TRANSACTIONS OF SECTION G. 9 7 'J 



shows us that, given a trade and a depth of water rendering access, possible, ships 

 ■will make their way to ports tlirough all kinds of difficulties and with a wonder- 

 fully small margin of water under their keels, reminding one of the boast of the 

 Mississippi captain that he could take his steamer wherever the channel was a 

 little damp. 



To return, however, to Bristol and the Avon. In spite of all efforts to keep 

 pace with trading requirements, the time arrived, in 1868, for providing improved 

 dbfk accommodation, which would avoid the navigation of the Avon, and at the 

 same time afford deeper locks and more spacious quays than could be given in Bristol 

 itself. The Avonmouth and Portishead docks accordingly were built between 

 1868 and 1878, and acquired by the Corporation in 1884. Both are tine works 

 for their period ; but even in their case the rapid development of modern ship- 

 ping has occasioned a demand for enlargements of the facilities which they afford. 

 Accordingly, a matter which is again agitating Bristol is still further dock accom- 

 modation, and there has been a sharp contention whether this shoidd be effected 

 by what is implied in the somewhat barbarous word 'dockising' the Avon, or bj' 

 new docks at King Road. Dockising implies the construction of a weir and locks 

 at' Avonmouth, so that the Avon would be impounded and make one sheet of water 

 nearly six miles long to Bristol, the natural discharge of the river being provided 

 for by outfall sluices, wliile the alternative of dockising the Avon is to be found 

 jn great additions to the docks either at Avonmouth or Portishead. 



In the peaceful atmosphere of Section G, I will not enter upon the various 

 aspects of these antagonistic proposals, and will merely say that 1 have no doubt 

 that in some way Bristol will keep ahead of what is wanted, and that I wish the 

 city and the engineer who may carry out any of the ideas which may be eventually 

 adopted every success and satisfaction in such important undertakings. 



(II.) Leaving, then, for the present all local considerations, and seeing that a 

 large part of my own work has lain in the construction of new docks and in the 

 alteration of old docks, I propose now to say a few words on what appear to me 

 to be at present the salient points on these subjects in relation to the growth and 

 the requirements of our merchant navy. 



In the first place, one cannot but be struck with the great demands which have 

 .come with some suddenness on the present generation for increased dock and quay 

 accommodation. The British people are the chief carriers of the world, and are 

 indeed those ' that go down to the sea in ships, and occupy their business in great 

 waters.' This can be appreciated when we consider that annually our over-sea 

 import registered tonnage is thirty-four millions, and our export registered 

 tonnage is thirty-eight millions. Our coastwise traflic amounts to sLxty-three mil- 

 lion tons per annum, making together a tonnage to be dealt with of one hundred and 

 thirty-five million tons. If we add to these figures the tonnage of vessels in 

 ballast and the number of calls of those vessels in the coasting trade which touch 

 at several ports in the course of one voyage, we must add a further fifty-five millions 

 of tonnage, making a total of one hundred and ninety millions of tonnage using 

 our ports yearly ; and if we divide these figures by, say, three hundred days,, to 

 provide against more or less idle days, bad weather, and the like, we have the 

 result of six hundred and thirty-three thousand tons per diem entering and leaving 

 our ports. If we assume an average ship of three hundred registered tons, which 

 is probably not far wrong, we have about two thousand one hundred trading vessels 

 entering or leaving our ports daily — a flotilla of startling numbers. 



In truth, the magnitude of our mercantile navy, as compared with that of other 

 countries, is astonishing. We have ten and a half millions of tons, against a total 

 of thirteen millions of tons belonging to all the other nations of the world, in which 

 are included three millions of tons of steam vessels engaged in the lake and river 

 traffic of the United States. Descending to particulars, our merchant fleet is eleven 

 and a half times that of France, seven times that of Germany, eighteen times that 

 of Russia (in Europe), two and three-quarter times that of the United States (in- 

 clusive of the craft on the great lakes), six and three-quarter times that of Norway, 

 fourteen times that of Italy, and fourteen times that of Spain. Out of our total 

 tonnage of ten and a half millions, six and three-quarter millions are steam vessels, 



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