378 IUMNDLKV CONSTRUCTS THE PAKT V. 



CHAPTEK VI. 



BRINDLEY CONSTRUCTS THE DUKE'S CANAL TO KUNCORN. 



THE course of this important canal, which unites the 

 I iade of Manchester with the port of Liverpool, is about 

 twenty-four miles in length. 1 From Longford Bridge, 

 near Manchester, its course lies in a south-westerly 

 direction for some distance, crossing the river Mersey at 

 a point ahout five miles above its junction with the Irwell. 

 At Altrincham it proceeds in a westerly direction, cross- 

 ing the river Bollin about three miles further on, near 

 Dunham. After crossing the Bollin, it describes a small 

 semicircle, proceeding onward in the valley of the Mersey, 

 and nearly in the direction of the river as far as the 

 crossing of the high road from Chester to Warrington. 

 It then bends to the south to preserve the high level, 

 passing in a southerly direction as far as Preston, in 

 Cheshire, from whence it again turns round to the north 

 to join the river Mersey. 



The canal lies entirely in the lower part of the new 

 red sandstone, the principal earthworks consisting of the 

 clays, marls, bog-earths, and occasionally the sandstones 

 of this formation. The heaviest bog to be crossed was 

 that of Sale Moor, on a bottom of quicksand, west of 

 the Mersey, the construction of the canal at this part 

 being a work of as much difficulty as the laying of the 



1 The following statement of the 

 lengths of the different portions of the 



executed, is from the map published 

 by Brindley in 1769 : 



P 

 Duke's canal, including those originally 



Miles, furl, chains. 



From Worsley to Longford Bridge o Lcvd. 



Longford Bridge to Manchester 4 li 



Longford Bridge to Preston Brook 19 



Preston Brook to upper part of Kuncorn 4 4 



Upper part of Runcoru to the Mersey .. ..0 5 7 79 feet fall. 



