TRANSACTIONS OF SECTION G. 759 



compartment is encased in asbestos slate, cutting it off completely from the 

 remainder of the train. 



Of tube railways with electric traction there are three now working in London, 

 two between the City and the south side of the River Thames, using the ordinary 

 two wire 500 volts continuous current system, and another (the Central London) 

 extending from the City to Shepherd's Bush, using the composite system. This 

 railway conveyed during the year 1902 no fewer than 45 million passengers. 

 There are eight other tube railways now in course of construction in London. 

 The recent terrible catastrophe in Paris must serve as a warning in the iuture 

 equipment of such lines where currents at high tension are employed, and where 

 short-circuiting may bring about disastrous results. 



A paper will be read before this Section by Mr. F. B. Behr on the authorised 

 Manchester and Liverpool Express Railway, which is intended to be constructed 

 on the Mono-rail system, and to be worked electrically. 



Canals. 



Concurrently with the construction of roads in this country was the for- 

 mation of canals, as a means of inland communication, mainly for the carriage of 

 minerals and merchandise, though they also conveyed passengers by express boats. 

 The only recent structure of this character in the United Kingdom is the famous 

 Manchester Ship Canal, with which the name of Sir E. Leader Williams, 

 M.Inst.C.E., is associated. This, however, is hardly a canal in the sense in which 

 that word was employed by Brindley, ' the father of inland canal navigation in 

 England,' as the largest amount by far, in the proportion of 10 to 1, is its 

 seaborne, as compared with its local traffic. It is interesting to notice that a very 

 important wheat trade is being carried on with India, exported both from Bombay 

 and Kurrachee. The seaborne traffic and the barge traffic for 1894 was 686,158 

 tons and 239,501 tons respectively, and has during eight years increased, until 

 in 1902 it had reached 3,137,348 tons and 280,711 tons respectively. The most 

 interesting recent development of the works is the new Dock now in course of 

 construction, with its five sets of transit sheds, which are being built on the 

 Ferro-Concrete system. 



Ships. 



The intercommunication of the nations of the world is largely dependent on 

 the navigation of the ocean. The first vessel to cross the Atlantic fitted with 

 steam power was the ' Savannah,' of about 300 tons, which arrived at Liverpool 

 from Savannah, in Georgia, in thirty days, partly under steam and partly under sail. 

 Ocean steam traffic has been extending ever since. Two years ago I had occasion, in 

 connection with my Presidential Address to the Institution of Civil Engineers, to 

 collect some statistics with regard to shipping, and found that according to Lloyd's 

 Register the largest British vessels then afloat were the twin-screw steamers 

 * Oceanic,' of 17,274 tons, and the ' Celtic,' of 20,904 tons, both gross register, 

 built for the White Star line, and regularly maidng the passage between Liverpool 

 and New Yoi-k in seven days and eight days respectively ; and the ' Celtic ' i^. still 

 the largest mercantile steamship afloat, the tonnage of the new German steitner, 

 'Kaiser Wilhelm II.,' being 19,360 tons gross register. 



Unfortunately these fine ships, with many others, are now no longer owm'd in 

 this country, although still flying the British flag. The latest German steamwr on 

 the American line, together with others recently launched from the Vulcan 

 Works at Stettin, have maintained a speed averaging over 23 knots, whilst the 

 Cunard Company's liners — still, happily, English — the ' Campania ' and ' Lucania,' 

 built ten years ago, average 22 knots. This company is under contriict with the 

 Government to build two liners to maintain an average speed of 24^ knots. The 

 secretary of ' Uoyd's Register of British and Foreign Shipping ' has kindly supplied 

 me with a list of the steamers of 10,000 tons and upwards which have been 



