THE RIVER MERSEY. 45 



" That the proper remedy for the prevention of further waste is a river 

 wall or other similar protection, from Seacombe to New Brighton ; and that 

 the dock trustees, in consideration of the damage done and of their having 

 already occupied 500 acres of the Mersey, and proposing to occupy in a few 

 years 150 acres more, which will increase the waste on the Cheshire shore, 

 may be reasonably expected to take the protection into their consideration. 



" That the effect which dock walls on the Liverpool side have had, or 

 are likely to have, in deepening the navigation of the Mersey or its entrance 

 channels, does not amount to much more than a tendency." 



The evidence of Capt. Cook, Superintendent of Pilots, states, " There are 

 now four channels, viz. the Rock or Horse, Victoria, Queen's, Zebra or 

 Eastern Channels. Large vessels enter by the Victoria Channel. The 

 Queen's improves, but not yet log-lined. Not very important to have very 

 deep entrances into Liverpool, as the heavy ships enter the docks. 



ft. in. 



Depth on Victoria Bar at lowest tide 10 



Lift of tide 31 



High water, spring tide 41 



Depth of water upon Bar, neap tide 18 6 



Of tide 15 



Depth on the Bar, high water neaps 33 6 



West wind raises the tide 5 or 6 feet, east wind cuts the tide as much. As 

 regards the effects of the dock walls already built upon the navigation of 

 the river, Mr. J. Hartley, Lieut. Lord, and the dock-masters assert that 

 there has been no perceptible difference in the height of the tides for many 

 years, the old tables of depth upon the sills of the docks being still found to 

 be the correct guide, and the velocity, so far as they can observe, being un- 

 altered." 



Some witnesses considered that the tides rose vertically 2 feet higher at Sea- 

 combe, but no gauge having been kept, the impression may have arisen from 

 the greater effect, or in " consequence of the lash of the waves upon the 

 Cheshire side being heavier," since the last built portion of the " dock wall 

 is placed so as to meet the waves that are brought by the westerly gales 

 through the Rock Channel." 



This is shown on the Plan attached to the Report ; and the Report states, 

 " It is also to be expected that the rebound will be increased when the gap 

 which at present leaves a portion of Bootle Bay open to receive the seas, shall 

 be filled up by a wall, as I presume is intended." 



A reference to the Plan will show that the filling up of this gap would 

 not only greatly increase the evils complained of at Seacombe, but cause the 

 Rock Channel to silt up in a few years, as Hoylake has done ; and should 

 the wall be extended to Rimrose Brook, as proposed in 1858, enclosing 

 150 acres, it will greatly reduce the flow of water into the Mersey by con- 

 tracting the entrance between the fort on the Rock Point and high water 

 at Bootle Bay, distant 1-i- mile or 2700 yards. The map shows the present 

 end of wall to extend 900 yards across the entrance to a river wall of 250 

 yards towards a gap of 700 yards, thus reducing the entrance between the 

 river wall and the Fort on Rock Point to 1800 yards, with a bulb between 

 Seacombe and New Brighton, where the sea and tide through the Rock 

 Channel deflected from the Liverpool wall are wasting the shore. The only 

 remedy for this being, as stated in the Report, " the construction of a wall 

 4000 yards long from Seacombe to New Brighton." 



