694 BEPORT — 1880. 



The basin and first portion of the East Dock were opened for traffic in 1855, and 

 the remaining length of the doclv was completed in 1859. The East Dock was 

 commenced from the designs of Su* John Rennie and Mr. John Plews, and com- 

 pleted from the designs of Messrs.Walker, Biirges, and Cooper. 



Neto Basin. — Notwithstanding this large accession to the dock area of the port, 

 the continued increase of traffic called for further accommodation ; and in 1864 

 application was made to Parliament by the Bute Trustees for powers to construct 

 additional dock accommodation ; but it was not until 1866 that an Act was ob- 

 tained for the construction of an additional basin, which has been completed from 

 the author's designs, and was opened for traffic in 1874. This basin is intended as 

 a preliminary to au additional dock of 54 acres area, for which Parliamentary 

 powers have been obtained ; and while serving the new dock, it also relieves and 

 facilitates the working of the traffic of the Bute East Dock. 



The New Basin is 1000 feet long by 525 feet wide, having a water area of 12 

 acres. It is entered from the channel on the foreshore, which has been widened 

 for this purpose by a sea-lock 350 feet long and 80 feet wide, having 35 feet 9 inches 

 depth of water on the sill. A junction lock 370 feet long, with gates 60 feet wide, 

 connects this basin with the East Dock. The chamber of the lock is 120 feet wide,. 

 so as to pass three or four vessels at the same time. 



The existing dock accommodation provided by the Marquess of Bute and his 

 Trustees now amounts to 77 acres, and the Parliamentary powers recently obtained 

 will enable the Trustees still further to increase this accommodation by 54 acres 

 to meet the growing requirements of the port. 



The gates of the Sea Lock of the New Basin are 80 feet wide, and are believed to 

 be the largest gates hitherto constructed. They are of wrought iron, on the buoyant 

 principle, with skin plates, diaphragms, and lattice ribs, and with greenheart heel 

 posts, meeting posts, and sills. Each leaf of these gates weighs 145 tons. They 

 were constructed by Sir William Armstrong & Co., the arrangement of lattice ribs 

 being adopted at the suggestion of Sir William Armstrong, as affording more con- 

 Tenient access to the interior for examination and repair, and also diminishing the 

 ■weight in comparison with solid plate ribs. 



The gates of the Jimction Lock between the New Basin and the East Dock are 

 60 feet wide, and are of wrought iron, similar in design to the gates of the Sea 

 Lock, but with solid plate ribs in place of lattice ribs. They were constructed by 

 Messrs. Maudsley Brothers, of the Bute Iron Works, Cardiff. The lock gates, 

 capstans, bridges, and sluices connected with the New Basin are worked by hydraulic 

 machinery ; those at the East and West Docks were arranged for hand power, and 

 are still so worked. 



The provisions for the examination and repair of vessels entering the port con- 

 sist of four graving docks — one 200 feet long, entered from the West Dock ; one 

 400 feet long, entered from the East Dock, both the property of Messrs. C. Hill 

 & Sons, on ground leased to them by the Bute Trustees. The third graving dock,. 

 320 feet long, is outside the entrance of the docks, and is the property of Messrs. 

 Gunn & Co. The fourth graving dock, 600 feet long, with an entrance 60 feet 

 wide, has been constructed by the Bute Trustees, and is entered from the New 

 Basin. It is available for use by the public on payment of dockage rates, as at 

 Liverpool. A gridu-on, 350 feet long, has also been constructed by the Bute 

 Trustees on the east side of the channel outside the entrance of the docks. 



A low-water pier, 1400 feet long and 34 feet wide, was constructed in 1868. 

 The pier-head is provided with a floating pontoon or landing-stage, and the mini- 

 mum depth of water is 6 feet at low-water spring tides. A railway is laid along 

 the pier, and also a carriage-way, and a vertical lift and 10-ton hydraulic crane are 

 fixed at the pier-head, together with suitable waiting rooms and conveniences. 

 Prior to the construction of this pier all communication with vessels in the roads 

 was cut off for a considerable time at each low water, which caused much incon- 

 venience. 



The principal portion of the trade carried on in the Bute Docks is the export of 

 coal and iron, which amounted to four million tons in the year 1879. The import 

 of iron ore, timber, and general merchandise amounted in the same year to on& 



