CHAP. VJL 



HULL DOCKS. 



213 



constructing harbours at Howth and Kingstown, with 

 the same object of facilitating the communication be- 

 tween the ports of England and Ireland. Howth Har- 

 bour was opened for packets in 1819, previous to which 

 time they had sailed from the Pigeon House, at the 

 mouth of the Liffey, in Dublin Bay. When the piers 

 at Kingstown Harbour were sufficiently advanced to be 

 available for the service, the packets were removed 

 to that port, the depth of water being greater, and the 

 situation on the whole more convenient. 1 



Among the other harbour works constructed by Mr. 

 Rennie in England, were the Hull Docks. These were 

 of great importance, and urgently needed for the accom- 

 modation of the large trade of that rising port. What 

 is called the Humber Dock was begun in 1803 and 

 finished in 1809. 2 The principal difficulty encountered 

 in the execution of these works was in getting in the 

 foundations of the dock walls the bottom presenting 

 a great depth of soft mud. They were set on timber 

 piles and platforms well bound together, with truncated 

 arches of stone over them. A powerful steam-engine 

 was employed to draw the water from the coffer-dam in 

 front of the Humber entrance, to enable the foundations 

 of the cill to be got in, and the lock gates (which were 



1 Mr. Rennie's plan of Kingstown 

 Harbour consisted of two piers of four 

 anus each, carried out from the shore 

 3700 feet distant from each other, 

 their heads inclined inwards at an 

 angle of 122 degrees, and terminating 

 in a depth of 26 feet at low water of 

 spring tides. The width between the 

 outer angles of the two outer arms of 

 the pier was 1150 feet, the entrance 

 pointing N.E. E. The total space 

 enclosed was 250 acres. The works 

 were commenced in 1817, the first 

 stone being laid by the Earl of Whit- 

 worth, the Lord Lieutenant ; and the 

 works were still in progress at Mr. 

 Rennie's death in 1821. The har- 

 bour subsequently fell under the 



jurisdiction of the Board of Irish 

 Works, and all sorts of new plans 

 were adopted at variance with the 

 original design of Mr. Kennie, in 

 carrying out which it is to be feared 

 that the harbour has been seriously 

 injured. 



2 This dock is 900 feet long by 370 

 wide. It covers a surface of 7J acres, 

 and is capable of holding about seventy 

 sail of square-rigged vessels. The 

 entrance lock communicating with 

 the tidal harbour opening into the 

 Humber is 42 feet wide and 158 feet 

 long between the gates, with the cill 

 land 6 feet below low water of spring 

 tides. 



