys may be overcome by the use of the Hydraulic Lift, thus avoiding heavy gradients and obtaining shorter lines than would be possible under any other contrivance An hydraulic lift can be used to lift vessels on land as well as from the sea. It only requires a water supply sufficient to feed the engines. The water used in the presses can be supplied m 4 Ketchum on Ship Transporlation and from a separate tank, which once filled is a sufficient supply for a very lonj^ time by re-usinj^ the water which is all the bettor for a little mixture of grease and oil. By the use of the hydraulic lift to surmount differences of level, and a simple Turntable to change direction, it is easy to build Ship Railways anywhere. It was owing to a suggestion of Mr. Edwin Clark, in his paper read before the Institution of Civil Engineers in 1866, that the author turned his attention to the possibility of largely cheapen- ing the construction of the Haio Vertc Canal by using the Hydiaulitr Ship Lift, with boat shaped pontoons to convey large draught vessels on a shallow canal. The first plan for a canal was to have a depth of only four feet, the next plan was for eight feet. When Captain Ciawloy, E.K., proposed nine feet of water on the sills of the canal locks, he declaretl it to be impracticable owing to the deficiency of a fresh water supply, and he objected to the use of the Bay of Fundy water, owing to its turbid nature. The clear water of Bale Verte could not be used owing to its lower level, which, without being pumped to the height required to supply the deficiency, could not be made available. The author thought, that with such a working depth as the fresh water obtainable would supply, it would be a great advantage to adopt Mr. Clark's suggestion (vide Minutes Inst. C. E. Vol. XXV. page 309) : " This system," he said, " aifoi-ds ready " means, by the construction of a shallow canal of transporting " the largest vessels in cargo, either across an isthmus or over " river shallows ; and of removing vessels of war inland, either '' for their protection, or for their employment as a means of " internal defense." The author found a difficulty in working out the problem at the Bay of Fundy loithout using some sort of a railway to transfer these pontoons from the Ship Lift to the proposed shallow canal. This idea led to the present Ship Railway in construction at Chignecto. It became apparent that vessels might as well be lifted to the surfivce of the ground and hauled across the neck of land on steel rails, thus avoiding all the question of water supply and its various iiorplexities in this particular locality. It occurs to the author that such a scheme might b*^ used in all the canals of Canada, to convey vessels having any draught, say up to twenty feet. There is no necessity of deepening upply for lie bettor s of level, ^ to build his paper , that the cheapen- ising the vey large t* a canal for eight of water 'acticable objected d nature, ig to its required »le. The the fresh d vantage I. E. Vol. la ready isporting or over id, either noans of oblem at > transfer )w canal, iction at > well be ;Le neck )f water locality, ed in all draught, iepening the Chignecto Ship Railway. 5 the existing canals at immense expense when by using pon- toons you may so easily and safely convey ocean vessels of 20 feet draught and more through the present canals. All it requires is a lift at or near each terminus at a convenient place where the water is deep enough for the pur])OHe. The pontoon should bo open at the top and provided with blocking gear to receive the vessel on the Hydraulic Lift. When lifted the pontoon can be towed away with the vessel upon it to the other end of the canal, in the vicinity of which another lift would be ei-ectod, and ready to rccoivo the vessel and reloate her from the pontoon, when she could continue her voyage to her destination. The simplicity and economy of this method is beyond question. The hydraulic Lifts could also bo utilized as CJ raving Docks for all sorts of Lake craft. With proper precautions to preserve the pipes from frost, as proposed to bo used at Amherst, N.S., on the ChignectoShip Railway, there is no danger of damage from this cause, or from ice if properly situated and protected. The sys- tem of pontoon floating may also be applied to tho River Shallows of the St. Lawrence in many places. The pontoons, which may be called " steel rafts," would draw from six to eight feet water according to their size and the load of vessel carried upon them. They are laigely used at Malta in tho Mediterranean for vessels of 3,000 tons in cargo. In 1812 a remaikiiblo Ship Railway was proposed by the Re- public of Honduras across its territory from Puerto Caballos on the Atlantic Ocean to tho Bay of Fonseca on tho Pacific Ocean, about half way between the Panama canal oi M. do Losseps and Captain Eads' Ship Railway on the Isthmus of Tehuantopoc. It was intended to adapt tho Intoroceanic Railway, then under con- struction by the Republic, for the purpose of a Ship Railway. It was to carry 1,200 tons and would doubtless have been carried out if the Republic could have found the money, which they failed to do. Later on Sir John Fowler prepared plans for a Ship Railway for the Khedive of Egypt to overcome tho cataracts of the Nile. Then the Tehuantepec Ship Railway, the huge enterprise of Mr. Eads, tho engineer of St. Louis Bridge and Mississippi Jetties, was projected and a concession obtained by him from the Mexican Government. m\ iliSiv; m«i y 6 Keh'hum on Ship Transportation and This Ship Euilway piuject is wlill nlivo. It will be about 130 inileH loiiK and will connoct the Gulf of Mexico with the PaciHc Ocean. The gradients are to bo 50 feet o the mile. The elaborate investigation into the merits of this great work, which took i>laco bolore a committee of the United States Senate brought forward an amount of evidence of ex|)erts in ship build- ing which ought to silence forever any objections that might be raised against Ship Railways in general as to the liability to un- duly strain vessels dining their transport from sea to sea. Mr. Eads and his able coadjutor, Mr. Corthell, have done valuable work in the cause of Ship IJailways, by si)rcading abroad their views and disseminating the evidence given before the committee of Congress. The j.rojectors of all Ship Railways will be greatly indebted to Mr. Corthell for su clearly setting forth the economy to be gained by the introduction of Ship liailways in his paper on "Canals and Railroads, Ship Canals and Ship Kailways," read at the Convention of the American Society of Civil Engineers, .lune 25111, 1885. The conclusions derivable from Mi-. Corthell's valuable paper are " that a canal cannot compete in speed or economy or facili- ties with a railroad ; and that a Ship Canal must also be much more expensive than a Ship Railway in tirst cost, maintenance and operation, and much inferior to it in dispatch facilities and conveniences." lid r,avs : " The cost oii the best railroads is three mills per ton per mile lor through freight." Deducting irielevant items, such as do not pertain to a Ship Railway, the cost can be properly reduced to one and a half mills. But he also maintains that the cost can be reduced on Ship Hail- ways to one mill per ton per mile, because much larger loads are carried. 'The ratio of paying to non-paying loads is greater,' 'The frictional rosistanoe to the motive power is reduced,' * The Line of Railway is straight,' -The Track perfect,' 'The Gradients, if any. very asy,' ' Greater results are obtained with less fuel and service.' Detailed plans of a Steamboat Railway on the Dalles of the Columbia IJivor, Oregon, have been submitted to the Secretary of State lor war, U.S.A., and General Casey, Chief of Engineers, U. S. Army, in forwarding his report to the Secretary of War Siiii ^^feM e about 130 the PaciHc mile. Tho M)rk, which itow Sonulo 1 ship build- it might bo bility to un- () HCJi. Mr. no vuhiablo ibroatl their committee 1 bo greatly lie economy in his paper Kailways," sty of Civil uable paper ny or facili- Iso be much naintonance acilitioH and )c mills per in to a Ship a half mills. n Ship Ilail- ;er loads are ■eater,' 'The ' ' The Lino Gradients, if less fuel and >alle8 of tho le Secretary' >f Engineeis, staryof War the Chignecto Ship Rni'wa//. 7 pronounced it feasible and the host solution of tho problem presented ! A Ship liailway has also been proposed across the Peninsula of Florida. Torpedo boats 35 metres in K'ngth have been transported from Hrest to To"!on, France, on an ordinary lailway, on five sj)ecially adapted lug,f Aberdeen, has patented a Ship Cradle with hydraulic cushions — ''a series of plain " tubes of India rubber and canvas filled with water, and j)laced " side by side athwart tho ship from stem to stern, tho open ends of " each tube on a level with the dock and tho middle of the tubes " bent underneath tho ship's bottom, and resting on tho car." The idea is ingenious, and time will show whether it ought to be adopted. It is desirable not to sot up any oscillating motion to the ChifftH'i'to S/iifi Bnihi'dif. Docks, lion- 't lif'tod ulxiut [I0 foot long tons woi^Iit. t'lo kind led world, inotiioi'^roat IhipH Cuming [Uii'o rcpuiiH u cnrgo. In ro8H register 0' oxninplew jmbiiy, now ', which lif'lH hoard of in vessolrt are intervention pontoons, for to undergo 1 to multiply case of the Ici'go repairs 0, where one m the llivcr igii of water I little study bo inside of outer vessel o be carried, patented a ).s of plain I", and j)laced open ends of of the tubes the car." it ought to ng motion to /'. '^' < u^ « A X '^. z. -^ V. '.T" a. /^ f— ■f -r^ ■mn ■n V, H y. ir „ ar _ -^ r-* b. y. RPI 10 Kiiihum on Slii/t ''yaHs/KtrfatmH and jnovuiit tli»' l i iii U i* tli- ii il'Uii"ii ul'iln' \voi:^lit (if v»'s«olisuiiil ciir^o wliilo on the cnulle. Tho iiivontoi* claimH that the vortsuls would lu' iiH^ood jjs walor l)i)riu', l)iit if ohcillaiion Nhoultl bo in any way causoii l»y this riKMle, tlii' ndvaiitai^'f of a tiu-roly solt cushion would 1)0 noiitrulizotl Ity lliis doCoit, ami it would lio Iti'ttiT to Mtick to proved uit'tliods of lilockiti'.'; in tlio tii'ht instance Sir JMhvurd .1. Uood, K. 0. ii,, iato Cliiof Construotor in tho lJl■ili^h Navv, in hisovidonco hoforo thoUtunniittoo on Cojniniirco hotoio inontioiuMl, waiil : — '• 1 hhould like to suy at tirst that, as a naval constructor. I have no I'oar whalovor of a ship unilor;,'<)ing iir)y strain in tho procoHs of lifting; out of ti»o water (as would ho necessary in tho case of a ^hip railway) that she is not liable to ut present in ordinary ilocking. F would .-"ay, further, thut I uin ([uito sure thai the processes of ordinaiy dockini^ carried on in a vast num- ber of private establishments are very negligent and insufticiunt in comparison with those which would be adopted in tho case of tho hydraulic lifts connected with tho proposed ship railwa}-. " Thoy seem to think there arc no vibrations or jerking, or forces of some kind tho ship would be subjected to on tho railway that who i> not subjected to at sea. That feeling, I know, is a pretty gcnoial one. I can only attribute it to tho fact that tho gentlemen who so think are not ac(j[uaintud with tlio strains that ships undergo at sea. " Tiie next thing 1 would say is that wo have ships on railways and we have them in tho worst I'orm. Nothing is commoner than lieaving up slips upon which ships are j)ulled up out of tho water. They have to take their bearing Hrst at tho bow, and gradually como up until thoy got upon tho solid, and are then hauled up by chains. '* That has boon done every whore, all over tho world, thousands of times in this country, and it is now carried on to a voiy largo exMent indeed. With docks for ships of 3,000 or 4,000 tons nothing is thouglit of pulling these ships uj), and nothing is tlu>ught of any sti'ains they undergo under tho circumstances. '■ If it is sutlicient on a Ship Railwoy to provide against some- thing like tho worst hurricanes at sea, then I have no hesitation in saying that it is perfectly impossible for these, ships on the railway to come to any grief from wind, because the resistance to hold tho ship upright on her cradle on the railway track is, 1 think, very many times greater than tho forces which keep her upright at sea. !:« fr,5'TO«9a'>3r»a»ei'fe*««*»iw».^- - 'tmef s^\ I oImjuhI cjvr^r) tsols would lu' > in any way Nf)ll tii.Hliion lid 1)0 iK'Ut'r iivt inslanco tictnr ill the 0|lH(llR't(»l', I liuiii in tliu osHary in tlio t prewont in in (juilo Hiiro a vuwt nuni- 1 insurtielont n tlio casu of luihvay. i" Jerking, or 1 the rail way I know, is a fact tiiat tlio strains that !0n railways M commoner ip out of the he bow, uiui nd are then d, thousands a veiy largo 4,000 tons nothing is eumstances. i^ainst somo- 10 hesitation dups on the e resistance Y track is, I eh keep her the Chignedo Ship Rnihmi/. 11 " With a tra(di liki! that, ami with loconiofivos adapti'd to il, there would he no dilHculty in trun'^poiting hhips. Il would lie best to avoid u very hiirh rule of speed. It would not bo neces- sary, I should think, to move these shipH at a greater speed tliun eight or ten miles an hour, although i am <|uite prepared to believe that, with a propel" track and locomotives, vessels could lu) traii.sport(H| much I'asler." Ill September, ISH'J, the author referred tins (juostion of ship strains to Professor T. Olaxton Kidler, M. Inst.C. H., now of the Dundee University, wiio lepfU'ted as follows: — " III connection with the ship herself, it will bo important to arrive at some estimate of the strains to which kIio may be exposeil during the process of land carriage, as e(»mpaieli loiiulit ami st riiL^ii;!*'!! t'oi' its j>o-^session, iis it iin'iUMU'd tlio l"'i-oiicli a liaso ot npoi'alions from wliirli llio l'!iii;-lisli .-I'lllcnu'iils coiiM 1)0 liara>-<(Hl. 'I'lio tide ol' conihaf Killed around it iiilcrmittcntly lof IT)!* years. It lias lieeii eapliind and icea])- lufoil in the l-'reneli and Indian wai's, and dnrini.' tin- Aineiiean revolution a small army ol' volunteers fiotn the iiei^diliourinij: repnhlie hesei^etl Fort < 'iindjei'land. The hei<'hts of Fort ('umherlatul have lre(|U('ntly hcheld lleets of warshijis (lyin^i,- the Lilies of I'VatH e, anil tho White ( V(tss of St. (ieor<^a'. It I'anUs witii Louisburi,^ and old Port Koyal in historie interest and iinportance, and was I'i^MitU' eon-iderid one ol the keys of Canada. ShcMild there be war between (iroat iiritain and any Kurojiean power there is no doubt that a hi;;Iiway for vessels ot' war, sueh as g'unboats and torpedo boats, wt)uld be of the gretiti'st pos^ible advantai;o to Great Britain and Canada in the defenec of the -Maritime Pi'ovinces. In 1822 the Crovcrnmont of Now Ilrunswiclv instruetcd Mr. Robert C. Minnette, ri'f)vineial Land Surveyor, to make the tirst aetual survej' of a canal, whicdi he aeconiplishe 1 in that year. In LS2r) Sir Howard I)ou<^la-, (iovernor of New Brunswick, employed Mi'. FranciH Hall, Civil Lnginecr, to rcpoit on tho construction of a canal on the lino of .Mr. Minnotte's survey. In LS2'i Sir Thomas Telford, the most eminent Kn^lish rnici- neer of the day, I'oundei' ol' the Listitution of <.'ivil Lni^'ineers in London, was eon^iilteil as to the ieasibility of .Mr. Hall's jdatis. lie ri-ported that "if this canal were cumpleled, ready '■ aeee.ss wouM thereb\' be opened, not only with (Quebec and " iMontre.il, but also with the uj)jier lakes to a boundless " extent." In 184.'), Ca)»t. 11. O. Crawley, of the Royal I'^ni^ineer.-, was employed at the joint expense of Canada, New Biuns\vi(d<, and Fi'ince Ldward Island to report on pi'evious sehenies. iie said : " It is unnecessary tbi- me to dwell upon the importance of an " undortakinu: which .seems to be generally admitted." Aftei- this (late public attention was directed to Railways and it was ])roi)i.)sed to r.tilize the Steamship Lines now establi>hed on either side of the Isthmus by tiansliipping freight over a 16 Kctchum on Ship Transportation and Lino oi'Euilwjiy to bo built betweoii tho Bend of Petitcodiac on tbo IJay of'Fundy, and Shodiac on tiio Gulf of St. Lawrenco. In liSS.'i, a Company was formed and a contract made with MesHrs. JV.to, Bi-assey, Belts and JaelvHon, and woi'k comnicnccd on this Line of Kaihvay from Moncton to Point du Clicno, a distance of 18 miles. It was, however, taken out of tlio hands of that lii'm in 185(1 and coinjjletod by the Governmi-nt of Xcw Brunswick in 185>. 'fhis was tJie fii-st line constructed by tho (iovernment of that Province under Mr. A. L. Light, M.I. ('.!"]., Chief Kni;ineer. Cai-i^'oes fi-om tho (julfpoi-ts wore ti-anshij)ped at Point du Chenc, carried ovei' tho Isthmus and ai^ain put into steamers on the Bay of I'undy. In 18(»0, this line was extended to St. John, New Brunswick, a total distance of 108 miles, and freight from the Culf Ports and Prince Kdward Island was then tranship))ed from steamers to the railway and from the .ailway to the steamship lines plying between St. John, N. B., and Portland and lioston. A line liom Pictou to Truro, a distance of 55 miles, was aftor- wai'ds completed across another jiart of tho Isthmus by tho Gov- ernment of Xova Scotia under Mr. Sandford Fleming, C.M.G.. Chief l^ngiiieer. Subsequently a line of railway from Sackvillo to Cape Tor- mentine, antl branches from tho Intercolonial Eailway to Buctouche, Eichibucto, Chatham, Caraquet, Dalhousie, N. B., have all been fompleted, showing tho great importance attached to the trade flowing from the (Julf of St. Lawrence towards St. John and tho United States. " The business done on those lines affords evidence of the large " volume of traffic seeking transit between the Gulf and Bay, or " between the Gulf and the Eastern States of the Eepublic." " Where there is so large a railway traffic it needs no argument " to show that there must be an enormous water bourne traffic " when once the Short Cut across the Isthmus of Chignecto is " possible.'' Xotwithstanding these railway facilities there are many bulky articles of commerce which cannot, with economy and conven- ience, be carried any great distance by rail, and when there is a necessity and exjjenso of transhipment and rehandling, the railway carriage becomes sometimes too expensive to leave any Petitcodiac on Lawrence. ct mailo with I'lv coinnicnccd it. dii Clicne, a )(' Iho hands of uni-nt oC Xow tructed by the ife'ht, M.I.C.H., le ti'ansliij)pod ai^ain put into i was oxtendod 108 miles, and dand was then m the .ailway n, N. B., and iles, was after- iia by the Gov- 3ming, C.M.G.. to Cape Tor- 1 Eailway to housie, N. B., tance attacdied ice towards St. ce of the large If and Bay, or Republic." Is no argument bourne traffic f Chignecto is [•e many bulkj' )' and conven- when there is ehandling, the e to leave any the Chignerlo Ship Railway. n profit. Such is the case with lumber, coal, gy])sum, plaster, building stone, potatoes, deals, Hsh, kc, c"^c. In ]S(!0 a Company was incorpoiatod liy the Legislature of Nova Scotia to build the canal, as a private woik, and the interest in it was accordingly revived. In 18(10 the late Jolm J'age, C. E., Chief Knginoer of Pid)lic Works, was called upon to repoit upon all pi'cvious surveys of the Haio Vertc Canal, which at this date had again become a live question, and further surveys were ordered by the Dominion (iovernment. In 1871 a most thorough survey was made of the wiiolo Isthmus by Mr. F. Baillargc^, As.sistant"ciiief Hngineor of 'ui)lic Works In 1872 Sir Casimir Gzowski and the late Mr, Samuel Kecfer, <'. E.. surveyed and recommended a line of Canal approxinnUely on the route of the present Ship IJailway. Samuel Keefer, C. E., obsei'ved that in the comi)aratively isol- ated condition of the Provinces bi'fore Confederation the neces- sity tor this shoi-t line of communication was not felt; but now that they form one united Dominion, bound together by ties, political and commercial, the trade growing up between them must tend year by year to give greater importance to the pro- posed shorter and safer line of navigation. The estimated cost of this line of canal by these engineers was $5,317,000, but Mr. Page, on examination of the estimate, alleged that there had been undervaluations and onus-ions, and he added to it 25 per cent, for undervalue placed on works, $1,320,250, and for omissions $450,000, making the probable actual cost of work, according to Mr. Page, $7,100,000. Mr. Page declared " that the construction of a navigable chan- '• nel between the Bay of Pundy and the Cult' of St. Lawrence, on ' any line that can be selected, will be an undertaking attended " with unusual difficulty, not only from the nature of the work " to be done, but from the great dirtcrence in the elevation of the " respective tides." The range of the tides in the Bay of Fundy has always been exaggerated in the school books and gazetteers. The most care- I'ul ob.>>ervationa taken by Mr. Baillargd^ C. K., in 1870, resulted ill establishing the range of tides to be 38 feet at neap and 48 feet at spring tides. The greatest tide ever known occurred on 18 lulditrni (in Ship TraNK/xirta/ion and tlio .Jill ()c|(tl»e'r, isii'.t, til MOW iiiooii. Tlio liiii^'c wa.s llioii (iriy- sovcii ritt..six iiiclu's. It is vvt'll khown as (lio ShxIjv tide, ho fiiilcil li'diii a |ii(;clicliuii iiwido iioarly a yoar licforo il liappt'iifi.l, liy l-iiMii. S. .M. Sixl.y, i:. .\., \vl.i( Il ai-poaiod in tlio Loik^ui 'Villus ill huic'iiilii'i'. h(o. Tlio lollowiiii'- roiisons jor (ho piodic- liuii svoio -ivoii ill his nwn woids : " Al 7 a. in., Octolior Otli, (ho '• iimoii will 1.0 al 111, It |.art oC hor urhit iioarosl (ho oui'tli. lior " alliai tidii will llioroloio ho at tho maxiiiiiiiii Coi'co. A( noon (»i' •' .^aiiu- day llir in.ion will ho on (ho oarlh's o(|iial<)i-, which novor " wociiis wiihoui iii.ii kod alinosphoric distiirham-c, and at '1 p. m. •' ^aIll(• (lay lino.-, druwn iVoin tho t-artli'is oontiv- woidd out (lu! " iiHxtii and Mill in I ho s;imoaro oi'ii^-ht as(oiisi(in. Tho moon's " a(trao(i..n and (ho mui's allraolioii will Ihorolbro lo in Ihosanio " diioolioii In olhor woids (ho now moon will ho on (ho oarth's " O(|iiulor and imthinii,- nioro (hi'oa oniiii^- t-an oociir widioiit " niiiaolo." 'I'his |irodio(ion was voriliod hy voiy high (idos and a toiiihio stdiin on (ho JJuy ol' Fiiiidy. Tho oxtionio laiigo ol" tidos in iJaio Voito was ohsorvod to ho 10 loot H iiiohos; (he ordinary lango hoing only 5 (eot 7 inchos. Thus whilo the (Imliiaiions ahovo and holow tho moan sea lovul woio only '1 fool !) inchos at liaio Voilo, (hoy wore at tho sumo timo ]!» led ahovo and holow moan soa lovolon tho liay ol'Fundy a( noap (idos, and 24 loot at s])ri!ig' tidos. A lloyal (^llnmission coinposod of tho most roprosontativo com- morcial mon ol Canada, soloc(od f'r(»ni tho dilloront provinoos, was uppoinlod hy tho (lovoinmont in 187! to invostigato tho whole canal sys(om of Canada, with tho lato Sir Jlii-h Allan as (Jhair- man. Tho Maio Voile Canal after full onquiry and oxaminalion, was jilaced l.y ihoin in llio tirst rank of all iho canals of tho Do- minion. The i'ullowing is oxtraotod from tho report of the Canal Commis>ion : •' The growth of Intorcoloniul (rado depends " on oheaj) transil, since the morchandiso passing holweon tho " Mai-ilimo !*i ovincos and Ontario nui.'^t be. of a bulkij character, " ro.|uiriiig largo vessels and rapid dispatch to ho really jirolit- " ahlo. When a jiropollor can go direct with u cargo of coal, (»r " other produce of (he Eastern I'lovinces, to Kingston and To- " ronto, and there get a rolurn freight of Hour, hurley, and olhor " Westoi'n produce, Intercolonial trade will have entored on a ■' new era. " When Xova Scotia coal of the best de8cri])tiou can be supplied II II I I I H III W nd wa.s llioii (iCly- Siixlty tide, ho il liii|»|)oiit'(l, in lliu liOndiMi lor llio piudic- L-tohcM' 5lli, llio e c'Jii'tli. Hoi- 0. A( noon of ', wliicli iiivci' ;iii(l ill '1 |(. ni. ivoiild oil, tin; Tli'j moon's le ill tlicsaiiio on tiie oiirtli's KMiir witlKuil liigli tides and bservod to Ito (eot 7 inches, loan HCii lovui "0 ut tlic suniu l)uy ol'Fiindy cntativo coni- ii'oviiiecs, was itc Ihu wliolo llan as (Jliair- oxaiiiiiialioii, uIh of llio Do- ■cporl of tlio Irado di'iicnds bctwoen the dkij chanicter, really jn-olit- 'go of coal, or ^ston and To- ey, and other- entered on a n be supplied t/ic. Cliignctio Ship luii/irai/. 19 •• alMindaiitly and (dica|)ly to western poiis, a great iiiipulsc will '• necessarily he given to the Iransrer of (lie trade ot the St. Law- •• lenee and Lakes to screw steamers, a traiisier already t;iking " place, as we have |ire\i()Usly shown. '• With the canals enlarged, eoal fivigliK woidd he reduced to " the niiniiniini |K.iiit — a lake |.iu|„.|K.r wmiM always hring hack ■' hoiii the |(»wer ports a cargo of eoal, rather th mi e.)iiie empty •' - jiisi as the hliiglisli timher ships have ln'cii .iccnstomed io • hring the same aiticK- instead of hallasl. '• Inseparably coiii,,mI('.| with lliegrowlh of I nleic oloiiial trade •• is Ihe eonstriiction of llu^ |!aie Vi^rle ("anal acros> the Istimiiis, •' coiiiuTling Ihe Provinces of Nova Scolia a-id New llriiiiswick. " The advantages that mii>t accrue, not merely Io the Dominion •• a- a whole, hut to the commerce of the Mai'ilime I'roviiiees, are '• so clearly pointed oiii hy the lioards of Tradi^ of all the lead- •' ing cities of Canada, and hy men inleresled in the development ■'of niir commercial intere-ts, not simply the niendianls of St. •' John and other places in the locality ot the proposed ( 'anal, hut " meridiants of Hamilton, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and (^ue- " bee, that it is siijiei fhious for the ( 'ommis^ioiiers to v Si. .lohii. X. I!., now goes •' down the (Hilf as far as Shediai'. where the cargo is transported ■■ by rail to its destination. The total distance by water from •• Shediae through the d'ut of Caiiso and around the coast of " N'ua Scotia to the IJay of Fundy as far as the eommeicial " capital of N-w Hruiiswick is about (lOU miles, and the coiise- •• iiuenc(! is that there is little or no direid comnuinication be- " tween the I5ay (.f Fundy [torts and those of ihe Kiver St. I.aw- ■• reiice. I!y u Canal through ihe Isthmus the distance from •• Shediac Io St. .lolin will not be much more than one hundred '• miles." Accordingly the (Muernmen I of the day decidi'd to jiroeeed with the construction of the canal. His F.xeellciiey Lord huirerin, at Ihe oiicning of the .se.ssion of IHT.'i, in hi,> speech from the throne, useil the following language: '• 1 am glad to inform you thai plans and specifications \'ov the •' enlargement of the Welland, and th.' eonslruction of the Haie " Verte Canal, have been completed, and that the works can now " be put under contract. The surveys for the St. Lawrence am iMMilM IMS 20 KetcliNW on Shijt Tran%portatwn and " (!aniils will, T am usHui'ed, bo finished in time to fominence the " works at liic l)01«*' lUfil i I >mnience tho ii'o tho com- illion dollai-H 8 Baio Verto iniuto of the vas to Cost cotnmisHion lirman. Tho Indeed, it is Peat tho pro- making tho donors, pro- lofended tho t. en made in I Short Cut. saved from ictually 500 Their opi- lot wan-ant [uarters by nneous con- lowing ad- 10 Commis- impi-OHsed wick, Nova ease whicli mereo." n that the lyed for a ; idea to bo 10 country t and from er mode of ion to the the ChVfi^necto Ship Rnihrmj. 21 public through tho ProsH that a Ship Railway would not only (iiltil all tho rciiuii'cnionlM, but in tnaiiy respects would be prefer- able to a canal; that Ihoro was no fii^iiieoiitii,' (litlicult}' citlior in iho construction or operation of such a line; aii'l that vessels in full cargo could be traiispoi'tcd over tho Isthmus in perfect Ha fety and at wmall expense. That the trans|)ort would take less time, and tho n>aintenaiice. ro|»alr.H and operating would be no groatei- than by canal. This bold suggestion anvstcvl all further discu.s- sioiis of a canal, anil for six years thei'o was no further move made tending to solve the problem of the Isthmian Transit. The l)(»iniiii()n Government had entered upon a policy of fostering its own manufactures and relying upon its own productions tor its prosperity. 'riie result .soon showed itself in a marked increase in tho raising of coal and lumbei-, which was followed by a corresponding increase in tho coasting trade and com- mercial marine of the Maritime Provinces. At length, in 1881, the author carried out, at his own expense, a survey and location for a Ship Railway, and having found a good line, submitted a jiroposal to the Hon. Sir (!harle> Tu|)per, Minister of Railways and (.'anals. offering to form a company to carry out the woi'k, provided the Government would subsidize tho work, for about one third tho cost of a canal. The proposed subsidy took the form of a contril)ution by the Government to the Company of 8150,000 per annum for twenty- five years, which, if capitalized at four per cent., would be Gi\\Mx\ to the sum of §2,343,312. Tho proposal, therefore, if adopted, would save to the country the cost of tho Canal, to which it was pledged, as before stated, estimated at $7,100,000, le.ss tho sum of 82,313,:^ 2, tho capitaliz- ed value of the subsidy, or a saving of no less than $[,750, (188. Hon. Sir Charles Tapper, Minister of Railways and Canals, re- ferred the whole question to the <'hief Kngineer of his Depart- ment, and Mr. Collingwood Schrieber i-ejiorted as follows: — 1. "That the project is quite practicable of e.xocution." 2. "That the Ship Railway as proi)osed would be a good sub- " stitute for the Canal originally contem|)lated." 3. " That the advantage in respect of cost as compared with " that of a Canal would be greatly in favour of the Ship Railway, '' tho cost of a half-tide canal being calculated by the Govern- " ment Engineers at from $5,050,000 to $8,217,849: whereas the oo Kelvhuiii oti Ship Tran^jtorlatiim auil "Hubsidy iiskcd lor l.y llu> Company, naiiifly, .^l.')0.(IOO for LTt " yoiii's, if cupitiili/eil at t por cent, would l>o Oijiiiil I* tlic sum of "k',:;i;;.;;i2oiiiy." 'V\\v ( 'mmiiissioiicr-- in thoir Ilc^poil on |»;i;^^' 51 stale: " Tlic "dislaiicc from Slu-diac t(» Si. .loliii l»y the present route, via the "(Iiil ofCauso, to he (100 miles. This dislanco would lie reduced " hy I lie eonstruetion ol I he Haie \'erle Caiiul to ahout 100 miles, "and l'rei!4;hts would, in iheii' opinion, Im diniini--hed hy li.'> per "cent , f,MV'ally lieiu'litini;' IIm^ coal Iraile and lisluM'ies, and in- " crejisin^" the volunu' of !;'eneral hu.-iness." 'riioy stiitti further ( pa^o r>;{) : ■ This canal cnnnof he coiisid(!i'- '• od apart from IIh' canals of llu* St. liawrence as a ( 'ana- "dian canal, ;is Saidt Sle. .Marie is the natural commeiioMntMit fd' " the im|irovemenl> ol' (he inland navii^^aliiui ity "of opening; a llin'hway for commereo hi'twcen tho (lulf ol SI. " rjiiwrence and the luiul w;iloi's of tho Hay of i"'untly lhrou<^h '■ lh(! Isthmus of Chii:iu'clo dividini;" IIumd." The ahove slalemeiils arc now twenty years old, and Iho t(ni- nai^eof Ihe porl> a lja<'enl to the 1st Ionian Transit has more than douhled itself sinci> lho>c worcU wore written. The Chief l'lni:;ineer lurllicr said, that "Assuming thai the ''importance (da Ship ilii^hway over tho Istlimus was, at tho "time of tho Coinmi>sionors' lloport so groat as thoroin stateil, "it must hi' much n'reater low considei'iiii;' thci l!irL;'e increa.so " since that date in tho trade of tho country alloctcd hy tho pr<)- " posod work'." Tho proposal of the author was accoptod hy tho flovornmont, a|)pi(»vod hy I'arliamtnl, and a comi»any inoorporalod to carry out tho undertakini;'. Tho provisional Directors were: Mr. Thomas C. Keofer, C.M.(;., (ho first prosidont (d the Canadian Society of Civil haiy-ineors ; .Mr. I'lwin (.Mark, the eminent engineer and inventoi' of tho Hydraulic Ship liii'l ; Mi-. C R. Cokor, Lloyd,^ Siirvo3-or of Shipping; Mr. IJ. <{. Lunl, Ihe well- known Stcamhoat Managei-; and tho author. .Ml. .")O.OnO fnr LT, ta llu' Slim of slide: "Tilt" route, via llu^ lid li(( rt'iliiceil Dili 100 miles, led liy li.') per eries, iiiid iii- it lie coiisidei"- 'e Jis a ( 'aiiit- me!i('<'iiit!iil ol' l)nmiiii(>ii, sii Iho inevilulilo U'liess ((> the must priive leo sulmulled llio nocos.sity (liilf of SI. iiidy ll»roiii;li and Iho loii- as more tlian in^ that tlu^ s was, al Iho lorcin stilled, ii":;;e increase 1 l>y Iho pr.)- 'loveiiimoiil, ted lo ejirry were: Mr. lie (■anadiaii (he eminent ! ; Mr. C. R. lit, Iho woll- ///r Chigmrlo Slit/) Ihiihraij. 'i'ho Hoard of Trade of St. .lolni, New I'.ninswlck, passed the follMwinfi rooliilidiis on the liOiii Ooioher, iss;i : " Whcrnts, Means ol'commiiniealion hetweon the waleiN of the " l?ay ^A' Kiindy and the (lull' of St. riawicnr,., wheiehv prnilnds "of llio s(*veral I'rovinces horderiiiH; thcKM.ii mnv |„. i|it,.r. "ejilin^od wilhoitt eiicoillileriiii; the daiii,n'ioii- iiax i^al iun dj' the " Atlantic. Coast oC Nova Scotia, wherchy sieiimcis mihI -.ailin" '• v«>ssels. adapted as well lor inland as tor oicaii navigation, mav " ho sal'ely convoyed acro>s the Isthmus orChiM'n,. do willioiu the " cost anil delay of transhipnienl or hrealuiiu' liiiUc.and whiiidiv " liie sailini,' (jislance hel ween this port and :ill p.il-- hoilh and " wost oC s.'iid I^llimns may he rediiee(l ;dpoiit COO mihvs, woiild " increase Iho voliimo of trade and henelil ihc shippini,' iiileresis " ol' this poi'l and othei' ports in the I '.ay o|' !•' iy I (iiill'of Si . " rjawrcmco; and '■ ir/((7VY/,s, I'y means of a Ship liailway across th(< !>llimii->, "the (dijecls aforesaid may he accompli-hrd, ami thus sliniiilato "the development of IIk; ai^riculliiral, nilniiiL;', liiinherinif and " tishinn' resources of the dislricf conlii,Mions to ihc ;iforesaid '' ports ; and '■ Whi'i't'd^, A company has heon Coi'imvl t^r tli(> const niclion ''and operation ol' a Shij) Ifailway, with cominodioiis |)oi Ics and '' Hydraulic l;il'ts f()r raisini;- and Iransporiino- over ils lino la(h'n " vessels of 1,000 tons roi;"ister; Iherol'ore " licxoliuul , Tiiat lliis r.oai'd is of opinion I hat the iunl(wlal iiltiiclayin^ and liallantiti;; ; uUo lor tlio oroclioii of the moles ai, Tidiii-li. With M.-sf-rf. KuMtoii k Andoi'Hoii foi- tlie suppl}- of iIk- liydnmru' lilt nun liirn-rv , itH oi'octioii and wockiii^'. With Mdshis. I.'liodo.-*, Ciiiry iV ('<>., of Anihorrtt, for biiildin/^N eonlainin;^' tlic jdiiiipiti;,' marhinciy. Thoy also HU))|>licd tho heavy piiio slee|)«'rs for a<'i'oiiiil (if Mi'hmi-m. I'awKoii iV Co. MosHTH. ('aimiudi iV Co., of Sheftleld, Mi|i|>lied the Hteel railn, wluLdi are 1)0 Ihs. to the yard i' sit'ol. Messiv. Ilanis iV <'•»., of St. .lohn, eonti'actod for the cradlo wlictds, and the ( anadian liueo- motivo and KnyinoCo., of Kiimston, are hiiildinLT llio heavy lardi locomotivoH. The cnf^inceringHtatf, under MoHHrH. Fowler. liaUorc*^ Ketchiiin, consisted of Mr. F. V. S. KoUey, resident i-n/^ineer; Mr. .1. S. Ai-mstrong, j)rincipal assistant; iMr. .M. Fii/inaiu'ict*, assistant enginoor; Mv. S. J. Syinonds, inspector, and others, on iiehalf of the Company : Mr. (leorgo liiieliaiian, engineer, and Mr. .\ithur W. Hateson, agent, for the Chief Contractors : Mr. .1. H. Denison, and Mr. G. F. May, engineers for the Hydraulic Wi»iks: and Mr. J. P. O'Rourko, engineer tor the Suh-ivontraetors. The land required lor tiio line of railway and doidis was pi'e- sented aa a gift l)y the Muncipality of the County of (!uinheiland. Nova Scotia. The works wore prosecuted vigorously tioin the date of com- mencement to the end of Jul}', 1>^!U, when tl;ey were unfortu- nately stopped because of the impossihiliiy of floating th*- re- maining bonclH which tlie company had in hand (vi/., L';!r)0,()OO) in the present critical state of the money market. Up to the time of suspension, the engineer's ceititieates foi- work done anil materials furnished by the contractors, amoiiiiied to jt;G70,804 5s., ])aid in cash, bonds and sliart'S, and the etigineei'- ing and administration expenses of the('ornpany amounted to about £;]0,000 in addition. From a careful estimate made of the cost to finish tl)e works, to equip with rolling stock, to provide interest on capital, to finance the remaining debentures, and to provide foi- further- engineering and administrative expenses, it, is calculated that 31,500,000 will fully cover all expenses. 20 Ketckum on Ship Trnnaportation and The whole work may bo siiid to bo thi-oo-fourtlis done, and it would take but one sunnnor Hcuson's wofk to entii-cly tinisli the Ship liailwuy and J)()clvs tit foroponiii^ to the pul)lic. Tlio pi'iru'ipiil oxcavation yot to bo done in that for tho on- tianco channels at each end of tiie line, which have been coin- inonccd and are considerably advanced, but can not be entirely finished until the hydraulic machinery for lifting tho vessels is ei'cctod. All (he hydraidic machinery has been manufactured and de- livered. All the rails, sleei)ers, and permanent way materials have been delivered. The whole of the line of railway has been graded with the exception of about a mile of broken work. Twelve miles of ti-ack have hcen laid, and the greater part of tho bottom has been ballasted with broken slone. The costly' work remaining to be done is tho masoniy and gate of the basin at tho l)ay of p'undy end of the line, and the masonry of the two lifting (lo(d\s. The buildings containing the hydraulic pumping machinery have been nearly tiidshed and the machineiy in them erected. The ships' cradles, manufactured of steel, and the locomotives, are neai'ly i-eady for delivery. The moles protecting the r>asin on Northumberliind Stiaits, have been enliieh' fmisheil and ac- cepted. The tirm of Kaslon ^ Anderson, who undertook the suj)ply and erection of hydraulic machinery, as well as tho traversers for shunting vessels, has agreed fur a speciliod sum to woik and maintain this machineiy in good oi'der for one year from the date of tho opening of (he line, the Company being required to pi'ovidc the coal. Tho si/,0 of ves.sel provided for is 1,000 tons register; the maximum length vynmU be 2:;,") foet,breadth 50 feet,draught 15 feet, with a displacement of 2,000 tons. Accommodation space for six vessels of this size has Ik en pi-ovided in the Basins at each ter- minus of tlieShip llailway. This is tho only instance in tho history of Canada where a wet dock and harbor basins and dredg- ed entrance channels have been provided at the expense of a private company. Tho cost to (he Company of these entrance channels, dock ga(es, sea walls, basins and moles will be, when finished, about one million dollars, exfdusive of tho hydraulic- lifts. The following extract from Sir Benjamin Baker's description n" y a: /. ^ Cs« the Chignecto Ship Rnilirm/. 27 of tho Chignccto Ship Eiiihvjiy, as published in the Nineteenth Century Maijazine for Miirch, 185*1, cannot he improved upon, and it is, (horclore, emhodied in this paper: " Tho hydraulic, lifts, when raised, form a pait of the main railway as I'Ci^'^ards lino and level ; and when lowercMJ with tho cratUe tho deiifh of water ovoi" the keel-hloeks on the latter is that requisite for floating Iho vessel on tho hloidcs. Walls of massive masonry, 50 feet in licii^ht from foundation tr) ([uaylevol, surround the hj'draulic lifts. The latter each consist cif twenty hydraulic i-ams of 25 inchesdiamoler and 40 feet stroke, cnch)sed in 2n-inch diameter cylinders ]»rovided with stuffini,^-lif)xes iit the ujipei" ends, .md with inlet pi|)es for the admission of water at a test ])ressure of 1,;]00 Ihs. ]ier square inch. On the top of eaidi ram is a ci'ossdiead, from whicli lianL;; two lifliui^ links, con- nected at the lower ends with tho gridiron upon which the shi|i and cradle rest when heinij; lifted, The ^-ridiron, 'l?>'i feet in length and ()0 feet in width, consists of a very sfilV combination of longitudinal and cross girders made of steel and lirmly riveieii togethei'. When lifted to the level of the i-ailway the ends of the cross girders arc supported on the main line. Hydraulic pumping machinery is jirovidcd of sulUcient powci- to raise a vessel weighing 2,0(1(1 tons, or, including the gridiron and cradle, u total weight, of I!, 500 tons, the requii'od height of forty feet n twenty minutes. Hydrauiic, power is also provided for capsfai s and wintdies foi- manunvring the vessels, and aii--com- prc'scrs ;ti'(,; fui-nished for clearing the ]»ipi's and (.'ylinders quick- ly of wa'or — a precaution specially necessaiy in a northern cliniat(;. Special arrangements are made in the enginediouse to enable the .'j.gincman to ensure the c([uablo and simultaneous motion ■>! li^c ten lij'ting rams on each side of the deck, so that no strain! ig of the gridiron may occur. "A doubi ? line of i-ailway of the ordinary 4 feet S->7 inches gauge is laid along the lo[> of the griuir(Mi, upon which the shij)- cradles ai'o run. Tho>e ci'adles are provided in seclional lengths of 75 feet and 57 to accommodate vessels of ranging dinuMisions. l.>r a. ship of 2,000 tons dead weigh! three sections would be usid, T!ie cradles, like the gridirons, arc formed of u ligiil con'i>ination of steel girders carr^-ing keebblocks and sliding 28 Ketchum on Ship TransportaHon and bilge-blocks of llie usual lifting-dock typo. Each 75 feet section of craille is MU|>porte(l on sixty-four solid wheels of thi'eo feet diameter, having double beaiiigs and four spiral spi-ings of ex- ceptional strength. Unlike ordinary ship cradles, therefore, a (•<)nsid('rablo amount of elasticity is provided in the present case. It need hardly bo remarked that many interesting problems have bad to be worked out in connection with these cradles whicli it is impossible to refer to here. " The onk'i" of procedure in raising a vessel and transporting it seventeen >niles across this isthmus to the sea on the other side woulil be as follows: A vessel coming up the Bay of Fundy on the flood tide would jiass through the gate entrance into the clock and wait its turn ' » bo lifted. If the vessel were a ' trader ' on this I'oute, its dimei' 'ould have been recorded, and the keel and bilge blocks woulu ' vo been got ready on the cradle, telegraphic notice having been received of the probable arrival of the ship. Ifshowerea 'tramp,' a ship's carpenter would have to go on board and take some leading meaBurcments for the arrangement of the blocking on the cradle. The blocking being arranged, the cradle and gridiron would bo lowered by the hydrau- lic rams into the water and the vessel would be hauled over it by capstans and winches in the usual way. The gridiron would then be slowly raised until iho vessel rested on the keel-blocks through- out her whole length, after which the sliding bilge-blocks would bo pulled tight against the ship's bilge by chains attached to the blocks and carried up to the quay on either side. Lifting would then proceed until the rails on the gridiron attained the same level as those on the main lino of railwa}', when, as before ex- plained, the ends of the girders would be securely blocked. The ship and cradle would then be hauled off the gridiron on to the railway by jjoworful hydraulic winches, and after a final adjust- ment of the blocking, the vessel would be taken in hand by two of the giant loconiv, fives already referred to, and be transported across the isthmus on to the hydraulic lift on the other side, where the converse operations would be effected to enable the vessel to resume her ocean voyage. " Various plans have been proposed from time to time for the ([uick and elHoient blocking of the curved surface of a ship's hull to the flat top of the cradle. Hinge bilge blocks, hydraulic rams, elastic bags tilled with air or water, and many other contrivances )jut yet it is the rarest thing for any misha|» to occur to a vessel even uiulei- this singularly lOugh treatment. The best way of blocking n ship on a railway cradle will be quickly detei-mined after a lew weeks' expei'ience, but at Chignecto the method ado|»ted in the first instance will ceitainly be the well-tried one of timber keel and bilge-blocks. " Nothing calls for special notice as regards the line oi' railway. It is, as before stated, a double line of oitlinary gauge, but the space between the two lines is five feet wider than usual. Very strong steel rails, weighing 110 lbs. i»er yard, tirid exceptionally large sleepers, spaced very closely togethei-, give the required support on the ballast to the heavily laden ship cradle. Near the Amherst end a long and deep moss oi- bog hud to Ije crossed, ami, as the floating system adopted by Stej)hen.-sou for the original Manchester and Liverpool Eailway acioss Chat Moss would ob- viously be inappropriate for the heavy loads of a ship railwa}-, there was no alternative but to form a solid rock embaidtin;^ which will " certainly seek this shorter and more economical route. The '' ojiening- of u line ol' communicalion ior ships across the i.^tliniiis " will develoj)e new conimei'ci', and 1 ilo not hesitate to |iredicl, " in view of all that I heard and >aw in reixard to the commercial " features, that witiiin ihreeyi'ars from the openiui;- ol" the line for " business it will have all it can handle. A Company allied to " the Ship Railway Company has been formed in I'lngland foi- the '' ])urpose oi' buikliiii;' for this new I'oute several side-wheel steam- " boats adapted to the trade between Prince l-klward island and " the New IJrunswick and .Maine coast, which, I have no doubt, " will have all the biisi es.-. ;l c.in attend to." Mr. Corthell also in a pa}»er read before this Society in j'cbru ai-y, 18!)0, referrini;' to the Chi,^,necto Shij) liailway, re|)eated that, " There is no doubt in his mind of the entire success in the '' construction, oj)eiation and economy of this railway. There is '• nothinii; novel in the method only in the combination of " methods. Vessels ai'e at present raised out of the water coii- " tinually, whether loaded or unloailed, on liyilraulic lifts either " by Marine Hallways or by Floating; Docks. "The increasing si/.e of rolling stock, both motive powiu'and " freight cars, on ordinary railroads, has proven the great ad- " vantage in carrying greater ami grcatoi' \o'm\^ at one time. A " lew years ago 10-ton cars were the rule in this country. Now "30 tons ai-e becoming more and more numerous. Cars foi- still " large)' loads for special pur])oses are bvcoming more and more " common, and the locomotives have increased in weight and " power from 30 and 40 tons to 90 and 100 tons, and the cost of " transportation has been reduced from 2h cents to h cent i)er ton " mile. "A Ship Railway is the logical result of the continual ini- " ])rovements in railroad methods from the time of the tirst rail- " road to the present. If it is j)ossiblo to raise vessels and y^cixflorct 2z=: the Chigneiio S/ii/i Raihraij. 81 " transport tlioni ovei-liiiid with sul'oly and t'cononiy, wliy sliuiild "they ho compolied to iiiaUo ^Mvat dolours roslin-- tiino and '' money ? "Jftlie immenso iMisincss Ixtlweeii llio St. Lawrence and (lie " coast of New Hriinswiek and New l-lii-land S7 <5,-l2L^!t7i; Prince Kdward Island S,7o;{ l.;;(iL',S(;i Kay of Fundy ;j3;j4r) ;],Hr,r),!t;{2 (Jrand Total 70,!I25 1 1,<; tl,7(i:» The rate of increu.-e for several years has hei'n half u million tons per annum according; to official Blue B' oks. This lonnai^e does not include any port west of (Juehec or on the Atlantic coast of the Peninsula of Nova Scotia. Althou'^h the Ports of J/ortland and Boston might come within the sphere of trade, they, like Montreal, Toronto, and ports west of (Quebec, are omitted in the above talde. The (Jompany's estimate of ti'aflic is h;ised on only seven per cent, of the tonnage of the (lulf and Bay, or SOU, 000 tons. Should the Ship Itailway draw this moderate jiroportion of the tonnage it is estimated that there would he a revenue nearly Kutlieient to |)ay a dividentl of seven per cent, on the eai)ilal of the (!omj)any without calling on the tiovcrnment for any portion of the guarantee, as appears from the fullowing figures : — 800,000 tons fi eight at an average of TjO cents per ton . ...$400,000 800,000 tons vessels' hulls at an average of 12^ els. per ion, 100,000 Hstimated J{ecei]»ls SodO.OOO Working exjKMises and administration as per estimate of Sir B. Baker, being 30 per cent, of the receipts 150,000 Net Revenue $;]5(),000 Setting apart the subsidy to provide interest on the bonds for 20 years, a traffic of only 320,000 tons at the above rates, would i 82 Ketchum on Ship Transporlulion ami provitlo 7 per cent, on tho proforcod Mliure capital, and 7 per cent, on tho ordinai'y share capital, thus: 320,000 Ions at tlio avoraj^^o i-ato of 50 cents per ton SKIO.OOO 320,000 tons vessels' hulls at tho average rate of 12i cents per ton 40,000 Receipts $200,000 Working expenses, 30 per cent G0,000 Net Eevenuc S140,000 7 per cent, on Sl,r)00,OOtyi.^e{iM-mUhares $105,000 7 per cent, on $500,000 ]iiie4'Biitiiirsharcs 35,000 Total dividend $140,000 The working expcnsos of the Shi)) Eailway, as compared with a railway of the ordinary type, should be very small indeed. The line is perfectly straight. One half of it is absolutely level. Tho other half has gradients not exceeding 10 feet to tho mile. The woi'ks are solidly built, the rails heavy; the sleepers of un- usual size; tho ballast, broken rock, it is believed me cost of maintenance of way will be reduced to a minimum. It may bo considered a freight line, without the usual terminal oxponscs. The freight, that is the vessel with its cargo, loads and unloads itself automatically on and otl" tho railway. The speed will bo slow, not exceeding ton miles an hour. Fuel is cheap in the coal ])roducing county of Cumberland, Nova Scotia. Besides tho cost of lifting vessels to the level of the railway and depositing them afterwards into the sea, which is veiy small, the principal cost will be the locomotive i)Ower, which on ordinary i-ailways bears the proportion of about 17^ pe- cent, to tho gross earnings. It is lielieved, therefore, that the estimate of 30 per cent, for working ex])enses is full. The estimate of working expenses was based on the Usual cost of maintenance and repairs on a double track railway for the whole year. Without any especial oftbrt to economize, the Ship Railway might be worked for $50,000 per annum, which would, of course, poi'mit of the same profits with very much less tonnage. A regular daily line of steamers between St. John and Charlottetown over tho line of Ship Eail- way would contribute largely to tho business expected. The Chignecto Steamship Company has been formed in London, with a capital of £60,000, for this purpose ; the untoward financial TyTTyToTa ^^^ -^Krt3P K aved on all freight going i-ound to St. John by water. The freight from St. John to Baie Verto being 82.50 ))er ton, while that to the head of the Bay of Fundy is one dollar por ton. there is a diti'erence of 81.50 per ton, and deducting 50 cents per ton for the transport acro.ss the Isthmus, there is one dollar saved in the freight, not to count the saving of time and insurance. The charges on freight caigoes would be at the same rate, no matter by what description of vessel carried, but the rates on the hull would probably be requii'ed to be on a >liding scale accord- ing to the size of the vessel, the highest rate being on the smallest vessels, because a small-sized vessel would occupy the railwa}' as long as a large sized one, anil the revenue otherwise obtainable from small vessels would not bring a protit to the Company. The estimated propo>ed average rate of I2h cents per ton would be a fair i-ate to charge on hulls as compared with that on Canals where the co>t of towage is considered ; the lattei- being done on the Ship Railway liy locomotivo and on the Canals by steam tug-hoat>. Respecting the time to be saved and the >arety of vessels on the Ship Railway, no less than twenty-lour prominent tirms of shi])0wners in London and Liverpool, having experience of the coast of Nova Scotia, have certified that a ^aving of ten days would generally be made In' sailing vessels cleai'ing fi-om ])orts on the Gulf, ami making for St. John. Portland and Boston, by Using the Ship Railway, and so avoiding the weathering of Cape miwfiHiiiiiiirojin i^WPfi 84 Ketchum on l^hijt Transj/ortationy etc. N<»rth and Capo Cjimho, us by jirosont louto. Thoy liavocortiticil al«o that loadeil vessels wonkl not bo injured on the J?ailway, if supported on a ciadio such as is used on all marine wlips. The most ])roininent naval architects of the day, Sir E. J. JJeed, the late Sir William Peaice, Sir Nathaniel Barnaby, and Mr. "William John, all certify to there being no danger to the ship nor cai'go during trans|)ortation from sea to sea. Mr. Bindon B. Stoney, the authority on "strains," says, " A ship resembles a tubular structure, more or less rectangular in section, underneath which the points of 8up])ort are continually r »ving, so that when the waves are high and far apart the deck a.id bottom of the vessel are alternately extended and compressed, in the same way that the flanges of a continuous girder are, near the points of inflection, when traversed by a passing train." No such strain as this is possible on the Ship Eailway. There is reason to believe, therefore, that the Ship liailway, when completed, will be an undoubted success in every way, and become the pioneer of many works of like character. In conclusion, the author would allude to the assiduous care and attention bcstowetl on this work by his colleagues, Sir John Fowler and Sir Benjamin Baker, the engineers who designed and carried to a successful completion the equally novel enter- prise of the Forth Bridge. Without their powerful aid and co- operation the work could hardly have reached its present ad- vanced state of progress. Should it be the success we anticipate Mr.. Meiggs also, who undertook to raise the capital in England, as well as to contract for th^j execution of all the works, will be entitled to a principal share of the credit which should attach to the inauguration of a new and economic system of transportation for the benefit alike of Canada and the whole world. '■■'fiJiWiiiiiili ;:!i.^-.S;::3 mmtm in ed, 'y» ud ire Im led er- co- id- ite Id, be to on ^ I. iiiiii I iiriii II II lirti