Armachiana Volume 13

,AGH NISCELLAIIBA

V0L.XIII

The Newry Canal

The Tyrone Navi gation

The Lagan Canal

Armagh-Blackwaterter Cana l

The Ulste r Canal

Extrac t s from Newry Telegraph

The cont ents of thes e volumes l a belled Armachiana are simply notes for t a lks to local and visiting societies in search of material relating to it s histor ic a l b a ck ground and an cient monuments . They a re not of any great i mportance but may p rovide a gui de to studen ts seek ing d a t a on the county g enerally or on their own distri ct s i n particular . TGF Paterson

Armachiana Volume 13

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Armachiana Vol1 (Armagh County Museum ARMCM.28.2014.42)

D.695/51 2ZL~u99g. A. Brownlowe, Lurgan to Capt. Samuel Waring Llv "to bee Left at Mr. Butterfields in fishamble-street, Dublin".

LEndorse<17 " ..••. Mr. Brownlowe of ye glannbogg .•..• "

"I reed. yors and read yor. observations on ye Glin bogg with a great deale of satisfaction, And have since discoursed one Fowler a neighbor of yors now in Clare Manor but formerly lived at Sir Toby Pointz, bee tells me yt. Captn. Pointz by ye help of a miller bee then had, try'd ye levell betwixt Pointz pass and ye litle logh, and declared that a cutt of 8 foot deep in ye highest place would bring water from ye logh to ye pass with ye help of an old trench yte was made by generall Monck in ye warrs of 1641, and yt once in a great flood Charles Illingworth attempted to convey away a small boat from Sir Tobyes logh, and tis thoght yt if bee had not been discovered would have made shift to gett it throgh ye glin bogg all the way to Newry.

I agree with yow in yor sentimts that it were necessary ye inhabitants joining on ye bogg shold be incouraged as well for their own advantage as in order to ye publick good to make draines and being informed yt already draines were continued as high as Scarvagh bridg except 60 pchs. of Mr. St. John and 60 pchs. belonging to another I have written to Mr. Madden and have engaged ye other to gett his don if ye season or weather hinder not, and I question but in 3 years

time it will be done all ye way to ye Newry by ye tents. and inhabitants for their own benefitt, for such as have already cutt draines find a considerable advantage by it. I have writt to Dr. Mathews at Newry and to Coll. Magenis with Mr. Crilly and Courtneyes assistance to prevaile on them to gett ye levell or fall taken by instrumts. from Sir Tobys to Newry. And for ye rest nearer home wee can gett it easyer don. I conceave there's a much greater fall betwixt Pointz pass and Newry than yow apprehend, and I beleeve it near 80 foot, for by ye ey it appears soe, if what I often hinted to yow in discourse be soe, vzt. yt ye sea at Carlingford and Colrane are near a levell, it followes (as I conceave) yt there must bee near ye same fall from Pointz moss to Carlingford as from ye same moss to Colrane and yt by reason of ye leap and other falls is considerable - discours som mathemat on this point. Thus I bury my thoghtes for ye publick good thogh I am sensible tis agt. my privat intrest and tis a great pt. of ye pleasure of it, that it engages yor correspondence. All here are yors and return their a1'ft. service to yow and lady. My mother I think mends •••.• "

1703 .

House of Commons Journal , Vol . III, p . 100 . (5 Nov . 170 3) .

Newry Canal :

_Brigadie r Cunningham re por ted from the Com ittee, appointed to bring in the heads of a bill for mak in g a canal from Lough Neagh to Newry that they had come to several re solutions in the ma tter to tl1em referred .

1 . That it is p racticab le to make a c anal from Lou gh Neagh to Newry.

2 . That it is the oninion of the Com~ittee that £20 , 000 will mak~ said can al sufficient to c arry li ghte r s of 20 tons .

3 . That said Committee hath farther directed me to re port t hat Capt. Francis Ne ville, Collec tor of Armagh, hath taken great pa ins in surveying and takibg the level of the g r ou nds thr ough whi c h said c anal may be made .

(Committee : Hr . Maxwell

Brigadier Cunnin gham

Doctor Co gh il l

Major Clayton i-Ir . Montgomery !.:r . Butle r .

1703 , New r iensis , p . 1 72 .

It is in an early portion of the pro ceedin gs of this Parli ament that we find the first mention of anything r elat i ng to t h e Newry Navigation . On the 26th November, 1703, it was resolved by the House of Commons that the sum of £200 should be pa i d to Captain Fr ancis Ne vil le " for h is extr aordinary pa ins and service in viewing the g r ound and p l a ces for making a canal fro m Lo ug h Neagh to Newry;_ and d r awing s c hemes c once rn ing t h e s ame , and a tte nding this liouse " . It is inter est in g to find t his subje ct att r a cti ng attention at su ch an early pe riod e ve n though nothing de fi nite resulted . Ca p t ain Neville go t his £200, and leave fo r the in tTo d.u cti on of a Bi ll on t he ma tter was g iven, but it does not appea r to ha ve been pressed fu rther ,

He r e t ake p l a ce some changes i n the re pres e ntation of the town . In Feb r ua ry , 1704 , Edward Ba yly, Es q . of Plasene ywd, in Anglesea, was returned t o sup p ly the p l a ce o f Ada m Swif t,_ who had died in the p r e ce d in g Augus t . Again in July, 1707, Hans Hamilton, described as r esidin g at Frankfort, County Ar magh, was elected in the room of Ro bert Echlin, de ce ased .

1703

.

Ashe ' s Survey of the Archbishopric of Armagh . Tirrehuggan (Terryhoo gan) .

"It is projected by Capt . Newell (Neville) to make the Bann Wate r navigable by running a cut t h rough part of Dromonargill from Knockb r idge and so to Hew r y . It is designed thr ough the Glann Bog and Lo ugh Shark in that townland which is abou t 8 miles from Newry, the shorttest way, but the road is 10 miles. The Bann Water is but small a t t he b r idge .

3 .

House of Commons Jou r nal , Vol. I II , p . 15'8 . (26 iiov . 1703) .

New r y Canal :

Committee of opinion ti1at £20 , 000 is sufficient to :nake a canal from Lou ,:; h Neagh t o Newry That said canal would be advantageous and in a sho r t time overpay the ex~ense .

Agreed ti1at a sum of £200 be _:aid to Capt . F. Nevill fo r his ex t raordina r y pains and services in viewing g r ounds and places .

1709 . House o f Co m~ ons Journal, Vol . II, p . 529 .

£yr one Navigatio n .

A petition to the House of Com ~ons had been drawn u p by Thomas Kn ox in 1709 to mak e a cut between Knockbrid ge and Fathom in Co . Down

Newry CA NAL .

Journal of Royal Society o f Anti quaries of Ireland, Vol . XLI, p . 244 .

Castle has the honour of h avi ng designed the first stone lock in Ireland, t h at on t i1 e Newry cana l. His only lit e rary p roduction was an "Essay towards supplying the City o f Dublin with wate r , " published inl736 . H e married 1 in 1733 , hiss Anne Truphet a Lisburn lady, bu-c by her, 1vho died in 174-4 , had no issue. He resided for many years in Dublin, first in Suffolk Street, and then in Proud ' s Lane, but i:l is d eath occurred 1vhile at Carton, on the eve n i ng o f t h e 1 9 th Fe~ruaryi 1751.. After dinner i1e i1ad r etired to write a etter 'GO the car p e n i;er emp loyed at Leinster House , and a pp arently was s eized ,.Ji th a fit , as i1e was subsequently found d ead in his chair . He was about sixty y e a rs of age, and :1ad long suffered from gout , th e res u lt o f inte-.:perance . Castle was laid to rest in Maynooth Church, but no stone marks the spot .

1729 . Newriensis , pp . 1 80 - 1 82 .

In the l atter part of 1729, or the beginning of the following yea r , the question o~ formin g a . c ana l from Lough Nea gh to Newry which had for some time fallen into obscurity was aga in brought befo r e Parli~ment . ~he merits and importance' of the scheme were fully reco g nised . Finally , in 1730 an Act authorisina its execution, passed through Parliamen f . The subject of inland navigation engrossed at this time a great d eal of public attention· and of the numerous p r ojec t s unde r consideratio n , not one was ' r ega r ded as of more consequence than the New ry Cana l. The ad v antages cont~mJ?la t ed from its for mat ion were two - fold - first , ~o. affo r d. fa c i~i ties for the introduction of foreign com11odities ini;o the interio r , and secondly , to convey c oa ls frotn the Tyrone collieries s t o Newry , and th enc e by se a to the othe r Irish po rts . It is r ather melancholy to reflect t ha t the latter branch of Irish industry has been long since extinguished , and in its p l a ce we have an extens i ve import trade of the same comruod ity .

The construc t ion of the Canal was push ed on without mu ch de l ay . I t s course runs along the boundary line of t he Counties Down and Armagh , passing by or near to Poyntzpass, Scarva, Tand r agee and Gil fo r d , un t il nea r Portadown it joins the Upper Bann , which continues the navigation to Lou gh Neagh . At liewry , the Canal opened into the river op pos ite the old Custom Hous e . It wa s ope ned for t r affic in 1 74 1.

I n the opinion of the writer, it was p robably about this pe r iod that the Green Bank and Rampart were constructed , confining the r ive r which previously spread ove r the entire valley to a res tr ic t ed c hannel , and formin g the land thus reclai med into the now f r u i tful "Ma r sh ".

The f i rs t vessels to pass through the canal we r e two small ones named t he Cope and the Boulter , whi c h , in March , 1 741 , p r oceed e d to Dublin with a cargo of coals . The formation of the c anal appears t o ha v e giv en a great impetus to the p r ogress of the town . Unmis t akeable s i gns of improvemen t present tnemselves on all sides . Fr om 1 730 do,m l eases in pe r petuity (or rather of the ol d perpetua l l y r enewable t enu r e) began t o be libe r ally granted by Mr . Nedham . The old Ballybot Bridge (which t hen consisted of six a r ches) was soon found insuffi c ient for the p~blic accommoda t ion , and a second one was a c co r dingly e r e c ted . This was Sugar Island Br idge . I t was a t first called Mu r phy ' s Br i dge, and contained ten a r ches . Sho r tly af t e r wa r ds a t h i rd b r idge was constru ct ed on t h e si t e of t he p resent Dublin Bri dge .

1741.

Dublin Evening Gaze tte, Ma rch 2 7-30, 1741 .

Sun?ay evening last a rr ived here the Cope of Lo ug h Neagh, simple , master, with 50 tons of Iris h c oals fro m Newry, bein g the first shi n laden there since the new c anal was finished . •

On he r corning int o t he harbou r her guns we r e fired the re b y g ivin g joyful notic e to t he inhabitants of this ci ty of ou r own k in gdom ' s p r oduce i n her .

The co al s a re said t o be as good as any br ough t from En gland and they will come mu ch che ape r, will not onl y reli eve t he consume r, but will also save vast sums of money annually c a rried out of the kingdom for that commodity .

Harris in his Coun ty Down ( p . 11 8 ), published 1744, records "T wo small vessels, t he Bou lt er and t he Co pe , passed t hrough Newr y and so to Dublin loaded with c oals , Ma rc h 1741.

Hugh Bou lter, Archbish op of Armagh , 1724 - 42 .

Robert Co p e, M. P . for County Armagh. A gr eat frien d of Swift . Died 1753 .

1744 .

Harris ' s Histo r y of County Down, pp . 112 - 119 , New r y Canal .

When g reat quantitie s of coals (some of which a re eaual , perhaps, to any sea coal imported into Dubl i n) were found in l ands bord ering on Lough Neagh , it was a natural Benefit thou ght very w?rt~y of J?Ublick regard : and a ccor dingly a plan was laid for b r in ging this coal by sea to Dublin, whe re the consumption of that sort of fuel is co mputed to cost £70 , 000 per annum . The most_probable method of effectin g th i s was concluded to be by cutting a c nannel through the intermediate g r ounds between the ri ve r of Newry and t he great lak e above named; whi ch will effectually answe r not only for the coal trade , but fo r a ll other bus i ness that inland Naviga tio n c an promote thr ough the g reatest part of the No rth. This noble undertak i ng was c a rried on by Parli amen tary encouragement , Ao 3d George II. A!LAl:.Lp~l,..Q for the Elli:.QID'a1rnment of 'l'.i.l.1./ill,..,_..alliL..t.ruU2eJi.t.e.~mplovment of the £..cllu..;_..a nd al so for :th~_JJl.a.J::lLeJ.:!ac.il.i.aJ putting J.JL~11.t_:i.wLiill.....ru:t. to encourage th..<c d r a i ni n~ of Bogs and unprofitable low Grounds , &c . By Vir tue of whi ch, and out of the duties arising from co a ches Berlins, Calashes, Chaises, and Chairs, as also fro ~ Ca rds and Dice, and manufa ct u r ed Gold and Silver Plate im p orted into o r mad e in this Kingdom ; the Commissioners impowered to execute it began the Canal in 1 730 , and throu gh many inter ruptions carrie d it on in this county beond Ho nallan, which is almost the extre :n e N. W . bounds of it, near two miles northward of Gilford .

If a s tr anger coasts it southward to New ry the follo,T,ing observ a tions may occur to him as he pass es ,

Fifteen l ocks of di ffere nt denom inati ons a re already fixed, and the bes t par t of the :u co mpleat ly finished , the whole extent taking up about 14 Irish miles from the lowest lock s outhward of Newr y to a li ttle Northward of Truman ' s Lo ck, whe re the Canal breaks off from the Rive r Bann nea r Knock - bridge . It ta kes a p rett y equal c ourse between the two counties of Armagh and Down ; bu t t he g r ea te s t pa rt of it seems to pa ss thr ou h the latter.

In cuttin g a new channel for c a rr ying_on this wo r k, south of the p l a c e where the river Cushe r falls in , at Straml;ore nea r lfonallen a forrest wa s discovered, or a great multituae of fallen tr ees of ' oak , ash , alder , &c . lying fo r ne~r a mil~ in l~n gt h , unde r a c ove r ing of ea rt h in some pla ces six in otners ei ghc fee t _ deen , many of them of large bulk, t umbl~d down one ove r another , some ' lying in strait lines , and others in an oblique or transverse siti n Discoveries of this kind a re very f requent in Ireland , th~r~ a r e few bogs in it, but wha t afford_plenty oE_ va ri ous so rts of ti:nber bu rie d in the m. deeper or shallower in propo r,,ion as the loose and spungy earth lies so; For all such that 1-1e have observed

Newry Canal (cont ' d) .

lie on a Body of Harle Clav or Gravel It ,. ld b · ,., 1 · th t e vulg . . t ' • , .1ou e vain , . : . a r OJ?lnion , o sup p ose, that these trees have lain here since tne universal deluge; for th ough the Soil of a turf bog hath been ~emarked for a wonderful quality of preserving bod ies intire ~any years, by means of t h e bitumen o r sulohur incorporated with i~; yet it c':1nnot be well imagined , that the porous texture of timber especial~y of birch and alder, which are frequently found so buried , coulo remain solid and intire a s it often haooens after a period of between four and five thousand years . -if t;ees th u~ ~ound were felled by the deluge , they would all lie in one positioni whereas the instance before us the contrary aonears · none of them would be found with the mark of the ax on Eiem , ~r in part burned, as is often the case , We must therefore seek for mo re solid causes of these subterraneous woods ; and they seem to be more than one . First , want of industry , which is the cause of bogs; for i f a great access of water either fro J springs inwardly, or from rivers or streams outwardly, be by laziness or negligence stopped , this naturally causes a bog by softening and loosenin g the earth; and that being done in course of time to the depth of the roots, the trees a re left subject to be overturned by the violence of storms ; and this is t he case where trees are found in bogs with the roots adhering to them . Trees thus falling upon the soft surface must by their own g ravit y necessarily make a bed in the yielding soil; and this again ca uses a further stoppag e in the course of the springs and st re ams , and c ons e quently increases and swells the loose earth by a yea r ly accession of scruff, moss , g r ass and weeds . Add to this cause, that the higher lands being g radually dissolved by re peated rains, and washed do1-m by floods, in a long course of time cover the lower g r ounds wi t h many layers of ea rt h; of which t h e Write rs (Plot ' s Staffordshire, Ch . 3 , p , 11 3) upon Natu r a l Hist ory have furnished us wit h several und eni able in stances . This then being e a rt h to the depth of eight, te n , or twelve feet . Secondly, various col onies from time to time a r riving i n this forme rly uncultivated and woody island, it is not unnatural to im ag in e that their fi rst industry was employed in making r oom for tillag~ and pastu re by clearing the g ro und of great for rest s , which we r e then an incumbr a nce to the country; And this pract ic e appears f rom many in stan ce s in t he hi stories of the early times of this k in gdom the names of which f orrests reduc e d to plains ar e ye t p re se rve d , 'Thu s , where in bogs we find trees in pa r t. burned , and others with the marks o f t he axon them , we may we l l im ag ine t hese c i rcumstances to ha ve happened f ro m the labours of some o f those colonies who being oblig e d t o fight as well as work , were often re pe lled ' by th e invaded natives, and driven fr om t he places

1744 .

Ne,Ty Canal ( con t ' d) .

whe r e they intend e d to make the ir settlements ; and trees being thus left fe l led and scattered over the face of the pla i n might have caused the stoppage of water before mentioned and consequently in t i me have created a deep bog cover i n" the sa i d t r e~s to a consi~erable depth . We are told of bogs lately formed i~ lreland ; particularly that in the yea r 1601 , when Tirone and 0 Donnel marched to the Re li ef of ~insale through Conaught , ( which by means of the Earl of Clanric c a r d continued for the most pa r t loya l ) they l aid the count ry waste , and that there is a great tra ct of ~ r ound , now a bog , which was then plowed land , and that a mansion house of a noble man is to be seen in the mi dst o f it .

To p r o c e e d wi th the cours e of the c anal . On ea ch side of i t i n sev er a l p l a c es a re back waters, brooks or loughs , which may b e eithe r adm i tted i nto or excluded from it , as o c casion requi r es . The l ocks are 15 f ee t 6 i n ches wide , and 44 fee t long , ex c ept th r ee, wh i ch va r y a li tt l e f r om these dimensions ; but they a r e of an unequa l depth , acco r ding to the situation of the ground , s ome being 1 2 , and o the r s 1 3 feet and a half d e ep .

Betw e en Poin t z • s Pass and Ter yhogan a rivu l et f r om a bog f a ll s into the c anal , cal l ed in Irish Ellen - Money , or the wonde rfu l bog , f r om the nature of its cu r rent , that i m~ediat e ly on i ts ri sing sepa r ates i n to two branc h es , whi c h take a no r therly and sout he r ly c our s e; one branch running towards Lough - Neagh , and t he other towa r ds Newry . Be twe e n these p l a c es li es the highest g r ound of t he who l e c anal ; where by means of two l ocks t he wat er is f o rc i bly retai ned on a l evel for nea r t h r ee mil es . We r e it no t fo r t h is c on tri va nc e , as th e cours e of the wa t e r s i n c line no rt h and south , th e i ntermediat e space would be l ef t d r y . LoughSha r k , Lough - Dian , and Lough - Br i ck l an li e east of th: c anal almost opposi te to Ac t on , the two forme r near the banks o f i t , and t he l a tter a l mo s t t wo mil es d i stant fr om th e othe r s . I t i s sa i d t he r e is a sub t e r r aneous commun i cation between the th r ee lakes, by whi c h means the water of them all may be applied to feed the c anal ; a t l east the wa t e r of Lough - Shar k is in t ended t o be b r ought into it by a t r unk or o t her p r ope r conve y anc eA the c ana~ running nigh the edge of it . This lak e cove r s about bO plantation a cr es , and is th r ee fa t hom deep and at the dries t season can em it a sol i d foo t of wate r . Lough - Di an is of some t h in g a smal l er s i ze; bu t Lough - Br ic klan e xce eds t he fi rs t, a s c ove r ing t e n a cres mo re .

The Can al i s c a rried on t h r ou gh va r i ous so il s , suc h as g r a vel , bl e w c lay bog and in some p l a c es ma r le . At Tr uman ' s loc k , wh ic h is t he reJ10te st l ock no rt hwa r d , i t is 4 2 f e e t b r oad , in oth er

Ne11 r y Cana l ( cont I d) .

places som:1th ing les s . The who le course o f it is extre me ly p l easan! either to ride or walk on , some pa rt of it being s it ua ted among f~ne l awhs, and ?ther inter sp ersed and enlivened by woods and variety of plantations , among circli ng hills , which form many natu r al and be autiful terrasses . From Monallen , north of Gilford , t o Tuscan Pass about t hr ee miles fro m Ne wry several ag ree able prospe ct s of wood and water pre sent t hemse lves with some scattering houses, pretty i mp r o ve ments, small v il lage; , and t he li ttle town of Act on , south of George • s isla nd , in full view . Fro m Tuscan Pa ss to N:w r y it is not p leasin g to t he eye , th e country thereabouts bein g more open, naked, and uni mo roved· yet the so li d broad banks to ta ke the ai r on , and the exuber a nce bf water he re make som e co mp ensation for t h e absen ce o f o t he r n atu r al beautie; ,

The River Cu sher falls into the c anal a lit tle northwa r d of Knock - bri dg e, n ea r Tr um an ' s Loc k , and brin g s with it a consider ab le qua ntity of sand , which in time may much inc u,abe r and c hoak up the navi ga tion between that and Por t adown; t o r emedy which a new cut is inten d ed to be d r awn thr ou gh a re d bog northward of the said loc k . From the Cusher River to Newry s ever al small streams empty the mse lves int o t he Ca nal , wh ich at some dis t an ce northward of the town is d r awn into Newry River for ab out 400 ya r ds in one p l a ce, and 140 in another . When it was th ought n e c essary to forsake this river they secured it by wears, in order to retain a sufficient quan tity of water t o supp ly the c ana l. These wears a re fixed in wo ode n fr am es, and mad e op po site to th e p l a c e where they be gan to cut the c anal again; and t he se two p l a ce s are t he only two observa bl e ones where the Newry water is us eful to the c anal. From then ce the a rti f ici al loc ks a re c a rr ied until you pass t he bridge of t he to,m .

The loc k s are faced with a hard gritty stone c o nveyed by water fr om Benburb, i n the county of Ar magh, down t he river Blackwater to Lo ugh - Neag h , and so t hrough a pa rt of that lake, a nd from t hen ce by Portad own int o t he c anal . They are all bo a r d e d at t he bottom with deal planks two inches t hi ck . Some o f them next to Newry are already pitched to render them sta n ch; and the rest inten d ed to be so done . The loc k next t he se a south of the b ri dg e of Ne wry is c ontrived either t o receive or s hut out the ti d e as occasion may require d . That next to Mad enebony Bri dge , op posite to Gilford has a level to fill up of a hundred y a r ds , and takes _ near 28 mi ~utes to fill it so as to br in g the vessel o v er the cill of the flood - gate . The ne~t h~s about 18 ya r ds to f ill, and ta ke s nine minutes to do it . The third has a level o f a b ou t twelve y a rds to fill, which is co mpass ed in seven minutes . Each of these loc ks r ais es t he bo at s about two feet above the n atu ral level of the c ana l as it lies below t h e lock .

Newry Canal ( cont I d) .

Several breaches have been made in the Can a l by the winter floods, where the soil is loose or boggy, which are re pa ired; and the workmen have been ob:j.i g e d to face t he banks with lime and stone , or sods, the better to fortify them against such accidents .

It is observable that in one of the locks where the ~rea test !all. of water is, viz . at Pointz • s Pass, the sluices are n~t fixed in tne flood gates, as in the rest, but in the side wall s, some space from the gates, in order to break the force of water fallin g from too grea t a he i ght upon the heads of the boats, as they pass; the Hater for that purpose being discha r ged p retty near t~e bottom of the lock . The brid qes on the canal consist a ll of single arches (exce p t th a t a t Sc a rv agh Pass which has two) all neatly finished, as a re also those on the b;ck drains ; and as the boats.pas.s thr ough them they lower their masts. Some openings a re m~d e ~n tne Banks of the Canal to let out the water , if at any time it pro'les redundant . Store - houses and coal yards are p reparing to fit places near the banks of it, particular ly at and near Scarvagh, the better to answer the designs thereof .

In many places the canal is carried in a direct line for a considerable space; in others it forms several angle s . Two small vessels called the Boulter and the Cope passed thr ough it to Newry and so to Dublin l oaded with coals i n !,,a rch 1741. The latter named of these vessels has this motto painted on the stern , Vincet Amor Pa tri £13 .

The benefit arising to the kingdom from the execution of th i s scheme will be very considerable , as a thorough tra de will be carried on by inland navigation between Dublin and the counties of Armagh , D01-m , Antrim , and Tirone, for all kinds of goods and manufa c tures; besides that Dubl i n and all othe r parts on the eastern and southern co as ts will be supplied witn firing at a very easy rate; while other parts can be easily served from the collieries at Ballycastle , where a safe ha rb ou r for this purpose has been made with sururizing exp edition . Both these collieries ,,ill save a p rodigious sum of money yearly to the nati?n in t~e sin~~e a r ticle of firing . And this inland navigation ( which is intendea to be carried on throu gh the Shannon and other rivers in other parts of the kingdom by the benefit of the same act) is exec ut e d solely by a tax unon luxu r y · the duties being only pa id by the rich, who are well abie to spa r ~ them , which again circulates thr ough the nation f r om the hands of the artificers and poor labourers, great numbe r s of whom are employed in undertakings of this n~ture . One adva?tage more from this inland navigation we ought not co pass over, wlnch is, that by the broad a nd deep channels w!1ich are cut for this end

.

Ne wr ? Canal (c on t ' d) .

throut;h t he mo i s t and loH g ro unds , g r ea t quant ities of land wil l be hereby effectually recl aimed and recovered to t he nation ; t he benefit of uhi c h would otherwise be lost . Add t o t hese benefit s t he fix e d and re a s ona ble pr ice, whi c h fo rei gn coals ha ve been a t in the u inter sea so n , s inc e this s cheme has had a p ros p ect of_ su cces s , th ough small quantities only have been yet i ~po rted into Dublin by this new conveyance .

1748 -1 767 .

Newriensis, pp .1 87 -1 88

_Shortly after the assembling of Parliament a Committee was ~~point ed by the House of Com mo ns to inquire how the sum of ,~ oo , g ranted to Mr . Nedham in the session of 1755 , for the Naviga tion, had been expended . The Com mittee re ported that the money had been properly app~ied, and, moreove r, that Hr. Nedham had spent £6 1 6 6s , 5d . of his o,m rn the executi on of the works . A motion to reimburse him this sum was brou gh t forward but was negatived on a division , so Mr . Nedham must have b;en at the loss himself .

The Can al appea r s to have been a constant source of outlay t '? the nation . Large sums were frequently applied for, and liberally g r anted . It is quite evident, h01•1ever , that it was as much for the purpose of serving Dublin as the country through which the canal pa ssed, that this was done . One of the g reat advanta~es expe cte d in keeping up the navigation was t o have coals sold in Dublin at 12s , 6d . p er ton .

The Parliamenta r y Journals are filled with notices of Pe titio ns, Ap p ointments of Committees, Reports , &c ., on this subject , whi ch the writer may be well s pa red from infli ctin g on his readers . However , some statistics a re incidentally g iven which t h row consider able light on the nature and extent of the trade of Ne wry . It is stated that 60 tons of oatmeal, and la r ge quantities of flour and other provisions , were conveyed weekly from Newry to Lough Neagh . 12,000 tons of merchandise annually passed through the Na vi gation, not inc luding immense quantities of linen clo~h, Tyrone coal, limestone, and other produ cts of the country, wtnch were carried toll free . From 1748 to t he 1st Novembe r, 1767, 1758 vessels of from 20 to 50 tons burthen , navigated the Canal to Lough Neagh , upon whose c argoes the sum of £1 , 841 19s . lld . was pa i d as toll . In t he year ending the 1st Novem?e: , 17~7, ther: were exported 1082 packs , and 1151 boxes? con t ~ining 1 28 ,1 33 p i~ces of linen cloth, which , valued at the medium p rice of 50s . per p iece, amount e d to upwa rds of £300,000 .

1 755 . :louse of Commons Journa l, Vo l. L C, p . 376 . ( 6 Novembe r, 1755 ) . lfow r y C;;;nal :

Resolv e d by above Committee that it would be greatly to tne advantage of the public that the river o iiewry be mcide navigable from the end of the new canal and the customs house quay .

. lso r esolved that the sum of £4 , ooo will be necessary to co~plete the above .

25 Geo r ge II, Ch ap . X.

Whe re a s a c ana l ha t h in g re a t par t b een mad e, and is now c a rr yi n g on, in and thr ough seve r al pa rts of_ t he counties of Down, Armagh and Ty r one 1 and seve r al disputes a re de p endin g a nd unse ttled be twee n the comm i ss i one rs o r may arise between t he corpo r at i on hereby created and the pr op rietors of lands t h r oug h wh ic h t he c a nal hath a lready been made o r may h ere af ter be mad e, etc .

1755 .

House of Commons Journal , Vo l . IX , p . 328 . ( 28 October , 1755) .

Newry Canal :

A petition of the merchants of Newry on behalf of themselves and others who r eside on and nea r the banks of the inland navigation, settin g forth that the pe tit i oners are grea t ly delayed and distressed in their trade by reason of the shallowness, nar rown ess and crookedness of the channel of Newry for about 2 miles below the quay, which seems to grow shallower yea r ly so th a t no vessel of 20 tons burthen , except lighte r s , can safely come to the quay .

(Ordered that a Committee meet t o exam i ne the p etition) .

1755 .

Newriensis , p . 183 .

Pa r liament kept a very watchful eye on the n a vigation, but notwithstanding thi s it beca me obstructed by accumulations of

mud and sand in the river . In November , 1755, the me rc hants of the town pres ented a p etition, in which they comp l a ined t hat they we re g reatly delayed and distressed in their trade by the s ha llO\mess , narrowness, and cr ookedness of the c ha nnel of the river for about two mi l es below the qu a y, which seemed to the m to g row shallowe r every year , so that no vessels of twenty tons burthen e x cept lighte rs could come safely to the quay .

The Hous e of Com mons immediately appointed a Committee to conside r this petition , which , after a short interval , reported that the petitioners had fully prov e d their allegations , and that it would be g r ea tly to the public ad v antage to ma ke the river navigable from the end of th e c anal and the Custom - house quay, fo r wh ic h pu r pose the sum of £4 , 000 would be necessary .

1755 .

29 Geo r ge II, Chap . 2 .

£1 , 000 to Robe rt Needham , Esq . towards making the riv er of Newry navigable f rom t he end of the new c anal to the a nd the c us tom hou se quay to the sea .

1756 .

Wesley ' s Journ al .

Wednesday , July 21, 1756 ,

In the mo rnin g there was such violent lightning , thunder and r ain, that the very beasts r an out of the fields, and the birds flew f r om their usual coverts, to t ake shelter in the house; but before we took horse the sky cleared and we had a pleasant ride to Terryhugan, nea r Scarva . The r oad lay on the edge of a smooth c anal with f r uitful gently risin g hills on either side.

Journey from Newry to Belfast .

1758 . Wesley Journal .

Monday , 8 Ma y. I rode to New ry .

Tuesday, 9 May , 1 758 . We r ode by the side of the c ana l, through a pleasant vale to Terryhugan .

1759.

Journal of the House of Commons, Gao. II, p.243. (Vol. XI).

Anf Atcchompt of th e Four thousand pounds granted by Parliament or e use o f the Navigation at Newry. 1758. December 5. 1759. February.

Mr. Ned~am perfected a letter of attorney, impowering Mr. Samuel Waring to recei ve the same from the Treasury, to be paid over from time to time for the use of the na v igation.

Mr. Waring sent the letter o f attorney to Mr. Mitchell, praying him to receive the money from Mr. Clements, and to send Mr. Waring his accountable receipt for ' the same.

Mr. Mitchell received three thousand eight hundred and eighty pounds, one hundred and twenty pounds being deducted at the Treasury for fees.

April 25.

April 25.

June 18. July 9. 1~. l • August 4. 21.

Mr. John Golborne, the engineer from Chester, came over, and went immediately to work.

Payments made to Mr . Golborne on account.

Mr. Mitchell's accountable receipt to Mr. Waring 3880 0 0

Mr. Waring's draught on Mr. Mitchell to Mr. Golborne ... ... ~26" 00

To ditto on ditto to ditto 1 16 4

To ditto on ditto to ditto 270 1 8

To ditto on ditto to ditto 54 3 4

To ditto on ditto to ditto 54 3 4

To ditto on ditto to ditto 360 0 0

To ditto on ditto to ditto 132 g 8

To ditto on ditto to ditto 108 8 September 8. 18. To ditto on ditto to ditto 108 6 8 24. To ditto on ditto to ditto •• 103 11 9 October 16. To ditto on ditto to ditto l08 6 8

Total payments 1841 11 l

Ballance remaining in Mr. Mitchell's Bank. 2038 8 11

Mote, Mr. Nedham covenants with Mr. Golborne to pay him four thousand pounds English to compleat the workJ though there were only four thousand pounds Irish granted him oy Parliament, out of which a deduction of one hundred and twenty pounds was made at the Treasury for fees.

1759,

Journal of the House of Commons, Geo. II, pp,221-222, (Vol. XI).

Newry Canal:

Your Committee first enquired into the application of the sum of four thousand pounds granted by Parliament to Robert Nedham, Esq; towards making the river of Newry na~igable from the end of the new canal and the custom-house quay to th~ sea· and your Committee find that the said Robert Nedham Robert ' Parkinson, and Bernard Ward, Esquires, on the fourt~enth of February, one thousand seven hundred and fifty six, acknowledged a recognizance in his Majesty's Court of Exchequer the principal in a sum of eight -thousand pounds, and the security in four thousand pounds each, conditioned to perform the said work, and to account. Your Committee find, that indented articles were executed in England, between the said Robert Nedham of the one part, and John Golborne of Chester, engineer of the other, bearing date the fifth of December one thousand seven hundred and fifty eight, whereby the said John Golborne, in consideration of the sum of four thousand pounds, agreed to be paid to him by the said Robert Ned.ham, at the times and in the manner therein mentioned, covenanted, within two years, from the first of Ma rch ensuing the date of said indenture, to e xecute the several works therein mentioned, upon the river of Newry, according to a Plan thereunto annexed.

Mr, Samuel Heatly laid before your Committee, a paper entitled, an account of the four thousand pounds, granted by parliament for the use of the navigation at Newry; by which it appears that the said Robert Nedham, by letter of attorney, empowered Mr. Samuel Waring to receive said sum from the treasury, to be paid over for the use of the said navigation, That Mr, Waring sent the same to Mr. Henry Mitchell, who received said sum from the treasury, And it appeared by said account, that several sums to the amount of one thousand eight hundred and forty one pounds eleven shillings and one penny, had been paid by Mr. Mitchell to the orders of said John Golborne, and that a ballance of two thousand and thirty eight pounds eight shillings and eleven-pence, now remains in the bank of Mitchell and Company, As by said paper hereunto annexed, and marked (No.l) may more fully appear. And Mr. Samuel Heatly being examined, touching said paper, declared, he believed the several particulars therein mentioned were true.

Your Committee was informed, that the said John Golborne and James Golborne his brother, resided in England, and could not get any information concerning the progress which had been made in the said work from any person that was concerned therein, But Mr. Thomas Omer being examined, said, he went out of curiosity,

1759.

Journal of the House of Commons - Newry Canal.

in October last, to see the works between Newry and the sea. That he observed they had sunk a canal of about four feet deep, and forty feet wide, from opposite to the custom-house in Newry to near fathom point, which is about a mile. That said canal must be sunk about six f eet deeper. That he believed about two thirds of the sea bank is finished, and that about one thousand five hundred pounds have been expended in the whole. That when the work is compleated, it will connect the great Newry canal with the sea, and believes it will be of publick advantage. But he said, the Newry merchants make objections to the work, because it will be necessary to daJDin up the present passage; and they apprehend that the new passage may be choaked up by the shifting of the sand.

Journal of the House of Commons, Geo, II, Vol, X, pp,579-580,

Newry Canal1

Jpetition of the corporation for promoting and carrying on an i and navigation in Ireland, was presented to the House and read; sett;ng forth, that the only funl.granted by parliament, for promoting and carrying on inland navigation at large is the tax on carriages, on wro~ht plate, and on cards and die~, am?unting to about six thousand pounds a year; all other grants ~ing appropriated to particular rivers or canals; that for nineteen years this fund was applied solely to the works on the great canal from Newry to the Tyrone collieries, during which time there were usually savings upon it, That the savings in the course of so many years, amounting to a large sum, the corporation thought it their duty, though this canal was not, nor is yet finished, to engage in other works on the rivers Boyne and Shannon, hoping that these with the current produce of the fund, would enable them to bear the expences of all, which till now they have accordingly done, That at their last quarterly meeting, February the sixth, when the state of their affairs is usually taken into consideration, they found that all former savings, and with them the income of the last year, were almost exhausted, so that there remains in the treasury only the sum of three th ousand six hundred and seventy one pounds six shillings and nine pence three farthings, which sum they fear will not more than answer many debts out for materials, and to workmen. That under those circumstances, they find it will be impossible to carry on those works; it appearing by their warrants on the treasury, that the money ordered for them the last session, which they are well satisfied, has been duly applied, amounted to sixteen thousand eight hundred and ninety eight pounds four shillings and eight pence: And knowing the present state of the works to be such, that should the coming season prove as favourable as the last, the same great expence will be necessary for vi!J)rrusly pushing them on; that a stop to th e se works or a languid carrying them on for one or two seasons, will in their opinion, be very detrimental to the nation, both as it will retard the execution of a scheme so very beneficial to it, and as these works being in many places unfinished, will moulder and decay, so as that great part of the money already expended, will inevitably be lost, and praying the House to take the case into consideration, and to d o thereon as to the House shall seem meet.

Newriensis, pp . 185 - 1 86 .

The p lan adopted for co mp l eting the Na vigation was to lengt h en t '.1e Can a l from t he Custom Hou se quay on to Fa t hom , a dis ta n ce of t wo miles . This add ition was comp leted in 176 1. Since that time t he a ccumulation of mud in t he river ha s gon e on steadily , ren d e r in g it an exceed ing ly disagreeable obje c t at lo w water .

House of Comnons Journal, Vol. JCII , p . 893 , (17 April, 176 2) .

Newry C::inal :

A motion made that 12 , 000 be ~ranted to the Cornoration for ;-ro1,1oting 8nc1 c3rryinF, on inland navigation in Ireland towards uaking the c anal from iathom point below Hewry to Drumc;lass colli eries navig:,ble for ships of 100 tons pursuant to plan approved by this house last session of Parliament .

Ibid , p . 893 .

15 "'arch , 1756 . Relative to state of said collieries and c~nals to sea and as re gards 4,ooo granted to Robert Needha.n, Esq . for akin - the river of rewry navigable .

1 763

. December 10, 1763 . Lodged a Tillage Warrant for £600 with Mr . Clements for whi c h he ga ve me an a cc oun table r e cei p t, the money to be appl ie d i n aid of Portado,m Bri dg e by order of the Nav i ga ti on Boa rd . Mr . Myers di rector of the above said work £300 to r eimburse hi!Il fo r money exp ended .

From Brownl ow Acc ount Book which carries a sec ond entry unde r da te May 13 , 1 765 - received f r om Naviga ti on Boa r d £503 , 7 . 9½ for Port adown Brid ge .

177 1.

11 Geor g e III, Chap . 4 .

£8 ,0 00 to navigation boa r d to b e by the m e xp e nded i n making a commu nic ation f rom Dromglass Colliery in the County of Tyrone to the head of t h e Newry navi gation , common l y c a lled t he bason .

17 71 - 177c. .

11

and le. George III , C. l .

Newry Canal :

The sum of £ 1, 500 to the Corporation for pro~otine and _ carrying on an inland navi gat ion in Ireland towards co'nple ting t he navi gat ion from Ne wry to Drumglass colliery in the c oun ty of Tyrone .

1776 - 1778 .

Young ' s Tour of Ireland, Vol . II , p . 201; second edition, published 1780 .

An account of money g r anted for publ ic wo r k s b v Parliament, or the Nav i gation Boa rd fro m 1753 to l7b7 inclusive . (Common s J ou rnal, Vol. XIV, p . 485) .

Newry River £9,000 .

Drom glas Colliery an d Na vi gation £112 , 218 . Lagan Rive r £40,304 .

1778 .

Newriensis, pp . 19 3 - 194 .

In the year 1778 a p roposition to utilize convict labour on the publ ic works was before the Legislature . A petition was pres ented by some of the merc hants and traders of Newry, p r aying that if the scheme were carried into effect part of the co nvicts mi ght be employed on the c anal , which stood in need of improvement . A week after a counter petition was p resented, which stated the petitione rs had hea r d with astonishment of the previous one; that they believed the convicts, if employed in the manner reque sted , would be rescued and set lo ose on the country, as there was a violent disposition to riot and insurr e ction in t he neighbourhood, and none of the military were stationed in or nea r Newry This is not a comp liment a ry picture, but it me rely shows that the d i strict sha re d in the dissatisfied and disturbed state of feeling which p r evailed throughout Ir eland du rin g the le gislat ive and commercial disputes with En gland .

1787 . ?;ewriensis , p . 195 .

_O n the 1st February, 1787, a pet itio n was p r esented to Pa rli ament f ro m the merchants, traders, and inhabitants of New r y , winch shows that the ideas of the peo ple were be c oming expanded by prosperity , and that they were not content to follow alto g ether in the footsteps of their fat h ers . The matters co :n plained of in the petition were numerous . Amon g st the m were the want of p roper r e gulations for c a rs and c a rt s , for c oa l measu rers an d co a l porters, in t h e mar ket f o r br ead , meat, and o t h er a rticles, for keepin g the streets c l ear and f ree fro ffi r u bblish and obstructions, and preventin g swine fro m e; oi ng at lar g e, and also the excessive p rice o f co a l s old i n sma ll ouantities to the poor . Host o f t h ese inconv en ience s ar os e f r om the want of Eunicipal Government, the benefits of which the town h ad not enjoyed since the destruction of the J a cobite Cor po r a tion . Some of the functions usually belon gin g to Town Co un cils were exercised by the Parochial Vestry and Ma nor Court, but i n an i mperfe ct and ineff ici ent manne r .

1788 .

The Complete Irish Traveller, Vol . II, pp . 1 92 -1 93 , pub . 17 88 in London .

We now hastened to New r y from wh ence t he c a n a l pass es northwards about fourteen miles wh en it jo i ns t he River Ba nn not far fro m Lurgan in the count y of Armagh . It was be g un in 1730 and finished in 1741 .

In ma ny places it is c a rr i e d in a di rect line fo r a considerable s pa ce : in o thers it for ms several a n g les . It t a lces a p retty e qua l course betw een the counties of Armagh and Down, but t he great e st pa rt of it seems to pa ss th r ough the latter .

( Rema ins of a for e st found in cuttin g the cha nnel south of t he p l a ce whe re t he river Cushe r falls in at Stramore ne a r Moyallen) .

Betwe en Poyntzpas s and Terryhoogan a riv ule t from a bog falls into the c anal , c alled in Iris h Ellemoney o r the wonde r ful bog , fro m t h e nat u re of its current, one branch r unnin g towards Lou gh Neagh . Between t hese ol a ces lie the highest g r ound of the whole c ana l , whe re by the means of two locks the water is forcibly retained for a l e vel of 3 miles; were it not for this c on trivance as the course of t h e waters incline north a n d south the inter media te s pa ce would be left d r y .

33 Geor ge III , Chap . 10 .

Ne wry Naviga tion:

An a ct for confir mi ng , ame nding and enlarging the powe r s ve sted i n the Cor pora ti on for p rom otin: and ca rryi ng on t he Newry Navigat io n . -

1800 .

Newri en sis , p . 200 .

In this t he l as t Session o f the Iris'.l Parli ament two Acts we re pa s s ed having refer en c e to our town . The first d issolve d t he Local Comm ission e rs for the 1-.anagement of the Na vi ga ti on , and tra n sferre d t he supervision of the Canal to cert ain pe rsons to be appointed by t h e Lord Li eutenant , st·led the Di r ectors General of Inl and Naviga t ion . Under the control of t he former it had b e en ver: mu c h neglected . Twenty - one were necessary to form a board , and th is number it was found ve r y d if fi cult to ass embl e .

1804.

Coote ' s Statistical Survey of Count y Armagh, pp . 106 - 111.

New r y Canal :

The obs tr u cti ons , wh ic h were e bc ounte r ed on the Newry river f r o:n that town to the sea, we r e so nu.:ae r ous, and i nvincible by other means, as to oc cas ion t he adoption of the o r esent navigation; fo r, ori gi nally, this river c ould not bea r boats, but of wry s mal l burthen, and only at high wate r, as the tide flow e d up to the town . The wo r k was considered to be a national benefi t, if extended to Lough - Nea gh , and t here to ad mit the bo a ts f r om the Tyrone collieries, and that t he coal, br oug ht f r om t henc e to Ne wry, could be dispat c h ed c oas tways to man y par ts of Irela nd , whi c h would keep at home the i mm ensity of sp ec i e p aid for fo rei g n coals .

The work was entirely comple ted by pa r liamenta ry gr ants , and pla ced und er th e c ont ro ul of a Boa r d , but there ha s lat e l y b een made a c on si de r a ble cha ng e in its for m and go vernment . The or i ginal board co ns isted of t we nt y - one me mb ers, and nothing c ould be deter mi n ed without t he ir consent . The noblemen of the counties of Arma gh , Tyrone, and Down, and the c oun ty re p resentatives had each a vote, but t h e c on seque n ce was, tha t t he business wa s g reatly neglected, as they found it d if f ic ult to bring so ma ny gen tle men together , a s wou ld mak e a bo a r d ; if c asual repairs were required , th ey of c ou rse c ould not be amended, and the navi r a ti on was for lo n g perio d s i mp eded, and re nd ere d s o un cert ain , that t he great t r ad e f r om Newry , which was formerly carried on this line wi t h t h e co u nties borderin g Lough - Nea gh , has been transferred t o Belfast , which ba s wonderfully rivalled Newry of l a te yea rs, and dep r i ve d th is t01m o f man y branches of her tr ad e .

If in conse quence of the neglect of a necessary exp enditure of mon ey, for lo ng p eriods , the works we re g r ea tly inju re d , yet the small tolls , which were yielded in pa rticular p l a ces , that s till re ma ined navigable , were husbanded with g re a t c a re and managem ent by the Re v . Doctor Ca mpbel l, of Newry, who wa s secretary to t h e bo a rd, and t he sav ings amounte d to n o less than £5 , 000 in hand , whe n _ that gentleman lately r esigned .

Since t h e new establishment has been adopted , this sum , t ogether with a l a r g e g r ant fro m the gene r al navi g ation board , has b een expend e d in some material repai r s and improvemen t s .

The board of t wenty - one is now abo l ished , a n d the ma na g emen t of all affairs , rela t ing to the canal , is ves t ed in conductors , who must be resident merchants in Newry , and n a tu r ally a re intereste d in the p rosperity of the trade of the to,m; f ive of t hes e c ons tit u te a boa r d , they reco mm en d wh a t they thin k necessa r y to be d on e , and commu ni c a te their op inions to t h e g ene r al

,

Coote's Statistical s urvey of County Ar magh, pp , 106 -111. (con t' d) .

navi ga tion board, who order the m t b their discretion . 0 e adopted o r rejected at

The a nnual tolls no11 amount t £2 500 b this sum a n d lately ' . d b O , ut formerly we re treble , , , consi era ly less; for one boat ,,hicb now ~;~:~~n~b~~~ 1 i::~t~rh~~ght yeathrs t ago perhaps ~en or fifteen· were in , 1ever, e rade is again i mp r oving .

. L~mesto9e , sand, li me, and all manures, a r e toll free no inco n side:ab~e enc ouragement to ag ric ultura l i mp rove ments .' Ti mber is freed int o the c anal , but pays a sma ll toll in its pa ssage~ other goods p ay a fee of ent r ance . · '

The na vi ga tion is now g reatly i mp roved fro m the town t o the sea, but the n ew locks, which hav e been lately built a r e too narrow by three fee~, being on~y twe nty-two in the clear; the y onl y require that alteration , to admi t l arge vesse l s to co me up which now unlade at Warren po int, six miles fro m Newr y ; li ghters take in t he ir cargoes, and enter the can al at Fa t hom .

For two years past, the works have been under a general re pair and the line is now well sup p lie d with water . The Cu shier river ' ~ill imm e dia te ly be let in,-and a trough or tun ne l, of cut stone, is now building near the noted burial pla ce of Ballynaback ; Loughbrickland and Lough - shark waters already sup p ly it .

The whole len g th of this navigation fro m the junct i on with the tide - water at Fathom to the town of fiewry, is fou r mi les ; from thence to Lough - Neagh twenty - seven miles, in toto thirt y - one Irish miles ,

Its advantages are common to the whol 7 line of country, west_ ward in Ar magh, and eastward in Down; running for the g reate: way in tnat v alley which constit u tes the boun ds of those two c ounties ; in res pec t of the several towns and villages on its bank~ , we will he re after shew , how they a re pa rticul a rly benefited, in the 13th chap . and 5th section .

The great mistake in inland nav i ga tion , as ha s been pro v ed_in various instances , is the adoptin~ the beds o: ri ve r s for the lines of c anal u nder the idea of a saving of money1 but in fact it_ oc r. urs that this only tends to g reat and lascing expence Rivers , from their low situation , naturally receive all superficial wate r,

Coote ' s Statistical Survey of County Ar :nagh , pp . 106 - 111.

(cont ' d) .

fro~ sno~ and rai n , as well as from spring s , and a re, of course, subJect co floods, which not only interrupt the passage , but frequently sweep away the works, and leave the m liable to incalculable expence : how many such navigations are there, at present, in Irel and , on which thousands have been exp ended to no good pu r pose , and whose d efects cannot be r emedied, but by abandoning the bed of the river, and adoptin g a new line? A partial selection of river beds , in favo u rable situat i ons , such as a re not subject to floo ds , is sometimes very adviseable, but whe re the ri v er is liable to r apid torrents, a navigation should neve r be th ough t of .

Formerly , the making of c anals was only considered adviseable , in propor tion to t he trade, which, it was calcul a te d , was tr an sported by land c arriage , and would ultimately def ray the cost of the work; but there are ma ny instances, of late yea rs, to p r ov e that such a calculation is too nigga r d , and that c anals ha ve no t only a ssi st e d trade, but cr eated new b r an c h es of comme rce, as well as ill aterially improved agricu l ture . The prosp ero us state of all the infant towns , on the Grand canal line , pe culi a r ly confirms this observation, where , but a few years ago, nothing but a bleak and uncultivated waste , or drea ry bo g , was to be seen . The im~ense ris e on landed property, in this extended line of can al , has al ready exceeded the most sanguine expectatio n s, and this success should create an emu lati on amongst the gentry in this p ro,,ince, to f o rward ,-,orks of such great i mp ortance to the natives in general , and particularly so to their own p rivate interests .

1804 .

Coote ' s Statistical Survey of County Ar magh , p . 358 .

The river Ban joins the Newry navigation with in two miles of T&nderagee , and fro m thence, with the Cushier river, flows into Lough Neagh, making in this course about eight miles .

The g re at advantage of this canal is the constant sup p ly of sea - coal brought fro m Newry , at 4s . 8d . pe r ton f rei gh t . The nu:ner ous bleach - mills i n this v icinity could not be sup p lied with turf, this fuel is so scarce in t h is dis trict . Fro m Tanderagee to Guilford t h ere is the closest neighbo u rhoo d of opulent linen :ner ch ants ; and , for a great extent indee d, al most the whole of the country is a conti nuation of de mesnes and beautiful i mp rove me nts; ma ny of these are held by the res p ectable society of Quakers , and their es ta b lishments in the li nen trade a re the most considerable in this co un t r y . A manufactory has been erecte d here for vitriol which is indispensabl e in t h e ble a c hing process , and is the joinf property of several me rchants, who have a large capital sun k in this concern , from which a sufficiency of vitriol is made, equal to their demand ,

1808 . Post Chaise Compan io n, 3rd Edition , p . 19 .

Two miles from Newry is Fat h om, t he seat of lr . Ogle . The canal be g ins t here which g oes t h ro ug h Newry to Lo ug h Neagh .

1815 . Newriensis , p . 243 .

whilst we ha ve been e ngag ed in speaking of these various local erectio n s, a work was being inaugurated a t soDJe cistan ce which was to have co nside r able influence for "Ood o r ill on the co ~m erce of Newry . This was t he cutting of a channel throu gh the bar at t he entrance of Cariingford Bay . A provisional o r der for this nurnose had been ob t a ined fro m t h e Board of Trade in 18 $3, and· in· the following yea r it was co nfi r med by Parliament. By this Or der the manage11ent of the ,1ork was entrusted to a Com,n ission c onsist i ng of twelve gen tle men, four of whom were no min a ted in the Or der, two were appointed by t h e Il ewry Town Commi ssioners, t1-10 b y the New ry Navigation Company, two by the Dundalk and Green o re Railway Co mpany , and two by the Neur y and Greeno re Rc: ilway Company . The Commissioners have obtained a consi dera ble sum on loan from Government to enable the i, to ca r ry out t ne undertaking , and they a re authorised t o c ha r ge tolls on vessels enterin g the Lough, subject to cert ain con oi ti on s and exem p tions .

1815 .

Newry 1-1agazine, Vol. 1, pp . 4 10 413 _

in th:o~~l~!s~p; culaLt i otnts upon inl a~d navigation, and having seen , -:- . ews - e er, t '1e en gin eer ' s oublication of a p r op~ ~eg . Juncti o n of Lough Neagh with Lo ugh- Erne, by an intended cana · is benevole~ce_and ge~erosity in s ubnitting an a cc oun t of h~~' ~abbour s : 0 J?Ubllc. inspection, implies a wish that his schemes m_onc e i.npartially investigated and reviewed .

Alt~o~gh I a m ne it~ e r a l?rofessed, nor a practical engineer , ye~ I t~i?K a cal m and impartial account of sev e ra l imorovements whic ,h mignt be made on this intended cut, will not be di sol easin g to tne engineer , nor to a ny other pe rso n concerne d . ·

Observe first , a c cording to Hr Owen ' s survey, who is oerfect master of _ the use of the spirit - level, an d is chief directo r of the Lagan navigation, t he elevation of Lough Neagh above t he level of tne sea , is 4 1 feet nine inches; and the su.~mit level of the La~an c anal above Lough Neagh is 72 feet, consequent ly above the sea~ 114 feet .

Secondly , by repeated accurate obser vations, it ap,-ears that the floor of the Ar magh observatory is 205 feet above the level of t he sea, and 95 above the lower end of t he co mm on of Ar magh . Ther efore it appears that the lower end of this common is 110 fe e t above the l ev e l of the sea , 4 feet lo wer than the summit level of the Lagan naviga ti on . Does not this suggest the propriety of ru nn ing a c anal f r om the summit level of t he Lagan n avig ation, ke e p ing 72 fee t abo ve t he su rf a ce of Lough Neagh , through this com ~on to Tyna n , whe r e i t may ente r th e intend e d Erne navigation, and continue in it by Gla s s l ough and Monaghan to Smithsbo r ough ; from thence , by prese rvi ng , if poss i ble , the sum mit level of the Erne ?avi g ation til l i t ente rs the r i ver Erne , near Belturbet ; from whi ch , or f r om any othe r ua rt of t he naviga t ion more ·convenient , a branch may be cut wit h six locks , to Lough Erne ; and the mai n might proc ee d to the lakes nea r Ki lle shand r a , wh ic h a r e connected with t he lake s nea r Cavan , Coo t h il l , and Ballybay ; the g r ea t navi~ation point i ng t owa r ds t h e Roy al c ana l. Such c an als would establish a cor r esponden c e with t he d i fferent pa r ts of the provi nc e , and open a c ommunica ti on with Dubl i n and the wes t

The c ounty o f Lei t rim bein g but about two miles f r om _Kii.l l e. sha n d r a and cr o s s i ng the Ne wry c ana l by an a que du ct, or a esc end i ng into i t 'b y loc ks wou l d be a t tend ed with some exo ense - but the cos t o f a b r an ch ' f r om the pro j ec te d canal to Armagh would , by thi s scheme , be sa v ed .

The benefits whi c h ld enginee r ' s plan are w~l~•/0~ r~~ult t~ the pre:vince , f r om the mod e of transpo~tin" th;- ~sc~i ~d . It woula_ afford a cheap Cavan, honaghan and T r re u~ an p roduce of toe counties of and Ar ma"h 11 th Y one , u: c. to the marke t s of Belfast, He wry , l ocks wo~id . chec ke t ~ngtneer did n?t consider that the tolls of the as gra in butter ra~s po r tation of the goods he mentions ; su ch n~vi"ati~n t -, an_ por • From the summit level of the rne f;om 0 Belfa st ot Lofgh ~e~gh , there must be sixteen locks ; the c anal b tt, 0 , ough ifoagh has eighteen - what profits uoon g r ain lut ~r , a n a po r K, c ould support the tolls of such a nu:nber? The ' 1 a e Y P: OJe ~ ted c anal from Lough Er ne to Lough Neagh , is to be· - 0 a ded ~rith cwenty - two, added to eighteen from Belfas t to Lough Neagh , -~n a ll forty . The g re at c anal of Langu e do c, from Thoulouse to t he 1-ied iterr anean , has only 5 aqueducts and 62 locks · five of those very near that g re at city ' '

A g re a t benefi~ he mentions , is the facility of tr ansporting co als of a l a tely di scov ered coal - p it, to different c ounties f o r house use? and for burnin g lime . rte says, "I had the pleasu ~e to le a r n dur in g my su rvey, that there has been l a tely discovered an excellent and extensive vein of bituminous coals . nine feet in t~ic kn ess , conven ien t to the northern shore of Lough Nea h , which might be c on veyed to t he towns mentioned , not only excellent for house use , bu t for bu r nin g lime " .

When the en gineer made his su rve y , he did not app r ehend that those c o a ls woul d cost , at t he pit , £1 2s , per ton, whi c h I unde rstand is now the selling pr ice at the pits; nor did he know the cost of land carriage from the pits to Lough Neag h , no r the frei gh t on the canal , nor t h e toll s of sixteen locks . Heither did he t h en k now, that alth ough these c oals a re excellent for house use, they a re too free f or burning li me with advantage . Culm, or blind co al , whi c h may be had f r om New r y , a r e better, and p r eferred to Ty r on e coals, for this pu r pose . I am told those co als are now a little c heap er .

Taking into considerati on the p rice at the pits, t he landc a r r i a" e the water - c a r r i age, and t h e tolls o f sixteen loc ks , these p its c;n~ot serve Belfast, nor Ar magh ,_ wh i~h is many feet h ~gh er than the sum mit level of the Lagan navigation . Great bene fits will indeed r esult fro m th os e p its to t he inh ab it ants of the shores of Lou gh Neag h; but v ery few to the purchasers of the coals , when bu r dened with the tolls of sixteen loc ks . T'ne sa me advantag es wo uld r esult fro m as c en d in g the Lagan navigation t o Ar mag h, &c .

A c ana l cut f r om the sum mit level of the Lag an navigation , to the lowe r end of the common of Ar ma gh , and fro m thence to _ fonaghan , &c . ( which I nam e the Ar mag h c a~al ), would be pro du c~iv e of more advanta ges to Ulster , than any yec projec ted . The s av ings , by o ccupy ing t he canal_and loc ks of the Lagan nav~gation, wo ul d be very g reat· - in the firs t instance, te n locks, ir they descend by tne La g an navigation ; six locks, if they descend by the Newry Canal.

.

The vessels from all th t t· would pa ss nea r Banb rid" e owns men ~oned beyond Ar magh , Ne wr y without d e s cend . 0 e'. Lrrgan, an~ Lisbu rn, to Belfast and to a com~u n ic a tion might ing_~n g Lou~h Neagh; because, if r equire d , c anals so tha t 1 eas~ Y e maae between t h e Ar magh and New ry sea b ' N - vesse s mi gh t descend by the lat te r either t o the Y ewry, or to Lough Neagh . '

T~; O?jec t ions to the Ar magh c anal a re very few . "Th e Boa rd of ~a v ioa t ion ha ~e o~de re d their en gineer t o as c e rt ain wheth er a navigable commu~icati on c ould be fo r med from any pa rt of the d ee p wa t e r s of th e rive r Erne, t hrough the counties o f Ca v an l-i ona"ha n Armagh, a n d Tyrone , so as t o fall into the river Bla c kw1 ter" . 0 '

If the Boa r d of Na vi ga ti on is dete r mined that the c anal mus t pa ss thr o u gh Tyrone, the Ar. agh cut must for the p r ese nt be given up . I f the ~ana~ ;11ust pa s s throu gh Tyr on e, from Lough Nea h to Lough Erne, it mign t be cut by Clo gher , some other t i me .

A ,51;1rver of this c ou rse was t aken by a milita ry en gineer of great aoilities , from Bla ckwa tertown to Lisnask e a , by Au ghna cloy Aughe r, Clou gh e r, Fivemiletown and Br ooksborough , the d istance ' being only 26 mi l es . I am inf orme d t ha t th e d e ot h of water i n t h e d riest season nea r Lisn ak e a , is suffi c ient to float any vessel that can be navigated i n the c ana l .

The second obje cti on is , that t he Armagh c ana l woul d , by its ci r cuitous cou r s e, add g r eatly t o the exp ense . The c ou r s e from Beltur bet by Tynan to Ar magh , is much sho rter than by Benbu rb . I t is indee d circuitous fro m Armagh to Li sbu r n ; but it would wind throu gh the most fe r t i le counties in Uls ter . The liberal subscriptions of the noble men and gentlemen t h r oug h whose be aut iful estates this canal would be cu t, would fully counte r a c t t his objection . The length of t he voyage would be amply re mune ra t ed by the weal thy to wns by whi ch it would pass . The p rinci pal difficulty which at present occurs, is i n pass i ng the Newr y navigation , which c an be a scertained by actual sur vey only .

The r eal additional e x pens e of t he loc ks and aquedu ct s , i f any , c a nnot by this view , be certainly de termined . It is to be hop ed , that t he Boa r d of inl and navigation will t ake this important subje ct into c onside r ation , a nd or der an actual survey of the Armagh c ana l .

On rec onsid e r in g the above f a cts, and ~h; magnitud e of ~his g re a t and useful national unde r takin g , I thin K t he Bo a r d of inland Ha vi"ation will i mm ediately order a c a reful su rvey of t he diff ; r ent c ou r ses p r oposed , and then deter mine which sha ll ten d most t o p r omo te national interest .

1815,

I must sup po se that t h e inte nd ed Erne navigation has been judici ously laid down in the eng ineer ' s map , and agreeably to the d irections given; but I wish the vie w should extend from the summit level of the La gan n a vi ga tion to the royal c anal ; and that the junction with Lough Erne and Cavan should be by branches fro m t he main , as they woul d be to Lo ugh Neagh and !1ew r y .

1816 . Shaw Jvi ason ' s St a tistic al Survey, Vol. II, p . 525 .

The fuel is turf wh ich is cut and saved in the months of July and Augus t . Great quantities of this useful article are c onveyed by the Rive r Bann , from t he exte nsiv e bogs in its nei ghb ourhood, the bogs in this pa rish (Sea goe ) bein g t otally inadequ a te to t he supp lyi ng of the inha bitants .

1818 - 1 819 ,

Stuart ' s Histo ric al E emoirs of the c1· ty f A 5 o r mag h, p . 17 .

!'ifil:lu_Ex,po "t s

Fro m t he 1st of January, 181 8 , till t he 24th of February, 1 819 ,

Oats, 5796 tons at£10 per ton .. . .

Butter, 10 3 ,229 fir kins at £3 . lOs. per

Linen Cloth, 4 , 719 bales and boxes, at £100 pe r

Flax ( 3890 bales a t £18 per bale) - (37 tons )

Tow , 908 Bale s, at £5 , 13s , 9d , per

Hides, 3903 at £1 per .•

Oatmeal, 292 tons, at £1 8 per ton

Feathers, 265 bales, at £37 10s . per bale

Pigs, 633 e t £3 per • •

Cows, 161A , at £lb pe r ••

Horses, 70, at £15 per ••

Glue , 12 Hhds . at 5 Guineas per (78 8 Sacks at 6s . 8d . per sack

Bran ( 37 tons, a t £6 1 3 .4 d . per ton (23 8 packages at £1 per

Tanners ' Weste (2 1 t ons at £ 1 10s . p er

Potatoesi 4 70 tons , a t £2 per . ••

Flou r, 2v bags , at £2 12s . pe r

Soap, 29 boxes, at £6 p er •.

Bone Ashes, 11 hhds . at £2 p e r

Hair , curled , 23 bales, a t £3 per

Ca l f Skins , 1 2 casks, at £30 pe r

Calves Valves , 20 casks, at £7 10s . per

Old Rags, 84 packages , at £10 pe r

Apples, 145 casks, a t lOs . per ••

Hay , 59 tons, at £5 per ton

Whiskey, 30 puncheons , at £32 p er

Salt , 2000 Bushels 1 at l s . 3d . per

Wheat , 271 t ons , at £17 per ••

Beef , 60 barrels , at £3 10s per

Ditto 383 tierces, at£ 5s . per

Pork ' 100 tierces at £7 10s . per

Ditt~, 1 177 barreis 1 at £5 2s . od . per

Bacon , 569 bales, at £ 1 2 • • • •

471,900 0 72,684 o 5,164 5 3 , 903 O 5 ,

8 19 .

Stu a rt ' s !emo ir s of Arm agh City, p . 517 ,

English co als a re obtainable at Ar ma gh from Newry and Irish c oals from An nah one and Coal Isl and . It is hoped t ha t Lough Neagh and Lo ugh Erne will soon be con necte d by a g r and c anal , from whi ch a lateral branch mi ght extend to Gran e in the nei ghbou r hood of Armagh . Fuel would then be obtainable from Newry at reason abl e r ates and the exp ort trade of that town would be comp letely opened t o the farmers of the country .

NEWRY CANAL ,

The changing scene from the customs of life of other days (actually nearly 150 years ago), is very well exemplified by this account of a canal-boat voyage between Newry and Knock bridge (near Port a down), which is taken from the "Newry Telegraph" of April, 1812:

"In fine weather this mode of travellin g is quite delightful , and at all seasons is safe, commodious, and absolutely free from all unpleasant motion. A passenger in the boat may amuse himself, either with view of a country highly picturesque, or rational conversation with his fellow travellers in the cabin.

"Yesterday being Easter Monday, various groups of people had collected. These began to pursue the vessel. Every village added some of its inhabitants. The bridges were covered with gazing mortals, wed ged like arrows in a quiver. Each face was turned to the same object and as the boat shot under each bridge the spectators turned round that they mi ght behold it escaping from the opposite side of the arch. One would have thought that it was the first vessel that ever floated on the water since the launch of Noah's Ark. The beautiful girls, by the rapidity of their exertions, deepened their complexions. The lily fled, the rose took sole possession.

"As we moved along the glossy surface of the canal the waters reflected the images of adjacent objects, like a polished mirror. The fluid dispersed by the boat was seen to rush forward in a gentle swell to the banks. Immediately afterwards, the weeds rushes and water-flowers were perceived to bend and the water itself to recede from the bank in a Jirection contrary to that of the boat to fill up the vacuity made by her wake.

Amusin&

"We sometimes amused ourselves by drawing the curtains so as to admit the light in through a small portion only of the window. At this time if we fixed our eyes on the boys or girls endeavouring to keep pace with the boat, the effect was amusing. When their pace was equal to ours they seemed to be performing a laborious dance without advancing an inch. When they moved with less celerity than the boat they seemed to be performing retrograde hornpipes as violent as the saltations of Pyrrhic dance".

Life was leisured and there was "time to stand and stare" in those days. The boat on the canal was the acme of pleasant travelling in days -when the quickest means of transport was horseback or the outside jaunting car or the stage coach, -which, of course, was far off on the main roads from city to city. The bicycle had not made its appearance, and the motor car was unthought of, and it was not until 50 years later that Tennyson dreamed of "the heavens filled with commerce".

The passage boat referred to in the above account was, we are told, "established by the respectable Quakers of Moyallon to enable passengers to go to Newry, transact their business and return home the same day". Why Newry? Well, Portadown was little thought of by those living outside it. Its population in 1816 was about 600· something like 120 houses. Newry and Lurgan were the Meccas for the shopper. Even Tandragee, -which had 1 200 inhabitants in 1819, had more to offer. Colon~l Blacker of Carrickblacker tells about the same period of his visits for meat to Lurgan, speaking rather disparingly of the butchers and provisioners of Portadown.

"The Portadown Times" - 12th Aug., 1960.

1819 .

Br adshaw ' s Dir ec t o r y of Newr y and Armagh .

New r y : Conv e yanc es by wate r - A few years ago a pa ss age boat was built by seve r al gentlemen to ply between Newry and Knockb r idge on the Newr y Ca nal. It leaves Newry e ver y Tuesday , Thu r sday and Satu r day , and returns every Monday , Wedne sda y and Friday .

1 83 0 , fa cCabe ' s Directory of Newr y and Warrenpo i nt .

Newry Naviga ti on Com pan y. Inc orporated by Act of Parli amen t 1 9 June , 1 829 , 10 Geo . 4.

(List of Members given) .

Also c ontains (p . 79) a list of sh ip pin g belong ing to the Port of Newry . Gi ves names of vesse ls and names of baste r s .

1831 - 37 ,

Ma r t i n ' s I r e land before and after the Un i on , p . 140 .

Newr y Naviga ti on (between Newry and Lou gh Neagh and Newry and the sea) for goods only .

1834 . I ng lis' s Journey in Irel a nd (4t h Edition) , pub . 1 836 , p 360 .

Newr y :

Newry is a t own of cons i de r able trade and ·ncrea sing consequence: it s s i tua ti on is well adapted for comLerce : from Loch Ca rlin g f o r d , a c a n al c ommunicates with the to,n; anct from t h e t own i s c a rr ied up t o Lo ug h Neai:h . J;ewry therefore possesses immen s e ad v antages as a pla c e of export , th w.:ate r communication t o Lough Neap,h t hrowir., onen the extensi ·,e c rn di s trict s wh ic h li e t o the nor t h and west . ut the c:.n:.l from Loch Carlin g ford t o t he town is not sufficie'lt for the tr o e : and it is inten d e d t o d e eoen the river navi ation lelo w . ewr· so th a t vessel s of 200 o r · JOO tons bu r the ~a y co~e u to the to1m .

Th e export tr a de of New r y is , next to oe lfast t~e larrest in the North of Ir eland . The tonnaae inw~r ds d rinr t .e l"st three year s , a ver ag ed 60 , 000 , outwards ab,,ut 45 , 0uv . The an nual Custom r e v enue i s about £130 , 000 . In t ll its exoorts t h e t ow n is incr eas i n ; in the article of but er alone 8 0 000 cas k s a r e exoo rt ed yea r ly : and a on tn, chief 3rtic~es of'im po rt tra d e I ~ay name flax seeds , of w·.ich not less 10, 000 tons, will h av e b een received this year at the port of New r y .

1835 . Ordnance Survey Memoirs

.

Durin g the summe r mo nt hs t h e meadows a l on g t h e Bann a r e covered with numbers of b l a c k c a t tle . Th e qua ys n e ar t h e bri dg e ha ve a p erc e pti b le ai r o f bus i nes s , es pe c a l l y t ha t on t he Ed en derr y si d e of t h e b ri d e ... ... lhe r v er i s na r r ow ab ove th e bri dg e, bu t wi de ns out a l mos t to t h e s ze of a sma l l lake below it .

1837 .

Lewis ' s Topog r aphical Dictionary of Ireland .

Portad own :

The river ( Ban) which falls into Lough Neagh about sev en miles below the to,m to the no r th, and communicates with the Newry Canal about one mi le above it to the south , is navi ga ble f o r ves s e ls of 80 tons bu r d en, but f rom a bar a t its mouth , and from want of d e pth in the cana l , t he vessels ge ne r a l ly navi ga ti ng it sel dom exceed 6 0 tons .

1837 ,

Lei gh ' s New Pocket Road Book of Ire land , !ll'- 38 - :9 .

New r y is a populou s manufacturim· tmm and po rt hav:.r.~ two handso me bri dges over the Hewry - water . e ~ail p:sses ove r a draw bri dg e on t he c anal wh ich i~ n~vi ~bl for s~a l sloops fro m Carlingfo rd to LouP,h ., eaph .

The quay and v essels floatin~ 3lon rside it :or an ·interesti ng si £; ht within th e town itse f ,

837 .

Le wis ' s Topog r aph i cal Dict i ona r y .

Sca r va :

The vi ll age con t a i nin g about 50 well built houses , was found e d about 1 746 by the late John Reilly , Esq . who ob t ained a cha r ter fo r a market and fair . It i s situated on the c anal betw e en Newr y and Lo ugh Nea gh , having a small do ck and quayage fo r lighters : a considerable trade is carried on pa r ti c ula r ly in coa l and tu r f, supp l ying a populous neigh b ou r hood and nume r ous bleach mi lls and man factories (sic) with fue l.

1840 .

Lennox ' s Directo r y .

New r y :

Pr i or to the days of W i lliam III the river was not navigated above Warr e npoint; but tha t monarch by affording protection to the New r y merchants , and conferring g rants fo r the e mban king of the rive r and improving the harbour, ga ve to he r merchants that s p irit of indus tr y which ha s made Newry wha t she is . Tr ad e is a ls o f ac il itated by a ship canal, which conne c ts Lough Neagh on one sid e and Carlingford on t h e o t h er . Th i s canal , 20 mi les long , was made by order of the Irish Government, unde r an Ac t of Pa r liament , 3 Geo . II, com menced in 1730 and comnleted in 174 2 . It was pla c ed under the managemen t of l o c al commiss i one r s and remained so until the ye a r 18 00 , wh en by Act of Pa r liament it wa s place d under the Boa r d of Inland Navigation . In 1 830 t h e Cana l was transfer r ed fr om the abov e to the New r y Navigat i on Co mp any by Ac t of Pa r liament, 1 0 Geo r ge 4 .. .. . .

Merchants Quay is situated on the banks of t~e Cana l and almost enti rel y tak e n u p with merchants c ounting hous es, sto re s and wa r ehous e s . Here vesse ls can u nload .

1842 . Belfas t Alm ana c .

The Belfa st train connects at Po rt adown with the Fly Boat fo r Newry on three days a week ,

At above date William Dargan ' s passenger bo a ts Gr a nd Junction, Countess of Caledo n , t he Antri m and Tyrone Steam Ferry Boat Ent er pris e, the paddle steame r Ma rchiones s of Done ga ll and t he pa ddler t he Lady of t he Lak e - were a ll in commission on Lough Neagh .

Grand Ju ncti on and Countess o f Cale do n so ld by au ct ion in 1 859 ,

The ea rli est steamshi p - the Ma rchi one ss of Donegallwas l aunched in 1 82 1 . She made her fi r st v oy ag e on Janua ry 5, 18 22, fro m Ellis Ha rbour where s h e Has built , ha vi ng in tow the La ss o f Sc a rva laden with co al for t he Dun ga nnon Dist ill e ry . On the day of he r maiden voy ag e t housand s of peop le ga t he re d a t Maghery to se e he r p ass

43 . la rtin ' s Ir eland Be for e and After the Uni on , p . 1 36 .

New r y Navigation . The leng t h of the 1-: ewr y Ca:ial is 16½ mile s . It fo r .D.s the com:n unicatio n bet\-1een lew r y and Lou gh Ne agh and beti-1een Ne 1,1r y and t he sea . In l t:; 3'7 the tonnag e amounted t o l0~ , 332 and the to ll s to i3 , 500 .

From Belfa st t o Co al Islan d the len g t h of the l!av i gation is 61 mi les, fro m Newry 39½ miles

184 3 .

Thacke r ay ' s I ris h Ske tc h Boo k .

The brisk lit tle t01:m of Portadoun , wit h its comfort,bl e unpretendin g house , its s qua res and mar'-et place , its p retty c r aft a lon g t h e river - a stea~e r buil din g on the cockside , close to the mil ls and wa re houses t ha t l oo·, in a full st3te of pr o sperity was a p l easant concl us i on t o this 10 miles drive t h at en ded at t he newly opened r ailway station .

( Journey f r om Ar ,n agh t o Belfa st) .

1844 .

Lough Neagh Steamer .

The Grand Junction . Will leave Ba llyr onan wi th <; oods and passengers, every Ho n day , Wednesda y and Friday at 8 o ' clo c k and callin g at Ne wpo rt Tre n c h wi ll a r rive in Portadown in time for the 2 o ' cloc k train . Ra ilway t r a in to b elfast and Fly Boa t to Newry

Returns t o Ba l lyronan e very Tuesday, Thu r sday and Satur day on t he a rr ival at Portadown o f t h e 10 o ' cloc k train from Belfa st and Fly Boat at New r y , c al li ng at Ne wport Tre n ch . Agent J os e ph Handle y, 8 1 Ann Stree t, Belfast ,

1844 .

Frazer ' s Hand Book fo r Travellers in Ireland, 1884 , p . 614 .

Portadown_is situa te d upon the Up p er Ban wh ich falls into Loug h Neagh , 71; mi les below the town, and communi c a tes with the Newry Canal ab out l¼ miles abo ve it .

The Bann is he r e navi ga ble for vesse l s of 60 tons burden The principal tr ad e carried on is a t t he we ekly ma rket whe r e a gre a t d e al of cor n and o t her ag ricu ltural p r odu ce is brou gh t and for ward e d to Newry - the r e turni ng bar ge s b rin g timber, slates, co al , i r on, etc . for inland conswn p ti on .

Ibi d , p , 59 8 . It was not u ntil the middle of the last ce ntury , when comme rc ia l enter p rise aided by the Go ver m,ent opened t he n a vi ga ti on to Lough Nea gl1 that the foundation of its present improvement was laid .

Kane ' s "Indust r ial Resources of Ireland " , 2nd Ed ition, p . 357 .

The Newry Can al commu nicatin g with t he sea a bout ;,; mil es below the town, passes northwards for 16½ miles (Irish) to Whitecoat where it joins the Bann and by it passes into Lough Neagh . ~~..!1Q.. p_as~LJ2Q.ai.Lo.n this canal.

In 1 837 the traffic was 10~ , 333 tons p roducing in tolls t he sum of £3,505 . 11 . 5 .

Ibid , p . 360 .

Steam vessels have been placed upon the lake (Lo ugh Neagh) which colle ct a t va r i ou s ports on the northern and western _ sho r e , goods and pa ssen g ers,and convey them to the south ano e as t.

1846 .

Pi ctu r e s que ,Iandbook t o Ca rli ngfo r d ..., t 846 vay , Pu bli shed by Gr eer of Newr y , e c . 1 , pp . 1 68 - 17 ~ .

Newr y Navi g at i on :

. • ?r i g i na l~ y the Na v i gation to Ne wry appe a r s to ha v e been o f ! r 111 7ng s e r v ice t o t he c omme rc e of this part of the co unt r . Ih e river p r esent e d so many o bs t ru cti o n s t hat the passa " e wa s dif f i cu l t ITT or i mp r a c t ic a bl e , ex c ep t for v~s se ls o f i nc ons ide r abl e bu r de n . l he Cus toms o f Newr y we r e r e c eived at Car l i n " f o r d as th a t an ci ent to,,m , f ro m i ts p r oxi mit y to the d e ep sea u and ' t h e de pt h o f wa ter i n t he b ay c ont i gu ous to i t , was found ' a conve ni en t stati on f o r sh i ps of l a r ge bur t hen . But t h e situat i on of Ne wry b e i ng mu c h b et t er ada pte d for i nland t rade , i t s navi ga t i on was i mp rove d so as t o adm it c oa sti n g and s e abo r ne vessels u p i n to t he to wn , wh e n immed i a te l y it s comme rc e began t o i nc rease

Th e Canal was o ri g in a lly f o r me d for c onve yi ng c oa l s f ound in t he co u nt r y bo r derin g u p on Lo ug h Neagh to New r y , and then ce by sea to Dubl i n and ot h er I r ish port s . Ev en t ua l ly t hos e ad va n t age s we r e r ever s ed; for , fro m wa n t o f c ap i tal , those c oa l mi nes ha v e never been f u l ly or p ersev e r i ngly worked , and now one of the chief ite ms of t he ca r rier t r a d e by t h i s c a n a l, i s t h e c oa ls i mn ort e d i nt o Newry an d the n c e t hroug h t he c ana l t o Porta do ,m , Du n"annon Ca le d o n ' Bl a c kwate r tm-m , &c . It s u tili t y is ve ry ext ~n s ive; as it opens a water co mmu nic at io n with f iv e c ~unties , Do vm , Der ry , Antri m, Tyrone , an d r ~ a gh ; and , by me ans o r t he Ul ste r Can a l , which c onn ects Lo ug h ~rne and Lo~gh Nea~ h , Ca v a n , J.i ona gh an, an d Fer mana g h , a lso expo rts and i mp_o: t s t hei r me r cha n d is e by wa ter vi a th e p o r t of Ne1-1 r y , wn i ch i s t he g r e a t nat u r a l o u tl e t o f Ulst e r .

The Ca nal wh ich conn ects Lo ug h Ca r l in gfo r d wit h t h e_ Upp er Bann a~d Lou gh ' Nea gh its c ourse run ni ne north a long t he bot~orn of the f er t i l e va l l e y which se pa r a tes Ar magh f r om Down , for mi ng i n man y p l a c es a bo u n d a r y line bet we en t ho se c o~ t ies; of con stru c ted by or de r of the Iri s h gov e~rment , b~u~ r i~ 17 30 and t he Irish Pa r l i a me nt , 3 r d Geo r ge II . wa; r om the Ty r o ne ' ve ssels pass e d t h r ough it l ad e n wi th /?a 1!bout twe nt y - one Eng lish C?lli e rie s i n 1741. Th e Ca nal , whi~ - n~s an d that rive r continu e s m i l es in l eng t h f r om Fa t h om t o th e f ' h Nea gh at t ha t t i me t he Na vi g at i on te n mil es f ~r th e r tgus~~: House , ' ol d Quay , in the ope n ed into the tide o p p os ite •t h e N ;r y to Fa thom was comp l eted south end of Ne wr y . Th e cu ~ ~r om t e~ h e Cana l, was a c comp li shed i n 17 63 . This v a l uab l e adi7 t ~~nHo ~ Ja mes Fortes c ue , f a t he r under th e nusp ices of t he i g MP · f o r Lout h a i d e d a nd of the l a t e Lo r d Cl er mo n t , t h 0 n M• p and wnh am Qc,le , Esq . , sup por t ed by Rob e r t Sc o tt ?d E~ i ' ' hd ~omme rc ial en t e~ p rise gr ea tly Who by the i r u ntirin g a s si ui Y a promoted t he p r o s pe rity of Ne wry .

New ry Navigation (cont

' d) .

The N~vi~ation was formerly under the management of a Boa r d cons1.st1.n g of the g entle men whose est at es lay ~onti g uous to the Canal , the members for Newry, the magistrates 1or the counties thro ugh which it pa sse d , th e cler gy and o thers . Twenty - one of these were necessary to form a Board · and as it was found i mp ossible to brin g together so many individ~als as often as was necessary, the Canal fell into decay . It was t he ref o re in 1800 , transferred by Act of Parliament from t he mismana~ement of the local commissioners to that of the Directors Ge ne ra l of Inl and Na vigation . In 1 830, it was transferred from t ha t body by Act of Parli am ent, 10th George IV ., to t he co ntrol and superintendence of a Board at Newry, called t he Newry Na vi gatio n Company, the committee of which consists of a number of the merchants and shipowne rs of the town, and gentlemen pa r ticula r ly interested in the success of t h e Na vigation. The engineer in chief is Sir John Rennie , the resident en gineer, John Ramsay , Esq . , M. A. , in whose skill and jucl.gment the ?ommittee deservedly repose the g re a test confidence. From a parliamentary return issued du r ing the p resent year, on the motion of Mr . ~eorge Hamilton, l1 . P ., the followin g appears ~o be the pe cum.ary relationshi p between t he gove rnment ano the trustees : -

Pu r p ose of Loan - New r y Naviga tio n Com pany . , Amount of Loan £12 , 000; Issues by Exche q uer Bills , £1~,000;_rate of interest four per cent . ; Amount of Intere~t ~aid , £3 , 94 8 17 s . ld .· Repayments on account of Principal, £5 632 ls 5d • Balan ce outstanding, £6 , 367 18s . 7d . Diito (fu;th~f to co mplete) - Amount of Lo 6n&£~OV?O~ ; I ssues by Excheque r Bills, £10,0too} . u nd e~r cent · ~o~nt c 44 £10 000 · Rate of Interes , ive P 1 f . It' t' 1 d £1 1 60 17s . ld .· Balances outstanding, o n ere s pa l , f:4;c 000 Amount of £20 , 000 . Total amount of Loan, , · interest paid, £1~ ,4 51 ls . lld ,

t C 1 two miles fa r ther seawa r d

An extension of t~e P:esen anaieted the Sea - loc ks will is being made . When this will be co mp . le ' north of the head of be four miles sou th of ~ewry , a nd 1 ~r=dm to dee p en the Canal so Lough Carlingford . It is conte mp d other ships of larger as to admit steamers of 600 tonst an·ve docks a re to be for med burden, up to the to,m ,. '::here ex_ e~s~f the river was obstructed to receive them . The t 1. oa l port~o d so that only vessels of by natural deposits of stones an m~ tater could come up to the S!llall burden , and these on~y a t htgwe r por tion of the rive r have town . These obstruc t ions in th e bo means of a s team dredge a nd been in a g r eat measu re r emove~, a~d in the middle of the rive: diving bells particula rly an 1.sl d (so c alled if we can credit at th , ' 11 d Nun ' s Islan ' · t t1.·mes) e Harrows , ea e t was there in anci en , oral tradition, because a conven

1846 .

Newry

Navigation (cont ' d) .

has been al toge t her t ak en away . At p r e sent, l arge sea - borne vessels of 200 tons and upwards ca n readily come up to the toi-m . The toll exacte d from laden vessels enterin g the canal is one shilling :?er to;1 inwards, and one p en ny per ton outwards . The rece:ipi of tolls in 1 832 , amounted. to £3 , 029 lls . 8d . Amount for yea r ending April 5th , 1 8 4 6 , £4 , 059 4s . ld ,

The Nav i gat i on to Newry has the advantage of a Lighthouse , situated at the Bar, on Hau lb owline Rock , at the mouth of Lough Carlin g fo r d . It was e r ected in 1 823 , and shows, at an elevation of 101 feet above high wa ter, a fixed white light, which can be seen fifteen miles out at sea . The r e is another Li gh th ou se in Ca rli ng for d Lough , two miles and a half farther inland, on Greeno r e Point, erected in 1 830 . It is a white revolvi ng light , twenty - nine feet abov e high water , and may be seen nine miles off at sea . There is a h othe r li ght still required at lfarrenpoint to enable inward - bound vessels to re a ch t he head of the Lough in da r k nights . The s t eamers particularly feel the want of this light in winte r, and when the atmosphere is foggy . Captain Laurence Tallan , commander of the Hercules steamer - en pa s sant as gentlemanly and experienced a seaman as it has ever - been ou r good fortune to sail with - is of opinion , that if this li ght we re pla ce d on the Black Rock or some othe r elev ated u lace at the h ead of the Lough , and that the Bar were removed, the Carlingford Lough would be a most com p lete easily entered and pe r fectly safe ha r bour of refu ge shel t~red from every {.1ind . All the experienced commande rs of ste~me rs, and sa il - vessels acquainted with t he ~o ugh , includin~ Captain Tallan Captain James 0 1 Hagan ,_L1eutenantServ ante 0 ( Co rnmander of the Re venue Cruiser on this c?ast~ , ano Captain Thomson of the Sea Nymph , agree in represent~n~ it as an admirable natural saf et y harbour , i f the Ba r, the chie1, ,nay t~e only obstru c tion to its usefulness as such , we re re moveo . '~'rn: Ba r is a natu r al deposit of blue cl ay and boulders, upon fas ra a of limes t one rock , a t a c onsiderab~e i~ptt ~:~ow i~\,!~r 0 ~~:inall y r unning r ight ac r oss the ent r an ce O e ~ · on~ of sand and clay a ve:y narrow ridge, bu t from th e r c c~ut1t~ eve r y tide, it has ?arried do1-m fro m the head of th e ou 0 ndred fee t . This has incre ased it s b re ad th to nearly seven ~u the So uthern Channel has increased very r ap idly of l atedy~a r:h !i~~!ov~l of limestone between bee n created o r r ather enlarge ? t t hereby diverting the Blockhouse I sland and Ba lla gau Pein' lessenin ~ its force in current from its natural channel, a nd d nd clay it formerly fo rced carryin g over the Ba r _ mu c h ?f th ': ~a ~e/ our readers will bette~ ove r and carried off into t0e ~ris r obst r uction f r om the following Understand the nature of th is a r 0 diagram of it : -

Newry Navigation ( cont 1 d) .

High Wate r Spring

Tides

Hi.;;;g h Wa_t_e r_O.:...r:..::. d =i::n::a:..r~y~ T:.:i:.:d'..:e:.:s~~~-----------

o -'i; Low Wa ter Sp ring Tid es

Ca rli ng ford

Lough .

The Ba r 700 feet broad¾Mile long I r ish Sea .

, On th~ Ba r. at 1 01·1 wate r spring tides, t he depth of wate r is 9 reet, wh ilst immed iately insi de t he bar at the sa 'll e time the wate r r ~pidly d~epends t o eight fathoms and upwa r ds . Outside , the descensio n of tne Ba r is mo re remarkable, for it abruptly sinks int o t~e I ris h Se a , fro m which the deep water of the Carlingfo r d Lough is only separated by this single obst r uct i on . The rise of the water on t he Ba r at ordinary ti d e s is l" feet , and at s p ring ti des ei ght een feet . It has been as ce rtained by s ci entifi c and acc u r ate calculatio n , th a t an out l ay of about £60 , 000 wou l d eithe r entirely re mov e or suff ici ent l y d ee pen this Ba r to adm it the pass a ge of vessels of t he gr eatest. burden at all st a tes of t he tide - an outlay i nsign ific ant with t he nat i onal as well as local adv antage s it would c onfe r; f o r as t he re is no harbour o f refuge on t h e north - e a st co a st of Ireland , vessels c aught by s tress of weathe r , pa rticu la rl y south - e as t ga les , in ~he . I ris h sea , in:7ar - iably make for Carlingfor d Bay for s'.1elte r , ai:a w,1en t he tide ,n ll ~ot pe r mit them t o en t e r it by re ason of the Ba r, 1 t . ve r y frec,uen tly nas hap::, ene d that t h e y ha ve been wr eck e d upon t he I ri sh <:_Oa:t , and human life and v aluable p r ooe rt y sacrificed . Al l thes: ra:cs ha ve been submitte d t o t he Adm ir alty , and thei r impor!anc~ rullY 1 .. r ecognise d . The r omedy may confidently be expecced, co ':'e api;>1 e? ~ ii ng t he approachin e sp rin g , a s the p r ope r s te p s ro r i nsuring it - 1 be s tudi ous ly pe r severed in .

1846 .

Newrie n s i s, p . ::C2 4 .

Ab ou t this t ime t !ie c ana l was leng t hen ed fr om Fa t hom two ;n iles fa rt he r s e awa r d The sea loc ks a re now si t ua te t hree miles and 3 - ha lf s ou t h o f He wr y , and one mil e and a- ha l f no rt h of Harre npo i n t . Sev e r al obs tr u c t i ons whi c h i mu eded t h e n a vi ea t ion we re r emo ve d , es pe ci ally an is l and in· the mi dd le o f t he river a t Ha rr ow - wa t e r, c alled Nun s ' Isla nd, because tr ad iti on a s s erte d t ha t a c onven t had b ee n ~tuate t h ere of old .

1846 .

Slater ' s Directory of Ireland .

New r y :

A noble ship canal is now in p roces s of' co mple tion for connectin g the r iver with the to wn , which will receive s te ame rs and traders of the largest burth e.n conveyin g the m to the wa rehouse doo rs of t he res pe ctive c onsigne es .

Conveyance by water

.

To Enn is k ill en and Belturbet , the Ulster Ca nal Comp any ' s boats daily takin g go ods to Belfast , Portadown , •foy , Caled on , Mona gh an, Clo nes , Maguire ' s Bridge and all t o,-ms adjacent .

1854 .

Doyle ' s Tour of Ulster , p , 45 .

Newry :

By means of the " Newr y Can a l Na vigation " it is u nited to Lough Neagh and b e ing t h us connected with the Great Ulster Canal , its commu nication with the l i ne of traf fi c from Sha n!l on t o Be lfas t is es t ablished . The co mpa ny have the management of t he po rt and c an al , by whom the latter has just been co mp le t ed , wh ich has t hus se c u re d t o the mer chants of the to wn the utmost fa cilit y fo r ext ending thei r commercial r elations .

1855,

Harmion : Mar i ti ue Ports o f Ir eland , p . 304 .

There a re 4 b rid~es of t drawbri dg es o f wood o ~er s o ne a cr oss t he river an d 4 che c anal , whi c h r un pa r a lle l i n their course t hrough t he t own ( New r y) .

Ibid, p . 304 .

The vie1•1 of Ne wry fro m t h e so u t h a s e n t ered f r om t he Dubli n road, is pa rtic u l a rly ag re eabl ~ t o the eye, and t h e c an al which i nt e r se cts its s tr ee t s a nd v all e y s wi t h v essels of consider a bl e ton n age o n its s urf a ce, gi ves a s tr ong resemblance to Dutch o r Bel g i a n t m-ms .

Ibid, p . 312 .

That af t er the cana l fro m Lough Ne agh to Jiewry had be en co mpleted i n 1741, it was dee med exp e dien t, as already shown under the head of Inland Na v i g a ti o n t o ext end i t t o Fa t hom .

Ibid, Precis, pp . 123 - 1 24 .

The New r y Na vigation - Constr u cted t o co n ve y co a l f r o,n Lou gh Neagh to Newry. and t h en by sea t o Dub li n , etc . Commen ce d 1(7) 820 Act of 3rd Geor ge II . Ve s s e l s wit h coal thr oug h i n 1741. Cut fro m Newry to Fathom in 17 63 .

Fathom - Bann at Portadown 21 miles River to Lough Neagh 10 miles .

1st A Boa rd of Directors . ~nen Commission e rs of Inl a nd Na vi ga t~o n . 1ben 1 3 30 Newry Na vi g ati on by Act lOs h Geo . IV, comp ose d of me rc hants and shi p owners . in Newr y . n 6 nd 7 Vic . to d ee ne n and A l oan of :,:..30 , 000 under a t o deen water at Warren noint . exte nd th e navi ~ation fro m Fa~homto Newry . I n 18 31 to nn a ge Now about 14 or 15' feet of wa.r£ 2 413 3 1 0 In 1 8 37 home by c anal 70,47 9 tolls pai , • • · 102, 322 tons, tolls of £3,005' . 11 . 5' .

Newr y and Ty r on e Nav i ga ti ons (cont , d) .

1 74 1. 'rhe po rt ion betw e en Hewry and Fatho Point uas not c o.up l e t ed until 30 years later .

We l earn f r om a r eriort in 1 750 of Hr . Acheson Johnston , Und er t ake r an d Eng i n eer of the New r y Canal uositions then not inc om J;> atible , that of the fif t een locks on ' the canal , twelve we re in go o d o r d er, two of the remaining three uere built nine yea r s ~ r e v iou sl y on~ F r en ch rilan , with pipes in the side wa l ls ins t ead o f slui c e t unnels ; these were subject to burst a• d we re ou t of o rd er . The splays o r f r on t s and tails of the locks were bu ilt o f b ri c k and we r e mou l der i ng away , and the waste of wa t e r wa s su c h , t ha t the l e v els , full over nicht , were dry in t he mo rni ng The th i rd l o c k 1-1as built of common rough stone, and t he wa t e r had poo l ed behind it in several ilaces . A mile and a ha l f of t he upper l e v el , nex t Poyn t z Pass , was so narrow t h a t t wo bo a ts of bur t h e n could not pass ea ch other .

As t o t he then s t ate of the navigation fro::i Loueh ,:e 0 el1 t h r ough the c oun t y of .i'yrone towards the coal pits , ,-;r . Johnston st at e d tha t t he na v iga ti on was c ontinued out of the loueh by the Magh ery Cut for n ea rly three mi les in the bed of t~e olackwater river and tha t a c an a l was c arried from thence 3 miles 38 perches t o t h ~ town of Coal I s l and , tha t it had three locks uuon it o f stone, a n d t h at i t s hou l d be ca r ried further tow;:irds the coll i er i e s of Dr umg l a ss and St ewart s t o1-m .

The ·iagh e r y Cu t was made a cr oss t he isthmus o! ~~at nam,e fo r t he uu r u ose of a voi d i ng the bar at the mouth. or ":18 0 1° c Kwater, h ~ vin g u p o n it 1 foot 1 0 inche s of water rn s\.LllJJer ·

Th t · t · f t he c anal on 1•,r. Acheson Joirnston ' s e c o n inu a i on o . o•, l t. r-lr Christooher 1-,ye rs pl a n , h a vi ng p r e sente d s ome di f r~ c u ies , of the ,-arks·, in 1762 was a pp o inte d t o s u c c ee d him as size to enable ve s sels He p r op o s e d t o mak e a c anal of sur~~~ ic o l l i eries . Ee began a t of 100 t ons t o sa il f ro m Ne wr y to t d e m; c h u r oryress when h e t h e col l i ery bas in , bu t he had n o ma e t that he r e c om.oend e d f ound . t ~a t t h e . exp ens e would ~e s o th ; exper i me nt, a~ . he the g ivi ng o f i t up a ft e r ha v in~ ma f the l i ne and buila i ng a c a l led i t, o f ex c a vatin g a po rt i o~ O The es t imated cos t o f t hi s l ock 125" fe e t lo ng and 22 fee w~l e · t e r - i nation of the old c anal c an al , t o e xte nd 2-!J- mile s , f r om T~: i n t en t ion of makin~ it t o t he colliery , wa s £ 26 , ooo . Du ka rt an English Engineer , ha vi ng bee n ab a ndon e d , Mr D~~is n ~e r vi ~e , wa s 0 ;ppoi~t e d . ii e who h a d b een l o ng i n the Sa r t ni a 1 ass and Coal Islano , a mad e a c ommun ic a ti on betw ~e n r rg t he formation o f four poo ls, dis t an ce of abo ut t h ree miles, Y

1859 - 60 - 61.

Kewry and Tyrone TTaviza tio ns ( c ont I d )

or levels , at d iffe~e nt e lev ations , 4 fee t deeo and ~4 fee t wide ? for vessels ?l L:: t ons bu rt hen : betiieen ea c n lev el. i;as an ir:i~hned !:lane ha~ing bea'.ns ? f timber l aid 00 , 111 wi t:1 c 3 stors fixed on the m. These c ontrivan c es, called d r y hu rri es , uere ime nded for smal l l ad en vesse.Ls to go dmm with t'1e hel of a cra ne and_ r ope to p r e ve n t their runnine too fas t, anf al~o to dr aw up t 'le e 11p t y boats .

This system of narrow c anals , inclined plane s, and ,~ee.Led boats of abou t 4 feet in width , was r e c olllsiended by i"ulton as useful in faci lit ating the navigation of the '.reat rivers' snd l ak es o f A!lle r i c a , and 1..1as intended as ~n i:1 rov,rnent 011 the 1:'lan of the Ch inese, who, being ignorant o the contrivan c e of a · l ock , us e, at the ri r esent day , inclined planes , up 1/1ic'l ,neir boats a re nu ll ed by a g r ea t expenditure of , anual labour.

In the year 1774, ~r . J essoo was consulted as to the ~de ·:i f constructing t h e inclined planes bet,·ecn tl18 oifferc t reac:1es of t i1e ca nal , and he ha v ing had so,1e co,1bt s "s to tne 106c Jf p:r.oceeding , had recourse to the advice of &neaten ; w;10 , ln is re u ly as "i ven in the sec ond vo l u.ne of h ls 'le por ts, observes"Tha t ' a s t h e bulk of the exnense had been incuEed i ,.al:ing the r~ a ches of the c an al t he exoeriment of Du c .rn rt ou i1t t be carried out in order to test its · applicab ilit r to other . l a ces" . S!neaton adds" If the sc he,ue do es not, on tric:l , _answer , a . railr oad of ti mber , after t :ie mai:incr of tho~e _a~ . · e'. c&s!l: _::.no Whitehaven , would be p r eferable in . sucn a s1tua , i? ri , e c --r ;.o~_ a c a nal or a g ravelled road, especially as ~t ColL;-c., be_ uo~;. tisn a l ength of t1-10 mile s an d most of t,,e \-.ay uown h.Ll- , • 0 .· { t he loaded wa~D'ons wo~ld '-?O 6.oun by t::1e;r 01.•m bravi;~ , c!DC . ~e-~ horses wo~ld h~ve nothing ..... t o do but t<;> a r :;i.1.-.r t~e _e~-:-,vy .. one.s ., which i n a rise of 1 9 " feet i n t1;10 ,lllles, ,-,o~lc• ue e';' s) '..or .. .

He a t t h is time c ~nno t understand ho1.-1 a u.osc ex,,ens.Lv,:; etnd , . ' . f ed t o t he s1 ·p1 e a no co :Jp licated syste:a should be y, r e e rr:effective co n trivance of an incline n plane . d d oar tl y exec ut ed a subterranean Mr . Duckart also p r oposet an h. aft s t o be made t o answe r a_s . b 1 "th nt l - in " S naviga le ca na , wi , ve .c " ll' . e s and to comsuni c ate witn a sough or drain for all the co ~;~i o6 ~am ilt on bury , the old navi ga tion , . a: a co st 0 ~ ~~r' ~ 11 t he 1.,~ ; ,~s of t,1e ,:ore , an Engineer, who had oeen c?ntr;;c f th e tlouse of Con.nons , as we gave evidence before a Committee 1 ~ be exec u te d for the estimate , do now - a - days , that the work cou th us i· t was not so done , and but t · ' ne ns wi , , as also some imes nap. f ~siderabl e su:o of money , was , after the expenoi ture o a co . abandoned abou t the year 1775 .

Rewry a nd Ty r one Eaviga ti on s (c o nt ' d ) .

_ . : r : Ric ha r d Owe n ~a v in:; been c a ll ed o n for h i s oro f ess i onal aC! VlCE: l? 17 87 , f~und _ che hu rries c ons tr u c t e d by i-:r . - Du c ka rt ou t 0 1 or o e~ . h e r e co msena e d t he grad i ent of t he in c l i ne s to be l!s~en~ o , and t ne ~ e arns and r~l l er s to be r epla c ed ty a road mad e 0 1 oro ,, en s to ne ano g r a vel. l n t h is s t a t e ma t te -r s r e2Jained a s lon g as unche c:red d il ap i dat i on p er :n it t e d . · -

= Wit h r ef ~r en ce t? t ha t p o r ti ~n o f the na vi gat i on f rom New ry to rath~ m, , -1 hich, a s oe fo ~e st a te ~ , was no t fini shed u nt il thi rt y ye a rs arter t ha t b et we en ~e wry an a t he bann . a c o ntract wa s entered into in 1 75 8 , for its execution , Hit h Er . J oh n Golbo rne, ing ineer, of Ch e st e r , wh o , aft e r uorkin g a t it f o r a v e a r a bandoned it , a n d ret u rned to his own co u ntry . . ft e r 0 Go lb o rne ' s ci epartm-e, r e c ou rse ,.-,as h a d to Hr . Ch r isto ph e r ii y e r s and ,-'. r . Thomas Ome r, in conjunctio r: , by wh om , Hh at Ha s done by Go lborne , was condemne d , a n d consider a ble sum s we r e l a i d out by th ew U!) to 17 63 , without , h o wever , p r odu cin g any d e s ir able r e s u l t ; f o r, on in quiry before a Comm ittee of the Hous e of Comm ons , i n 1767 , it appeared that t h e 1-1or k was wl1o lly in ope r a tive.

E r Christopher Hy e rs, wh o, at t ha t pe ri od , wa s ~rc h it e ct to His Najesty • s Board of Wor k s, hav i n g be en exam ine d , s;; ated tha t so much of the work as was c a rr i ed on b y hi m, in 1762 and 1763 , was in accordan ce with the plan app rove d by t h e Ho use i n 1759 , _ that he had advised 6 fee t de o th instea d o f 9 feet, as exe cu te a , and that h e h ad offere d in the first i n stance t o ~c ontr a ct fo rth~ 1•1hole for +' 1 8 000 orovi d ed half the a mou nt was che n gr a nte d , an o the r emainde r' in the followi n g session , bu~ as £5 , 0 00 . on l y was gr anted , he refused to be res p onsi b le f or its co mp leti on .

Hr . Thomas Omer , who was a Dutch_En g ineer, havin g b~en ... examined as to the insufficiency of h~s p l a ns , exc u se d ~i ~ s! !~e by statin g that he knew ~hey. would noc ans w~~!t t ~:t 0 ~~c~ !d ed while t "J e m by order of the Navigation Boar d , an c -t h e money l as te d . - litary inst a nce of t h e misAs t his 1-1as by no means a so - e - ent 01• t h e Ka vi Pation - · f d the man ag -- o ap plic a tion of p ubl ic un s , t"i t - bo d y w"ii ch comm ence d its Boa r d f ell into d isrepute ; a nd ; a n' was dissolve d by the func ti ons in 1730, under the 3rotGeo . f g~~ntin~ aide to oriva te 27th Geo . III i n 1787 , ':nd a sy,s em ~ubsc r iot i ~ns 1~as thenceunde rt a k ers, in propor ti on t'? ~ne~r of that a ct. he n a vi g ations forth adopted und er t he provisi?n,rr the boyne , the Ba:row 1 t h e thus tra n sferred we r e those of tie ·f;; carrying on the Limeri ck Shannon , and Tyrone . The company rated in the year 1767, and Nav igation had been a lr e~dy 77~or poTo these u nde rt akin g s grants the Gr and Canal Company in 1 SOO and in the latter year a sum in a id were made f rom 1789 to 1 1 ied t o the system of navigation of £500 , 0 0 0 was granted t o be app t iof t h e Por t of Dublin in g enerally , and for the improvemen

Newry

and Tyrone Navigations (cont ' d) . particular, under the supervision of a board of five di rectors .

The u1ana-; e ,~ent of a body so numerous and ill - con sti tuted as the old Na vigatio n B?a r~, c o sisting as it did of eighty - six pa rsons, twenty commissioners having been particularly named for each of the fo u r p rovinces, with the Chi ef Governor, the four. Archl:nsh?ps, t he _Speaker for the time bein , at their head , c a rr ied 1·1ith it rom t ne beginning the ge r m of its o,m decadence an d in its failure could have suggested no ot he r feeli ng than ' that of surprise at its having been accorded an existence of fifty - seven years, during which twenty - three different extensive p r ojects were undertaken, but not a sin<'le one brought to co mp letion, with an aggregate expenditure of £600 , 000 Bu t bad as t he administrative part of the manage ment must have been, the executive was still worse, and its details go far t o show that there were othe r c auses of failure than that generally received of a n reva len t system of jobbing, an i mputation from which to' relieve the countr y , even at this distance of time, is a du ty not too l Gte to be pe rformed; the inference fro~ tne . statement of facts being left to others to draw, keeping in mind tnat the Engineers e mp loyed during the per iod referred to were not Irish .

About the year 1780 the can al was extended three mil es further to Fatnom, to accommodate t '.1e ordinary run of coasters of about 120 tons, there being 9 feet depth of water on th~ ~ill , and a feet bread t h of lock , In 17 89 h r . ~ ichard Ev aris ~ Civil Enc-ineer reported on the state of the navigation , 0 ~v~ .· th Pl ;n~ fo~ its imurovement, but without having been. a enb e ':.l - - • t· t · ear t o nave een r-iven results , nor does any renewed a ten iont~PP stin" of the Ty;one·· to the subject until the year l~~'B on . e f vinland Naviga tion Navigation in the newly c on s titu oar o O to ext~nd the canal ' 1·1hen Sir Thomas Hyde Page made a. rro~osa!n Poi~t at a cost of from Fathom to Rice ' s Bay , op pos ice_ arr t the ab;ve n eriod the £ 1 36 , 000 . On entering intotp~,ssess~~~ a con-structed at a c os t Directors - Gene r al found tha ne wo 'lmost into a st:ite of of £114 , 220 , had been a~loued to fa~i t20 7 30 on the Tyrone r:uin, and they were obliged to exp~ and f5, 379 on the l1avigation which had been aba nd ?ne tion i n d~e,:ienin; the levels r econstruction of the Newry Na~iga£l5 oh 3. of the latter and rebuilding mos t of the loc s ; f ' t~lls . Un to 1 8 12 these expenditure having been re~~iv~~re~~:o n of Mr . Brownrigg , who wo r ks were executed under e ointed . was t he firs t native Enginee r app 1 k at Fathom , and the p~tt in g The widening of the sea. 1 ~c . the first instan c e or th at in of a ston e pla~for~ a 1 nd 1si d - wa s subsequently executed at an mode of construction in re an ,

New ry and Ty r one Naviga ti ons (cont , d) .

addi ti,anal expense of £5', 000 , under the superintendence of the s ac1 e Engineer . .

I n 1 8 28 t-Ir . Al~xander Nimmo hav i ng been consulted, reported in favour of d ee !lenain~ the natur1;1l channel of the river, so as to se ,c1:-re ~4 fee~ deptn at neap tides all the way W) to Newry . Fo r !!1is his estimate was £98 ,56 8 . In 1830 Rennie , · Xillaly , and oro1-:nrigg agreed generally in their Renorts as to the pro,wiety of makin;; a c anal from Fathom to· the deep water a t Doyle I s Hole, wit h a ship loc k th ere, and the dee n enin- of the nat u ral c hanne l at a rr ow Wate r, as r ecommended by Rennie .

In t he year 1 83 1 t he Newry Navigat i on Company was incorporated by Act of Parli amen t, and they were authorised t o levy tolls on con di tio n of their ex pend in g not less than £80 ,0 00, in seven yea rs, in keeping the worl':s in rei;,air, and in the extension and improvement of the J:avi g ation , or in default , t he works to revert t o t he Commissioners of Inland Eavi;;ation , on nayment of their value to the Company . It appears that up to 1848 nearly £50 , 0 00 were exp ended by the Company in deepening an d widening the c hann el of the ri ver fro'll Doyle ' s Hole to Na r row Wate r, and from thence t o Warren Point, that a steam dredge had been pu rchased for that purpose , and that a contract had been entered into a'llounting to £40 , 000 fo r extending the c ana l along the western side of t he river, from Fa t hom to Doyle ' s Ho le, and t h e erection of a sh ip loc k , al l o f whi ch have been since executed ,

The canal has been exten d ed one mile and ~ : half_f ro m, Fathom - the old loc k t he re ta k en up, and t ne V1ct~r1a locK designed by Sir John Rennie, and superintend~d ?Y 1•,r . John Ram say Civil Eno-inee r was opened for traffic in t':le yea r 1850 't · t 0 • n th~ river three and a - half mil e s below :: , a a po in 1. , th i 76 feet soundin,,. 1,ewr y , known as Doyle I s Hole , wne r e e re _s , . _ -o, a ffordi TI" sa fe an chor ag e. t o vessels wai ting fo r tned op~mnb o f th -, 0 k . , · h is 220 feet lon g and 50 feet w:- e , aving e _oc , ,mic , il 1 int o the canal, 17 feet 9 inc'1es of water . on tne u ppe r s - f' rino- tides . Th e and 7 feet on the lower sill a~ low_ w~ i~~ 0 ~0 ~~isting of ma ssive mason r y is of a very superior escr ipf r om ' the neighbourhood of g r anite blocks with some l ime s t0 ne, · t f £25 000 ?arlingford . th: whole was e r~cte~ !!h~"~~; a~d teak; the includ ing two pa ir of gates ma e O O • estimate o f the latter was £3 , 500 .

~ew ry and Tyrone N3viza ti ,ns (cont ' d ) .

T'.1e ne\~ rart of t'.1e canal is 140 feet wide at water s-.irf_ace, ann dO fE;_ct_ wide for the r e:na inder of the distance to t :ie e n tr 3n ce or tne Albert Basin at Eewry which does not ad~ it ves sel s ?f mo re t han 14 feet d r auzh t, ;e nde rin g it necessa r y t o l ighten t:ie m in the canal. where the d e n th is 17 feet . Fr ow Vi ~ tori~ Loe:, to l!a rren point Roads , a di~ t:rnce o f t wo and one - third miles, shoals of rock and s and ha ve been re mov e d by b las ti ng and d r edging , an d ri ve r walls c onstructed , confini ng , and in som e pa rts enl a rgi n~ , the t idal s c our .

The Be lf as t Raih;ay com:riet es with the i'1e1-iry Canal to Portadown , r unnil'1g close alongs i de in nany pla ces; ho 1: 1ever , the com•nun icati'1 ::'. by means of Lough i eagh with the Ulste·,• , Coal I sland , and Laga n C3nels , e nab les this naviga tion to ma intai n the strug '.'. le . The tonnage re zis t er ente re d sea1·rnrds , on an averao- e of t:1e vea rs 18 58 and 1859 , was 78 , 051 t ons , and t he rec:i pts f r om.ballast and tolls, both sea and inland , amounted averagely to £6 , 074 .

With refere n ce to th e attainment of the obje c t wh?:ch a t the out se t u ro mot e d the u ndertaking of the Tyrone a'1d 1.e'.1 r y :~a vigations~ naffiely the su.pplying_ o~ :C,1:1-bli,.. w~ t l-i cro.3,1 , 1 1 .t _ 3uuea rs that in 174 $ a c omnany , co ns istin:; of fei·.. ,-.e 3 tn lo cal nro~rie tors. was forille d , and a 1•. r . John ?letcner , an, En r l; s'n a·entleman, of a re a t exn erience, was br o u::;ht '?V':lr l wno f, o · o O • • ft ' t abilities o on examinati on was so c onv in ce d o ne g re a c _ap - :- :- t' the D=1 -la ss ~nd Stewartst o,,m c ollieries t h a t ne EJofne~ '1~e ua rt nershin and sent miner s and a rt ifice rs fro m ng~an · · ·' · rlrnd by a rivulet ana put up a lar g e water engine , wo . l ,:0 0 'ards in cons tr ucted a sough o r unde r g round_ d r ain , . ;, ,, ro~ed to be len::,;th, bu t these mean s of unwa ter ~~~ e ~a~rParliament in 1784 inadequa te, a sum of £2 , ooo was g~ ~ "sou ir os for the nu r no se to Joh n ~taples~ and Jam:s Caul{i~~:d :rom - a~ ±nGlish manufa ct u rer of erecting a sveam eng~ne? ~b ~; a reement by t he o.re>uc::ht of wno was delayed in fulf i llinu hi g This was u r o tab ly the ~.. himofmillpower . - t f vne seaso n depriving - - :--t. Ir e l and · and the fac o first steam engine intro du ~ed ~n . ~" wholl v' de p endent on wate ra factor y of t ha t des cr : p tio n e:h u t bran~h of manuf a ct ure had pow er, s how s t he sta g e "o whi ch " a a t t h e time a rrive d in Eneland . . failures may be summed up by The c a t a lo gu e of s~ccessive Secretary t o the Dir e ctorsthe re po rt of Mr . Franc i s Tren~~ ' t Board that t he p rice of coal General in 1812 . He info: me ~., a er ton. and the les s ee . a t the pit was sixteen shill~n u f 0 f twenty - six or twenty - ei g): t exp ected to ge t them to Dublin, f two shilline;s !'e r to n . t.-ir . shillinos includi n ~ the_b ounty t~e int e r e st of the lessee 0 Trench di~ n o t consider it was

Newry and l' y ro ne Naviga tions (cont , d )

send t hem there, as they were of a very ind · ff ts:1a ll, swift,. and without any of t he bitum i ~ou e r en /!~alt ty , m_ake them adhere . He found fro!!l actual t-,,i · al s ~ua ,i Y O · hb · d t . ., ac a nouse in tne neiG ou r~~'? ? ha t a ~ooo fire could not be made of them wi ;h ou t t lle 1 aooi tion tu~•f; _ a t anothe r house they burned En ~llsh, co a- , at tln:"/ shillings pe r t on , which he considered was :;m en ch~ ape r, be 7ng better rla vi ng been informed that there was a superi'?r descriptio? at Coal Island, he visited that pla ce: the p it wa~ abou t oO feet d ee p , and the seam r epor ted to ?e six feet, but it c ould not be r a ise d lar ge ; on the whol e 1t Has by far t he worst c oal he ever saw and in his opinion was not wo rth wo r king . ' ·

At a later pe ri od the field was occupied by two co,npanies , and not ably by the Hibernian hin in g Co mpany in 1829 , but a s this br an ch of t he sub ject has been taken uu by Si r Ri c ha rd Griffith , in his Survey of the Tyrone Coal District, it wo uld be more than superflu ou s to pu rs u e it further he re .

More details may , at first sight, pe rh ans , appear t o have been entered int o with re ference t o t h e Tyrone and Newr y Naviga ti ons than the i mm e diate interest of the subj ect deser ves, but their c hequered n r ogress is s o illustr a t ive of the emp iric al chaiacter ~f t he engineering of the time, that in an _ his toric al point of view a pa rticul ar notice ~f t~e pro& ress 01 these undertak i n g s , in conriexion with~ t h e p ro r e,s si?na l pe r so ns emuloyed can not be consi dered out o, p lace, tne mor e so a~ it ha s been ' cu s tomary to attribute the failure of e v~r y ~h rng in Ireland to native inc omne t ency , or yet 1-1o rse, t ,o ~obbingl :':'e reas the fact s show that the· unskilfulness was not t,1eirs, ano f' coat th e s p irit of enter p rise was ma rre d by the general want o. p rofessional knowledge .

Carlin ~:('.Q rd Lo.JJ£h..

1 · 1 t e x tendin~ eight miles from This lough is a natura in_e ' t nd 0 affording uuwa rds the bar at its e ntrance t o Har r en, P oin ' ~{it subject to a ra p id of on e thous a nd a cres of g ood ~~ c n~ra!e tlie 1 10 urne moun tains r un of tide , and to h~ a vy sq_ua s :;.rga t~in ·,,iude; e and Acco r ding to the nauti c a~ su8v{y s~undings at low wa ter of Lieutenant i"razer, mad e in~ 1 3-t ' bar t he rise of springs sp rin g tides a re but 9 fee" on n~ e however t':le bar is 18 feet, and of neal?s 12 feet \~nt of the :l. ough , ha vin g not crossed there a re six miles in ex

1859 - 60 - 61.

Kewry and Tyrone Havieations (cont ' d) .

Carlingford Lough :

less than four fathoms depth , the remainin g two miles t o Wa rren Point are navigable at tide ti me by vessels of 1 8 feet drau~ht . The entire of the na vi g ation from Lough li eagh to Carlin ~ford ba r is about thirty - two miles in len g th . 0

Wa rr en Point li es six and a half miles below N" ewry . A tidal basin was constructed there , at the public expe ns e, in 1767_, but has sin c e been enlarged, and quays built by t he 01me r of tne so i l , the ;,iarquis of An <; lesea, who levies dues for their use . A patent slip has also been built, capable of adm ittin g vessels of 750 tons, being the tonnage of the lar g est stea mers of whi c h Wa rren Point is the station .

Carlingford Bay in its position, half - way between Kingsto,,m and Belfast Lough , d istant from each other 100 miles , offers gre a t ad v an t ages fo r r efuge in easterly win ds , if its bar were re mo ved , the p racticability of which , by dredging , has been shO\·m by the soundings made in 1835 by 1-;r , Ramsay , Re sident Bn g ineer , who re ported it to be an original formation, co mp osed of blu e clay, mixed wi t h moderately - s ized boulders . ,-lr . Ilobe rt Tutnill , the present Engineer of the Newry N"a vi ga tion , st a tes that a passage of about half a mi le in length , of easy access, and le ading into four fathoms water, could be re adily ma de by dre dging . A deep pa ss age through the bar was discovered v1h en tne Comm i ssione r s for inquiring into Harbours of Refuge were examining it in 1 859 , but it is tortuous , and a squa r e - ri gg ed v essel would find it diffi cu lt to b eat in, unless in a leading 1~n~, nor could it be atte mp ted, under any circ = stances , at n1 gnt .

Ca ptain Washington , R . N. , has ob served, in the second Rep ort of the Commissioners on Tidal Harb ou rs , that the rendering of this bay a harbou r of refuge, by dee p enin g the bar to at least 1 8 feet at low water of springs, would be well 1, o r th a l a r ge_expenditu re, on a cc ount of the very_ g reat nu mbe r of vesse1s navigating the Irish Sea , and ha v ing no other harbou r between Kingstm-m and Be lf a st Lough , unless, pe rha p s, Strangford , that can be taken i n an easter ly ga le , but under such circumstances the latter would be d i ffi cul t of a cc ess , the r e a r e not , however , wanting a vaila ble inter mediate positions on the coast , as at Skerries county Dubli n , Ardgla s s and Clogher Head; the t wo former couid be mad e of g r eat service , at a mod erate cost ; and Clogher Head , within eight miles of the bar of Carlingford ,

1 859 - 60 - 61.

Newry and Tyrone iaviga tio ns (c on t ' d) .

Carlin gf o r d Loug h :

possesses c onsiderable ca pab ilities for an asylum harbour , a lar ge sum , howe v er , would be requ ire d to r ende r it ef.i'e ctive .

Ju dg in g from Norie ' s sa ili ng d ir ec ti ons for the I ri sh Se a , the approa ch t o Ca rlin t; ford Ba y , outside the ba r, is beset with dang er; it has, howeve r, b een aga in brought into notice a s a ha rbo u r o f re fuge by the Com mis s i one rs for in qui ri ng into harbours of tha t des cri p ti on in 1859 . They recommend t ha t a c han nel, six hun d red feet in wi d t h , should be dre dg e d through the bar, a t a c ost of £ 50 , 000 .

1870 ,

Belfast and Provin ce of Uls ter Pos t Offi ce Di rect ory, Vol . I, Pa rt X, p . 157 .

The Port admits vessels of 1000 t ons t o Wa rr ennoint f ive miles from th e town , where l a r ge r ve s sels r ema in by.thos e dr awing 15 feet of wate r c a r go up t he sh i p c anal t o t he Alb ert Basin Ne wry •

. Ba r g es :ply by the Newry Cana l Navigation t o Lou gh Neagh , thirt y - two miles dis t ant inland . The Ne wr y Na vi ga ti on have t he managem ent of the port and c anal , the l atte r of whi ch extends a l ong t h e west side of t he river.

Above see ms to h a ve b een c op ied with out al ter a ti on from Henderson ' s Be lf a st and Pro v in ce .o f Uls t er Di rect o r y of 18 52, exce nti n ~ that the l a tter ha s an addition a l fi ve wo r ds foll; win g "r ive r " abo ve. The y r ead ".aruLi.s...Jm.LI:~ completed" . See p . 607 . The income of the port in t he prev i ou s (ye a r) 1 8 50 amounted t o £5 , 000 a r ising f rom c anal dues on tonn age , 1/- per ton in wards and l d . outwa r ds .

187.c , Newri ensis, p . 253 ,

The Impro v ement and Water Bill c am e before the Comm i ttee of t he House of Commons , appointed to consider it on Friday , 19 t h Ha y . The following app e a re d to op pos e it - the Trustees of arl Ki lmorey , the Honourable John Hen ry Knox, Viscount Ne wr y , t he Gr and Jury of Down , and some owners and occupiers . I n add it ion to these , the Newry Town Commissione r s and the Naviga ti on Company we r e nom i nal op ponents , but their object was merely to ha v e som e clauses wh ic h had not bee n f r a med a s they d e s ir ed , alte re d .

1877 ,

Sh aw ' s Tourists Picturesque Guide to Carlin gfo rd Bay and t he County Down . . ?ri g inally the n a vigation of New ry appea r s to have been of tri fl :1-n g_ service to , its comme rce . The rive r prese n ted so many obs tr uct i ons that tne ~assage was difficult or impra cticable exce p t fo: v essels of. inconside r a)lle size . The c ustoms of New r y were r e c ei v ed a t Carlingford as tnat ancient t0vm from its pr oximity to t~e dee p sea, and the de p th of wa ter in t h e bay contiguo us to it was found a conv en ient s t ation for shi p s of l a r ge bu rt h en . Bu t t he situation of Ne wr y being mu c h better adap te d fo r inl and tr a de, its na vi ga ti on was i mp roved by means of a c anal , so as to admit coastin g and seaborne vessels up to the town ; and immediately its commerce be gan to increase . The Canal - which c onne ct s Ca rlin g fo r d Lo ugh with the Up p er Ban and Lou gh Nea gh - it s c ou r se r unn in g north along the bottom of the fertile valley whi c h se p a r ate s Ar magh from Down , form i ng in many pl a c es a boundary li ne between t hose c ounties was c ons tructed by order of the I rish Government u nder a n Act of the I rish Par l iament 3 Geor g e II . It wa s begun in 17 30 an d vessels t hrough it with co a ls fr om th e Tyr on e Collieries in 1741. 'l'h e cana l at t ha t time open e d in t o the t ide opposite the Custom Ho use Old Quay at the South end o f Newry . The cut fro m Newry t o Fa t hom was c omo l e te d in 1 763 . An extensi on two mi les nea r the sea was constructed in 1 8 4 5- 4 7 and t he s e a locks a re now four miles south of Ne wr y and one f rom t he head of the lough . Wh en t hi s extension was co mole ted, the c ana l was deepened s o as to allow steam ers of 600 tons burt h en and othe r l a r ge vessels t o re a c h New r y and t he p rese nt exten sive docks we re fo r med for t hei r u se .

( Ment i on of tidal pa rt of Newry river being fo rmerly obstructed by n a tura l d e p o si ts of sto nes and mud and re mova l of a s mall island a t Na rrow ate r) .

1886 ,

_Jssett ' s Coun t y Down , pp . 7 9 - 83

New r y Na vi ea ti o n .

. . ~ ewr y ~ a d n:ade so mi.:c h p r og r ess af ter t he ad v ent of W i lliam

tna t i t e c l~;i s eo Car_li nero r d . 1'he Gusto s head - oua r te rs were re s10~ed t o H !rom tne r e i n 172 6

Coll i eries were then at Hor'., in tnE: Coun t y r yrone , and a propos it ion was made to bu i ld. a c anal fro m h e wr y ~o Lough Heagh . An Act was pass e d in 1730 for this pu r pose, anCi t he c anal wa s o pened in 174 1. By this mo v e the t r ad e o f t he p ort wa s g r ea tl y be nef ite d . I n 1755 Parl i ament ap~ropria t ed £4 , 000 for t he improvemen t of t he river , which was t h e n ~o shallow t ha t ves sels o f twenty t on s c ou l d n o t r ea c h the quays in safety . By va r i ou s Ac t s o f Pa rli am e nt the p o wer s for the ·manaee ,nent of t he c anal we r e c hang e d , un t il it c ame at l a st t o be under s t ood tha t t h e wor k was only to be s u ccessfull y ac c omp lishe d by pla ci n8 i t in th e ha nd s of a l oc a ll y - constitute d bo dy I n 1 8 29 by v i rt u e of an Act of Pa r l i a men t , t he c o nt r ol wa s g ive n to t he Ne wr y Navisa ti on Compa ny , c onsistin g o f the ifa r quis of Downshire, Ea r l of i<il morey , an d ot h er n am ed , a n d o f t h e sub scrib e r s to t h e s t o ck . The g i ft o f t he wa ter - way f r om Ca rli ng for d Lough vi a New r y and Port adown to Lough Neag h , a b out 36 mi les, wa s ma de on c ond it ion s t ha t t h e y s h ould r a i se a ca p i tal of £80 , 00 0 t o b e e xp e nd ed in i mp r o v em e n t . Th e syste m wa s v ery muc h run do wn a t the ti me . Si nc e th e n t he r e ha s been e xu end e d und e r this head ove r £ 20 0 , 0 00 . Th e Co mp a n y bor rowed £42 , 000 · fr om the g ov er nment , a t f r om 5 t o 4-,} pe r cent ., re:p a yi'.' g £6 0 0 0 with in a ue r iod of t wenty ye a rs . I n 1 8 76 a r eor g am za t1o n o f th~ finan c ia l sy~ te m took p l a c e . A sink i n g fu n d ~as es~a b lis h ed , ur ov i d i na fo r t he ext in cti on of th e b a lan c e i n t h i r t y - five y ea rs, by an a n~ua l payment of £1 78 0 . Th e f i rs t div i den d , two pe r ce n t . , on t h e ua i d up c ap i ta l, £66 , 0 0 0, in sh a re s o f £50 ea c h 1 wa s t h en pai d , No vemb er 1 8 76 , and t he se c ond of one pe r ce n t . , in t h e . followin g May mak i ng a to t al f o r th e yea r of 3 pe r c enl . Si n c e then t he div ide nds p a i d t o s h areholders have a vera g ed 32 p er c ent ~ I n Jan ua r 1 886 t he ent ire d e b t to t he Gov e rn ment , und e r the olo Act, wa s l .31 oo o'. Th e Al b ert Ba s i n wa s c ons tr u cte d u n? e~ the old Act a t { f £8 00 0 rt c onsis t s of 3¾ a cr es . Owrn o to the a co s o , • th . a bar at the e n t r a nc e buildin g of t he s e wa g e aque d u ct , e r e i ~ t h n 12 fee t 6 inch e s W h i ch pre v ent s v esse l s of g r ea t e r d r a u gh . a lled " "'h e Old f T · · n 1 basin no w e a • · r om g ettin g in t o it , h e or~ g i r t mb; r The Ne wr y n a viaa ti o n Basin " is c h ie fly us e d f o r s ~ortf g o g e / f r om · warren u oint t o t h e at p resen t c onsi s t s of a nav ~ga e d r iv hal f En gl i s h, · of a ship Vi cto ri a Loc k a t !at~om , a mi l e a n t~e com' any , f r om Fat h om t o t h e c a na l 1 bu il t b y Wi l l i am Da r gan fo r t h r ou gh Newr y fo r ve ss els ~lbe r t Ba.s in t h re e mil e s, a quayag '.1 nd c anal f r om Newr y t o ctr a win g 1 0½ f e e t o f wa t e r 1 a nd a~ ~n~ !n a l to Lou gh Ne agh i s unde r Po r t a d o wn 1 8 miles , En g li sh · h us e d inl a nd and st ea m- u ower an th ' · · t · Horse - p ower is ' 4 f t · o . e r j u risdi c i on . 1 c k is 6 l fee t l on g an d 1 e e t owa r d the s e a . The s h ortesi t ~ is 2 2 0 f ee t l o ng and 50 f~e t . "'1 d e . The Vic tori a Loc k at a 0 i~ b l ocks I n 1 884 t h e Navi g a ti o n "'1de . It i s c o n s tructe d of g r an e · ·

. New r y Navigat io n .

oopeny secu,red a new ~et of Parlia ment enablino it to cut a cl:annel in t,1e ~ew r y River an~ Ca:lingford Lough , for a distan c e 01 ove : t h r 7e mi_les . Th e navigation was depending on a tidal river i n w~ich ~nere w'.'.s only a depth of " feet 6 inches at low wate r, s p rin g tides . 1t will be increased to 7 feet t h r ouohout a wid t h of 120 fee t . The Ne wr y Navigation Company borrow;d £40,000 fro m t he Gov er n~ent for this work , at 4· per c ent . ; paym e nt is t o commen ce in 1890, and the p rincipal is to be cle a re d off in 20 years by yea rly instalments : The bill p rovides tha t t he Company shall at no t i me declare a dividend of more than 5 p er ce nt . Any su rplus fro m t hat amount is to go toward a reductio n of the t oll, wh ic h unde r the old Act was ls . ld . per ton register . No ch a r g e on c a r go . The di r e ct o r s of the Navigation Company a re ex - officio Harb ou r Commissi one rs . The r e is a separate Boa r d known as the Carlin g ford Lou gh Commiss i one r s , 1 2 i n number , 2 of whom a r e named by t he Newr y Town Commissioners , 2 by the New r y - Naviga ti on Compan y, and 2 by the Newr y , Dun dalk and Greenore :\a il way Comp a ny . It was o r ganised under an Act of Parliament passed in 1864 for the pu r pose of ha vin g a Nav i gabl e c hannel cut through the bar of Carlingford Lough . The work was done at a cost of £80 , 000 r a ise d by a lo an f ro m the Government , the inter es t of whi c h is pa rtly se c u r ed by a ~mall ~axon vessels us i ng the channel . The p rese nt trade is insufficient to pay the inter es t in full .

1888 .

Ba s se tt ' s County Arm a gh , p , 23 , New r y Canal .

Two naviga ble wate r ways facilitate the c a rrying t r ade of t :1e coun t y . The most i mportant separates the County Do1•m f r om Armagh . It r uns f r om the tidal basin at Fathom below Newry to Lough Neagh , and is se r ved by the Bann and Newry River . The dep t h of the wate r is sufficient to float lighters of 70 tons bu r de n . Di r ec t communication with Belfast i s secured by means of the Lagan Canal via Lough Ne agh . Coal , g r a i n , timber and ge ne r a l me r chandise form the cargoes . The Newry Ca nal was the fi r st of i ts kind c ompleted in Ireland .

1388 .

Bassett ' s County r nag h, p . ~3 .

Two n_avigable. water-wa y s facilitate the c a rryin g trade of the county. Tne more ~mportant separates t he County Down from Ar mag h . It runs fro 1'.1 the tidal basin at Fat h o m, below ii ewry, to Lough Neagh, and ls served by the Bann and the Newry river . The d epth of water is sufficient to float lighters 70 tons burden. Direct communication with Belfas t is secured by means of the Lagan Canal , via Lough Neagh , Coal, grain, ti mber and gene ral me rchandise for ,n the cargoes . The New ry Cana l was the first of the kind co ~p leted in Ireland . About fifty years ago connection was effected between Lough Erne and Lo ugh Neagh, by means of the Ulster Canal . This passes for a co n siderable distance along the weste r n and north - western borders of Ar.uagh . It is being largely taken advantage of at p resent by so me of the leading merchants of the City of Ar magh . The shipping p lace is at Blackwatertown, distant four miles . It is expected t ha t the Ulster Canal system will be soon very much i mp roved by the Ulster Canal Company who receive possession of it t his year1888 - under special Act of Parliament

1902 .

I relan d : In dustrial and Agricultural , p . 118 .

The New r y Navigation :

This n a vigation is c a rried from Wa r renpo i nt to Newry b y t he ship c anal whi c h ad.n it s vessels draw in g 15 feet of wate r: thence no r t hwa r d b y ca nal to Portadown ; 16 f mil es above it joins th e Lo wer Bann , in the bed of wh ich river it is continued to Lough Ne agh . The summit level is 76 feet , and 28 above Lough Neagh . The Newr y Nav i gat ion was pu rc has ed in 1901, by the ilewry iia r bou r and Navigat i on Trust . I n 1881, the shares of the Newry Nav i ga ti on Company were worth £55; in 1900 t hey had fallen as l ow as £20 , and at some t hing li ke the last figure they were pu r c hased .

1902.

Ireland: Industrial and Agricultural, pp.110-111.

I)Je Upper and Lower Bann Navigations,

The "Upper -Bann Na vigation" is something of a misnomer as it is ap plied to that sect i on of the Bl ackwater river which lies below the point of its junction wi th the Ul ster Ca nal at Moy, and connects that c anal with Lo ugh Neag h, The distan ce from Moy to Lough Neagh is by water, 7 miles an d 35 chains There are no loc k s or artificial obstructi ons on this pa rt. of the Blackwater, The navigation is maintained by the Upper Bann Nav igation Trustees, out of funds r ai sed fro m their entire district by local taxation,

The Lower Bann Navi ga tion connects Coleraine wit h Loug h Neagh. Its le ng th is 32 miles 32 chains, of whi ch 3 miles 1 2 chai ns are lake, 26 miles 40 chains river, and t he r emaind er canal. The size o f t he l ocks is 130 fee t in l en gth by 20 feet in width. The depth of water on t he cills is 8 fe e t. The Lower Bann is the only outlet for all th e wate r falling into Lough Neagh. The works of t he Upp er and Lower Ba nn were, t oge ther with those of Lough Neagh, executed by the Commissioners of Public Works as both a na v i gation and a dr ai nage work, be t wee n the ye a rs 1 845 and 1 8 59 at a total e xpen se for th e three navi gations, according to a return made by th e Commissioners of £106,175, of which £69,078, was a grant of public money. The balance has been repaid out of county rates. A branch of the Northern Counties Railway runs p a rallel to the Lower Ba nn on the east, at an average distance of six miles for its who le length, and the Derry Central Railway runs parallel to it on the west, both railways competing with it for traffic, A railway is also projected from Ballymena t o Portglenone · . The wor k s of the Lower Bann were handed over in 1 8 59 to two bodies of trustees one whose duty it was to maintain the navigation works the other whose duty it was to maintain the drainage works only, and \olhose authority extends over the drainage of both the Upper and Lower Bann, They are called r e s pectively the Navigation and Dr a inage Trustees, Both sets of works are maintained by local taxation, supplementing the receipts from wa ter traffic as re ga rds the 8lCpenditure of the Navigation Truste e s. Lord Mo n ck's Commission took in 1 882 a distinctly pessimistic view of the possibilities of developing traffic on this Navigation. "The avera ge annual eicpenditure on the Lower Bann Navigation for the five ye a rs ending 30th June 1 88 0 was £1,154 15s, 8d. The average annual receipts from toils, wharfage, rents, etc. for the same period Vere £93 14s. ld, The deficit has been sup plie~ by an annual Presentment made by the grand juries of the adJoining counties. These figur~s show that the navigation works have been

1902.

Ill,§ unper and Lower Bann Navigation,

practically maintained and the expenses c onnected therewith paid , not out of funds derived fro m tr af fic on the c anal an d r iver, but by local rates. We are satisfied from the evidence submitt ed to us that there is no reason to expe ct any considerable increase in the traffic. The testimony on this point is, i n our opinion, conclusive."

190 6 .

Commiss i oners Reports , Vol . I, Ap pend i x 2 .

Evidence of Hr . Geo . A. Stevenson , Commissioner of Public Wo r ks , 21 Ma rc h , 1906 .

(1) New r y Navigat i on . Canal from Lough Nead ( Whitecross Po int ) to New ry thence by tidal c ha nnel t o Wa rrenpo int 1 25 miles . Be gun by the Commission e rs o f Inlan d Na vi gation , under the Act of 172 9 ; handed over t o a local corporation in 1787 , vest ed in Dire c tors of Inland N~ vi ga tion in 1800 , transferred in 1829 to New r y Nav i ga tion Co mp any ; now under a Trust to whom it was sold under an Act of 190;: .

Ori g inal cost .

Expen ded by ])_irectors of Inlan d navi. g ation prior to 1812 (includi ng £23 , 326 as a public grant) £38 , 326 .

Expended by Newry Navigat io n Compa ny bet ween 1832 and 1842 .

(A) Su bsc ribe d p riv a te ly £70 , 353 , Public Loan £42 , 000 .

( B) Between 1885 and 1891 Loans £55 , 000

Total £;:05,679 .

NU!llb er of loc ks 14 .

.

second Repo rt of the Royal Commiss i on on Canals and Inland Nav i gatio n .

New ry Nav i gation .

Length - Wa rren point to Newry - tidal 7 miles . Newry to lvh it e coat Point 1 8 mil es .

To tal Length 25 mile s .

Orig i nal cost £ 2 05 , 679 .

Num ber of loc ks 14 .

Snallest loc k 69 • 3 "; W . 15 ' ; Dh . 5 ' 4 11 •

La r gest boat using L . 62 11 ; w. 15 1 ; Dh . 5 1 2 " .

Ma x . Lo ad p oss ible 80 tons .

Usual l oad 45 - 80 to n s .

Total rise 58 1 3".

Headway (m i n . ) 9 ' 3 ".

Sh i p c anal ves se ls 600 to 3 , 000 tons .

Inl and Waterways of Great Brit a in , No . 136 , p . 396 _

l'kl:lrv Canal :

Authority :

From and To :

Distance :

Maximum Dimensions fo r

Craft Using Wate r way :

Locks :

Towing Path :

Tolls :

General Rema r ks :

Newry Port and Ha rbour Trust H b New ry . , ar our Office ,

(a) Ship Canal . Victoria Lock in Carlingford Lough to Albert Bas in, Newry .

(b) Barge Canal. Alb e rt Basin Newry to Whitecoat Point on t he Upp~r Bann Rive r .

(a) 3½ miles .

(b) 1 8½ miles .

(Len g th : Ship Canal

. ( Barge Canal

. ( Beam : Ship Canal

. ( Ba r ge Canal

. ( Dr aught : Ship Canal 14 ft . 6 ins . ( 5

Barge Canal

. 0

(He ad r oom : Ship Canal Unlimited . ( Barge Canal

Ship Cana l, 1 (Victoria Sea Lock) . Barge Canal, 13 .

Th r oughout Wate rw ay .

These a re charged on Registered Tonnage .

.

The Ship Canal is the only means of access t o the port of Newry f r om the sea and it lies parallel to the Newry River, which at low tides is an extensive slob land . In years gone by there was traffic between Newry and Portadown by water , but this is now a thin<> of the past , and any traffic by wate r to Portadown goes by way of the Lagan Navigat ion and Lough Neagh . _ There are 10 locks between Newry a hd the Head Level and three locks from the Head Level t o the Upper Bann River .

1950 .

Newry Canal . (cont ' d) .

The feeders to the Head Level are the Tand r agee Feeder on the west side and the Lo ughb r ickland Feeder on the east side . The t o,.-ms of Poyntzpass and Scarva a re on this level.

Special Note :

In recent yea r s no traffic has been offered

Dist an ce Table :

Newr y to :

Cana l Bas in • .

Lo ugh Sha r k •.

Scarva Brid ge

Tal lyho Locks

Madd e n Bri dg e

Knock Brid ge ..

and the Trustees have so reduced t hei r e xpenditure on ma inten an ce that t~e Canal is not now in a con dit ion to t ake traffic and steos have been taken to effect its formal abandonment .

Po yn tz pa ss (10 l ocks fr om N~~ry)

Br a cka gh Lock · ·

Whitecoa t Point ( jun cti on with R. Bann )

Portad d~m •.

Ent r an ce to Lough Neagh

· nforma ti on has be en (A t t he time of goin g to p re 1ssh 1 be en of ficially abandoned) . r eceiv e d t ha t t he Ba r ge Cana as

.

I rish Hou se of Commons Journal, 31 Ma rch, 1750 .

The c anal runs into the river Bann at Portado,-m whe r e t here is a wooden bridge low and flat . In time of floods , boats are sometimes obliged to wait for five o r six weeks b e fore they c an pass under the b r idge . The best method to avoid t his delay will be to make a cut of L:'.5 perches with a large arch of stone which cannot be effected a t a mode r ate estimate for less than £2 30 , 10s .

The above should be studied in detail also Journal und er da te 14 Novem ber , 174 9 .

o. s . Memoi r s state t ha t above bri dge was sw e p~ away in 1 75 4 where upon a new stone bridge was built on a r y land and the r iver tu r ned into it .

Inland Waterways of Great Britain, No.138, p.399 0

Upper Bann Navigatinn1

Authority, Trustees of the Upper Bann Na vigation Riddets Buildings, 49 Donegal! Pl ace, Belfast ~

From and Toi

Distance, Maximum Dimensions for Craft Using Waterway.

Locks& Bridges,

Towing Path1

Tolls1

General Remarks 1

Special Note1

Dist ance Table1

Ap proximately half of Lough Neagh and up to the Blackwater River to Blackwatertown . lli miles.

(Length •• (Bea m •• ~Dr au ght.

(Headroom Nil. Up to Moy • • • , Up to Blackwa terto,m

Not limited. Not limited. 5 ft. 6 ins. 5 ft. 8 ft.

Road bridges and a railway bridge. None.

None for pleasure craft.

There is very little traffic sout h of the entrance t o the Co alis lan d Canal . The main landing places under the control of the Trustees are Kinnego Harbour and Newp ort Trench on Lough Neagh .

The abandonment of this canal is under consideration.

Miles. Furlong s.

Entrance to Lough Neagh to1

Maghery Ferry (end of artificial cut from Lough Ne agh),

Junction with Coalisland Canal

Verner 1 s Bridge ••

Derrygalley Ferry ,

Junction with Ulster C;nal (now derelict)

Blackwatertown 6 9 11 2

Tyrone Navigation. Moore•s Lock.

Copy of stone in Lock Wall v Words spaced most unevenly, Stonee!~Yd!;fi~~1ntiotread, original position, s

TH(IS)

LOCK W(AS) ERECT(ED) (AND) (FI)NISHED BY ACHESON JOHNST(ON)

ESQr CHIEF DI(R) :&:TOR OF ye INLAND NAVIGATION IN ye YEAR 1749. JOSEP(H) WETHERBY AND N, BRY(A)N UNDE(R)

·Joseph Wetherby was an engineer and appears frequently in accounts for work in connection with the Lagan Canal,

See House of Commons Journals Vol. XI (Lagan Navigation) pp.347-350, and 370-374, where his widow's receipt for her late husband's salary is mentioned,

1749 , Tyrone Na vi ga t ion .

Annaghruore to wnland .

Hoore ' s Lock .

Lock keepe r' s house in good order and inhabited by M r . J . •l cAlesky . Bridg e over the c anal at t his po int blown up du rin g recent tr ou bles bu t now (A ugust 1959) repa ir ed .

I n wall of loc k t he re is an inscribed s t one s t a ti ng th a t " this loc k was erected and finis hed by Acheson Johnson , Esq . , Chief Director of Inland Naviga ti on in ye year 1749 " . Two further lines difficult to read are said to bea r t he naCTe of the contractor .

1749 .

Tyrone Navigation .

Gortnagoni s townlan d .

The double lock in this townland is of mu ch interest and t he c anal is here sDanned by a handsome old brid e erected i n 1809 . Fortunately this has been by - passed by a flat bridge and a s a c onsequence remains in perfect preserva ti on , whereas in most instances such brid ges ha v e been reduced in height or demolished .

There is an inscribed stone on each sid e of t h e bridgeone states that it wa s erected by the Inland ITav i ga tionthe other gives name of builder . On date of my visit ( ugus ~ 20 , 1 959 , the light was poo r so I made no attempt to transcribe them .

1753 , House of Comnons J ourna l, Vol. IX, p . 1 35 ,

Tyrone Navigation :

Resolved by Committe e that the sum of £4 , ooo be giver: to His Grace Geor ge Lo r d Arc hbishop of Armagh, His Gr ace John Lord Arch bishop of Tua , the Right Honble . rthur Hill, ~sq . the Honb l e . and Re v . Charles Caulf e il c. , Clk, and the Rev . Thomas st aples , to enable them to -nake a waggon uay and to c a rry on a coal wor k a t Dr ur:1glass in the County Tyrone .

1753 , ifouse of Com·non s Journal, Vol. I X, p . 94 . ( 2 lov . 1753) .

Tyrone Nav i gat ion :

, Petiti on ~<:>f . George , Archbishop of Armagh , etc . settin" rorth that pe c J. t 1oner s in order to sup u ly the city of Dublin a nd other pa rts of i;h1s kingdom with coa ls from Ty r one by means of the canal to Ne wr y which is now near finished at publ i c expen se were p revailed upon in th e year 1749 to enter into a partne r ship whe r eby they obliged themselves to constitute a stock of :i:10 1000 for the opening and workin~ of several collieries in that county . 0

I n pursuance thereof they have expended near £8 , 000 chiefly i n comp letin g one coal wor'.-: at head of sai<' canal and are in readiness to deliver from 800 to 900 tons uf coal pe r week when said canal n3vigation is co.,,pleted .

That uetit ioners . now bola from the See of . r~a;;h t!'le colliery of Drumglas T• • · but as said colliery lies t!'l~ee mi les distant from navi gation it will be ne~essar~ to ~a!:e a \·Jaggon way for les sening the ex9ense of lana carriage .

Such a wagon way it is im puted will cost not less than £6 , 000 which the petitioners are assured they ~~st lay oui;. before the said colli eries can be wrought to !11ect ot~~ruise the pr ice of coals would be too high for the wblin ,nar,::et •

1758 , House of Commo ns J ou r na l , Vol . X.

Tyrone Navi ga ti o n .

La r ge Comm i ttee , a ll named , appo i nted to :-

1 . En qu ire i n to the s t a te of the collieries in the c oun t y of Tyr on e and what money granted by P a r l i amen t ha s been e)..-_nended on sa,1e .

2 . Als o t he st a te o f navigation ·n the cot:nty ,

3 . And to r ep ort t he re uno n t o t,ie House .

Jour1:::ls oft e, use f c 0 - om •ons , Vo l . x, ,n . B~ J- B4B .

T e CoLni ttee anp o i nted ~0 e . . . , th~ colli&ries i~ t:1~ couDtv' ; rvnq~i re i~t~ c~e state of t . , . . .. o ., ro .e, ana ,1,...,at.. uonev ;; r ar. eo oy :'.}rll.J 1 ent , '13.S been ex')ended -· J-; _ -• .. :i ls o the st:ite of trie na i-ation ;·;, ~,, on "t'.:' sa...,e , . as · · f · ·· -·- c.,ac cou!' :1 ~no 1f a:1y =~a . 1:::t art'ler i 1rro~_eillents ,re :1ecessny to be ~~ad ; . _c .. ret~, as :Lso ~nvJ ~'le c?ntract 1ade for t.•e repairin:; and {ee ~n~_" ,e sa e in o r ae r: n·ve met nursuant to order and ex a~inea sever:::l ra,e r s re lative thereto as also sev~r 1 "·:..tne~ses --;.n t---,e nost so le n ·Jan~er : a~d ' n... ve cii r ected ~; to re_ort as Iol lo ws .

I n t:~e first _ .!.a ce y •Ur Cornmittee ena·Ji re o into t'1e ceeci of c ont r · et ,ade bet1-1een the ·.10st revereno Georc:e lord a rc h'cishop of . rcaag:1 , 9 ri ma te of all Irelanci , the most reverend Jahn , lord :ircr:bishop o f Tuacn , the rig'1t honourable .\rt'iu r nill , Zsq ; t!1e hon)u r ab le and r eve r enc' Cna r les C:wlfeild , and the reverend Thom as St:inles of the one oa rt. and the hon,urdil c c o r pora ti on for :-' ro motinz t he inland navi:;ation o f Irela10, of the othe r pa rt : bearing da t e t he ninth day of ~a rc h , one t!'lousanci seven hunc-red awl fifty fou r r:,y w'iich deed of contract i.t annea rs, that the said lor d a rc 'ibisho:) of Ar.aagh , lor d arc:risho~ of Tuam , ri ~ht honou ra ble Arthur 1ill , ~sq . ; t'Je honourable 8 nd r e veren d Ch a r les Caulfeild , ano revere nd fho mas staples, did , by indent~d articles be~rins ~a te th'.' , first day of June one t'Jousana seven huncl re c and rorty - ei~nt , enter into a oar tA e rshi n for the wor1.:ing of several col.'.1<;nes by the~ helr in the c oun ty ~ Tyron~; and th~t ~;i~ . :o r oo r :ition f o r 1 .r 0 110 t 1 n e: t.'.1e in.!a no n avigation, '?r :: . e_ana , .. did-bar~ain an d a~ree t o ,:: ive t he sa.id p3 rt ne rs n~p c:: t..~e ;~: or five hund red and eic-hty nouncls to mac:e such re,air __ in _.. c U!Jon tne cana l in the c o~nty of Tyrone as we re then tha~g~t _ necessarv (exclus i ve of su c i'J i,;or·o:s as were ?ontrac_cea to oe f . · · · t · )· all Fh, ch \·:ort.:s .:iy 'llo re inisned b y cheso n J ohns 0 ;- , ~s q . ' d t- ~he "~oresaid deed particuL:rly sp!Jea r by a sc nedule a~nex~tne~s~in :S i" f'urt'1e r o: contr:ict . And also th at th e_sai ?~ ; 0 ; ;re in·c;nsiderat?0nt r'Jct T1itn t '.le cor p;> r 3 ~ 1.o1: 81 '? r~!! ~t~ five ··oun0s ~nnually , ;:or,_ of t-1e sum of one nuncre~ ariol~ti~e- t11eret0 in re .-,ai:- :'or •,a ,:ee_ the sa ie ard all wor -~ - 31 so to •,a, t'le loc'.ct ,<: s. ~ce of twe ~y ?ne ye:;tr\ . . · 3 ; 0 nti n:C to twenty Lve .,.'-~f:_,er,.. s3 l ~ ries ou r1 n~ t 1..... 1 .e , · ~0UOrs €~ Cl ye3 r .

int o t he exec~ t ion of s:id contr- ct, r eno rt r.i'" rle by so e o,. t1.1.n ~r st;e s be~~-"" rote t •e Fixteentn a:y _ D- . ' r; ftv seven , to ne l:11 c\ n:·v · · ,.tior, f r n 'l

175 8 ,

Tyr one fa vig a tion :

certai n o ak t r ee nea r t he col l i e · L in t he county of Ty r one is ;;r v nes,, t o eh; Blac ~ \-l ater t he pa rtic u l a rs c o ntain~d in t he mu,cn d out 0.1. r epa ir, and that exec u t ed a ccordin o- t o c ont r -et- szn: ule are not p erfo r me 6. or o f t he Hou se , you~ Commi tte: h · v h nd f:i r t 'ie b etter i nfo r :1a tion f T' • - t a e e re inserted a col)y of t he a O - e sai o. c on r a ct, with t ':1° s c hedule tl · · - --1 . · f t · . . · ~ - - 1e reunto annexed as a s o c op ies o ne sa id r e po rt and sc hedu le · h " h · ' follow . ·· · , w ic. a re as

Copy of the Contract .

Artic les of ag r eement inden ted , had mad e c on cl ud ed and agreed upon thi s ninth d ay of La rch, :.n be ye~ r of our l~rd one t housand seve!1 ':Jund re d and fifty f0ur, be t ween the ,nost revere0d George lord a rc hbis ho p o f r~aeh , ~ rimate o f all Irelnnct , the most r e ver enc J ohn l ord archbi shou of TuaT. , the ri[ h t honou r able Arthur Hil l , Es q . the honourable and reverend Charles Caulfeil d , an 6. t he reverend Thoma s Staples , of th e one pa rt , and t he honou r able c o r uo rat ion for u r omot i nc the inland naviga ti on of Ir e land, of the other part . · \'ihereas by inden te d a r ticles bearing da t e the fi rst d ay of Jun e, one thousand seven hundred an d forty ei ght , and made or men tione 6. t o be mad e by and be t we en t he said Geo r ge l o r d o rimate of a ll Ir elanc. , of t !:::e fi rst pa rt, t he said J oh!1 , lor d archbishop of Tu_a :a , til:n lord bishop o f Down and Connor , of t he se c ond pa rt , tne sa~~ . rthu r Hill, of t he th ird par t, t he said Ch3 :les C!ulfeild , or th~ f ourth u art , and t he said Tho mas Sta, r es, or tne fJ.f th 1 ~a rc, a pa rtn e rs h i u wa s entere d into f or the ,-,orking of sev ei:a-, collieries - by th em hel c:1. in the c oun ty of Ty r one . _ And ,-me r~~s a c anal ha t h been al r eady in pa rt mad ~ by ~he sa:d co~~~ra ~~ on for u r omo tin g t he in land naviga t ion or Ire.Lan d , r ro ~ c.. - r!ve r Black Wa ter in the s aid co un ty , to a p l a ce c al~ed tne Oa~ rree ne a r adjoini no one o f t he said c o llieries . Ano wn er ea s cne several work; 0 me ntioned an d sp~ c i~ied f i n s~~~e e ~;~s a~1 the esti·m t h t annexed ( exc•us,ve o a __ · · . a e ereun o b - 0 • • sh e d by Atc h eson sa id ca n al as are c o ntr a cte d t~ 1 !~~e~ment with t he said Jo nnston, Esq . ; in purs u ~n ce 0 ~ ~J.,s O and t he s aid Lord c o : p orati on) ?o no:1 r ema ;: n unfin_sn:d ; eec:J ui t n t ':Je said Pr im a te an d h is said pa rc ne rs hf~:t ~nor b efore the f ir s~ day co r po ratJ. o n , t o execute and ~om~- d and fift v fiv e t he saJ.a of lfa y , one th ou sa1; d _seven un _r~e 0 ; t he said c a ~a l , se v e r a l wo r ks r ema i n i n g to be :to annex ed a t th e esti ma tes 7ont ai ned in t he s c n edule. he r~ amountina i n t he wh ole to t h e J.n t he said schedule mention~ ' nds And t he said Lor d sum of five hun d red and e J.g~ y a g ;e ed with th e said Pr imate an d pa rt ne r s ha v e lJ.k~; a rtners thei r execut o rs cor po ra t i o n. t h at they t h e S!l - rl for t~ e c o ns i d er at i on herein ~nd adminisi r a t o r s , s hall an a WJ.

.

Tyrone Nav i ga ti on :

after mentioned , f ro m ti me to time and as oft • · b e necessa r " f d d • en as i; ne sa me shall ~com. ~f, ~r an__ urini:: t he ter m of t we nty one y ea r s . from t ne twent y fifc:-i day of 1-,a rc n next followina r e · · ,' · ir ~ '1 e uhole of th . d . o, uai r ana Keep in re pa " · · .e_ sai c anal, and all t he wor"s therein and thereu p ~n , done and to De done in pu r suance of these n rese r:ts . or of_ any c on tr a ct of the said c orporation with the said - Atcheson Jonnsto n , . as well t he several locks, bridges , wiers, ove r falls , outlets, inle~s 1 banks , towin g s, paths , back d r ains , a s all other worKs appertaining t ne reto ( such uarts thereof the execution of which is c on tr a cted for by the said Atcheson Jo hn ston . bein a firs t co !llp leatl y finished) . Arid whereas t he said c or Do r at:i.on ha th on t heir par ts a nd be halfs agreed with the said Lor~ Primate and h is pa rt ners t hat t h ey will, i n c onsideration of the p re mis es, during the said ter m, pay to t he said Lord Pri ma te and his pa rtn e rs, or to any t,iree of t he:n , the fu rt h er annual sum of one hund r ed and twenty - five pound s sterling; t he first payment t he r e of to be ma de on t n e said twe nty fifth day of lfa rch, one thousand seven hundre d and fifty five . Now these p resents Hitness , ti.lat in nursuance and pa rt ue r for mance of t he said herein befo r e mentioned agreement t hey t he· said Lo rd Arch - bishop of Armagh, Prima te of all Irel a~d and pa r tners for and in c onsid erati on of the sum of five hund r ed and ei gh ty )) ound s sterl_ing, to the :n in. hsnd . pa id by t he said c o r oo ration at o r b efore tne ensealing_ anc deli ~e r ~ of t h ese presents , t '.le ;ecei pt whereof ~s. h:reby a c Kno:•rledg:a , co for t henselves their exec u tors and adm1n1s .r ators , co venan•, promise · , g r ant ; and agree, to and w~th the s'.'id c orp,~ r ~tion and t hei r successors, t h a t they t he saic Ge o r ge L'? r a A~c~b.Ls~o\~ f Ar magh and oa rtn ers , their executors o r ad minis_tra o_ s, _n~ . and will befo re t he caid first day of hay, whicn shall be _dn t n e

• ~ f · f t f · ve execuce an yea r one th ou sand seven hund re d a nd t b n~ on the said cgn a l , co "p leat t he seve r a l worKs re main~ng ? _ e e 0 hereunto annexed . men tio ned and cont a ined in e n: said sc necu; ou rs uan ce and fu r ther An d t hes e p resents further in~ness} tna\~ agre~!tlents , t,1ey the ex~c u tion and pe rfor~ a~ c~ of ~he a ore;~d oar tn s r s, for and in said. Geor ge Lord Arc nbi ~~o p or ~r !llag\ f one hund r ed and t 11enty c~nsideration o f t~e saia ye~~ly s:e said c o r oo ration as aforef1~e pound s, agreea to be pa~a by · tors and ed'.ll in istrato rs, said , do f o r t hems e lv es, t ne.Lr executo and with t he said _ cove nant , p ro mi s e, ¥ r ant , and agre~ ha t t hey the said Ge~r~e_L~rd cor po r a ti on and t hei r succ es_;'ors, t· . r executo rs or aamims •r atArc hb ish op of Ar magh and pa rc ners, ne~ cost f ro '.ll ti :ne to tice ors, shall and will a t t heir own p r openecess~ ry for and du ri ng and as o fte n as t he s ame shall beco .n e , 1 -nd k~ep i n r epair t , 1 e t ' e yea rs re p., • a • t· r eupon ne said t e r '.ll of twe n •Y on il ;,ror lc s tl1erein ano :1e~ho le of the said c ana l, and all ;et~e ag reements i n these done and t o be don e i n pur suanc~ ;ny 'c on tr a ct o f t;1e said presents before !llen t i o n~d , . or, 0 Joboston , as well t \1e sever a l co r po r ation with the said atc neson

T~r on e ::av i ga ti on :

l ocks , bri d . g es , 1,1ic r s , o ver fa l ls ou tle ~ , 1 t . , t , b 1- ci r ~ · n 1 ' · "s , in E s , band:s touing s pa n s , . a c ., - ~i. s , a s a _l ot he r uo r k s ap1J ert a i n i n~ t' 1c r ' t (, , ' pa r ts t ne r eo f the exe c u t i on o f \·ihi ch ; s ·c -on tr - - ~f ' -te 0 th su c n, • A~ 1 J , b - - oC cea o r y e sai a c c .1 es o~ onn scon . ein g f ir s t c om,, le a tl y finis:i e d ) . ~d t h~ said Geo 1 f~ Lo rd _ Pru~ t e . and his sa i d partne r s do by t:i; s e ~r e ;3e nts fo r c:,ems el ve~ , cneir e x e cu t o r s and ad:ninistrators , ! Urc ~e r ? o v enant ! p r om ise , g r ant and agree to and with the said ,c? r po r ~tio ~ a nd , hei ~· su c cess o rs , th at t:1e sa i d Lo r d Fr i.. iate and nis said p artn e r s , tn eir executor s o r ad'.ainis t ra t o r s shall and wi ll yea r .L y a nd e v e r y y e a r , du ri ~g t he said ter.a o f t wenty one year s , o u t of s ai d)'. ea rly sum o f o ~e ?und r ed and twenty five_ pounds , p ay t o ,iv e d irr e r en t pe r sons co oe emp l oyed by them ana unde r th e ir in spe cti o n an d di r e cti on as l o c k - keeoers to t,1e ;a.:.c. loc k s , t ,1 e ye arly s u:11 of five ,'OUnd s ea ch , the sac1e to be _ aici and pay a ble on the t.we n ty fi f t h d a y of ,! arc h in eve r y yea r o!: t':le said ter m. nci t hes e ) r esents fu rt ,1e r witne s s , &nc1 the saio. corpo ra t i on i n c ons i d e r at i on o f the pr e mis se s , and i n exe c u ti on and p erfor ma nce of t he a g r ee:,1ent afo res a i d , on thei r pci r t and behalf , to be don e :ind 1, erf o r med , do fo r t'lemselves and their su cc esso rs, c o v e n an t , p r om is e , and a g r ee to and ,n~17 ti~e _suiO. Lo r d Prima t e , t h e sai d Ar c h - b ishop o f Tuam , r thu r :::ill , C'larle s Caulf e il d and Thoma s Sta p le s the ir and every of tileir executo r s an d ad mi ni s t r ators , t :1 at t:~ey ' t he sai ci cor:_:>ora ti on a nd the_i r su cc esso r s , s hall and will y ea rl y an6. e ver y yea r , du n ,:i~ t:,e _ said te r m of t we n ty o!1 e y e a r s , well a nd tr ul y pay to t he, sa20 ~o r ;:. Pri ma t e a n d his said pa rt ners , t h ~i r ~xec utor s . o r amiinis cr aco~ s , t he sa i d yea r ly sum o f o ne h undr ed ano. twe nt y rive 12o u nd s , o r o r su ch p a r t t h ereof a s t h e s a me sha ll b e payab l e in v ir t\l e o r thes e · pr esen t s . P r ovid e d a h ;ays , and it ~s t ne tru~ rn~~ ni f~d me aning o f t h ese p r esen ts, and of t he p art ie s he r eu~ . 0 , ;;~ t ';~ , r sha ll a n d ma y be i aw!ul ~ o a n d for t h 7 s~i d c o ?~~!~t~ n 0 ;~ y c, ~ r; su cces so rs , a t any ti me d uring t h e said, ~r ... 0 t 'i e s - -; ci Lo crl: - ' ~t thei r will and p l ea s u r e to r e;11 ove 0 1 !f~; ~~ai d ha~~ he re.ceep ers . I n wi tness whereof, t ~ e pa ~ e~ yea r abo v e wri t ten unt o pu t t h e i r hand s and se a l s t n e day an

GEORG E Se al A..R.H AGH . J OHN Se a l TUAI-! . A. HIL L , Sea l.

Co r o o r at i on Seal .

,

Ty r one l,a vi ga ti on :

Co py o f the S c h e dule annex e d t o s aid Deed .

Sev e nt y f ive pe rc hes of t he bank to be r aised sodd e d , and ;c il ed to k e ep o f f t he bla c k and ' tor r e n t ri ve rs, a t fo rt y sh i ll i ngs pe r per ch .

Fif t y 9 e rc :1e s t o b e d rud g e d, a t one 9ound five ~illin g s pe r pe rc h .

Thr ee hund re d and t wenty pe rc hes t o b e c layed and gr a ve lled o n t he tr a c k bank f r om t he mi dd l e lo ck to t h e Bl a c k Hat e r , a t fo u r sh il l i ng s per perch .

Taki n g d m-m and r ebuild i ng o ne si de of t he lo c k , bu ilt by Cor n et Gilber t .

Two hund re d an d f o rty p e rc h e s t o be fo r me d a nd gr ave l l e d f r o!ll "'Ir . John s t o n ' s house to n ea r the oa k tr e e, a t t h ree s h illin g s pe r pe r c h .

Two hund re d a n d t en p er c hes of ba cl, - d r a i n , at t wo shil li ng s p er pe rc h .

Fiv e i i;i l et s, a t on e p ou nd si x s h illi ng s ea ch .

Five lo ck - keepers ho use s at twen t y p oun ds e a ch .

Two sto n e and l i me a r c h e s o v er the t wo lo 1·1 e s t l ock s, at t wenty six po u n ds e a c h .

1 0 0

o 0

o O 36 0 0 21 0 0 6 1 0 0 1 00 0 0 52 0 0 1 3 0

Counter s , sh eeti n g , J: c . f o r d it t o £ s . d . 1 50 0 0

£58 0 0 0

Tyrone Na vi g at i on .

Co py of t he Report

August 16 , 17 57 .

Your Comm~ttee t hc:ugh t it their du ty to view the canal in t h e c oun ~? of -Yr one , ~ro m the bason at nnagher to the Bla ck Wa ter , wni,ch they founa in very bad o r de r and mu ch out of re,:,air , a no th at tne c orporation may mo re fully and easily ne rceive the pre sent bad si t uat ion of it , t hey have he re set forth t hepa rticula r s out of r epa ir . The overfall at the bason intire ly ou t of order , and ,, an ts immediate r epa ir, as are the snlay walls of the loc k fixed here; the wall of the bason on t!le south side of t he lock to o low, and ou gh t to be r aised to p r event the Hate r fro t! r unn i ng over , which does g reat damage to the ban'., belo\-1 it .

Part of t he ban!, on the south side of the l e vel between tne bason loc k and mill da m lock has slip p ed into t he c anal, wh ic h can be r epa ired by p ili ng only : the mill - dam lock staunch and gooo, bu t the s p lay walls of it mu c h out of repair . The uppe r lo ng l evel , next the mill - da m loc k is much out of r epair , the ban'.~s are v e ry bad , an d instead of b eing slo ped are under2 i ned , and in ~rea t danger of falli ng in t o the c ana l, as there is a great lo aa of ea rt h lyi ng on the bank, wl1ich was never , l evell~d o r formed . There is a stone bridge on the tracl, roaa of this l evel in_ a ruino us condition . The banks on both sides of this l evel nav e slipped in at two o r three diff erent p l aces , and must . ~e re pa ired by p i lin g an d l and ties . The overfall_o n the north sioe i n this leve l in a ruin ous conditi on and mad e in a wrong pl ace , and ough t to be made up , and a new one mad e near the dou bl e lo~ !, on the south side . The who le le vel is very foul aJ_Jd 1-iant s co be. scoure d · the tr a c k ro a d is mu ch out of re pai r , and wants to ~ e gravell~d . The level is s o fou l t hat the ho rs es c ~n_ sca~ c e.!.\

pull t he bo a ts t hr o1;1gh the mud . . The splfY w;}!s lock want some r e pa irsi the locl, is in tot e r a ;:;o r ~ which is Some wate r runs thro I the Joints of th e s or: wh i~h m-y ea oi 1 y ow i ng t o t h e i nsufficiency of t h e sp l ay \-/~~ m~de on - th; northbe r e pa ir ed . There never ':'a s bac\;ct ~ a ~te d . The r e is a b ri dge eas t side of this level , which is mu c ,.a of passa"e fo r the over this l evel built fo r the _co nve~~e~crhat c a rri iges c an s c a rce peo p le of t n e country , wh~ c h . 1 s so e!~h e~d of the bridge on t:1e g et over it for want of fillin g ~nt Co r ' lock is in p retty banks . The l e ve l fro m this lmc O d Th e loc k c alled Cor ' s good con ditio n, and the tr a c k roada g~~etc h ed cond i ti on , and ~ust lock , b uilt by Co rn e t G1l b e:t , 1 1.1t be i n " made so na rr ow a t nrst , be t aken d ovm in or d er t o widen 1 tb chiz ; le away a g r eat dea l ,m ic h o b l i g ed t he builde r s_ o f 1 ~ r to d r ao t h e boats thr ough ; of t he sides of the loc k , 1 1.1 °~ er it wi 11 fall in an6 s t op t he this mus t be v e r y s o on re pa ir e O

1758 ,

Tyrone :~3 v igation .

whole ?a v iga ti on . T~e level fro m this loc k to the l ower loc k nea r t ne, Bla c k Wate r is very f oul, and r equi res g r eat scou r ing . The t: a c ,, r oa ~ very p oorly g r a v e lled , and t':Ja t bu t ve r y narrow , a~d will require t~ be g r avelled anew . The bank s on eac:1 side or t ne level nea r vhe Blac k Water are ver y l ow . and in wretc hed co ndition , they mus t b e r a ise d , and toe bac!, d r ains want to b e scoured, being now en tirel y go r g e d . On the south side of th i s level t h ere mus t b e a ba c k d r ain ma de, and a staun c h in~ cut made f r om the lo wer l ock t o the brea c h last repaired . "The level is ve ry f ou l and wants a thor ough sc ou ri ng . The over fa ll in this level is mu ch out o f r epa ir . It will be ne c essa r y to fix p oles on t h e ban k s of t h is l evel and t 'ie Bla c k Hater as gui des i n ti me s of floods . All t ':Je s l uices in t ':J e l o c k gates want t o be bush ed , an d all t h e ga tes want to b e caul k ed and ta r re d . The locks in g ener al wa n t t o b e c op e d , ancl filled behind t he c oping , in or<ier to keep t he c oping stones and l and ties whi c h hold the heel nos t s o f t he ga tes stead y and f ir m, Hi t hout whi c h t ne gates must ofte n go out of re,:ia ir . It Hill also be necessary to fix 9 iles at t h e s u l ay walls· of a ll the locks , to defenc. t:1e m fro :n dama:;e when t h e· bo a ts enter t h e loc ks . All t ne i:Ja c k - 6. r ains t ha t a re mad e wa n t to b e sc ou re d . Th re e l o c k - keepe r s houses to _ be finis hed , and on e to be bu ilt . The new c u t t ~lo1'/ t ,1e ~10•.. e r lock int o t !'le Bla c K Wat e r is e n tire ly g r o1·m up , ana 1:1~nts co be, new cle a re d You r Com mit tee f a rt !'le r observe , that Hilli a'.ll Cl e oen i; s , who liv~s at t he ba so n , co ,np l ains that he oas suff er ed :; r eat ly by t he wa ter wh ic h run s fro m toe t o rre n t i ri t o t '.1 e oas.o~ , !·Y flo odinq eight a cres of his g r oun6. , a n d pa r t o f t ha t nis oesc

0 • • h' , r · d ~he c au se to a r 1 se f r om t :1 e meadow· u p on v1ew1 n° w. i c n we _ in 1.,1. - t t f ou lne ;s a t· t!:le w;t:r - cou r se , whic h le ads f r ? m the : 0 rr: n r O t t h e baso>1 , arid fro m t h e want of a pr'.:lpe r s ~u ice a~ "'.1~ nea r Cre~na gh whe r e a stron g b anl, and s lui ce ?tic:nt ". ' ' · t d t ta ' ·e c a r e of it C1e meni: s ~nd a p r ope r pe rson ap,oin e . 0 t-.. t and t 1 e tiste t o insis ts u po n being pa i~~f o r his da ma¥~f pasutht t o b e don e, fo r c_om e, whic h y o ur Commi~cee a r~ 0 {. opL ~\~ f ~eauently 5 ives tne good . and quie~ of ch e navig~h i~n{,a ~er ~course . You r a ll t!'le inte rr uption h~ cant? t: a t t his n a v iga ti on i n Tyrone Committee having b een infor mea na 6 ~s and ha vin g Qb t ained a was under contr a ct for twenty ~ne by a a d~ u n on ente ri ng i nto t '.1 e copy of the sc h e6.ule of wor l{ ~ ? eemar a te· a rticles of t h at co ntr ac t, ha ve he ret o an nex e a tne s Pea c h a r t i cle an d t ~e ir sc hedu l e , wit h the su.ms esti ma te d t~ t h e contra~t'. 11 whi c h i s ob se rv a t ions u u on the pe r fo r man c~ 0 humbly s u bm itted to the c orpora ti on .

Tyrone

Navi~a tio n .

Schedule

First Article .

~ev ~nty f ive pe rc he s of the and p ilea, to keep off .the Bla c k es ti ma te d at fo rty sh i llings ue r poun d s . '

ba~k to ~e r ai se d , sodded \lace r an o torrent rivers, per c h , On e hund re d and fifty

It does n o t apj1ea r t o t he Comm itte e t ha t a ny wo r k has b een done , relative to t hi s a rtic le . '

Seco nd Artic le

Fifty per c h es to b e d r u d ged , a t one u ound f ive s hi llin gs per pe rch , Si x ty two p ounds te n s h illin gs-.

Th e Committee we re infor med, t ha t t h e entr an ce i nto the torrent was drudged, bu t t h e ne1v cut i n t o t h e Bla c ., '.iate r is gr own up , and ha s n o t b een d r udged since t he c o ntract made

Third Articl e .

Three hun d re d and twent y perches to be c lay ed and g r a v elled on t h e trac k b ank fro m t h e mi dd le lo c k to t he El a c:~ Wa t e r , a t fou r shillings pe r pe rc h , Sixt y f ou r p oun d s

Part of this is g r a vel l e d i ut very li ght and na r ro 1 .-. 1 • ~-tnen the Com mittee comu lained of t he insuf f ic i en c y o f the gra velli ng , the pe rso n who wa -s e mnl oye d t o do the work , said , he c ou ld not a ffor d to d o it b ette:r' s 11 e was al lo wed but one shilling and nine - ryen ce a n erch fo r' doin ~ it . It must be g r a v e lle d anew , or the tr a c :~ ho r ses ~anno t pas~ in wet weathe r .

Fou rt h Article .

Ta king down and r ebuil ding or;e side of t he loc'. : built b y Cornet Gi l b ert , Seve n ty five pounas .

Th e r e condition there wil 1 is no t hin" done to t i1is lo c k; it is ~n a ruinous and i f not re built t his se ason , in a ~l proba b ility , t, e no n a v ig atio n there next season .

, Tyr one Na vi s~ ti on .

?if t h rticl e

Two hund red and forty per c , es to be formed and g r a v elled f ro m l-,r . Johnston ' s hous e t o near t he oa k tre e , a t t 'i r ee s ·1illin g s pe r pe rc h , Th irt y s ix pound s ,

This 1-:o r k ha s not be en done , t he re ha s b een some ;; r a vel la i d on he r e and t h ere , i 'l a ver y li g'1 t s l o ve nly way . T'1is ra r.~ i s in su c'1 b ad or de r tha t t l1 e loc k keepe rs and some g ent lemen who atte nd ed your Com mittee, i nfor me d them t ha t i n winter ti me o r \•;e t weat he r, it was not passa b le f o r either man o r ho r se wi th ou t bein~ b o E;g e d , and t ha t horses were not ab le to tra c'., _ t 'ie boa ts .

Si x t h rtic le .

Two hund red an d ten perc h es of ba c k d r a i n , at t wo shillir.gs pe r ,;ier ch , Twenty one ,;iounds .

Th is war:, is n ot don e.

Seventh Art icl e .

Five inletts, a t one pound s ix shil ling ea ch , Si x p oun ds ten shillin gs .

Inletts ma de very in sufficiently, and now - much out of order . Two of t hem mad e in 1-1ron g r, lace s •

Ei gh t h Article .

Five lock - keepe rs houses , a t twenty pounos e a ch , one hun d re d p oun ds .

One built a t the b ason no windoHs o r in r..e r , ...

The s h ell of . . h d the doub l e l o c k , so rc e1-ma c doo r s to it . One built and fi ni ~--~lta\ Co rr ' s lock , but !lo t ou t o f r epa ir at p resent . Omi ~ui ~he foun oat i on of a four th finish ed, and in very oa d c ondi~~on,: 1 a c k Wa ter t t1 e fifth is not is laid at t he lo wer loc k ne a r . e_o_ - ~ ' begun , nor any materials p rep a re d ro r 1 ·

Nin t h Article . . over t he two l0\•!€st locks, at Two ston e and lime a rc ne s d Coun ter shee t in~ fo r twenty six p ounds each, fifty two p oun s · Sixt y five p ounds . the m, t h irteen r,ounds . . t ne a rc h es mad e, tl,, o woooen 6. ~awThe r e n e ver were any sf~. nt.l y one of t nem is b r oKe doim bridees were mad e v ery insu r ic i e · - '

Tyrone Naviga tio n . and useless , as it ha s n o t be e n re pa ire d .

\lilli am Richa r dson , Henry Hi ll i a.n lfo ore, Robert Scott .

. The ri gh t honour abl ~ Arthur d ill beinz p r esen t , info r med the Committee, t ha t he had signed that d ee d of c ontra c t . as also tna t be bel i e ve d his Gr a c e t he Lord, Prima te had signed the same • but said, that he never too k u uon him an y uart of the executio~ of the wo r ks c ontained in tha t d ee d , nor did he believe that the Lord Primate had t aken any s ha re in it; and t hat the sum of fi ve hundred and eighty p ounds in t h e deed mentioned , was :r,a id to the Archbishop of Tuam , who t ook u r,ion h i mself solely the e xe c ut i on of the work s co ntained in th a t d eed of c ont r a ct; and it als o ar,ipea rs that -Ir . Cau lf ei l d and Hr . St au le s never signed said deed , nor ever took any share in exec ut in g said wo r ks . That i-Ir . Fet he r ston , a gent to the pa rtn ersh i p, inf o r me d Mr . ,H i ll , that the_ na vi ga tion was much o u t of order, u:r,on whi c h Mr . Hill wr ote t o tne Archb~shop of Tuam, d e s i ri ng hL-1 to g ive or de rs to have the sa ::i e pu t . 11: re pa ir, and to p re pa re t he a ccomr,it s of th~ co .npa1:1Y , re la~i v e to the n a vigation and of t he money g rante d oy Pa r li am ent eApended on the wag go n - tay. A co p y of wh ic h lett er wa s p r oduced , and proved to your Committee and r ead ; whi c h is a s foll o ws :

Belvoir, July 18 t h , 1757 . My Lord ,

Mr . Fethe r s t on was lately wit h me, and i nfor me d me , that t he canal and loc k s in Tyr one will r equ ire l a r g e_ r e))a irs th is t~ea s on t. which if ·not ma de du r in ~ the s~mme r, c annot be done till d etne ~ , and f r om the g r owin g da ;';; ages of the winter , may be supp ose O e mo re exp ensive then than .no w.

. ld t h t your Gr a ce had men tio ne d a He at the same ti me t? me , a t e eit he r t o take t he p roposal , which you so me ti me a go made 1 1 m0 ; to leave it to you , b a r gain with the board wholly uporh mrs~ro;os~l. I as \< you r Gr a ce and tha t you wa it ed my answe: to a re posit i on s of yours go ou t a t housand pa r dons, fo r l :t tin g any P and I n e ver t hou gh t of i t of my head , but the ~a ct is re~l ly Fs~6ersto n put me i n mind of it f r om the time I r eceived ~t , ti~ l / co u ld not' :;uess a t its meaning ; I ndeed at the t i me I received it t t o this hou r I neve r once because f r om our sign i ng th~ r~~nduct of it, a ~d wa s a l1•1ay s int e r f ered wi t h your Grae~ in , t e ou- wished sh oul d be do ne, ready to concur with you i n wna . Forde who I did , and do ex c ep t in the ins t an ce o { h~me~Yt t t t o be i ~truste d with publi ck s t il l with eood r eason 1 n °n f u rt her co nsid eri n~ wha t your or priva te money . But now , upo

.

Tyrone Navi ga ti on .

Gr a ce has be e n p le a s e d t o n ro n o s e I beg l ea ve t · t h · . · h t · 1 • • ' ' o g ive is a,n swe r • t a a s to t ,1e re p a i r of th e c a nal , or t h e exe c u ti on o f t na ~ cont~ 3 ct 1 I c an by n? me ans t ak e i t u p o n myse l f s o lel y : the conc r a ct i s wit h t h e co~l1 e r y c omp a ny , an d of t ha t c oCTna ny 6 nly , you~ Gr a ce a 7d I. ha ve signed i t, bu t the r es t of t he c o,nn an y ha ve a ri gn t t o S.Lgn if ,they p l e a s e; and I do no t k n o w t h a t e :i. t h e r o f u s can as sume -~ ~ e wn o l e . to ou r s el ves , either t oge t he r or e pa r a t! lY , wic n o u t tne1 r c ons e nt , or _ind e e d , t he c ons e n t o f th e boa r d, ror llilll:-.C.Qll.St a t, that t h e bo a r ct woul d ha ve c on tr a c ted wit h any sin g l e p erso n . Ag ai n , if i t be a l u cr a tive ba r ~a i n su re ly the _!H of it o u _gh t in r ea s on and e quit y t o c: o to t h e ~o.1p ~ny ; if a losing one , t ne co mpan y wil l h a ve a rn u c h be t ter ch an c e of f a v ou r f r o'.!1 t he bo a r d , t h an a ny sin:: le pe r son , uho has t ak en t he wh ole upon himself, co n tr a r y to t h eir i n t ent i o n s . So tha t u po n t h e whole , I c a n not t hink it p r ud e n t f o r eith er you o r me t o ma ke any change in t h e executi on o f t h i s c o ntr a ct, but t o pro c e e d t o lay out a n d a cc oun t for t h e mo ney as so on as poss i ble . A commissio n wa s late l y ap o o in t e d f or the i n s p e ct ion and SU!) e rinten d ance of those ca na is; a nd I unde rst and t ha t the Commi ssion e rs soo n mean t o' vi s it t h i s . I f i t s hould t e re por t e d to be unfinished, it woul d rJ a k e us appea r i n an odd li ght . I therefore must be g l eave humbl y to reco mJ e nd it t o yc,1;1 r Gr a ce ' s c onside r ation, ,-1hether Hr . Fet h erst on sh ou ld no t b e oir~cte d by us both to n ut th e ca nal and l o cks in t o i mme d i a te re pa ir , an d b e furnis h ed· , rith mo ney f o r tha t pu r u os e . I f i nd 1-:r . Fo r d e ha s receive d a la;ge sum fo~ !)aY!lle nt c, f ou r d e b ts; ~ha t _, ou r d ~b: s a re still unpaid p articularly a s c anoa lo u s on e t o l-1r • ,•JU sse nu e n

Tha t t he g re ~ t sum r aised i n Ap r il, one th ous a,nd se v~ n hun i re dha s a nd fifty six , not less than one th o us a~d t ~ n~ '?u nd ~e~~ !)O~~ s } o r d e no t been a pn lied as i t was in t en d ed, a n o ka in 5 - · of th e' t h ough frequently c a lle? u p o n , wil ~ no ~h m~e 6 0 ~~ e;~ wh ic h we mone y whi c h h e · has receive d ,. nor O ey O nd seven hu nd re d and u~animously ag r eed_to in Ap r il , one th ~us~ - that time h e ch ar g ed fifty six . I n a list of debts returne a · f t he c~nal some pa rt of them as money l aid out u p '? n r e1~1~~o~t b oth i n -fhat , of whic h I am tol d a re not Je t p aid · , o u nds ' r a nted by and in t h e a cc ompt of the , 3:o ur th ous~~~slon : wh~n I t h in l, of all Parliament, I ca n see notm.n g co reachin g Parliament, I c an not these thi ngs , pa r ticularly of _ e_a~ p at ieast , tha t so me help pouring myself out, and w~shin; ; a ffairs into so me little measures may be t aken for puttin g to la rl y if we have no t a order aga inst that time , mo re p~ r }cihat m~ney t o be lai d before clear and a s a tisf a ctor y a cc oun ° ably expect any assist an ce Pa rliame nt, I doub t we c annot rea~on the conse quence o f our from the pu b lic k , an? withou\ th ak' ma ny p a r do n s for this lon g unde rt ak i ng i s t oo visi~le · ta~- r no mo r e t ha n hints fo r c onfused de t a il, which is mean 1 ~n thi n k and a ct more c le a rl y Your Gr a ce who I a m se n s ib le, c and us efuliy t o'the pu r p ose th an ,

My Lo rd, Yo ur Grace ' s mos t obedient , a nd mo st hu mb le servant , A. HI LL .

Tyrone Navigations

Then a letter wrote b hi the Reverend James FethersI n s Grace the Archbishop of Tuam to desire of his Grace read a~d'iagent to the company was by • s as follows: '

Reverend Sir, Tuam, May 13th, 1757.

I have long waited for to you by Mr. Forde, as I re!~~~e~ngw;r toChmy letteri delivered at a loss to account f e ore ristm a s ast; and am intentions as to acco~~i~our neglect to acquaint me with your of the collieries. I am f!i,w}~h m~ f0 rdmy sh a re of the profits difficulties, and hope the wor k~mwirle~ ing d to lay you under any satisfy the th t e con ucted so as to Hill that t~ er ~r ner~ and the publick. I have desired Mr. he will dir ~an may e put under y our direction, and that th . ec r, Alderman Bailie to pay what is necessar y for 1 \s~~rtes of the lock-keepers 7 and the re pairs wanted in it so e glad to know the state of the works, and am, Sir, •

Your very humble Servant, JOHN TUAM.

Then your Committee proceeded to examine witnesses to the performance of the several articles contained in the sche dule article by article; and the first article being read, viz. '

Seventy five perches of the banks to be raised, sodded, and piled, to keep off the black and torrent rivers, at forty shillings per perch, One hundred and fifty pounds.

The Reverend James Fetherston declared, that he had been agent to the company concerned in the colliery, fr~ September, one thousand seven hundred and fifty four, and that there was not any of that work done since his being employed.

William Greatrix said, that he had been seven years in the service of the corii.pany, as entineer, and never knew of any of that work being done; but says, there were some accidental breaches in other parts of the bank repaired.

John Stone said that he had been nine years in the service of the company as ca;penter and lock-keeper, and confirmed the evidence of the said William Greatrix.

Then the second article was read, viz.

1758.

Tyrone Navigation,

Fifty perches to be drudged at per perch, Sixty two pounds ten :mill~~:s:ound

William Greatrix said that there b t M th ' was some a ou ay, one ousand seven hundred and fift ~~~8~uch, but what they did drudge, appeared t; five shillings 123 drudging done five; cannot say him sufficiently

John Stone said, that there was not any drudging since the commissioners had been there, who were appointed by then v1 ti board to inspect the works, a ga on

The Reverend James Fetherston said the boatmen complained of the shallowness all last summer; that the Archbishop of Tuam made a bargain to drudge from the lower lock to the Torrent water for twenty pounds; but that to his opinion, it was not sufficiently done, being in some places, at some seasons, but three feet and a half. And said, that no part of the new cut was drudged.

Then the third article was read, viz.

Three hundred and twenty perches to be clayed and gravelled on the track-bank, from the middle lock to the Black-water, at four shillings per perch, Sixty four pounds,

The Reverend James Fetherston, believed there was not any part of it clayed, but said, that it was in some places gravelled, though very insufficiently. Believed the Reverend Doctor Ryder, son to the Archbishop of Tuam, made a bargain for the same, at one shilling and nine-pence per perch, and that there were about an hundred perches gravelled, believed the said Doctor Ryder was impowered to act only by his father: and further said, that track horses pass with great difficulty.

John Stone said it was not clayed, but believed there were about one hundred pe~ches gravelled, that it was badly done, and that track horses pass with great difficulty, that in the broadest place it was about six or seven feet broad, in the narrowest, about five; and that it is not broad enough for two horses to pass.

Then the fourth article was read, viz.

Taking down, and rebuilding one side of the lock, by Cornet Gilbert, Seventy five pounds.

John Stone being examinebd, said,r~h~~ei~a;eop:~e~ i~~f: of two of the lock taken down, ut no pa knowledge, and that he saw it about December last.

1758.

Tyrone Navigation.

The Reverend James Fetherston id taken down by boatmen, that they mig~~ h1v!h~re w~re some stones that no part of it was repaired. oom o pass, but

Then the fifth article was read, viz.

Two hundred and forty perches to be formed d from Mr. Johnstonrs house to near the oak tree !~ tg~;;elled, shillings per perch, Thirty six pounds. '

The Reverend James Fetherston said that some part of this was donet but not sufficiently. That Doctor Ryder contracted for the Uoing of it at two shillings and sixpence halfpenny per perch, that it is gravelled only in patches; that horses travel it with great difficulty; and that in wet weather men can scarcely walk on it. And further said, that he went on the bank with Doctor Ryder, and shewed hi m, that it was not gravelled two inches thick, though it should have been one foot in the middle, with a fall to each side of six inches.

John Stone said, there was only some part of this done, and even that very superficially, so that horses and men travel it with great difficulty. Said, he was present when Doctor Ryder bargained to give two shillings and sixpence halfpenny per perch, for the work; and said, it was not finished according to the contract; but yet the persons contracting were paid, as he heard and believes, in full.

Then the articles of said agreement were laid before your Committee and it appeared that Doctor Ryder, had (in the bargain mentioned'by said Fetherston and Stone) only contracted for one hundred and twenty perches.

Then the sixth article was read, viz.

Two hundred and ten perches of back drain, at two shillings per perch, Twenty one pounds.

The Reverend James Fetherston said, that no part of this was done since he has been employed by the company.

t f the back-drain was made

John Stone said, that som~ p~r do and fifty four, but cannot in S'Ulllmer, one thousand seven unth re s not half of it done. be positive how much: believed ere wa

Then the seventh article was read, viz.

One Po und six shillings each, Six pounds ten Ffr~ inletts, at ah l.ings.

Tyrone Navigation.

The Reverend James Fetherst to appearance sufficiently, but ~~ds~;i• s~~d:nletts

Then the eighth article was read, viz.

were made

Five lock keepers houses at twenty pounds pounds. each, One hundred

The Reverend James Father t bi every particular the re son 8 ng examined, confirmed in to inspect the wbrks, asp~~tt~f~ea~fi;~:.commissioners appointe d

Then the ninth article was read, viz.

Two stone and lime arches over the two lowest locks, at twenty six pounds each, Fifty two pounds.

Counter sheeting for ditto, thirteen pounds Sixty five pounds. •

The Reverend James Fetherston also (as to this article) confirmed in every particular, the report made by the said commissioners.

Then the said Mr. Fetherston being desired to inform the Committee of the general state of the canal, said, that the mill dam lock appears sufficient, but the foundation is bad; and as to every other particular, it is fully set forth in the report made to the navigation board, by William Richardson, Esq.; and others, lmich in every article is just and true.

His Grace the Archbishop of Tuam being present alledged to the Committee, that it being part of the contract, that Atcheson Johnston, Esq; should first perfect the work he had undertaken, and not having complied the contractors with the board of inland navigation were not ans~erable for not having performed their part of the contract. And then his Grace was pleased to inform your Committee, that with respect to the first article in the schedule, no work was done there nor does he apprehend it necessary to do any, as the present coiirse of the canal is through another Passage; and for answer to every other article referred to a Paper which he had drawn up, and desired might be read, which was accordingly read, and is as follows.

17~8.

Tyrone Navigation,

An account of the imperfections and defects in the works executed by Mr. Johnston in the Tyrone canal.

The walls of the locks t h roughout the whole (exceptin g the piers) are built on a foundati o n not deeper than the sills of the floors; the sills not being laid above a foot within the walls and having no foun d ation of stone under them, the walls have ' fallen in, and have in some parts been rebuilt, but not with a proper foundation. It is therefore apprehended that these locks will be subject to frequent failures, and t hat when they happen to fail hereafter, it will be ad v iseable to take them down intirely, and re build them. The timber used in the floors and sills, is mostly of sorry firr trees, the growth of this country, the backs and bars of the gates are of sappy oak, the planks of firr instead of heart of oak, None of the gates are staunch. The splay-walls at t h e ends of t he locks are gi v ing way, most of them are too short, and throughout the whole of th e stone work, there is a total want of coping. The stone rampart from the upper lock to the overfall, is built as the wal l s of the lock without a proper foun d ati on ; to preserve it for the present, a bank of sods is built again s t it on t h e ins i de next the water, which when washed away, the wall will fall and must be rebuilt. The tracking bank on the side of the bason at the head of the canal is not raised to a sufficie n t he i gh t ab o ve the s urface of tb~ water and on the north side of it rem a i n s nnformed. The short level ~t the mill dam is made so narrow 1 that vessels cannot pass in it. In the lo n g levels above the double lock s , great part of the canal is out o f the gr ound, and in ge neral it is not opened at the p roper breadth, s o that vess~ls are there also . incapable of passin g when they meet, nor 1 f 1 ~ tugt~~ ~anks proper breadth: to remedy this, the wa;ef1is ra send ~bea k the c~al In several parts of it, t h e ban k s are a en Di a d f t It will cost four hundred pounds, to make good t h ese e ec s. The , above is laid before the corporat~o~ i~r ia~;! 1f~r~np;f!ate inland navigation of Ireland, on the e a O kee in in and others, contractors with the c~rp~rai~o~,t~~rlock~ f c. of repair the Tyrone canal; to th e i~ ~n tialaand good re~air, the said canal may be put into su s an ntractors according to the contract, and so kept by the co • JOHN TUAM.

The 9th of November, 1755, t d by his Grace containing And then another paper was pre:efh: Committee which is as animadversions on the proceedings O ' follows;

The Archbishop of Tuam was desirous of attending the Committee, appointed to enquire into the state of the Tyrone canal and ?ollieries, throughout the course of their enquiry, and accordingly attended the m the day they first met to do business, and also the day to which they next ad j ourned but no business was then done, Their further adjournment w;s to Monday the twentieth ins~ant; the archbishop that morning, being obliged to attend the privy council on particular business gave notice of this to Mr, Brownlow their chairman; notwithstanding this the archbishop is informed that the Committee, that day, proceeded to examine witnesses in matters rel a tive to his conduct, without waiting for his attendance, in order to the cross-examining such witnesses. This he considers as an unusual and partial procedure; however he thinks it incum bent upon him, in justification of the contr a ctors, to inform the Committee, that they have eXpended seven hundred and seventy five pounds in the works to be done by them, in pursuance of their contract, the repairs of the canal, the locks built by Mr. Johnston, and in lock-keepers houses and salaries. That to be enabled to make good the failures in Mr. Johnston's works, and t o prevent the ruin of their collieries, they have th ough t it more prudent to suspend the execution of the remaining part of the works within their contract till this matter should be considered by the corporation, intending to make good the whole of t hei r contract, after receiving the satisfacti on they are intitled to from the 111 performance of Mr. Johnston's works.

JOHN TUAM.

February 21st, 1758.

Upon which the chairman informed the Committee that h~hhad already read (from his notes) to ~is g;a;:,~h:b:!~~~~~~~t h! evidence taken the day before inth 5 htafit to cont~overt any might have an opportunity if the do~~e witn~sses being again of the mat t er contained in i; an t read their evidence called in, the chairman was d~re~t:: i~ c onfi rmed by themselves ~rticle by article, in o:der O a to ive his Grace an in presence of the archbishop, andA co~dingly the first, second, opportunity of cross-examining, c nfirmed by the wi tnesses; and third articles being read, wer:n~ 0 0 r each article, to ask and his Grace was desired, at t~e hich he declined; and desired such questions as he thought f~ 'rttee no more might be read, that, to save the time of th e ~mmll th~t had been taken dow, for he was satisfied to admit o a and had not any questions to ask,

Tyrone Navigation,

Then the arch-bishop, being requested to infoI'!ll the committee, whether there was a sufficiency of coals in those collieries, to answer the demands of the city of Dublin, his Grace was pleased to say, that he has the strongest assurance that there is enough of every kind (except for drying of malt) to supply this city for some hundreds of years,

Then Edward Forde, pay-clerk and cashier to the partnership, was called by the desire of the archbishop; who being examined said, that he had paid the sum of seven hundred and seventy-five pounds four shillings and ten pence halfpenny, by order, to sundry persons for works done by them, but could not prod uce any written order for payment of the same, He said, that a great part of it was pa id by desire of the reverend doctor Ryder, but could not be positive what particular works this sum was applied to, as he had not vouchers for the whole. But his Grace the archbishop having admi t ted, that he had received from the navigation board the sum of five hundred and eighty pounds pursuant to contract, for putting the before-mentioned works in repair, as also two years salary, being two hundred and fifty pounds for maintaining and sup p orting the same and for paying lock keepers salaries, your Committee did not think it necessary to make any farther enquiry into the account produced by the said Edward Forde; as they judged that by enquirin g into the itate of the works, they had already fully complied with the orders of this House, so far as related to the performance of the contract,

Atcheson Johnston, Esq.; being examined said, that the works were taken off his hands by the archbishop, and his servant was hired to take care of them. Being asked what farther ~provements might be made in the navigation; he said, it would every advantageous and necessary to cut a canal from the house commonly called Captain Johnston's house to Farlough lough by the ; 0 rrent river, as through that the Dromglass coals, which are by tar the best and most useful, mi ght be navigated, Being examined 0 the present state of the canal, he said, that it is in a very bad condition, which he attributes to the not having e xp ended on it the money granted by the navigation board to the colliery com pany for putting and keeping the same in repair.

William Dunn being examined, said, that he was employed three years by Atcheson Johnston, Esq,; as overseer of the works, and afterwards (at his recommendation) above three years by the archbishop, as overseer and lock-keeper; that when the archbishop ;ngaged him he gave the charge of the whole canal to him; and hhat he contracted with the reverend Doctor Ryder to gravel one :idred and twenty perches of the bank for the sum of ten pounds, eh he received,

Tyrone Navigation,

the :~~ee~~~•hb~ibng called to give evidence to a een on the waggon way said that he was employed by the reverend Doctor Ryder to ~xecut~ the same at four shillings per pe rch for workma nship· that he made two hundred and forty perches; that the t i mber ias sufficient, but that the ground failed in some places· that there were near two hundred tons of timber used at fi~st making the said way, and afterwards some more in repairing the same but could not say how much, '

Then the reverend James Fetherston being examined touchin g the present state of the collieries, said, that the St~w a rtstown colliery is now in a more promising state than ever; that the Dromglass colliery cannot be worked to any advantage until an engine is erected for carrying off the under water. He further said, that he has heard the archbishop of Tuam give different accounts at different times, of the advantage to be expected in prosecuting the work; that in April, one thousand seven hundred and fifty six, he declared he would sell his share on being reimbursed half his expences, but yet refused to join the rest of the company in letting the colliery to hi m, ins i sting on having his share of the profits; that he (Fetherston) re nted the collieries at five hundred pounds a year, and three pence per ton certain, and in case the quantity of coals sold in one year exceeded five thousand tons, that he contracted to pay two shillings per ton for the overplus, that the archbishop directed that the canal should be put under his (Fe therston's) care, but refused any money for the suwort of it, except thirty pounds, Which he received from alderman Bailie in consequence of the archbishop's letter, already inserted in this report.

The right honourable Arthur Hill being presentt ~~nfirmef the evidence given by Mr. Fetherston,tand s11iv! h~undr:dy;~~is) rent which he (Fetherston) was bound O pay t of the sum expended was the full interest at five pounds per can· by the company on the said works.

F th ton being further examined, Then the reverend James e s1rsb tructions and difficulties said, that he had met with sever O s but cannot say by since he concluded the aforesaid bargain; engine for rais i ng Whom they were occasioned; th at th e ~r:! once evidently by Water was four times clande st inely ~~or he took possession of the design; that a level fell in soon a e b desi n· that he works, which he believes was th rown do~or~ed upg Jina the level Piled it and that then the piles were ' thrown d~wn at two different times.

Tyrone Navigation,

Edward Forde, clerk to the company, being asked whether he ever refused liberty to Mr. Fetherston or any other gentleman to inspect his books, said he never did; but being desired to recollect himself, informed the Committee that h e had refused Mr, Fetherston more than once frequently, but t h at h e never refused Mr. Staples, nor any other person• that he th ought himself obliged to account with every member of the com pany, and that his reason for refusing Mr. Fetherston was, that there had been a little misunderstanding between them; that he th ou ght himself obliged to account with every member of the comp any, when called upon; that he never settled any account with the archbish op; but that he had produced vouchers to ever y articl e except a few, when he settled accounts With Mr. Staples and Mr, Fetherston.

Then the reverend James Fetherston said, that he had applied twice, in writing~ to Mr, Forde, for leave to view his book s , but was refused, Mr. ~·orde saying he was obliged to account only with the archbishop; that Mr. Staples and he signed Mr, Forde's accounts at the end of the year, one thousand seven hundred and fifty-five, but did not look on the account to be settled 1 Forde not having produced sufficient vouchers for several of the articles.

The said Edward Forde being asked whether he had ever been informed that the colliery company had made an order to prevent his paying money without the direction of Mr. Fetherston, said he was• but that he had paid money since by order of the reverend Mr. st~ples, and by order of the reverend doctor Ryder, who was impowered by his father the archbishop of Tuam to give him ;uch directions; and said that he had no order from the company or ro ~ing,

Then the reverend James Fetherston informed th de Cbommitht 9tee, th F d py of the orders ma e Y at he had given Mr. ore a co (Which was admitted by company, relative to payment oftm~nerhat he had received from Mr, Forde). And he also admit 8 , d i ht hundred and eighty the company the sum of three thousan t~ gnat sum granted by pounds, which, as he is informed, is e s colliery. And the parliament for the waggon-way a ndbDr~g!~~ount produced and laid same appeared to your Committee, Ya before them by the said Mr. Forde.

ine what disbursements

The Committee then proceeded t~k~xamand a paper containing had been made on account of said w~ en'in by the said Edward the particulars of the same, was g v

Tyrone Navigation,

Forde; which had been examined article by article by the reverend James Fetherston, and observations made thereon which he delivered in writing to the Committee, and declared that the same were just and true, to the best of his knowledge and belief, except some immaterial error may have crept in from the shortness of the time allowed him to examine so long an account. Which observations are as follow;

Total of cash paid by Edward Forde on the waggon road account, without vouchers

Total of ditto, paid by ditto, on ditto account, without orders

Total of ditto, over-charged in ditto account

Total of ditto charged regular

Total of cash paid by Edward Forde on Dromglass account, without vouchers ,.

Total of ditto, paid by ditto, on ditto account, Without orders

Total of ditto charged regular

Total of cash paid by Edward Forde on the navigation account, without vouchers••

Total of ditto, aid by ditto, on ditto account, Without orders P

Total of ditto over-charged in ditto account

Total of ditto charged regular ••

Tyrone Navigation, n1-.

Cash disbursed by Edward Forde on the waggon-way

Ditto disbursed by James Fether t son on ditto

Cash disbursed by Edward Forde on Dromglass

Ditto by James Fetherston, on ditto account

Total of Dromglass, and waggon-road expences

Cash disbursed by Edward Forde on the navigation

Ditto by James Fetherston

(Errors excepted)

Then the Committee called William Greatrix, Engineer to the :2mpany, to give an account of the present state of the collieries, •uo said, that there is a large fund of coals in the Stewartstown t anhd Dromglass collieries. That Dromglass is the better vein; at it is from four to five feet in thickness. That there are ~ix shafts sunk. That this last year they went but thirty yards eep, That thirty tons in a day may be raised in every shaft. That the coal is like the Whitehaven. That the pit has been proved for two miles, and no end of the coals discovered. That another vein has been lately discovered, under the aforementioned. That the two veins are distant only two yards. That there is a sufficient quantity to answer any demand, and would well pay the proprietors their expences. That they may be raised at_two shillings per ton and are sold for six shillings and eight-pence, That in the Stewaftstown colliery, there are six shafts sunk; that only three are worked, and that thirty tons may be raised daily in each shaft, That the vein is from four to six feet thick, and from twelve to seve nty yards under ground. That sixty men may be employed in the work. That a waggon-way was ~ade about four years ago to carry the coals to the canal, which is distant from the pit'about a quarter of a mile, and communicates liith Lough-Neagh, from whence they are conveyed to Newry, and other parts of the country.

Tyrone Navigation.

Then the reverend James Fetherston being examined said that the whole amount of coals sold from the first of May 0 ~ 8 thousand seven hundred and fifty six, to the fourth of Feiruar one thousand seven hundred and fifty-eight, was six th ou sand Y, four hundred and forty one tons, at six shillings per ton· that for some time he had delivered forty five tons pe r day abd could continue to do so, and even more, were it not fof the defects in the waggon way, Being asked what those defects are he said, that in some places the ground had sunk under the ' timber which caused it also to yield, Andfarther that the road should have been double, by which a double quantity might be discharged.

William Greatrix being asked, whether he had ever computed what sum it would take to repair the old road, and malt e a new one, said, that he had made a rough estimate, and believes it might be done for seven or eight hundred pounds. He said that there are other collieries in that neighbourhood, and that he believes a vein of coals runs through all that country. That there is one in the estate of Andrew Thomas Stewart, Esq.; &nith's and Kendal coal. One in the estate of Thomas Knox, Esq.; like the Dromglass coal. One in the school lands of Dungannon, but does not know of what kind. One on Dungannon glebe, and another at Anagher, the estate of the honourable and reverend Charles Caulfeild, eleven feet in thickness.

And upon the whole the Committee came to the following resolutions.

1. Resolved, that it is the opinion of this Committee, that there is a fund of coals in the county of Tyrone, sufficisnt: to supply the kingdom of Ireland for some hundreds of years.

t tit i the opinion of this Committee,

2. Resolved 1 ha s now in a more flourishing state that the Stewarstown colliery is than ever.

the O inion of the Committee, that

3, Resolved, that it is i which is occasioned by the waggon-way is much out of whrepiahrthe timber is laid. the yielding of the ground on c inion of this Committee,

4, Resolved, that it is th e op to be equal in goodness that the Dromglass coal, which appea~~ an ~ofit, until an to the Whitehaven, cannot be ~aisedrryingyoff the under water. engine is erected in the pit or ea t this Committee, that three

5, Resolved, that it appears ~unds which was the net sum thousand eight hundred and eig~~yc~nsequ~nce of a parliamentary received by the coal company,

Tyrone Navigation.

grant made in the year one thousand seven hundred and fift three, was by them paid into the hands of Edward Forde thelr cashier, to be applied in making a waggon-way and in ki the pits at Dromglass, ' wor ng

6. Resolved, that it appears to this Committee, that two hundred and forty perches of said waggon-way were made,

7, Resolved, that it appears to this Committee that said Edward Forde laid before them an account of two tho~sand eight hundred and fifty nine pounds seventeen shillings and eight pence, said to be by him disbursed on said works,

8, Resolved, that it is the opinion of this Committee, that only the sum of one thousand two hundred and seve nty seve n pounds fifteen shillings and eleven pence farthing was regu l arly accounted for by said Forde,

9, Resolved, that it appears to this Committee, that the reverend James Fetherston, agent to the company, accounted for the sum of two hundred and eighty six pounds twelve shillings and seven pence three farthings laid out by him on said works.

10, Resolved, that it appears to this Committee, that Edward Forde did several times refuse leave to the reverend James Fetherston to inspect his books, alledging that he was .accountable only to his Grace the archbishop of Tuam,

11. Resolved, that it appears to this Committee, that said Forde did several times pay money by the sole order of the archbishop and of doctor Ryder his son, though he ha~ been served wit& an order signed by the companyt not to ma e any payment, but by direction of the reverend James Fetherston.

12, Resolved, that it that Edward Forde is not a publick money.

is the opinion of this Committee, fit person to be entrusted with

rs to this Committee, that the

13, Resolved, that it appe~ t the colliery company, hath reverend James Fetherston, agen ° fi ulties thrown in his way met with various obstructions an~ d~ffe~t the lntentions of said by evil-minded persons, tending O e r the expectations of the company, to make those collieries answe publick.

Tyrone Navigation.

14. that the officer, enq\i,iry, Resolved, that it is th reverend James Fetherste 0 1inion of the Committee and has been very usefufnt stha skilful and faithful 0 e Committee in this

15. Resolved, that it is the i that the navigation in the count op nion of this Committee, very bad state, which is occasio~e~fbTy~~ne is at present in a company in not performing their contry t eintheglect of_the coal board. ac w the navigation

16. Resolved, that it is the opinio n of this c D it woulld be very advantageous to make a naVigation ~!t~~:, that romg ass coal-pits to the canal.

17, Resolved, that it is the opinion of this Committee, that it would be very useful and necessary to make the wag gon road double,

18, Resolved, that it is the opinion of this Committee that the same may be effected, and the whole put in thorough rep~ir for a sum not exceeding eight hundred pounds. '

19, Resolved, that it appears to this Committee, that the coal company contracted with the navigation board in the year one thousand seven hundred and fifty four, to put in repair f before the first day of May 2 one thousand seven hundred and fifty ive, certain parts of the ~yrone navigation in said deed of contract particularly specified, for the sum of five hundred and eighty pounds, and also to keep the whole in repair for twenty one years, and pay lock-keepers salaries, for the sum of one hundred and twenty five pounds yearly,

20, Resolved, that it appears to this Committee, that his Grace the archbisnop of Tuam (one of the partners of said company) took upon himself solely the execution of said works,

21. Resolved, that it appears to this Committee, that said works are not compleated pursuant to contract.

22. Resolved, that it is the opinion of this Committee, that SUch parts of said works as were said to be executed, are very insufficient which must be attributed to the low prices (much below the es!imate on which the contract was grounded) given by his Grace and the reverend doctor Ryder his son, to such persons as undertook the same.

23. Resolved, that it appears to this Committee, that the archbishop of Tuam received from the navigation board five hundred and eighty pounds, being the full sum contracted for and also two hundred and fifty pounds, being two years salary, f~r keeping the works in repair, though no attemp t was made by h is G?ace towards executing many of the articles in said contract.

24. Resolved, that it is the opini on of this Committee, that the not perfecting the said works, is a great obstruction to the navigation, and an injur y to the publick,

And a motion was made, and the question being put, that the consideration of the said report be adjourned until Thursday next.

It passed in the negative.

Then the resolutions of the Committee were again read.

To which resolutions the question being severally put, the House did agree.

Ordered that the said report be printed, and th at Mr, b t Speaker do a~point the printing thereof, and that no person u such as he shall appoint, do presume to print th e same.

Resolved, Nemine Qontradicente, th at i~ isi!h~r~~~~doft;h~e corporation for promoting an inla nd navigat on en and in'good careful in keepin g the canals and navig~tion ~Pitts in the repair, between the town of Newr~r~o!t~a~ ~~r s pf or the keeping county of Tyrone, and to oblige t erform their contracts; the the wor k s upon the said cana~s, 0 1P itts and Ne wry, be i ng of communication between the said coa P great importance to the publick.

1759 -

House of Commons Jo urnal , Vo l. XI, p . 46;e . (1 0 Decenber, 1759) .

Tyrone Hav i gation :

Committee (named) t o meet to ~nnu:re ~nto t ct~te of the collieries, in Tyrone and st9te of co!:als fro s· J collieries f r on tne sea .

1761,

Journal of the House of Commons, Geo, III, Vol. xu, pp.l+Bl-l+S,J,

Tyrone Navigation.

Mr, Stewart :eported from the Committee to whom it was referred to take into consideration, the state of the canal from Loughneagh to the collieries in the county of Tyrone, and if any and imat improvements are necessary to compleat the same· the matter as it appeared to them, and the resolutions of th~ Committee thereupon; which report he read in his place, and after delivered 1n at the table, where the same was read, and the report and resolutions are as follow,

Mr, Speaker,

The Committee appointed to take into consideration, the state of the canal from Loughneagh to the collieries in the county of Tyrone, and if any and what improvements are necessary to compleat the same, have met according to order and examined the matter to the m referred, and have directed me to report as follows:

Mr. Thomas Omer having been examined 1 sayd, that it is necessary to carry the said canal nearer to the collieries, for the mere ready conveying of coals to the different parts of thfs kingdom; and the said Mr. Omer produced the annexed estimate, o which your Committee refer.

H ble Committee of the Agreeable to the orders of the onoura thou sa nd House of Commons, dated the first daydof ~~~~:~•t~~esurvey and seven hundred and sixty, I have viewe an municate between the levels of the navigations necessary to com t f Tyrone and find Nelll'y canal, and the collieries in th e of said'navigation the following expences necessary for su as are immediately necessary. £ s. d,

From the bason to the river Torrent at Cr~:~:!h off rises thirty-three feet, which willd~each •••• 4000 0 0 T by four locks, at one thousand por canal •

• 475 0 0 0 one hundred and ninety perches O

0 0 4110wance for slipping of banks •••••···

Tota1 bason to the coal pits ticpence from the at Creenagh

1761.

Tyrone Navigation.

From Creenagh up the Torrent to Farlow river three hundred and ninety-three perches of' canal, at two pounds ten shillings per perch

The rise of ground, seventy-one feet, requires nine locks, at eight hundred pounds each

Total expence from Creenagh to Farlow river •••

From the Torrent up Farlow river to Farlow lough, one hundred and ninety-four perches of canal, at tw pounds ten shillings per perch......

The rise of ground, twenty-six feet, requires three locks, at eight hundred pounds per lock

To a draw-bridge to Farlow house

Thursday, November the 12th, 1761.

Thomas Omer.

And upon the whole your Committee came to the following resolutions:

1 Resolved 1 that it is the opinion of this Committee, that it 8 necessary to carry the canal higher up into the county of ~rone, from the place called the Bason to Fairlough lough, near 8 Dungannon collieries.

SUf Resolved that it is the opinion of this Committee, that a f ficient qulmtity of coals of the best kind, can be supplied 0 fom the said collieries to the city of Dublin, and other parts M this kingdom without being obliged to depend upon a foreign ~arket. 1

thi Resolved that it is the opinion of this Committee, that &ids llavigati~n from the Bason to Fairlough lough, deserves the of Parliament.

tn, / 0 which resolutions, the question being severally put, ouse did agree.

Journal of the House of Commons, Geo. III, Vol. XII, p.379.

Ordered, that the persons undernamed, or any five or more of them, be appointed a Committee to meet tomorrow morning 1 nine of the clock, in the Speaker's chamber, to inquire into the state of the canal from Lough-neagh to the Tyrone collieries, and if any and what improvements are necessary to make it useful to the publick, and what sum will be necessary for the same. And they have power to adjourn from time to time 1 and place to place, and to send for persons and papers, and to examine in the most solemn manner, such persons as they shall think proper, upon the subject matter of the said several inquiries; and all Members who come are to have voices.

Mr. Stewart

Mr. Thomas Knox

Mr. Thomas Knox, junior

Hon. Mr. Caulfeild

Sir Capel Molyneux

Mr. Robert French

Colonel Pomeroy

Honble. Hugh Skeffington

Hon. Hungerford Skeffington

Mr. Bernard Ward

Mr. Nedham

Mr. Hall

Rt. Honble. Mr. Clements

Mr. O'Neill

Mr. Sibthorp

Mr. Anthony Foster

Mr. Pery

Mr. Sarjeant Paterson

Mr. Agar

Mr. M1 Aulay

Lord Boyle

Mr. Fitz-Gibbon

Lord Newtown

Mr. Magill

Rt. Honble. Sir Wm.Fownes

Mr. Robert Fitz-Gerald

Mr. Nevill

Mr. Le Hunte

Mr. Henry Hamilton

Mr. Moutray

Mr. Forde

Mr. Hutchinson

Mr. Galbraith Lowry

Mr. Robert Lowry

Sir Archibald Acheson

Honble. Mr. Wingfield

Mr. Morres

Mr. Recorder

Mr. John Knox.

1761.

Journal of the House of Commons, Geo. III, Vol. XII, p,495, Tyrone Navigation,

(]4), Resolved, that it is the opinion of this Committee, that the sum of three thousand pounds be given to the Right Honourable Lord Viscount Charlemount, Sir Archebald Acheson, Bart. William Brownlow, William Stewart, Galbraith Lowry, Thomas Knox, senior, and Thomas Knox, junior, Esquires, or any three of them, to be by them applied towards making a navigable canal from the Bason in Drumreagh, in the county of Tyrone, to Farlough lough in said county, to be accounted for to Parli ament.

5 George III, Chap . l.

£1,154 , 12 , 5 . to the Co r poration for p romoting a nd ca rr yin g on inl a nd n a vi g ation in Irela n d, t o be by them expend e d in dis cha r gin e the debt due by t h e Comm is s i on ers for that part o f t h e Navi gation f r om Dr umg l a s s Colliery in the county of Tyrone to Fatha m Point near Newr y whic h wa s finished l a st summer .

The sum of £3 , 000 t o the Corporation fo r p ro mo tin g a nd carrying on an inland navi g atio n in Irel and t o be by th em expend e d towards carrying on an inl and navi gation from Dr umg l a s s Co lli e ry to the col liery bason i n t h e co u n t y o f Tyrone ,

,

29 Geo . 3 , Chap . 31.

ryrone Navigation :

An Act for the more effectual sup port of the linen manufacture in the several c ount ies bordering on Lough Neagh, by making a com mun ication between the said Lough and the collieries of Drumglass in Coun ty Tyrone .

11 \>ine r ea s the inland navigation whi c h has been made from Lou gh Neagh towards t he collieries at Dru11glass in the county of ·ryrone c anno t be c a rried forward without a very gre at eJC1lense, and a communic a ti on can be mad e at small ex pen se fro11 the head of the said navigation to the collieries by a trackway or waggan way, which would answe r all the pur po ses of navigation by giving a cheap sufficient and ready c on veyance fo r coals ......

Sir John Staples and James Caulfeild to have a wa rr ant for £2 , 000 for mak in g said road .

To be made within two yea rs .

HcEvoy 's Statist ic al Survey of County Tyrone, pp . 131 - 132 .

The naviga tio n f ro m Coalisland nea r Dungannon to Lough Neagh, in len gt h about three miles and a half , is at present but in diffe r ently a tte nded to : it is a lmost choked with weeds . The chief use of this c anal is for conveying coals from the colliery . Some timber and other articles a re brou~ht unto Coalisl a nd which are dispersed t hroughout the country on cars and ho r ses .

The only navigable river is the Blackwater which runs from Lou gh Neag h to Blackwa tert own , dis t ance about ten miles by water . In its course a re two or t h ree shoals which require to be removed . The boats a re from 20 to 80 ton s bu rden and br i ng to Blackw a terto1m seve r al kinds of goods fro m Newry (from which town the r e is also a c anal to Lough Neagh) such as timber, slates , iro n , coal , culm, ashes, salt , etc . and br ing ba c k ba rley, oats , and sometimes po tat oes and a lso linen cloth as t he re a r e two extensive bl e ach gre ens in t h e nei gh bour hood of Bla c kwatertown . Arma gh is only four miles from this vill ag e with an almost dead level the whole way ; a canal wou l d of course by found quite practicable .

A can a l made f r om Ver ner ' s ferry or from the Moy to Dungannon , b0 t h about the same distance not exceeding fi ve mil es by land would ren der Co . Tyrone well circumst an ced pe r haps as much s o any county in the kin gd om . (this_ view advan ce d by McEvoy because of the many bleach greens in that pa rt of the county) .

1812 , Wakefield ' s Ir eland, 1812, Vo l . I, p . 64 1 .

Ac count of works that have been actually executed under the oowers vested in the Directors General (of Nav i ga tion) by t ~e Act of George III .

The Canal fro m Lou gh Ne agh to t he s e a has been restored, deepened, improved and finished . The navigable cut a cr oss , across the p enin sula of Magh ery, to the Blackwate r, where vessels we r e c onstrain e d to unlade on one side and re-s h i p on the o t he r, is finished .

The navigable c anal f r om the collieries at Coal Isla nd to t he Bla c kwater , opposite the Maghe ry cut, and so to Lough Nea gh was finished . A b r idge over the nav i gation , and one of the old loc ks , have given way and are r ebuilding .

1812.

Wakefield ' s Irel and , Vol .I, p .638.

--' -)· l~d(I~

A c a nal has been cut from Coa l Isla nd to Armagh and f r om t ha t in land sea nea r Porta down to Newry . A f rei gh t of 4/- per ton is ch a r g ed f or this navigation , but t h ere is little t r ade and when I was t he re i n 1 80 9 it was nearly choked up wi t h wee ds .

An attempt has been made to cut a can a l from Lou gh Neag h to Bel fast and t houg h it is p r e tt y fa r ad v an ce d , ever y t h in g is now at a sta nd .

Ibid, Vol . I, p , 651 .

The Belfast Canal to Lou gh Ne agh is a t a stand .

Th e Coal Isl and Canal has been finished but is seldom used .

, Lewis ' s Topo g r aphical Dictionary o f Ireland .

Coal Islan d :

Co a l Isla nd originated in the f o r ma tio n of the Tyrone Cana l which was begun by the Government in 1 74 4 and was intended t o int e rsect the entire coal field of Tyrone but was not carrie d beyond this p l a ce . 'I'he c anal is not more than three miles f r om the Blackwate r, whi c h it joins nea r Lough Neagh , to Coal Islan d , bu t it has been commenced and pa rti a l ly comp leted in several p l a ces we s t wa r d ; bridges ha ve been e r e ct ed over t h e l ine; an a queduc t of th ree l a r ge a rc h es was yo ha v e conveyed it over t he Te rre n; and a r ail r oad was to have connected it wi t h some of the minor collieries, fo r wh ich pur pos e a viad u ct, here c a lle d "t he Dry Hur ry " was t h rown up ov er the Coo ks to ~m r oad t wo miles from Dungannon . Al l these edifices are of hewn freestone hand somely finished and in go od p reserv a ti on , but in many p l aces the canal is filled up and cultivated, so t ha t in a few ye a rs t h e line will not be t r a ce abl e.

This is no w a p l a ce of consi de r able tr ade, and has 35 l a r ge lig hters or b arges which fre que ntly make coasting voya ge s to Dublin and sometimes a cr oss the Ch a n nel to S?otland • • • .. • . • • The expo rt s a re c oa l, spades, fire - bricks , fire - cl a y , cr u c ibl es, e arthenwa re, li nen cl oth , wheat , oats, flour , etc , the imp orts a re timb er, d e als , iron , salt , slates , glass , etc .

1843 , Ia rti n ' s Irela nd Befo r e and fter t he Union , p . 136 .

The Ty r one Nav igation was executed at the publi c expense 1,it h a view to en c o u r agin g t he wor:rin g of certain collie r ies at coal Island . Very exa gge rated state men ts of the value and extent of the coal beds in the di strict Here :::ad e to Parlia:.ent and led to a wasteful and u seless expendi ture . T'ne ton.l'la g e in 1836 amounted to 7 , 291 and of t he export tonna ge c oal only amounted to 71 8 tons .

Fro m Belfa st to Coal Island t he leng th of the 1:aviga tion is 61 mile s, from Ne1-.T y 39½ miles .

1906 .

commiss i oners Reports , Vol . I , Appendix 2 .

Evidence of •!r . Gee . A. Stevenson , Commissione r of Public Works , 21 March , 1906 .

(5) Tyrone Navigation, b r anches off t h e Bla c kw a ter River about 3 miles from Lou gh Nea gh and terminates at Coal Isla nd, co . Tyrone , 4 miles , 40 ch ains . Begun by Comm issioners of Inland Nav i gation under Act of 1729; transferred t o a loc a l corporation in 1787, to the Directors of I nl and Navi gation in 1800 , from whom it passed to the Commissioners of Pu blic Wo r ks i n 183 1 and was finally transferred to the Lag an Navigat ion Company in 1 888 .

Original cost £25 , 813 ,

Numb er of locks 7 , 1 double .

1907 ,

second Report of the Royal Commission on Canals and Inland Nav i gat ion 1907 . (Vol. II) .

coal Island Canal or Tyrone Navigat i on La gan Na vi ga tion (Company.

Length 4 miles 32 chs .

Original cost £31,4 1 7 .

Number of locks 7, 1 double .

&nallest lock , L . 65' 1 6

Lar gest boat using L. 62 1 O", w. 14 1

Max . Load possible 80 tons .

Usual load 60 to 80 tons .

Total Rise 5'1 ' l ".

Headway (min) of bridges to crown of arch 9 ' 4 11 •

.

.

In land \late r ways of Gr ea t Bri t ain , No . 13 2 , p . 388 .

Authority : Lagan Na vigation Compa ny, Stran!:l illis, Belfast .

From a n d To : Juncti on with River Bl a c kwa ter, 3 miles f r o:n the s ou t h - weste rn c orne r of Lo ugh Neagh to Coalisland , Co . Tyrone .

Distance . 4½ miles

Ma ximum Len g th 62 ft . 6 ins .

Dimensions Beam 14 ft . 6 ins . f or Craft Usin g Dra u1:;h t gft . 0 ins .

Wat e r way . Head r oom ft . 0 ins .

Locks . 7 (1 double) .

ToWing Pa th . Throughout Na vi ga ti on .

Bri dg es .

Gene r al

Rema r ks . Road Bridges c r oss the Canal at Locks 3, 5 and 7 .

Con s t ructi o n on t he Coal islan d Canal co m'Jenced in 1 732 and was comp leted b ef o re the end of the 1 8 t h century . The s ou rces of water supply are t1-10 feeders at Coal i sland Bas in , one from a dam and the othe r a small stream .

Special No t e . With t he Upper Reaches of the Lagan Naviga tio the abandonment of the Coalisl and Canal is under considerat i on .

175327 George II, Chap . 3 .

Laga n Ca na l .

An Act for mak in g the rive r Lagan navigable and openin~ a pa ssa g e between Lough Neagh and the town of Belfast .

To c ut a c anal from Spencer ' s Brid ge to Lough 1:eagh in the mo s t c onveni e nt ma nner .

1753 -

House of Common s Journal , Vol . IX , p . 138 .

t agan Navigation .

That it is the opin i on of the Com ~ittee that a sum not ex c eeding £20 , 000 be g r anted fo r opening a r~ssage by water between Belfast and Lough Neagh .

1757.

Journal of the House of Commons, Geo. II, Vol. x, pp.346-347.

Lagan Navigation.

A petition of the right honourable Alexander Earl of Antrim, Wills Earl of Hillsborough, Francis Earl of Hartford, Arthur Hill, and Hercules Langford Rowley Esquires; and of Charles O'Neill, William Richardson, and Bernard Ward, Esquires, was presented to the House and read; setting forth, that in the year one thousand seven hundred and fifty four, they were appointed by the corporation for promoting and carrying on an inland navigation in Ireland, commissione rs for makin g the river Lagan navigable, and opening a passage by water from Lough Neagh to the town of Belfast. That they have accordingly proceeded upon the said work, and have carried it on with good success for several miles up the said river. That his Majesty, pursuant to the address of this House the last Session of Parliament, was pleased to grant the sum of six th ousand pounds towards the expence of the said work, which sum has been laid out by the petitioners, who are ready to a ccount for the same. The Petitioners further beg leave to represent, that the additional excise upon beer, ale, and spirits, in certain districts or walks, which was granted by Parliament in the year one thousand seven hundred and fifty three, and appropriated to making the said river navigable, has fallen short of what was expected to arise from it; and that particularly this last year, from the calamities of the times, and the scarcity of grain, it has produced very little. And that the petitioners cannot but apprehend, that unless they are further aided by Parliament this great work, which, if finished, would produce many material advantages to the trade of this kingdom must be at a stand; and praying the House to take the premis~s into consideration.

1759.

Journal of the House of Commons, Geo, II, Vol. XI, p p .344-391,

Lagan Navigation:

Conway Spencer, Esq. to the Right Hon ourable the Corporation for promoting and c a rryin g on t he Navi gation of the river Lagan from December 1757 to December 1759,

This very detailed account of the monies expended in the above period is a most exhaustive summaryof costs besides giving much information on labourers, masons, carpent e rs, stone-cutters, smit h s, sawyers, horse-work, etc. returns.

James Hudson was then Pay Clerk to the Commissioners and Joseph Wetherby engineer, Locks are mentioned individually and salaries of lock-keepers shown,

Wetherby who is mentioned on an i ns c ribed stone at Moore•s Lock, Tyrone Navigation, dated 174 9 , seems to have died during operations on the Lagan as accounts show (p,374, No,162) by "Joseph Wetherby's widow's recei p t for a quarter's salary, due to her l a te husband, as engineer, the first inst as per receipt dated t h e eighteenth of Decemoer, one th ousand, seven hundred and fifty eight,

1759 , Brooke, Henry. I nland Na vi ga tion . Fau lkiner Dublin 1759 ,

" On the River Lagan (Mr . Ome r ) has also finished 8 locks of hewen stone and completed a navigation of about 6 miles between Belfast and Lisburn " . P . 55 . Wo r k dedi c a ted to the Lord Vi s c oun t Charlemont .

I bid , p . 68 . " But an inland navigation is a nev er dy i ng benefacto r. I t r e quires no hot houses, nor costs, no r cautions, for c h erishing and p rese rv ing t h e a r ts alive . It is a maste r of c e r emon ie s t ha t consti tu t e s and confirms wha t ever it in t roduces a proprietor of t h e soil; and, of i ndustry, by its approved and never failing influence, becomes as the g reat t r ee in the vision of Nebuchadnezzar, whose hei ght reach e d to h e aven and its branches to the ends of the ea rt h , and of whose fru it s a ll flesh was f ed ."

P . 2 5. " Th ese c anals se r ve as links o r chords t o the commun it y , t hey bind r eg i on to r egion , house to house , and man to man and hold t he whol e as one sys t em o r fam i ly tog e ther . 11

iournal of the House of Commons, Geo. III, p,495 (Vol. XII).

Lagan Navigation.

()3) Resolved, that it is the opinion of this Committee, that a sum of four thousand pounds be given to the Corporation !or promoting and carrying on an Inland Navigation in Ireland, to be by them applied towards making the river Lagan navigable and opening a passage by water from Loughneagh to the town of Belfast, to be by them accounted for to Parliament.

1761,

Journal of the House of Commons, Gao, III, Vol. XII, pp,48)-484.

Lagan Navigation.

Mr. Robert Hami~ton reported from the Committee, to whom it va s referred to exallll.ne the matter of the petition of Alexander Ear l of Antrim and others; the matter as it appeared to them and ~ e resolutions of the Committe e thereupon ; which re p ort he fead in his place, and after delivered in at the Table, where the same wa s read, and the report and resolutions are as follow,

Mr. Speaker,

The Committee appointed to examine the matter of the petition of Alexander Earl of Antrim, Wills Earl of Hillsborough, Francis Earl of Hartford, and others, relative to a navigation of the river Lagan from Loughneagh to the town of Belfast, have accordingly examined the same, and have directed me to report as follows;

Thomas Omer being examined in the most solemn manner deposed, that ha has been the sole director and mana ger of the intended navigation from Belfast to Loughnaagh; sayth that he is morally certain, that the whole sum granted by Parliament in the last se ssion of the last Parliament has bean p r ope rly and frugally exp ended by his directions in c a rrying on t h e said navigation by James Hodson pay clerk to the Commissioners, and the said Thomas Omer further sayth he wrote to the said James Hodson, de siring him to come to Dublin in order to make up his a cc ounts concerning 6he said sum, and he is morally certain that his not attending this 0mlllittee is due to some accident, and the said Thomas Omer further say th, that the said navigati o n is practicable and eas? to be executed and Will be when finished a useful and beneficial work, and that'ten locks all of hewn stone are already finished, that Six pen locks of hewn stone across the river are likewise finished, and six bridges all of . hewn stone, an d that it will require nine locks more and three pen loc k s that it will require six miles of ~anal to be cut in order to co~pleat the navigation from Belfast 1° LoUgh-neagh that the canal so far as it is already finished t~a°r great utility to the public, and that a furth e r sum of four Usand pounds will be necessary to c a rry o n th e same.

And the Committee came to the fo l lowing resolutions.

openiRneaolved that it is the opinion of this Commi ttee, th a~ of !?eat g a Pas;age by water from Belfast to Loughneagh, will e lervice to the public.

Journal of the House of Commons, Vol. XII.

1,a gan Navigation.

Resolved, that it is the opinion of this Committee, t hat the sa id work deserves and requires the further aid of Parliament.

Resolved, that it is the opinion of this Committee, th a t a !Ulll of four thousand pounds, is necessary t owa r d s compleating the said navigation.

To which resolutions the question being severally put, the House did agree.

1763 .

3 Geor 0 e III, Chap . 1 .

,akin e the river Lagan navigable and o peni ng a oassage by water froill Lou gh Ne agh to Belfast - to be accounted f o r to Parliament and the s um of £4 , ooo to t he Co r po r ation for prom ot i ng and carryin g on navigation in Irelan d t owa rds making and comp leting an inland navigation for shi p s of one hund r ed tuns burthen from Fat ho::i Poi nt nea r Newr y to Drum g las s Coll i ery in Tyrone .

19 and 20 Ge o r g e III, Chap . 32 .

Lagan Navi g ation :

An Act for e x te n ding a nd exp lai n in g the s ev e r a l l aws mad e in this kin g do m f or the carry i n g on t he Lagan Nav i ga tion .

(mentions

ea r lier Act of 27 Geo . II) .

Fro m Belfast t h r o u gh Blairis to Sp encer ' s Bri dg e and thence to Lo u gh Neagh . };entions s uc h n a vi ga ti on a s ha s already been made out of the bed o f t he river by a c ana l o r cut .

Lewis ' s Topogra phi cal Dictionary of Irelan d .

Lagan Navigation :

Shankill :

The Lagan Na v i gation jo ins Lough Neagh i n that pa rt o f the parish that ext ends into County Down.

Lewis ' s Topographical Dictiona r y of Ireland .

Lagan Navigation :

Lurgan :

A facility of intercourse with Belfast is affo r ded by the Lough Nea gh and the Lagan Navigation and the trade of the to1m is p rogressively increasin g .

1843 , ~ artin ' s Ireland Before and Aft e r t he Union, p . 136 .

The Lagan !,aviga tion was begun in 17 53 for the pur pos e of con ne cti ng Belfa s t with Lough Neagh . The tonnage i n 1836 a~ounted to 44,7 00 tons, the tolls to £2 , 060 .

Fro ::i Belfa st to Coa l Is land t he leng th of t h e Navi ga tion is 61 miles, from Newry 39} miles .

Transa cti ons o f the Institution of Civil Engineers of Irelan d , 25th and 26th session, 1 859 - 60 - 61 , Vol. VI. pp 36 - 40 . (Dublin 1863 .

Lagan Na vi ga tio n :

This navi ga tion extends twenty - eight miles. from Louah Neagh to the quays at Belfast , f r om whence to the first lock there a re two miles in the tide - way . The ~um ll i t level. eleveh miles in length, is 112 feet 6 inches above t he Belfast Lough . and 71 feet above Lough Neagh . There a re twe nty - seven locks' in all , of which seventeen comp l ete the rise between .:;elfast and the srnnmit, four of them , in close p roximity , called t!le union locks, ascend at a distan ce of thirteen miles fror.i belfast , from the river to the summit whence the navi ga tion to the lou::;h is art ificial , about three - fourths of the whole length being similarly circ umstanced . The summit leve l is c a r ried over t!'le river Lagan six miles three - qu a rt e rs f r oin the Union Locks , by an aqueduct of four a rc hes . The chambers of the loc~s are 65 feet 3 inches long , and 15 feet 6 inches wide, wit n 6 feet 6 inches depth on t he sills in winter . The locks between Belfast and the summit having been built of red ·sandstone, be c am e so dilapidated that l arge p i eces had to be cut out of the side walls, and re placed with fire - brick , but basaltic st one having been used at the Lour,h Neaah side no such reparation Has found necessa r y . The levels 0 of th~ r espe ~tive reaches a r e m~il'ltained ,by ~en_ weirs , and over - falls c ons tr uc ted on the usual prin ci ple , t~e ,or_,er have from eie;ht to fifteen sluices in ea c h of the.J respecthrey . The a rtif icial cut s have a breadth at bottom of 30 feet, a ,a '.)l feet 6 inc hes at wate r surface, and, exce p t in verf d r y s~asons , barges d r a ~1ing f ro m 5 to 6 feet pas s freely, carryin e su:1.,y to seve nty tons burthen .

This is one of the many n rojects commence~ ui:iae~ t he auspices of ou r native legisl~ture, defe ctive in oesigr:i , and ?onse quen tly attended with ever - recurri ng i'.!lpedi.nents. au nng its constr- t·· . t d by the absen ce of sufficient mean s fo ll? ion , aggrava e . _ t In t ;1e yea r r co mp leti on under unfavourable c ircums an c, s . - ~. . ~7 7 53 t he Boa r d ' of Inl and Navigation w1;s et1powere\fY ... ne / ·~~ < t h Geo II c 3 to make the rive r La:-an naviga _e, ~n_ ' op • ' · · f B lfa 0 t ana 1.,0U"ll lle:n, a pa ss age by water between the ~<?wn_ 0 ad~iti~nal a.u ti c; 1,e r g\ ~n order to carry ~ut ~hat 0 t Jet , on c ertain a r ticles br/~ evied by c onsent of ,., he , 1 nb~1;Ji a:1 ~'t;,rou,h ,:h ich t;ie nav~--ht for consumption into t ~e 0 : s t r_i c c~m menced. soon after th eation was to extend . The works ,,e r e . . . tho ear 17i P3ssin~ of the above - mentioned Act, and ,-,e::e ~~ve, ;1ioweci • b3 ad vanced in their cons tr uction so f~r t~s L~~burn , a distance of ~r t of forty tons to pass frfo m B~~~~spe ri od for publi c tr affi c . even nelish miles, open rom

Lagan Navigation :

Th e follow~,ns , _yith r efe r en ce to this subje ct, auue rs in t he Reports of _ ci:ie '.:;..Juse of Com mons for t oe yea r 1767 ~ - ,; r . Thomas ·Omer , Civil i,ng:~ neer, having been exa:nined, stated , that "bet ween_ Be;-fast and LJ. ,sbu rn 1·1e ir, . there had been bu il t twelve lac.ls an o. e.J.ght pen l oca:s , upon wh ich \·,ere ex1Jended about .i:l 000 each; t':lat it uou l d requi r e one mo r e l ar.:;e ,en lo ck ir:: Le t:i.cieway near 3el as t , i n order to ad:nit of a ya ss age for boats at oe:::, ti des , thi s would cost at lea st .i:l , OOO , and \!oul6 co2i:lcte t:ienUJibe r of l ocks necess a ry bet,-reen Belfast and Li sburn ileir . r,,at t he dig g in g yet to be done o n the tr a c ln1ays woulc'. requ:'..re £5C:L , so that £1 , 500 would c omple t e t he nwi ga ti o n from telfa stt o Lisburn weir for vess els of f r o'!! f orty to fift; tons bu:-Len . That fro m Lisbu rn weir to Spe ncer ' s b r idge , "' ciist:,nce ~f ab ut six mil es , 1·1o u ld affo r d suffici en t worlc froc? th3t iler i od ~o c!:'!e next session , and wou l d r equ ire £3 , 000 t o comp l ete , supposin:; it to be carrie d on in the bed of the river" .

The Com,1 itte e resolved th at it ,-:as t hei r oninio!'J it ·· ld require £4 , 50 0 to comp lete t!'le navigation fro '.11 Lisburn weir to Spence r' s bridge , and t h at the £4 , 0 JO g r anted in the l ast se ssio n had be e n a cc ou h t ed for .

The ,/orks abo ve referre d t o by ,·,r . Or1e r h vine; been co _ leted at an expense of :£43 , 304 , arisine fro 'll t'?lls and grants , ~!16 the r e being no cor p orate funds at conrn,ana , th e extension rro.' Spen c e r' s b r i dge to Lough Neagh was c a rried o u t und er t :ie ci r cct i o of lu : Owen , Civil I1ngineer, a t an expe,nse of £60 , 000 1 _ by t!"1, mun1f1cence of the Doneg a l family , t o wno"1 th e nqv~gat1cn telonse~ until the early pa rt of t he p r esent ce ntury , w':len 1t \:as •. arc,~;:.sec: by a comp an y of me r chants by who,tl several necessary improvec1ents were effected amonr.st which may b e enume r a te d the al~i nc; of t :C-:e a r tifi c ial cui betw:en the fou rth and fift h locl, s . Fro this leve l also five tun nel s were const ru cte d , openin ;; into the river ' \·Ii th ~alve 5 a ctin g only whe n the wate r ~ n the river is lo-. 1. An additional lock was made in t he ti de - way a~out_ a mi le ~eare r to Belfast t h an the p revio u s r•;o . l l ock, in o~cer ~o fac:~1t ate the passage of boats in neau ti d es; and the aegra~i~ g er,e~t . 0 ~ the r ive r on some par t s of the ca n al was re ,1edi e a b~ dr ;:: v ~ng g11es to support the banks . These i mprovements Here erfec"ea etween the yea r s 1809 and 1 8;'.eO . No t l ess than eio-ht acts of parliament , com",en ci ~g wit~ . the 27 t h Geo II in 17 5 3 and endin g wi th the 6th ana _? th Vi ~ . in 184 , c o n f e rr in" owe r; t o r ai se money to co !!lp l e te tnis 1:1na? rtaking ;' we r e obtai~e~ - and yet mu ch that was felt ti:: be ~ esiraole r emains undone • The ~oney authorised to be borro wea. by cr:;e a ct Of 1843, has n; t been raised for the pro~os~d extension or _the canal to Be l f t nd c on s equently the difficulty of enterin g it ,1hen the w!~d ' tfows from a certain po int r ema i ns un rem ec ied ,

Lagan N::iv:;.sation (cont ' d) .

t,ut li ghters c :w :iass freely at all other the~ r•" >,•rr ,.-ater at neap tic1e~ . :i?:1e_ :,avi;;a~ion , ta'.rnn gene! ally~ ~s ~;:!1-·f;ir ~.-orifi!1;; or der, a n n the snareholcers have been receiving a s~ 3 11 dividend .rJr the l ast few ears .

The~e we:,e t·w? ere~t errors i'1 t:1e orizinal rlan o.:' t!1is unde r~ akin::;? c,1e !H st ~e ing. through an ic'.:a o:'.' e conorr:y, :nai:'.r:: the n ver ':l th I a l l or 80 I eet , ,n:rt of c'.!e navigatior> bet· een Lisburn :::nc Belr ast , t ,1e ra p i di ty of t'.!e current havinc- bee:-! a constantly recurring cause of injury to t:ie ban:.:s, and :interrunti on t o l:h e trade : t ~1e second error was t:1e insuffici1.;nt su.1;r: .. ; of the head l eve l. For r EccJeciying t:1e first, ,.r . Robert ;.i.i;,1~rth . ha vi ng b~er:i ir: Irelar:id ~n the year 180.::,, was co s,1::. ted, and , re com11ena e o. tt!E abanaoning of the river as a n~vi,..ati?r., and turnin g it into tne head level for su,,ply , but the valuable :nilling interes ts woul6. have been so mu c h injured t:· t!:e c arr ying out of h i s plan , that it Fas ab~Y!doned ar.~ ~al_i.:tives only re so rte d to .

Mr . i•iullins , in ~is Treatise on I nland ~:avi( .. ation , publi s!'1eC. i:i 18;; 3, obse rves that -

11 This navigation pa rt a~es of the defects of its time , tot~ a~ to design and c ost o f execution . Continuin'"' iP t~e beC.s o.:' river s , even when running through flat countries little sub~ect ~o fl oods , is found gene r ally to be inferior to !)3rc.llel cuts : butin t ho se rivers subject to a sudden rise irc t:1eir waters, t>:e idea of makinc- the ,1 ner,nanently navigable, at a remuner~tive cost, is a l mo~t ho-oeiess · the te ndency t'.!eY have to r aise t· eir beds, the c onstant· shifting of tneir channe ls , t 0 e ,,ear anc casualties to wh ic h they a r e so pecul i arly li able , a'1d the consequent cost of maintenan c e are cons i de r ations of su c h Wei~ht , that , if duly appre ci a te d , the im p~oveJ1ent of _rive_r 11 navigations , except in few ins t an ces, woulo not be uno er tao::en .

These t h eori es, he c ontinu es -

. "App lyin g a lmost un i ve r sa lly, a re. realiz~~ in o~~/~v;.~s which have been r endered pa r tially navigable o, an ouc_a, -~r tn or e than suf f ic ient to make parallel lines of canals tnrou;h the dis tricts in which t hey res pe ct~vel f r un ; ~he river c::-u~s~s being in the l atter case left free 1or the . errorrrnn~e of sue .. necessar y operat io ns as dee oen i ng thei r ch annels, ana t~e • removal of those obstacles wh ic h occasi o? the c on ~tan t overrl o w;1-ng of their banks f o r several months in eacn su~ cess1ve ye~r , to tn~ gre a t d et e rioration if not d estruction, of -c housands or ac r es 01 11nat wou ld othe r wis~ be the best lan d in th e country " .

of Hr . William Chapman , wi tl; who~ 1,, r ':-1:ll i ns. had th: 1:dvan~age fr equen t communication du ri ng his resiaence in Irel~na , maKes

La ga n ;;a vi ga ti on (cont • d) .

observations of a somewhat s i mi l a r nature in his Report , cated 1795, on, the J: roro s e d c ana l betwe e n New c astle - on - Tyne and Solway Firth . He r eJe c cs the p l an of mak i ng the r i-v er navi~able above the ti de - 1-1a,: , on ~ ccount of its lia bil it y to floods , 0 and the conse quent rormation of shoa l s, 01·1ing to the nature of the bottom ; and he ob serves, t ha t flush weirs or any other means of keep i ng t he channel ope n i n d ry seasons, would be attended with great e;."!)ense; that t he ri ve r c oul d no t be t hrown into a su cc ession of still poo ls, e x c ept at an outlay , for t he c onstructior. of locks, e x c eeding t ha t of a c anal c u t through the l and : and as t o formin g a navi g ation pa rtl y c omposed of a c anal , cuttin~ off the sudden ben d s of th e rive r , and pa rtl y of the river it self , it would pa r take of the inc on venie n ce of mak in g the river the chief li ne of commun ic ation , and would be subje ct to great interrup tio n and danger from floods . In c onsequence of this t he unde rt ake r s s hould either be c ontent to have their worr.s occasio na ll y ov e rf lo1-1ed , or they mu st, a t the upstream entrance of every pa rt of t he c anal , whe re it leaves the river erect, a gua r d loc k of a h ei gh t equal to that of the floods . The_ eX!'ense of every su c h loc k , with its accompanying weir, and of toe raised tr a c ;nrays a lo ng the n a vi gable shore , would be very -:;reat . Under these c ircums t an c es he decided on a independent cana.!. entirely a c r oss t he d r y lan d .

The co nditions unde r 1-1hi c h the improve,nent of river_ navi gat i ons shoul d be undertaken , shall be r eferred to ,-men we come to tr ea t of arterial dr a in age operations ,

1?06 .

our Wate rw ays 1 U • . Forbes and W . H. R . Ashford (London : John iurraY, 190b) .

Acc o r ding t o a Repo rt of a Committee f · co:n:nons p re sented on 23 January 1 8 0 0 ° t~e Irish House of - 1 ·d " · t· ' , procee a in g s and grants for 1n an na vi g a ion are recorded in t h e Ho u f c 1 f t l .L 2 · ·· se o ommo n s Journa_s rom .1e. y~ar 1703. and 1715 an Act was p assed "to enc ourage tn~ d r ain~n g and improving the Bog g and unprofitable low g r ounds ~or e~sing and despatching inland c a rri a ge and conveyance ? - goods from one po rt to another in this ki ngd m" fn is authorized p . 1 8 1 -0 •

(1)

(2) 2 Geo . I.

Act of 17~ 9 3 Geo . II .

Act of 1 751 25 George II. C. 10 .

Lagan connecting Belfast with Lough Neagh 1751.

Repo rt of 1800, 40 George III, C . 51.

Newry and Tyrone Can a ls constructed under Act of 1729 .

Ne wry Navigation purchased by the Newry Nav i gat io n and Ha r bour Trust in 1901.

~- 189. Total length 35 miles The first po rtion between 1?renpoint and Newry is a ship canal adm ittin g vessels drawing b feet of water wh ich is connecte d with the L01·1er Bann by a t arge c ana l joinin" it 16J. miles above Portado,m and thus carried o Lough Neagh . Its summit level is 76 feet above sea level and t? feet above the Lough which is also connected with Belfast by t~e Laga~ n aviga tion 25¾ miles in length , 6 of which are riveru~~. re ma inder canal - a work commenced in 1 ?83 but not coml?leted t· ll the en d of the century and which was 1n 1 890 extendea. by ne acquisition of the Ulster Canal .

~-192 • The Ulste r Canal which is 451 miles in length and runs c~om Black wa tertown (?) to Lou gh (Up p er) Er ne was made by a . e ~Pany formed in 1826 unde r 6 George IV C. 193 The wo r k which ex ended over a period of 15 ye a rs and on which over £200 , 000 /P1tal to which t he Government contributed £130,000 by way of 18in was expended was transferred to the Boa rd of Wo r ks in m 1 5 and again 1n '1 890 to the Lagan Navigation and is no longe r a nta1nea out of I mperial taxation .

f·194 . The Tyrone Canal 4 miles in len g th ,mich connects Coal Bland with the Bla ckwater near Lough Neagh .

our waterways, U. A. Forbes and W . H. R. Ashford .

254 . Ulster Am a lgamation of Coal Isl and and Lagan Canals ~der La gan Nav i ga tion Company 1894 .

comm i ss i one r s Reports , Vol. I , Append ix 2 .

Evid en ce of l-ir Geo . . Stevenson, Commi ss i oner of Pub lic Works , 21 Ha rc h , 1 906 ,

(2) Lagan Na vi ga ti on from Belfa st to Lough Neagh , 26 miles , 20 cha ins . Beg un about 1 753 by Comm i ss i oners of I nland

Navigation ; hand e d ov er to a com pany in 1779 , completed early in the 1 9 t h cent u ry and now a fter var i ous vicissitudes held by a co mpa ny whi c h unde r 6th an d '7 th Vic . cap 104 days

£300 pe r a n to t he Ex c hegu er . I n 1 880 pa i d div i dends of l ½ pe r c ent on c ap i tal o f £80 ,149

Or i ginal cost :

Expended by Comm i ss ion e r s of I nland Naviga tion

Expend e d by Ma r quis of Done ga l! ou t of p ri vate fund between 1809 and 1 820 .

Expe nded by Laga n Na vi ga tion Company 1 885 - 1 889 .

£43 , 30 4

£60, 000

£4 , 947

£10 8 , 251

Num be r of loc ks , 27 .

1907 ,

second Report of the Royal Comrn i s s ion on Canals and Inland Navigation 1 907 .

Lagan Canal;

Len gth 25 ml s . 66 e h s .

Original cos t £1 03 ,304 .

Numbe r of loc ks 27 .

Smallest loc k 65 1

La r gest bo a t using 62 1

l-! ax . lo ad possi ble 90 tons .

Usual load 65 - 90 tons .

.

Total rise above Belfa st Ha rbour 120½ feet . Lou gh Nea g h 74 feet .

Headwa y of bridges to cro\-m of arch 7 1 6 11 •

Inland Waterways of Great Brita i n , No . 133 , 8 , P • ~ 9 .

1agan rr avi ~ati on :

Auth ority :

?rom and To :

Distance :

i•la xi mum

D i mensions fo r

Craft Us in g

Wa ter wa y :

Locks :

General Rema r ks :

Lagan Eavigat i on Company ' Stranmillis, Belfast .

Stranmillis , Belfast , t o Ellis Cut , Lougn ::eagh

2!5i- mile s . ( Length ( Beam ( Draught ( ( Headroo m

62 ft . o i ns . 14 ft . 6 ins . 5 ft 6 ins . (ap p rox . ) 6 ft . 3 ins .

27 . (l double , at the Tida l entrance .,f Stranmillis , Belfast) .

The Lagan Haviga ti on is in part a canalisat:'.."n of t he River Lagan and in part an artificial ':laterway . \'fork on the construction of the navigation was c ompleted i n 1820 . The n resent Co mpany assumed c ontrol in 1843 . It connects Belfast Harbour with Lough Heagh and thr- uc: h Lough Neagh affords commun icatio n by wate r ,.-:ith ~o rtado1,m on the Upper Bann River, with Coalisl and at the head of the Coalisl and Canal , wi th small l and i ng places on Lough i:eaeh, namely Kinnego Harbou r, 1''.aghe ry , Ne ·. :port Trench , Ballyronan , Toomebri dge and nt ri m and with the Lo we r Bann Nav i ga ti on . Fro m the quays of Belfast Harbour to Stranmill i s Lock , whe re the Lagan i:avigat i on c ommences, a li gh ter mus t pass unde r the Queen ' s Br ide , the Ce n tral Railuay Bri dge and the lbert Bridge, and thence through the i-, cCo nnell Lo c k , l!!lich lies in tidal waters ~us t above the c onf luence of the Bl a c lrs t a ff Ri ve r wi t h t!1e River Lagan . Thi s l o ck i s t h e n r ope rty of the Bel f ast Co r poration and is associated with a wEc?ir :·ih ic h impounds water at a level bel ow hign tide so i mn rove the amen ities of the river up to Stranmillis Lock by covering up unsightly slob land formerly exposed at lo w tide . The ,-.cConne ll l ock is 150 feet lo ng and 38 feet wide and is designed to accom modate a tu g a nd th~ee barges . The walls a re built of concrete and the gate s a r e electrically oper ated . ft er le aving the McConnell Lock li gh t e r passes under 0r me au

~yi gation : (cont ' d) .

Special No te :

Tolls :

Bri dge and the King ' s Bri dge and so reaches the Str~nmi~hs Lock, which is Lock No . l of the Lagan Navigation . _(The 1.fc Connell Lock is operated by t he Belfast Harbour Commissioners) . Westward !rom St:anmilli s the navigation passes t ~e busy industrial areas of Lambeg 3ilden and Lisburn . At the Union Locks just beyond the outskirts of Lisburn there is a flight of four loc.~s whe re the navi ation finally leaves the River Lagan and follows a cont ou r on h i gher ground to Ag ha lee, a distan ce of 1 1 miles and ~8 chains . This is the Head Level and a number of st re a s act as feed e rs on this level , namely, Lewport Feede r, Hal li days Feeder, .. egarrys Feeder, Trumrnery Feeder , Douglas Feeder , ,.;oira ,·,ill Feede r, and Hell Hole Feede r .

Ne a r !o ira the Head Level crosses the valley o f the River Lagan in a fo u r-s pan mason r y aqueduct which is app ro ached on the south side by a hi h embankment . There a re t wo overfall s on this l evel , the ma i n one being near the aqueduct . From Agha l e e the Canal de scends to Ellis Cut on Lough Nea gh; ther e a r e 1 0 locks on that side of the Head Level.

It varies in wi d t h from 40 to 1 00 feet . In winte r t he Head Level may carry up to 7 feet of 1at er and in summer some ti mes less than 5 feet 6 inches .

The aban do nmen t of the Uppe r Rea c hes of the Nav ig a ti on (that is between Lisburn and Lough Neagh) is at p resent unde r c onsid erati on .

Ch a r ges for pleasure cr aft pa s sing thr ough Canal :

Ca noes (lifted ou t of loc ks )

Moto r launches, fishin g bo at s, etc . from 1st Loc k s to :-

Newfo r g e

Ed e nberry •.

Drum bridge

Mossva le

Lambe g

Hilden

Lisburn

Newp ort and 0 bey ond

1950 .

iiagan Nav i c-a tion : (c on t ' d) .

Distance Table :

Belfast to :

Stranmi llis, Belfast (Lock No . 1)

Lisburn Lock No . 12 ..

Lock No . 13 . . . .

Union Locks (total of 4)

(Canal commences , leavin g River Lagan , after Union Locks) .

Agh alee (8 locks here in l i miles)

Leanmount Lock (entrance t o Lough Neagh)

19 59, Au gust 21.

:

1, Kinne g o Cut . Ba sin and cut in a di s gr a ceful state owing to cru d e sewer ag e de p osits . Lur gan should be ashamed .

2. Kilmore Hou se, Kil more town land . St one in wall of enclosed yard dated 1 8 61 .

3. Lean Mount, Kilmo re. Forme rly occupied by Turtle family and p rev iously by Ellis family now o~me d by lr . John Downin g who st a tes t ha t t h e olde r h ouse was built c i r ca 1 690 .

4. Ellis ' s Cut in Kil more townland whe r e it for ms a bounda r y between t ha t and Clanrolla i n Co . Arma gh .

5. Kilmore Lock. Lock ke epe r's house inhabited . Lock ga tes re moved .

6. Thatched two storey house, Agha ga llon townlan d .

7. Ballinderry . Si ngl e store y t ha tc hed cott age .

8 . Group of locks at Aghalee villa ge a nd two lock houses .

9. Loc k at De rr ymo re. This may not be in its pr oper sequence .

10. Interestin g cotta ge with unusual pill a r g r oupin g To Glenavy

[ To Lur gancotta ge he re

1959, Au g ust 2 1.

Mo ravian Meetin g House and Manse . Date stone 1755 but church ha s certainl y been reno va ted since t h e n . /

Bridges crossin g roads gene r ally follow above t ypes . &!a ll ar ch a llo wed horse t hrough .

S:nall arch close d by g ates on both sides of this pattern .

,

Map of p r opos e d c ana~ be t ween Ar agh and Bla c kwate rt o1-m , Ori in al (4L:: - 1 935) in Count y Mu seum , rrna gh .

ll ao inscribe d "A :nap or tr a ce o f several li n es by either of ;!:l ic h a c an a l may be ma de fro m t he to,-m of . rmagh to the Blackwater near Cha rle mo nt .

Surveye d and levelle d by t h e Cor p orat i on of Armagh and in October and Nove mb er 1 759 by th eir mos t humble servants, James Ash mu r and James As hmur Juni o r '' .

Journal of the House of Commons, Geo. III, Vol. XII, p,246. Annagh Canal.

A petition of the Sovereign, Burgesses, and Freemen of the town of Armagh, as also of the principal gentlemen, freeholders, linen drapers, and traders of the county of Armagh· praying for aid, to make a canal from the river Black Water' to the said town, was presented to the House and read.

Ordered, that the persons undernamed, or any five or more of them, be appointed a Committee to meet next Monday morning, nine of the clock, in the Speaker's chamber, to examine the matter of the said petition, and report the same with their opinion thereupon to the House. And they have power to adjourn from time to time, and place to place, and to send for persons and papers, and to examine in the most solemn manner such persons as they shall think proper upon the subject matter of the said petition, and all Members who come are to have voices,

Sir Archibald Acheson

Sir Capel Molyneux

Hon, Mr. Caulfeild

Mr. Brownlow

Mr. Galbraith Lowry

Mr, Richard Dawson

Mr. Thomas Dawson

Mr, Robert French

Mr. John French

Mr. Recorder

Mr. Stewart

Mr. O'Neill

Colonel Cuninghame

Mr, O'Hara

Mr. Morres

Mr. Sarjeant Paterson

Two Mr. Thomas Knox' s

Mr. John Knox

Mr. Mossom

Mr. Solicitor General

Mr. Robert Lowry

Mr. Pery

Mr. Fitz-Gibbon

Lord Newtown

Mr. Bernard Ward

Mr. Low

Mr. Cramer

Hon. Mr. Cole

Doctor Clement

Rt. Hon. Mr. Provost

Doctor Lucas

Mr. surveyor General

Mr. Mason

Mr. Le Hunte

Mr. Creighton

Mr. Nedham

Mr. Hall

Mr. John Eyre

Mr. Keatinge

Colonel Pomeroy

Mr. Edward Stratford

Sir John Freke

Mr. Robert Fitz-Gerald

Sir Edward King

1761.

Journal of the House of Commons, Geo. III, 537 ~.2 (V 1 XII) pp. -~~. 0. •

Sir Archibald Acheson reported from the Committee to whom the petition of the Sovereign, Burgesses, and Freemen of the town of Armagh, as also of the principal Gentlemen Freeholders, Linen Drapers, and Traders of the county of Armagh was referred; the matter as it appeared to them and the ' resolutions of the Committee thereupon· which r~port he read in his place, and after delivered in at the table, where the same was read, and the report and resolutions are as follow1

Mr. Speaker,

The Committee, to whom the petition of the Sovereign Burgesses, and Freemen of the town of Armagh, as also of ihe principal Gentlemen, Freeholders, Linen Drapers, and Traders of the county of Armagh was referred, met pursuant to order, and called before them several witnesses whom they examined in the most solemn manner, who informed your Committee, that there is a great scarcity of fuel in and about the town of Armagh, which is a great prejudice to the manufacturers who reside there, and carry on the linen business in a very extensive manner; and that if a new canal was cut from the said town to the ri v er Black-Water, they might thereby be supplied with plenty of firing at a reasonable rate.

And Mr. James Ashmur being so examined, informed your COIDlllittee, that the canal from Newry is navigable to Loughneagh, and that the river Black-Water is navigable eight or ten miles from the said lake upwards for boats of thirty tons burthen• that the canal intended to be made from the town of Armagh falls into the river Black-Water, about five miles from the said Lough and from thence to the Lough boats of one hundred tons b~then may iail; that he has taken the level of the intended canal, says, it will require ten locks and eight bridges· that the Callan river he believes would alone IUpply the carial in the ,attest summer with water sufficient for a navigation but there are several other streams or rivers which might supply it; that he has made an estimate of the intended canal which he delivered to your Committee, and to which your Commlttee refer; that he would contract accor4ing to the said estimate if he had leisure to undertake the work but believes he could find others who would; that the totai e ence according to his estimate, amounts to ten th ousand ,e~n huridred and seventy-five pounds, six shillings and nine- ence ,as that it is practicable, and that his • •tiaate ~. Ju~t t~ fhe best of his skill and knowledge.

Mr. John Simpson informed your Committee, that he lives near Armagh, and carries on the bleaching business extensively• that he finds fuel dear and scarce, occasioned by the increase' of the linen business and scarcity of bogs which are almost exhausted near Armagh; that if he had plenty of and convenient fuel, he could bleach one third more than he does, and many of bis neighbours who bleach more than he, are in the same condition 7 that he bleaches two thousand three hundred and seventy-six pieces a year, and that there are twenty persons in his neighbourhood who bleach as much, and are a-like distressed for want of fuel; that he knows the line of the intended canal, which, if compleated, would sup ply the town and neighbourhood with plenty of coals, and also turf. At the last fair in Armagh, he says, there were linens bought to the value of six or seven thousand pounds, which were all made near said town; says, he would lay out himself one-third more in the linen trade than at present he does, if firing was convenient; that he uses about fifteen tons of kelp in the year, besides pot-ashes; that when he draws it by land from Newry, he pays nine-pence a hundred, and that when by water through the Newry canal and Black-Water, costs him about six-pence; that if the intended canal was compleated to Armagh, the expence would not be above three-pence per hundred, and says 1 many more mills would be erected but for the great scarcity of firing; says, be doubts not but five hundred manufacturers may in a short time be obliged to go abroad to America, if some method is not found to supply them with fuel, which the said canal would do.

Mr. George Bannerman agrees with John Simpson as to the scarcity of fuel in and about Armagh, and the advantages which Would arise from the intended canal to the linen trade on the river Callan, which runs by Armagh, and says, there are fif:y bleach-greens on the said river, within six miles of Armagh,t d that he has had a bleach yard ten years, and has been pr~~n e from bleaching a much larger quantity t~tn ~a;dh~oe~r;ach the from the scarcity of fuel; says, he can a O d• kinda of linen he deals in under three half-pence p~rt~ar, ki that others who have firing conve~ient,t~~~~r~;~a~f Ar!a=r~s nds for one penny· says, he bel eves i about the best in Ireland'for coarse linens; say;,i!h:~: f!irs and :evkenty-two thousand poulidts i~a~~! i~{:n~~d canal was compleated ar ets of Armagh; and tha d nei hbourhood of it Would sufficiently supply th e iown :d if fhe canal is not l'lllagh With fire at a moderate pridced the linen business must compleated and fuel thereby prov e, decrease c~nsiderably • .

Samuel Colvin says, that the linen trade has increased considerably of late years about Armagh; that he visited the bleach-yards, says, there are fifty greens and thirty-nine cloth mills within six miles of Armagh, and that last season they bleached one million three hundred and eighty-six thousand four hundred and seventy-five yards of linen; that the fuel decreases every year, and if some method be not found to supply fuel, at least five hundred manufacturers must quit the trade, and probably go off to America, which the intended canal, if executed, would prevent.

Mr, Thomas Stringer says, firing is very scarce, and that if the canal was compleated, and firing thereby provided, he and the rest of the bleach-yard proprietors could bleach onethird more, and one-third cheaper, than they do at present, and that otherwise the linen trade must decrease; that the compleating the said canal will i ntirely prevent such decrease,

Mr, Thomas Ogle says, he knows and wrought the marble quarries near Armagh; that there are eight or nine kinds, some preferable to any foreign marble that he has seen; that if the canal was made, he would carry on that work, and supply Dublin and other parts of the kingdom with marble at a much cheaper rate than it c a n now be purchased for; and believes there are great quantities of lead in that ne i ghbourhood; and that the canal would make the mines of great use; says, there are also plenty of lime-stone quarries; and Mr, Thomas Verner says that the lime-stone quarries would be of the greatest us~ to the several counties which lie around Loughneagh, but the lime cannot be burnt for want of fue; and that the canal would make it of nine times the value that lime is now, from sixteen to eighteen-pence a barrel, by the scarcity of fire• that the quarries of marble and lime-stone are within half a ~ile of the intended canal, from which all the country might be supplied with turf, a.s well as coals, and also corn might be brought through it,

An estimate of the expence of making a canal from th e !lack-Water, near Ballycullen br~dge a~oI~m~:~rl~~~::~ :~e he Scotch-Street bridge at the own° ' d twenty great turf bog, being five miles,dof~e~r}~~~~n~ of the perches of plantation measure, an t nine feet allowing level between said places to be dsev~ntl; top twerity at laid canal to be forty feet broa a , bottom, and eight feet deep.

To three hundred a nd nine thousand eight hundred and sixty six and a half cubick yards in the canal, at two-pence per yard,

To fifty-one th o usand six hundred and fortyfour cubical yards of back-drains, six · feet wide at top, four at bottom, and four feet deep, at three half-pence per yard

To gravelling one thousand six hundred and sixty perches of road by the side of the canal, ten feet broad, at three shillings per perch

To ten locks, ninety feet long by eighteen and a half feet wide in the clear, at six hundred pounds each

To twelve thousand one hundred and fifty six cubical yards of a cut from Mr. Scot's mill to Scotch-Street bridge to bring water from the Callen river to supply the canal, ei ght feet wide at top, four at bottom by five feet deep, at two-pence per yard,

To eight bridges to be built over the canal and its water course from the Callen river, for the several roads that must cross the same, which at an average of sixty-five pounds per bridge, amount to

?o contingencies expence of engines, tools, implements, &c: and for o verseers of th e works, by computation

Dublin, 20 November, 1761,

And upon the whole, your c itt following re solutions: omm 88 came to the

Re~olved, that it is the opinion of this Committee that the petitioners have fully proved the alleg ti . f th'i petition. a ons o e r

Resolved! that it appears to this Committee, that there are in the neighbourhood of the town of Armagh thirty-nine cloth mills, and fifty bleach greens, whereon were bleached last season one million three hundred and eighty-six thousand four hundred and seventy-five yards of linen,

Resolved, that it appears to this Committee, that the town of Armagh, is one of the best markets for coarse linen cloth in this kingdom,

Resolved, that it appears to this Committee, that a navigable canal may be made from the river Black-Water to the town of Armagh.

Resolved, that it appears to this Committee, that the manufacturers and dealers in linen, in and about the said town of Armagh, are at present greatly distressed for want of fuel,

Resolved, that it appears to this Committee, that by the means of said canal, the bleachers, manufacturersl and dealers in linen, may be supplied with a sufficient quant ty of fuel at a moderate rate and with the other materials used in that trade, by which th~re will be a saving in the price of bleaching, of one third, and the linen manufacture thereby considerably increased.

Resolved that it appears to this Committee, that the said canal w1i1 be of great advantage to the several counties of Armagh Derry Tyrone and Antrim, by supplying them with grain in times 0 } scarcity, and with lime, at an easy rate, for the improvement of their lands.

Resolved that it appears to this Committee, that by the means of said'canal, Dublin, and other parts of the kingdom may be supplied at a very moderate rate, with great qUantities of m~rble not inferior in quality to several of the foreign marbl~s imported into this kingdom.

Resolved, that it appears to this Committee, that a sun not 1ess than ten thousand seven hundred and seventy-five pounds six shillings and nine-pence, will be requisite to compleat the said canal.

Resolved, that it is the opini on of this Commi t tee, that the petitioners deserve the aid of Parliament.

To which resolutions the question being sev erally put, the House did agree.

:iouse of Comnons Journal , Vol. J.:II , p . 246 . (6 Ilovecnber , 1761) .

Ar.:i agh Canal.

A petition of the Sovereign, Burgesses and of t'le town of Ar,,1agh a s al so the ,rincipal gentlemen freeholders, li nen 6ray,ers and traders of the county of Ar'.llagh praying for aid to m~ke a cJnal fro'.11 the river Dlackwater to said town Has presented to the house and read .

(Co mm ittee au ointed all named to examine the .natter and r eport t o toe· house .

Sir Archibald Acheson

Sir Canel ,·iolyneux

Hon . 1-ir . Caulfeild i•ir . Brownlow , etc . etc .

(See also pp . 537 - 54;, for detailecl account as to cost) •

1763 .

aouse of Com mons Journal , Vol . XIII, p 247 .

Ar :nagh Canal :

The House was mov ed that the r esolutions of the House 00 the r eport of the ',!.7 No ve 'Jlb er 1761 , on petition of the Soverei gn , Durzesses , Freemen , etc . of the city and county by read .

The sai ,.e were read accordingly .

Ordered that the r eport and re solutions be referred to a whole committee of the house app ointe d to take into considerati on the sup p ly , etc .

1837 , Ulster Cana l .

M i dd leto wn ' Co . Ar'Ilagh .

Th e c anal b a sin ha s now ( Au gus t 195 9) been fille d in, and t he c anal is gene r a l ly in a very de c ayed c ondition .

Th e c anal b r idge bea rs a c arved tablet inscribed as under -

THIS BR IDGE WA S

ERECTED BY TH

ULSTER CANAL co, ,J PANY

A. D. 1837

1837 •

Lewis's Topo g r aph ic al Dictiona r y of Ireland.

Benburb :

The Ul ster Cana l now i n p ro g re ss pass es o n the e aste rn side of the r ive r and village and is he r e carried t h ro ugh a hill of limestone wh ich ha s been exc ava te d to a depth o f 80 feet and is c on ducted l ong titudinally over the mill race by an aqueduct of c on si de r able len g t h .

.Q.!.:ENIHG OF T]E ULSTiR Cili:AL.

mlrn g reat Ulster Ca na l ha s been opened fro:.. C>:ar_e or t to 10naghan , and li gh ters are now plyin; on that stat i on .

The advantages whi ch accrue in c onsequence to the ... gr:.c-.ilt..:,~and co mme rci al co unit y are ver y c ons i derable indeed . ha ve b e en favored with the a nn exed cocJj]unication fro~ a respectable i nhabitan t o f 1-iiddlet o1m : ..e

" To the idi tor of the Newr y Telegraph.

"D ea r Sir, - L a st •.1eek a vessel laden ·fit:~ c:,32. the use of the Distillery arrive d i n this viii~~e by the Ulster Canal, wh ic h is nou , t h r ough t!le inde!.'at:'.. -ab~e exerti ons of \ ill i am Dar gan , ,,; sq . , navi,;ai..le :ro~ Lou.:!1 ll eag h to I•10naghan; and, fro m the well - :rnown activity "r.c ability of that Gentlema n , tlle s peedy ter:uinatio~ of t is i mpor tant work is anti ci pated . You canr.ot but have been ple ased to hear tha t a junction between it and t.:e ~E~ry Canal is i n c ontemplat io n , whi ch :nus t c e rt ain ly t e ~roc...ictive of co nside r ab le convenie nce and advantage t o those trJCi~; along the li ne . The i nhabitants of t h is hit,ierto ats c-.ir& Village may now , with their war.nest feelings , ;;oin t:.eir brethren of t h e neighbouring to vms in t ha t heart - ani ... ating excl t go Bragh ,. 11 '·/J. · th the additi on of t!le ama i on, "Eri n ' Uls ter Can a l .

"A

Subscriber

"11iddle t own , 11th Dec . , 1837 • 11

Lewis's Topographical Dictionary of

Irelan d .

Bla ckwate rt own :

This to,m from its situation o n the Bla c l:11a t e r . c r r ies on a consider able trade in the e xp ort o f po t atoes , Qf ic great quan tities are annually . shi pp e d t o Ee ifast ancl ·,t;.r!' . Sloops of 50 tons burden can d eli ver t he.i. r c a r oes at t'.:e _uo:: : and the Ulster Cana l which is now in p r og r ess . a sees c:!.o e :o the to wn .

1843 ,

Ma rt in ' s , Irel an d Before and After t h e Union , pp , 13 2- 1 3 3 ,

I n the No rth a very i mp ortant wo r k , t he Ul ster Cana l, is now in ~rog r e ss from Lou?h Nea gh to Lo ugh Erne, t hus nearly connectJ.n ::; the ea s t e rn 1-n th t he wes t e rn sho re by a li ne extending from Ba lle e k , n e a r Ba llys hannon , t hrough Lo ugh Erne , the Ulste r canal , Lou gh Neagh, and t hen ce to Newry a nd Belf ast .

The Ulster Canal is now comp leted as far as k on aghan and pro mis es t o be a mos t usefu l work , Besides t h es e t he r e a re three sma ll navi ga ti ons communicatin g with Loug h Neagh ; the Lagan fr om Belfa st, one f r o m Newry by the Upp er Ba nn and t he thir d c alled ihe Tyrone Na vi ga tion, extending from t he Colli e ri es at Coal Island, nea r Dungannon , by t he Blackwater int o Lough '.leagh .

Ma r tin quoting f r om rece nt Parl i amenta ry do cuments

I bid , p 136 .

Newry Na vigation . The leng t h of t he Ke,II' y Canal is 1 6: miles, It for ms th e commun ic at i on between Newry and Lou:-,h Nea gh and between Ne,II'y and the sea . In 1 3 37 t he t onnage amo unted to £ 1 02 , 332 and the tolls to £J , 500 ,

. The Tyrone Na vi g at ion was e x ec u ted at the i;iublic ex;ense w1 t h a view to enc ou ra g in g the wor k i ng of cert ain c ollenes at Coal Isl and , Ve r y exa ggera te d st a t ements of the value and extent of the coal beds in the dis trict were ma de to Parliament · · · · · an d led to a was t eful and useless e xp enditure . The tonnfge in 1836 am ou nted to 7 , 291 and of the expo rt ton nag e c oal on y amoun ted to 7 1 8 tons.

The Lagan Naviga ti on was begun in 1 753 for th ~ pu8~6se o f con ne cti ng Belfas t with Lo ugh Ne agh . T~ e ton nag e in 1amounted t o 44,700 tons, t h e tolls to L, , 0 60 -

Fr d t h len g t h of t he Na vi ga ti on • 6 om Belfast to Coal Isl a n . e ls 1 miles , fr om Newry 39½ miles ,

1846 , Slater' s Directory of Ireland .

Moy ,

Two quays on t~e river , were Er ected by the Cha r lemon t family , with extensivE: sto r es, and the Bl a ckwater being navigab~? from Lough. Neagh for lighters of 60 to ns bu rt hen , an i mm e oiate conn ection is formed with Belfast and Newry by the Lagan and Newry Canals and with Lough Erne by t he Ulster Canal.

Conveyance by Canal.

The Ulster Steam Carrying Company, Office and Stores, Charlemont Street , John Hogg , Manager .

Goods forwarded to and from Belfas t and liewry anci the following places Black watert O\m , Caledon, Ch a rle mont , Clones , Enniskillen, Lisnaskea , Monaghan , -loy , Portadown , Templ et ate and Wattle bridge .

1B1+6 .

Slater ' s Directory of Ireland .

p0 rtadown .

canal, P at r i c k Lo gan Agent .

•ro Belfas t, Clones , Caledo n , Ennis k illen, l•w naghan and 1-.oy . Boat s le a v e the Ulster Ca nal Steam Carryin g i.juay e v er y Tuesday , Thursday and Saturday forenoon .

To New r y fro m Ulste r Canal Ste am Ca rryi ng Company ' s Quay eve r y Monday , Wednesday and Fr i da y .

Slate r ' s Directory of Ir eland .

Conve yan ce by ,,,ate r .

To Enniskillen a n d Eeltur bet , the u lste r Ca!la _ Co ~ny ' s boats daily takin g g oods t o Belfast, Po rt a do,m , ,.o y, C c. e aon , Monaghan, Clo n es, Lag uire ' s Bri dg e and all to,ms a d j ace n t .

History of the Harbours of the United Kingdom, p.8 9 •

Ulster Canal:

Memorial of the Ulster Canal Company.

To the Right Honourable the Lords of Her Majesty's Treasury.

The memorial of the Ulster Canal Company

Showeth,

That the great estimated value of this important work towards the formation of which Her Majesty's Gover11nebt have liberally advanced the sum of £120,000 on the security of the canal alone, much depends upon the agricultural and mineral produce of the interior of the north of Ireland having ready access to the port of Belfast by means of the Lagan Canal.

That it is understood that the pri ncipal cause of the Lagan Canal not having been so productive as it might have been is its imperfect and uncertain entrance into the harbour of Belfast.

That except at certain times of the tide, the communication between Belfast and the interior of the country by means of the Lagan Canal, is impracticable; and that great loss and inconvenience have been sustained by the delay and uncertainty of the transmission of goods.

That unless this impediment be removed no material improvement can take place in the Lagan Canal, andt asf: consequence the interests of the Ulster Canal musf s~ er by this, it~ most important outlet, being so imper ec •

d t nd that an application

That your memorialists un ers a ertain sums of has been made to your Lordships to advancefcBelfast which ~oney for the improvement of the harbour O ent of this project so far from including th e improvem canal will if defect ln the Belfast entrance ifaf~~i~~~es in the way of carried into effect, throw grea its being accomplished hereafter.

id r it to be their duty,

That your memorialists cons eterest and to the security both with reference to their 0 ~ i~ whose loan of £120,000 of the Government, the repaymen °s of the Ulster Canal, to IIIUst depend upon t he productivenes Lordships. lay these circumstances before your

1852, uister Canal.

And they accordingly respectfully subnit that in any advance of money which it may seem right to your Lordships to make for the improvement of the Belfast Harbour such ian onlY may be sanctioned as shall provide - by means of hoating docks or other ways - for this most important and necessary improvement of the entrance of the Lagan Canal into the harbour,

And your memorialists will ever pray, &c.

Company's Offices, 6, Austinfriars, London, 10th May, 1838,

1854, Doyl e ' s Tour of Ulster , p . 1 31.

port adown situa te u p on t h e Bann is in a ve r y suner:o r trading posi ti on , h a vi n g a sufficie n t de pth of 11ater· to float vessels of 50 o r 60 t ons burthe n . By means of the Ul s te r canal it carries o n a communicati on be t we en belfast and Enniskillen and with New r y by the Newr y llavi3ation .

1855 ,

t,a rJJion : ,.,3r.i.til1e Ports of I r eland , p . 125 .

rn e Ulst e r Canal :

Commen c es_ a t Ch a r ~ e'.1:ont on th e Blackwater, by which it c(}llrrI Uni cates with ~ougn Ne~gh, and tak i ng a soith - west dir ecti on by i·ionagnan and 1., l ones, enters Lough irne at the eas t ern ex t remity, t~us un~ting the two lo ughs . It was con st ructed by the a id of large SUtllS of publ ic money sn6. wa s open e d for the passage of bo a ts in 1 842 . ', e stations ha ve bee n established on Lough i;ea gh for the a ccommodation

of lo ng boats between the Ul s ter, Lagan and Newr y ,la vi ryations . A ste amboa t has been also p l a ce d on Lough e;r ne , so that a re gul a r c ommuni c 3tion has been effected t hrourhout the li ne , whic h is 4 8 mil es . The company was incorporated under 6 Geo . IV, c , 193 . '.Che amount of capital is £300 , 000 , half of which ha s bee n paid up . £120 , 000 has been obtained on :nor t ;;a:e o~ the unde r t ak i ng , and to acc r uing tolls fro:a the r,;xc ,1eq_ue r Lo~n 0ills Com:n is s i one r s , and £ 10 , 000 fr om the Board of '.:or"<s . ~11 15~3 the goods c a r ried was 13 , 454 tons , beine an incre a se 011 t!le yea r or evious o f '< 000 t ons and the amount of tolls £1,1 38 . 10 . 11 and t he disbu r serne'~ts £1 ,25 2 . lc . ll : there was also £1 , 000 :nore pai d t o an engineer and for law eiqi enses .

iat er ' 5 Directory .

io!IO D . Robins on , Agen t for t h e Ulster Canal Ca rr ying Co .

~nveyance f r om Porta down by water .

1o Belturbet a Fly Boa t every Satur day .

'.o Clones a Fly Boat every Tuesda y .

:o Enniskillen a Fly Boa t every Thursday .

1859 - 6061.

rrans a c~ ions of ~he Institution of Civil En~ineers of Irelanr 25th ano ,:6 Session , 1 859 - 60 - 61, Vol. VI , pp 63 - 66 , (Dubli'1 l~ 6J) .

The Ulst e r Canal :

This c anal connects Lou gh Neagh and Lough irne . It commences in t he county of Armagh , near Charlemont, on the river Blac kHa t er, which is navigable for a distance of 11 miles up to that point , and ente r s the south - eastern extrewitv of upper lou gh Erne , ::it Edergul, in the count y of Ferc.;3nagh , windi ng , in its c ourse , along the fertile valleys of the Blackwat er and Finn ri vers , and passing tlJe towns of Benburb, Caledon, i,; i ddleton, fonaghan , and Clones r·!le le ·gth ')f the cana l is 48 mi l es . The re a re 26 single locks, eac-i 56 !'eet lo " in the c hamber , l" feet wide , and about 81 feet rise . , ~r. 0 tccn of these l ocks are on the eastern or Lough J;eagr side of Le summ it, and t he re ma inder on t he western side ,· t'.'le difference between the lev els of the loughs bei ng about 10; feet . .~e inte nd ed d e pth of wate r on the lock sills was 5·. feet .

Alt hou"h t he advantaa es of this c ana l must have been obvious at ~n ea rl y date , 0 as an i mportant lin'., ,i'l t,1e .in:. n~. _ naviaation of t he country it does not appear t:1at &!l) .- racc1c 1 o ' • h J ' ect un-1-. , , to,, .... r, s measures were adopted to carry ou c sue a pro t · ·-:-.t he clo se of t he fir st qua rt er of the presei:t cen ur~, ;'-ien r . Jo hn Kil l aly mad e t he ne c essary surveys, anc nre,iarec . · ans an estimates, upon which an appl ic at i on was ma~e. to,P&rlio eiS' H t he yea r 1 825 , and an Act obtained , namely 'rne oth Geo . · , ca p , 193", incorporating the Co mpany •

T • . • - t of the estioate , ~ 16 he difficulty of r a is ing the amoun . to ~reat delav ~n O, OOO , e o u a l t o £3 , 47 8 per mile, gav<:: rise 1 in 1Qy· CO!ll!lle ncing t he Ho r k s and t h e d eat h of 1•1r. _Killa - Y, . ;- 7,; 0 • ~ed to t he seeking of other prof essi onal ae1:1ice ' U~~=r t'i; ~r .. -· 0 :~lford and Sir Willi am Cubi tt we r e calle~ i~ a s~ale ~i recti on , the wo r ks - previously de si~ne~o~;exion ,-:ith '.J·:-t. 11 ° :r espondine with t he c anals already/~; ed ~nd t'le icicit-i ana 1e,gh and the river Shannon - we re mo -tr~de boats co:n::wnl:· -engt h of the loc ks reduce d , so that t. e d ;:!:Jus t:1 2.t whic:1 ,;as Us ed i n th ose naviga t ions c annot pass ; an - \ 0 be verv :njurious t lntended to dim in ish t h e outl a y, has !J r ove~ndeed ou~ht to !Cave O th . d t 1cin" a S i ' l · · be · e pro spe rit y of the un er a, '=' ' s ;f economy cou a n~ve j en. anticipated for no co n sid e r ation • ncinles such Ustified , on ordina r ily intelli gible pr~ in ex ~ludi"g boats modificati ons of a c anal so circum st an c ea , enter1n1; Loush Neac;h from othe r qua rters .

rae Ulster Canal :

The s w:iJJi t level is suppl i ed near the to,m f . --· · · lour!, r ese ··v · h · h O • on __ "n 3 n by the li uii;;; - o: -' oir, w.• ic .. is a natura l lake, r ender~d capable, b · embai:i=ents 1 of pondine up about 14: feet de t of water, to be d el ive red_ J.nto the canal by a rezu1ati!r slii.ice an feeder - c>an~el; ~ut lllc~ough this r;:ser~oir recei·1es t..e s r wa ter fro :!l che r~ver BL,ckwater at Dall1node, wheri t-ie .Lls the nei ghbourhoo0. do not requ ire it , the su, ·lv to the co o far fro 11 b~ing si.1fc'ici e12t i, an~ the consequence" is, t,11t r' 'ri at least t nree months or cne ctry season of eac:i ye~r , t s r .it level is i:npassible for trade boats . In i.r . .Cillal:; ' s "c .i, the secti on of the ca:'.lal was c al c ulated ta c ontairi t:1ree ·eet in depth of 1.1ater beyond the standard navigable height , belnintended as a reser voir to d r aw upon which circurnt~nces -, :il requ ir e .

The Compan y , notwithstanding the sacrificss ..:iade of efficiency to economy, had t o contend with the 1s 1 _ fina ci 1 difficulties of su c h p rojects in this c ountry , a 1d h_v~ 3 : n finally unabl e to r a ise tne necessary funr" s , ty sui.lscri t · > , to comp l ete t ,1e wor.:s, they were obli::;ed to h 0 ve rccci_rse t~ aJ1endments of their a cts . to borrow money ;or tiLt _ ur vse r the Loa n Comnissionsrs in whose hands t.. e n°vi ti,... ~s ~sted to r epay t he de1t, the Co L_any h~vin~ ;•ile• t_ eet ,neir engage c1 ent s .

. By the et of Incorporatio n , the ti ,e of co ;1l~ti __ 1 ; 5 limited t o July. 15;,q , By the 9tl1 Geo . IV . , c~96,_J.t extende d to t he ' ;,;oth. June, 1 8 33; and ~v t:ie lsc a~; "nc · •· th ere wa s " furthe r extension to the .<4t June , 1 '- ~ 7 ·

S . , th nt rol of t:1e Loar . i n ce t:'.le c anal under e c o ,nnua. rert . Conunissi oner s it ha s been l et on le,se a_t an;:. ~o · - r .1 . • , B t ' l · S-'- r1 ~v1,. ulO "-' .t:_ •• : -_a p r esent held by the Dunda- ., sea .. t certai ss'S:>t'S , ~~ing to the un i form defi ci en ~y of wate~ i - -:v co:":1;1€titio~, the t. e pec uliar scale of the wor>i:s , a nd r~ --:·;- 11O \'ever t: e · ·te raffic is a t nresen t ve r y small i nd8 ': i J. ' -_ ·"ci e;1t st te SUncl. 1 utJ.nuooneL,- .-_, Y we re im n r o ved - tne wor&s p t . 7 th core anc" re. -1- s r .. _., reua1·r d ' t · co ndu c eo WJ. ·· - - · •e t' - 1 an the carry in:>; r ace uff • ; ent ret·1rn · · ·< ..:: / e rE_? is no reason t o doLibt t nat 8 5 ~c 163 ve 8 fz:.r r:J:is eahzed t o mee t a ll current ch a r ges an t~ and r enairs . 00 th e expenditure requi re d for impro ve cie n · · · . to our o~n ti -E - ir, 1 1 Havin,3 b r ou::ht the narrative i0 ::~e canals wnicn __ s~P:' 118 c tn! n~ an outli ne o t he history . 0 1 "~ n« in ee r in!' J.n c:lJ.: .• c0 unfir st e: r ea t s c hools of p r ~ctJ.~\r ust t!1at it ;nay,n~~ •eC'.,0,., ~Y, as well as in Englan - t ha t one of ouf owgee~"t,.,·,-~ . rr.~-'1'iere, i rrel e v ant to state , 11 A.ssistant ,:,ngi.--~ ce:n ts, J.•Jr . J.•iulli·1s, who was a -

rhe Ulster Canal (cont ' d) .

,vans i n the e~e': ut i on of the Royal Ca:-ial , havin:; :o .L'ld the field p r eoccup~ea , _ almost to the exclusion of Irish.Jen , loo;rnd out f?~ a c ~rn~i:1a~io~1 to enable _ h i m_ to e JJba r k exte"Jsive_) in the 6xecuu on o, 1)Ublic _ v1?ro:~ , and~ in tne ear1y part ::i:' the ~r-s~r: cent ur y co .,u~n ced 1ntn hi s_p a r~ n er s, llessrs . rlenry anc. ' .. _ho, a career, mi e n , a s socictea inch en;;ineerinc . •1ill lose oth.i.:r bv comoarison Hith the mos t su c cessful period of the rofess o in this o r p os sibly i n any other c ountry .

Mr . M' ~ahon , on the ter mi nation of the pa rt nership , becq e &.~gineer to t h e Dr a i nage Depart me n t of the Boa r d of ·,or-:s in the year 1843, and c on tinue d to fulfil the ciuties of that of 'ice au ri ng t he mos t a c tive per i od of their exterJsive o:1erati ns . The dr ainages of Lough lifeagh , Lough Corrib , anci the U er ~r n3 river we re t he orincioal wo r ,, s of 1-;hich he "ave plans a".lc' spe ci f ic ations . · ·

Basse tt • s Co un ty Ar ma gh , p . 23 ,

Ul st e.,, Cana l.

About fif t y ye a r s a go co nn ectio n wa s e ffecte d b et ween Lough Erne and Lo ug h 1: e a gh , by mea n s of t he Ulst e r Cana l . This pa sses for a c on s iderccle dis t s~ c e a lon g the weste r n a n d no r t h - u este r n bo r ders of Ar _agh . It is be in g l a r ge l y t aken advanta g e of at p re se~t by some o f t he l e ad i n g me r c hants of t he Cit y o f . r .ac:h . The s hipping pla c e is a t Bla ckwa te r t own , di st a t :·cJ.r mil es . I t is expected t ha t t he Ul ster Cc:r.al s ste~ will be so on v e r y mu c h i mp rov e d by the Uls t e r C~na.,_ Company who re c e i ve p ossession of it t h::.s ;•ea r - 1 888 un der s p ecial Act of P a r l i a ment

1902.

Irel and : I ndus t rial an d Ag ric ultu r al , p p .lll - ll 2 ,

The Ulster Ca nal :

The Ul s ter Canal , ext e ndin g f r o m Bla c kwa ter t own to Lough (Up per) Ern e, wa s mad e b y a c omp any, fo r med i n 1826, u nder 6 Geo . IV . , c , 1 93 , The wor k s too k a bout f ift ee n yea r s t o comp let e , and ab so r be d o ver £200).000 i n c ap i t al , t owa r d s wh ich t he Gover n me n t a d v an ce d on l o a n x. 1 30, 00 0 . \<f.ri e n the c anal wa 5 opened in 1 8 41, t h e tr a f fi c p ro v e d unr e mu ne r a ti ve and the water sup ply defective . I n 1 8 51 t he Pu b lic Wor ks Loan Com~ i ss i oners

took pos s essi on of ~he P : ope rt y as p rinci p al mo r t gagees , and proceeded to le as e i t, fir st t o a pri v a te in dividual (l,; r . u:irr,an), and subs e qu entl y t o t he Dunda l k St e am Navi ga ti on Com oany . While under t h e. manag e men t of th is C0!3p any , t he c anal works fell into very bad r epa ir, and in d e ed be c am e al mo s t der e lict . On th e expi r atio n of thi s co mp any ' s le as e in 1 8 65 1 it was de te r .n i ne d (but only after much h esitati o n ) , to ves t the c a nal and und ertaking in t h e Bo a r d o f Wo r k s, Ir elan d , who wer e of op i nion , i n opposition to t ha t of Sir Jo h n Ma c ne i ll i n 18 61 , t ha t it was the deficiency of wa ter, and n o t t h e r a i lway co mpetitio n , ,:hi ch ha d pr e ve n ted its be i n g r e mun e r a tiv e . Th e t r ansf er wa s effected by 2 8 3: 2 9 Vic . , c. 109 , Af ter an ad dit i ona l ouclay of nea r ly £20,0 00 o n t h e sup p l y of wa t er , the c anal was . '. eopened in 1 8 73 ; bu t t he traf f ic on it ha s be:n ver y. tri runP . !he annual expense o f its mai nt e n a n c e was seL do~n in 1870 , a t Ll , 200 , whic h used to be p rovi d e d for i n the Civil Se rvi cf 66 Estimates (Class I); an d t h e r e cei p t then only a ve r ag e d L a year .

T

. t · · int o the sys t em of he Comm issioners appo inte d o inqui r e . . munit• navi g~tion connectin g Col e : a ine, Be lf( a s\ 7 a 3 £d _ L~ss i t~ t~i ~ tha/in this n a vi g ation, in their Repo r t c . 3

"

1 · d ou t by the Notwi thstandin " t h e l arge sum s al 865 d 18 73 Commissioners o f Wor k s on th e c an al be tw~e n . chi;fly amountin g , as has been st a ted, t o £ 2 2 , 0 0 ' it at ! and f r om wan t 01ngto le a kage, in a very u 1;1s a t1 sfa c t or? \ he ye a r. Th e t r a f f ic

Water navigable only for ei ght moni h ~ 1 ~ul l y su oo l i ed wi t h ,,,8 also restricted even when t h e c ana is l ness of t he loc k s . Tiater , by its shallowness and by t h e s ma \ pa s s alon g t he Vl 5t e r /e boats in use on t he La gan c ana l c an~~ r i n t h e c han n el o f t~al when fully laden, t h e de p t h 0 ! w~ on the c ills of t h e 1 e latter bein g on ly fo ur fe e t , whil s On the Lagan can al v~~ks it is only t h r ee feet nine i n~~e;~ dr aw f ive feet s~x in se l s c an g enerally be loaded s o 1 re si xt e en feet wine . Th ches . The loc k s on the La g an c an a_ \ es Evid e nce h a s been ose on the Ulster twelve fe e t tw o inc d it ~re of £10 , 000 on t ~e ~ ~1tt e d to u s t ha t by a further etl!~ feet bo t h in the cn ann el an~ ter c a nal it may be de epene\ t o sup p li e d , an d a ll t h e in the loc k s, a dd ition a l wa er

The Ulster Canal : (Cont ' d) . leakages s~aunched. Many witness es expressed their n .• that if this we r e don e a lar ge traffic would s u rin<? ~o .. fi a 1:n~~ canal would become a r emune ra tive con c e r n Bu'" 1 - t "m Pt, bano .e ' . h d . th t · " us e observea, t ey a a , a t h e Great Northe r n Railway comuetes ~th t he c ana l ~or the g reater pa rt of its len g th, and to expe~t. such an inc~ea se of traffic on the latter as would be suff1c~e 1;1t to pay its p re~ent avera ge exp ~nses o f £1 ,1 53 a : ear, i n addition to £350 , t ne interest of the :x.10 000 necessary to pu t it in t o o r de r, o r £1 ,503 in all , is in o~r ouinion to" tak e a very san guine view of its p r ospects . ·

This n a vi ga tio n wa s transferred durin g t h e y ear 1 890 , to the Laga n Na vi ga ti on Com p any, and ha s ce ased to be ma int a ine d out of the I mper i al taxes . I n a ccor dance with the Ac t of Pa rli amen t, an ag r eeme nt wa s subsequently entered into bet wee n t ne Eoard of Works and the Lagan Na vi ga tion Com pa ny for tr ans fer of the c ana~ . This agree men t bound t h e Com pany to exp end £10 , 250 , the amount require d a cc o r ding to the estimate of t h e Board o f './o r :u ' Engin eer , to ensure a sufficient wate r supply and pu t the c ana-'in or de r for a five feet draft for li gh ters, the d r aft fo r werly given by t he Boa r d of Wor lrn bei ng only four fe e t . l'rJe co any procee d e d t o c a rry ou t the wor k s , which c os t £12 , 70 instead of the £10 250 estimated . Towa r ds this sun the Treasu r y ,aad e a f r ee gr 1 n t of £3 50 0 and the Boa r d of Wo r ks l ent £4 , 40v r e: ayab~e in forty half - ye~ r ly ' instalments 1-1ith interes~ a t \Pe : ce nt . e r annum on c ondi ti on that the Chai rman of the Lagan ,-avi~a t ion Comp a_liy lent £4 4 00 on sa me ter ms . The o ri ginal defect ?f ·.-ater sup pl y t o the si'.i.mm it level still re ma i ns, no a t te:n:-it ?;ving _ been made to increase the siz e of t he stora ge reserv ~irh o r "~remove an obstruction which exists in this po rt wn °1 t'. ~ 1 ~an · ~e waterway above the town of lfonaghan t h erefore, is ~ti_ and ~mpa s s ible by bar ges dur ing a portion of al~o st evf!leJ~;er, in d'.y s eas ons t he stoppage of ~he traff~\ 1fm ~~~~;m~nt \3 s be en cons~derable pe r iods . Unt il t ? 25 es~egti\le to re au the trsffic ca: rie d ou t the Uls ter Canal WJ.11 no ,e a 17 h wh ich it oass es . ~ 1 7h awa i ts it a t the t~ri v~ng to wns ~g!~~ 0 navi ga ti on syste::i1 ~ a mos t impo rt ant l J. nk in. tne no r ._. .. on the Ela c ::wate r ~~ntinuing the li ne of naviga ti on fro~ tj~ins the river ?inn . ver to Lough Erne, n e a r which l ake J.

1906 .

Colilllliss i one r s Re p ort s , Vol. I, Append i x 2 .

Evidence o f •i r . Geo . A. St e ve nso n , Comm i ss i one r of Pub l i c Wor ks, 21 la r ch , 1 9 0 6 .

(6) Ulster Canal f r om . Cha r !emo nt, Co . Ar ma gh , co mrnu nic a ti n~ 1/i th Lo ugh Ne agh by Ri ver J:i l ac k wat er to Upp e r Lough Er n e at Wa ttl e br i d g e, Co . Fe r mana gh , 4 6 miles l ong , co n structe d by priv a t e co mpany unde r Act o f 1 8 ,:5", c omp l e te d 1842 .

Exchequer Loan Comm i ss i on er s len t £ 1 20 , 0 00 a nd Boa r d of Works £10 , 000 . Forme r took po s sess i on in 1 8 51 an d le as e d canal to Hr . Dargan , subs e quen tl y to the Dun dal k St eam Navi gation Comp any, whos e le ase e xp i red i n 18 65 . Th e c anal was then veste d in t he Commiss i on er s of Publ ic Wor k and transferred to t he Lag a n Nav i gation Co mp any in 1 888 .

Original cost.

Expend iture by lo a ns £ 130 , 0 0 0 .

Borne from other sources

Number of loc k s 26 ,

£80 , 000

£2 1 0 , 0 00

1907 •

5e cond ~eport of t h e Royal Cornm i ssion on Canals and Inl a nd

Na vi gation ,

Uls ter Cana l .

Lagan Nav i ga tion Company .

Leng th 45 mls. 51 eh s .

ori• inal cost £294, 2 72. .

Numb er of loc ks 26 .

anallest lock, L . 67 •

Largest bo at using

Ma x. load possible 65 t ons .

Usual load 55 - 65 tons .

Total rise 154 feet .

Headway of bridges to cro ,m of a rch 9 ' 0" .

1910 . Hughe s ' parish of Tynan , p . 91.

The Ulst er Canal con n ectin g Lough Neagh with Lough trne is in poss es sion of the La ga n Na vigation Company . It ca me in !832 and t h e Ulste r Ca nal Comp a ny received po ssessio n of it unde r Speci al Act of Parli am e n t in 1888 .

Comi ng from J.lonaghan it enters the parish a t Ar dgo n.~ell brid•e, runs thr ough Foyduff , Shantully , Tullybri ck (H am ilto n) , Bond;ill e , Cor fe g han , Le mnago re, skirts Gortmagleg , Dr um golly , Fo ryarr and Annagh and le aves the parish at Turry b ri dge . The •Big Bri dge " ou t side i•iiddletown con necting the Glass l ough , Road with the main ro ad , was e r ected by the Cana l Com pa ny in k37 .

1950,

rn1and waterways of Gre a t Bri tai n , No . 13 8 , p . 399 .

Ba nn Na vigation :

Authority : Tr 1:1-s t~ es of the Uppe r Bann 1'aviga ti on Ricidets Buildings , 4 9 Done gall Pla c e , Belfast '.

From and To :

Distance :

Maximum Dimensions for Craft Us in g

Waterway .

Locks :

Br idges :

Towing path :

Toll s :

Gene r a l Remarks:

Sp

ecial No te :

~~ st ance Table :

Ap p roximate!? half of Lough Neagh and u >1 t o the Bl ackwater Ri ver to Blackwatertown . ·

H¼ miles .

(Len g th .. ( Beam • . (Dr augh t . Up to Hoy Not limited . Uo t limited . 5 ft . 6 ins . ( Up t o Bla ck waterto,-m J ft . 8 ft ( Head room

Ni l. Road b r idges and a rail way bridge .

No ne .

None for pleasure craft .

There is ver y lit tle tr affic south of the entrance t o the Co a l island Canal . The ma in landing p l a ce s unde r t he c on~ r ol o{ the Tr ustees a re Kinnego Ha rb ou r and Hewpo r Trenc h on Lo ugh Neagh .

The abandonment of th is c a n al is under consi de rat ion .

~iil es . ?urlongs .

trance to Lough Nea"h to : Maghe r y Ferry ( end ~ f a rtificial cu t f rom Lough Neagh) • ~unction with Coali sland Canal

n:rner ' s Brid g e • • • • J rrygalle y Ferry • . • • · · · • t) unct1 C 1 (now derel i c Bl on wi t h Ulster ana ackwatertown •• 6 9 11 4 6 2

Augus t 1959 .

TM Ulster Canal.

This c anal le a v e s t he Bla c k water that point t he re is besides the loc k (~~aLCharle rn ont . t sto r es . The. lock keepe r ' s house is in ~o a guay and inhabited bu s t he lock gat es a re in a b gl dt 0 r d e r and so u e dec ay .

Ly i ng flat on t h e bank whe r e t he ca n 1 t · · h d • · a en ers t he nv er 1s a scone s ape li k e a g rave stone and inscribed _

CHA.qLK,; ONT 0

CALEDON 11

•lONAGHAN 28

CLONES 39 WAT .cLEBRIDGE 46

.h Loc k No 2 a t Bl a c kwate r town is ver y mu ch de c ayed but t.e l ock k ee pe r ' s h o use is inhabite d and i n good o r der .

k Loc k No . 3 a t Mayd o wn d oes not seem to have had a t~ep er ' s ~ous e and Lock No . 4 in Carrickaness is also wi~hout /t '.1fil em. ty . Loc k No . 5 Ca rr ickaness (near. t he ~en~uro . \a rries ) h as a loc k k ee pe r ' s h ouse . I t is 1nh a ?1tea and 1 n god or der b u t loc k gates a r e in very bad cond1t1on . 'r Locks No s . 6 an d 7 i n same t ownlanci a re very much _ove r - ;u~;11 and git e s a re i n a bs o l ut e de c ay . At No . 6 on the t>enbur b lns c?b s1d e t he r e is a c a rve d stone similar to that at Ch a rle mont 1 ed as under -

CHARLEMON T 6

CALEDON 8

CLONE S 33

WAT:i'LEBRIDG E 40

Lo k • t ha s be en fil led in to Provid c No . 8 . The c ana l a t t h is P01 ~h lo ck survives (g a tes decay e~)a fl at en tr an ce to the Mill , . e us e as mi ll office . and t he lo c k k e ep er ' s ho u s e 1 s 1 n

L . is in a ve r y ciecayed con11t~ck Ho . 9 a t Tull ybr i c k nea r Bo nd VJ.ll~ good o r der a nd 1nn,1,,~on bu t t he l ock keep er ' s h ouse 1s J.

1979 , Au gust 22 .

Ulster Ca n a l .

Trip to Lo ug h Erne •

Photo graphs at entra n ce of Ca n al i n t o t h e Js r ne at G&lloon Isl and. Lock co mp letel y d estro y e d .

Kill garre t townl an d . Two-st o re y t ha tc h e d ho use on old road from Dublin to Newtow nb u tler. Mr. W i llia m He t he r ington, Postal address : Kill ga r r et, Newt o, mbu t ler .

Edena foran, Co. Mon ag h a n. Bo y wit h Do n key s. John .c Donarh , Edenaforan, Stonebri dg e, Co . Mon ag h an .

Photographed lock at Tyholl a n d .

Locks on each side of road brid g e at Cr owley, Co . .. ona~han . Loe~ keepe r's house inhabited .

Lock House in Knockaconey townland i nha bi ted .

Extracts f ro mNewry Tel eg

!!W'Y canal.

Feb. 1 0 , 1 8 13. Ca n a l P assage Boat . The r es pe ct ab le

Qua kers o f Mo y a l l e n h a v e es tablishe d a Cana l Pas s ag e

Boat which will b e h i ghly use f ul to t he tra d e of Ne wr y .

It will e n ab l e p a s se ng ers t o g o t o Newry, t ran s act t h ei r

bu siness and r e turn h ome the s am e day with eas e , comf or t and convenie n ce.

Feb. 10, 1 8 13. Canal P a ss ag e Boa t. Th e s u bscr i bers to the Newr y Canal P as s age Boa t ar e to meet i n Poin t z

Pas s on the 15th i n st. a t e l even o ' cl o c k . As se ve r a l

ma tters o f i mp ortance t o th e Establ i s hmen t are to be settled , a full a t t e ndan ce is e xp ect ed .

Those wh o hav e no t ye t pa i d t h e ir sub scri pt i on s

are requ e st e d to d o so p revi ous t o t h at d ay ei th er t o

Thomas Greer, Newry, o r William Dawson, Tr ea surer, Moyallen, 1st of second month.

Feb. 27, 1 8 13. Newr y Can a l Passag e Boa t. ~.

WJ. · th t h e Com .o an Y of pr opri e t o rs

A p erson to co n tr a ct t o dr a w the Bo a t wi t h two horses bet ween Canal Passa g e

Kn ockbridge l bet we en Poyntzpass and and Poynt zpa s s a s o

N t o W . Dawson, Moyallen , ewry · Ap p lic a tion to b e ma de

CANALS

( conU or George Bennett, Poyntz pa ss. Security will be required for the due performance of the contract.

May 8, 1813 . Yest e rday the Newry Can a l Passage Boat arrived he r e about one 0 1 clock ha vin g on board the Marquis and Marchioness of Downs h ire, John Moore of Drumbanagher, Arthur I nnes of Drumentine and John Reilly of Scarva, Esquires with their Ladies.

ULSTER CANAL

See Newry Comme r cial Telegra ph of Tue s day , Ma rc h, 19 1819 . Edi t orial.

We lay t his day before our readers a copy of a correspondence which lately took pl ace between Hen ry R. Paine Esq . , assistant secretary to the I nland Navigation Office and John Killaly Es q . The subject matter of these letters is highly i mportant as it relate s to the intended line of Ulster Navigation . Mr K communication to the · illaly has accompanied hiS Board with a map of the line .

"'-- h ' h \·'8 have seen we ~,om a copy of this map w ic ' l will c ommen ce at Wattleearn that this intended canal b i . h . t will commun ic ate r dge on the Finn river by wh ic i ·twill pa ss near 111th Lough Erne . From Wattle bridge i

CANALS C cont ..l

Ballymoe - then ce n ea r Cumber and Ba lly nure, and on to the summit level, nearly between Drum conn er and Mill t oIt'll , nea r whi c h latt e r p lace it will a pp roxi ma te Monag han and f r om thence it will wind in a meandering course t o the vicinity of Midd l e town - thence to nea r Tynan and on t o the neighbourhood of Battleford Bri dge , where 'Jith a sudde n turn it wi ll diverge to Benburb. Within about a mile of tha t vil lage it will communicate .n t h the Blackwater by a short cut of three l o c ks . Thence it will pro ceed to Da rby 's Bri dg e, whe r e it will cro ss the Call an. Ab out a mile f rom the cut, by which it \/ill join t he Bl a ck wate r, a can al is to be made t owards

Arm agh , which will t e r minate about Gran gemore within a mile and three quarters of the city.

From Darby' s Bri dge it will run t o Ball ymagernythence to Lou ghgal l, BallywillY, Flush bri dg e and Vinecash, and fall near Portadown int o the Uppe r Bann 46½ miles f 22 l k s laid down r om Wattleford Bridge t he re be in g oc in the whole c o urse.

We are sorr y to find it stated th at th e UlS t er N any nearer t o the city of avi gation cannot be brought viz . Gr angemor e. W e Ar lllagh than is shewn o n the map, oo d gr ounds, and doubt the accuracy of the statement on g · th out further and hope 1 t will not be acquiesced in Wl. inquiry.

CANALS Ccont ,l

About 31 years ago Mr. Owen who supe rintende d the canal from Lisburn to Lou gh Neagh made a survey and estimate of a canal to Armag h whi ch was then in c ontemplation. The line which he selected and whi ch he pronounced to be perfectly p racticable , crossed the Ca llan river a little below Ge a ry• s Bridge and runnin g t hroug h Drum sill and Killylin re - crossed the Blackwatert own road on th e Armagh side of Bagenal' s Bridge, and passing over the r oa d leading from Blackwatert own to Ch a r l emont, at the pla ce called the Rampart, joined the Blackwate r im mediately below that road. The expense was then estim a ted at £13,500 . In the year 1750 a simil a r su rvey had been made vi th a simil a r result. Has Mr . Killaly examined this li ne . If be ba s not, his late survey is not conclusive on this point , and we mu st continue to believe that the canal may be brought into the very city .

'l'hoUgh somewhat foreign to the p resent subject, we c that a canal is not aJlnot help expressing our surprise made conn ecting Lurgan with Lough Neagh, which it appronmates within less than a mile and a half . kar "" l . 20 Oct. 1 815, ~, 9, 1819 . Navigation Office, desire that you will 1 am directed by the Board to p t t h e line of roceed With all convenient despatch, 0

CANALS CconLI

Ulster Navigation and a scertain how far it may be practicable to carry a line from the s umm it lev el to the southward of the town of Mon a gh an, or fr om any of the descending levels by Mi d dlet oi-m to th e Cit y of Ar magh so a.s t o f all into s om e pa rt of t he v a l e of the Callen River, by which you could trace a na vi ga t io n to the junction of the river with t h e Bl a ckwate r : or by quitting the vale of the Callen nort hwa r d of Ar ma gh , to connect the Canal with the Blackwater. xxx

Henry R. P a ine, As st. Se c .

To John Killaly, Esq.

March 19, 1 816. Navi g ation Office, 8 Se pt . 1816 .

Sir, I am directed by the Board t o a cqua in t yo u , that if you shall be a.ble to trace by whi ch the s umm it or any other level can be carried ne a rer t he ci ty of ' Armagh than the line laid down by you, it i s th e Boa r d ' 5

Wish that you will ascertain whether such ne w lin e may n t t form a j uncti on 0 be extended in such a direction as 0 With the summit of the Newry Navi gation · XXX

By Order of the Boar d .

A s t Se c.

Henry R. Paine, s •

To John Killaly, Esq.

CANALS ( coutJ

Mar ch 19' 1 8 1 6 . Tu ll amore, J an . 31 , l 8l6 .

Sir, pursuan t to the Boa r d ' s instructions of the 20 th of Oct . last, I have e Xplored the country in vari ous di recti ons , in o r der t o as c ertain whe t her any level of the proposed navigation mig ht be brought cl ose to the city of Ar'llagh .

I first endeavo ured to push fo r wa r d _th e summit leve l, but found th e g r ounds for ma ny miles on the south and east of Monaghan so extremely irregular, that an extraordinary deg ree of circuity, ,-Ii th numerous heavy embankments, would b e requisite to prese rve tha t level , exclusive of the ver y dee p sinkin g through the high ri dg es which se p arate the vale of Tynan wate r from t hat of the Callen .

I then tri ed whether the Board ' s object would be attained, by d e p artin g from the 16th level and sinking or tunnellin g throu gh the high g r ounds at Benbu r b, but t h· f 1 I am ls p ro j ect p rove d equally unsuccess u · therefore of t ha t t h e Ulster Navigation t h e o p inion c be brought nearer to annot at any reas ona b le expense th no r do I e City of Ar magh th an is shown on my map; th the line marked can be in k that the g e ne ral course of departed from in any ma terial degree,

CANALS Ccont ,l

I next proceeded in obedience to the Board's order of the 8 t h of November, so as to ascertain ,;11ether the Ulster Navi ga tion might not be extended, 50 as to form a junction with the Newry Canal; but the high g rounds that lie in t hat direction render this plan ineligible, as the line should pas s within a short di stance of Porta down, from whence to the Newry summit, d istant about six miles, its cou rse woul d be nearly pa rallel to the existing navi ga tion. Although t he entire of the Board's object cannot be attained I p resume they will be gratified to learn that a favourable line may be found for extending the Ulster Navigation from near Blackwatert o;m to the River Bann at Porta down, a distance of twelve and a half miles on which there would be three descending locks. xxxx se cti on and This letter is accompanied by a map estimate of the line to Portadown, and also of th e cut s1antry and alluded to (in my former report between D th alculated on erryadd Bay). The expense of bo , c th 1 canal e xtension, 8 same dimensions as the Roya . eh £14 500 is chargeable to amounts to £101, ooo of wtu ' th e latter. xxxx

CANAL s C conLl

UJ_itet Qaoal .

Dec. 1, 1 8 42 . William Dar gan ha vin g purc ha sed t h e

Establishment l a tely carried on by the Ulste r Cana l steam Carr y i ng Company and ha vi ng made very considerable additions th e ret o in steam boa ts, ba r ge s a nd war ehouses is prepared to fo r ward me rch and ise of every d escri pti on between the un de r men tioned p l aces wi t h e c onomy and regularity.

Belfast

Newry

Port adown

Ballyronan

New P ort -Trench

Coal Islan d

Moy

Caledon

Mona ghan

Cl one s

Wattle bridge

Belt u rb et

Li sn a skea

Enniskille n .

At each of th e above stations William Dargan has

an t t d . s tore s fo r the rece i pt and agen, wi h commo i ou s

d 1 . and thus t he followin g impo rt ant e ivery of Goods;

h l y communic ate with a ll towns may conveniently and c ea p or any of the above - named stations :

Armag h

Aughnacloy

Au ghe r

Br oo ke bor o ugh

Bally g awley

Ballyconnel

Balli bay

Cavan

Coot eh ill

Clo ghe r

Cooks to , m

Ca stledawso n

Coal I s l and

Dun gannon

Emyvale

Fi vemiletown

Killes hand ra

Lis naskea

Lowthe r stown

Magherafelt

Moneymore

Maghera

Ne wbliSS

Newto1-mbut1 er

St ewartstown

Sli go .

CANAL s Ccont .l

On the 5th of December arrangements will be made to start Fl y Boa ts da ily f rom Be lfas t and Newry to Belturbet, Lis naskea and Enniskillen and f r o:n those places to Newry and Belfa st . They will pr o cee d fu ll or not, to their re spe ctive dest in at i ons , call in g at all the inter mediate St a tions al ong the line fo r the receipt and deliver y of Goods.

All goods requirin g eXpe di tion will be forwarded by Railway to and fro m Belfast . Spa re boats will be ready a t t he d iff eren t Stations to take in full cargoes.

Steam Boats .

The Grand Juncti on p owerful ne w iron st eam boa t will leave Ballyronan at half past six o ' cl oc k wi t h

Goods and P assengers and calling at Newport Trench will arri ve at Po rtadown a t ten o ' cl ock Railway Tr ain to Belfast , and for the Fly Boat to Newry, on th e morning of Monday , Wednesday, Friday and Sa tu rd ay a nd llill return to Ballyronan on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday calling at Newport Trench . ""-- ,nll leave Vernersbrid ge 4 ll8 Countess of Caledon w~ ev 'th Goods and Passengers ery morning at seven o 'cl ock WJ. and for the ten o ' clock Will arri v e at Port adown in time tra111 and the and will return to Verner sNewry fl y Boat

CANAL s <conU

brl·dge immediately a fter t h e arrival of t h e ten o ' clock train f r om Belfast .

The Countess of E1'ne will p l y daily betwe en wat tlebri dge, Belturbe t, Lisnaskea and Enniskillen .

Arran g ements have b e en ma de for t he i mm ediate receipt an d transhipment of Goods at Belfast, to and from Glasgo w, Ca rli sle, Dublin and London and at Newry and Liver po ol. For any further information, a pp lic a ti on is r esp ectivel y requested to the fo ll owing a gents -

Wi lli am Scott, Enniskillen. William Nob l e, Lisnaskea , J ames Finlay, Belturbet . William M. Clarke, Clon e s .

James Ho gg, Mona ghan . Ynomas Ar mstrong , Caledon. Jo hn Cubitt, Moy . Joseph Anderson~ Coalisland.

Da vid Gaussen, bal l yronan . Wil liam Freckleton, Newport Trench . John Overend , P ort a down . Samuel Smith , Newry. Joseph Hindly, 81 Ann St . , Be lfaS t ·

By an arrangement with the Ul st er Canal Company Wi.1 1 b ts that may offer liam Da r ga n is bound to tow al oa and in the o r d er in which they arrive, both between th 1 Cana ls and also between e agan , Newry and Ul ste r llattiebridge, Belturbet and EnniSkillen. Pledg fai· thfullY and impartially. This duty he es him se lf to perform

In conclusion he begs to assure and th e Public that he wi ll spare no hiS num erous Fr iends pa ins t o carry out

CANALS Ccont .1.

all the se diff icult and comp lex arrangements wi th punctuality, s afety and comp ara tive exped iti on. He avails himself of the pre sen t opportunity of most gratefully a ckn owl edgi n g h is o bli ga tions to the Right Honble . t he Ear l of Erne and to t he Tr ustees of tbe Earl of La n es bor o ugh, fo r the lib eral and judicious mann e r in whi c h they have constructed Piers at Lisnaskea and Belturbet, fo r the accommod ation of Tr ade .

July 4, 1 8 43. £..:.., p osed Branch Canal to Armwm. We have received a p rinte d p ros pe ctus of a mos t rational and lon g c on te mp l a t ed p roject namely the format ion of a line of Can a l f r om t he Ulst er Canal at

HuJ. lyleg gan , near Bl a ckwa tert own direct to the cit y of !rmagh. It is accom pa ni ed by a map and s ecti on of th e line, prepared by Thomas Casebourne Esq ., Resident &i · As the length nneer, to the Ulster Ca nal Company· of the cut is only four miles and a half, th e expense cannot be such from embarking ot t he wo rk is t apati lists as to deter even mod e r a e c in the un de rtakin g . The estim a ted co st and fo r land, Parli amentary expenses, £17,000 surveys, etc.' £3,000: fou r h llndred shares of 20 000 to be rai s ed in the capital ' £50 each. XXX

CANALS Ccont,).

It appears that about 36 , 000 tons of mer chandise are now imp orted into Armagh and 1 8 ,0 00 exported annually making to ge ther 54,000 t o ns. xxx

Nov . 29, 1843. Ulster Can a l.

Important Me et ing held in conn e cti on with th e pro posed Branch Canal to Armagh a t News Room, Tontine , Armagh.

Lord Caled on in the Chair and Wm . Dargan pr e sent .

Jan. 1 9, 1 847 . Ulster Canal.

One of the Ulster Canal boats, the pro pe rty of Mr . Dar gan wa s about being laden on Tu e sd a y 12th ins t .

With flour from the Tandera g ee Mills for Newry . It was lying at a pla ce called Madden Bridge, when it was attacked by a pa rty of 30 men all armed who succeeded in carrying off about five tons of flour. (Condensed account).

Feb. 25, 1840. Ulster Cana l. Lough Nea gh st eambo a ts.

Steam boat upon Lough Neagh which plies between Cbariemont and the La gan and Newry canals for th e

P1lrpose of t a.s maY have occasion to towin g such boa s cros s the lake.

(8 ,~e

that the Ulster Canal had = advert states e to t hat point ) . reached Monaghan and is open for commerc

March 20, 1 8 21.

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The Newry Canal.

Newry Canal P assage Boat. The public are respectfully infor med that the Newry Canal Pas sa g e Boat will re-commence running between Knockbridge and Newry on Thursday, 22 March and will continue Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, leaving Knockb ridge every Thursday morning at five o ' cloc k and arriving in Newry same day at ha l f past nine and will leave Newry the same evening and arrive Knockbridge at half past eight o ' clock. Will leave Scarva every Tuesday and Saturday at half p ast s ix in t h e morning and arrive in Newry at half past nine. Will return in the evening at four and arrive in Scarva at seven o' clock.

Thomas Wilson, Pro p rietor. Scarva, Marc h 15, 1821.

Aug. 1, 1815' . Editorial.

The Directors General of Inland Navi gation have it in contemplation to connect Lough Erne with Lough lleagh by mean s of a cana l, to commence within h alf a lilile f and conti·nue from the Blackwater 0 Blackwatertown, to the DaVigable River Finn, which flows into Lough &rne. al wi ll be br ought A branch of this intended can

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to Grangemore, within a mil e and a half of t he city of Arillagh. Another bran c h nea r the extremity of the cut, will extend into the roy al canal. This noble undertaking when perfected, will open u p a c ommer cial communication across the whole kingdom - the benefits that will result from it a re truly inc a lcu lable .

Mr . Killaly who surveyed the groun d over wh ich this canal is inten d ed to be made towards the city of Armagh, mus t terminate in the neighbourhood of Grangemore, as tbe elevated g r ound s a roun d that city will prevent any nearer approximation.

On this subject we beg leave t o sta te to the Directors General and their able engineer that about 30 years ago Mr. Owen who superintended the canal from Lisbur n to Lough Neagh, made a survey and estimate of the then intended Armagh Canal. The line wilich he selected, crosse d the Callan river, a little be low Geary, s Bridge and runni ng through Drum sill and llillylin, re-crossed the Blackwatertown road, on th e Armagh side of Bagenal's Bridge, and pass in g over th e road from Blackwatertown to Cha rl emon t, at th e place called the Rampart, joined the Blackwater immedi ately belo w that road . The e stimate of the whole expense 'tas then £13,500 , It wou ld cost double that sum now. Probably a better, though a lo nge r line than above,

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aJ.ght be found by going to the right of the Lough ga ll road, as far a s Grange, crossing the road on this side of the church, and followin g a course n ea rly p arallel to the line of direction to the Ca llan to the Blackwater below Charlemont.

It appears from the Survey made by Mr. Owens, that the canal mi ght be cut from the Blackwater to the very city of Armagh, at no very enormous expe nse . The best explanation which we can now g ive of the int entions of the Directors General will be found in the two following letters. Papers resp e cting a survey fo r a Navi g ation between Lough Erne and Lough Ne agh .

To their Excellencies the Lord s Justice s . Navigation Office, 8 Ap ril 1815.

May it p lease Your Excellencies - We humbly beg leave to represent to your Excellencies, that in fur th erance of the measure recommende d in representation frolll t his Board to His Grace the Lord Lieuten ant , dated I ~ay 1810, and which was honoured with His Graces aPJlrobation, viz. the making of general surveys, in 'ar1

OUs Parts of Ireland, to ascertain by what lines,

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canals of navigation , may be carried with a view of assisting the noblemen and g entlemen i n their obje cts for the improvement of the country, by shewing them the course in wh ich su ch navigation may be practicable .

We dire ct ed Mr. Killaly, our engineer, to ascertain whether a navigable communication could be formed from any par t of the deep water of the river Erne, near Belturb et , or from the sout he rn extremity of Lough Erne, thr ough the counties of Cavan, Monaghan, Ar magh and Tyrone, so as to fall into the river Blackwater in the neighbourhood of the city of Arma gh , or of Blackwatertown, which now communicates with Lough Neagh by that river; and with reference to the necessary supply of wate r, we instructed Mr . Killaly, if the rise of ground between Lough Erne and Lough Neagh should prevent either the River Erne or Lough Neagh from becoming a summit, to ascertain the streams which fall into the lakes, would or would not afford a sufficient supply for th is connec tin g navigation .

O rders, Mr. Killaly has with In pursuance of our . th racticabilitY of carryll!Uch diligence ascertained e P . ver Finn which falls from the n ing a line of navigation near the near Wa ttlebridge, which passing into Lough Erne the villa ges of &nithboro, towns of Clones and Monaghan a nd

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Middletown, Tynan, Glasslough, Celedon and Benburb, joins t h e river Blackwater, half a mi le above Blackwatertown. The whole extent of this line is 35½ miles, having six as cendin g and 18 descending locks, exclusive of an off - branch, which Mr. Killaly has laid out to the neighbourhood of the city of Armagh.

Mr . Killaly has estimated the probable cost of the line upon three seve ral scales, one being for a canal of similar dimensions with the Royal Canal extensions, viz . to be 22 feet wide at the bottom, 40 feet wide at water surface, with 6 feet depth of water in the canal, and 5 feet thre e inches depth on lock sills, amounting to £222,968. A second upon a sca le of 15 feet wide at the bottom, 30 feet wide at water surface, 4 feet 3 inches depth of water on sills, and 5 feet deep in the canals, with locks and bridges similar to those on the Royal Canal extension, amounting to £195,000 and the third amounting to £175,000 for a canal

Upon a scale 13 surface, 4 feet 6 inches on the feet wide at bottom, 25 feet at water . 1 and 3 feet depth of water in the cana' ·11 wi· th loc lc s 80 feet long and 10 51 s, feet wide and bridges etc. in pro por tion.

Mr . Killaly's map of the We herewith submit . report and of the proposed line, together with his

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detailed estimate furnished by him. Your Excellencies height of the summit p recludes the po ssibilit y of taking up the waters of Lough Erne, or of the Riv er Erne, as a supply for the p ro pose d navi ga tion, an d Mr. Killaly ha vin g mad e his Survey at a wet season, is unable to sp eak with pos itiv e c e rt a inty of the abundance of supply, but he expresses strong hopes that the streams which he proposes to t a ke in for that purpose will be sufficient even in the summe r season.

We beg leave to observe, th a t this line of navigation, appears to be by much the most favourable of any as yet ascertained in t his country: and that its execution would be productive of incalculable benefits to a large portion of the No rt h of Ireland, by affording the counties of Fermanagh, Cava n, Monaghan, T d h method of trans po rtyrone and Armagh, a re ad y an c eap ing the redundant produce of their l and s, which are in t b rl ey and oats, to the general, very fertile in whea, a an d Ar magh , which will derive markets of Belfast, Newry well as from the op portunity great advantages thereby, as Supp lyin g the foregoing counties, afforded those towns, of t groceries and flaxseed, Id th coals, timber, iron, sal ' . . t the kingdom at large, The advanta ge also resulting 0

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by the uniting by means of this canal, the Ne wry, Ty r one and Lagan Na vi ga tions, with that of Lou gh Erne, com:nuni c ating wi th t h e No rth Wes t Coast at Ballyshannon and thereby opening a c ommunic a tion by Still Wa ter and No rth Eastern and North We stern coasts of this coun try, are too evident to require any further co mmen t .

As t h e c ompletion of this na vi ga tion would be peculiarly beneficial to the landed int erest in that pa rt of Ireland, it at present not enjoy i ng the advantage of inland navigation, we trust that the landed p roprietors are s o far a live to their own interests, and possess such a s pirit of national improvement, as will in duce them to come fo rward with subscriptions towards defraying t he expense of the execution of so desirable a work, when t h ey are a pp rized that so favourable a line f or a canal has been f ound p racticable.

We th e re fore pro pose to and circul ated fo r the inforha ve the pape rs p rinted ma tion of the noblemen and gentlemen in t he vicinity of t he extended line, and we humbly pray your Excellencies a pp robation th ereof .

We h ave the honour to be etc .

Daniel Corne~lle . G. A. Bouverie . James Saurin .

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To Francis French Esq . etc . Tullamore, Feb. 2 , 1 815 .

Sir - In obedience to the Board's order of 1st Nov . last, I have laid out a line of Navigation between Lough Erne and Blackwaterto~m: a map, section and estimate of which I have the honour to lay before them.

On this line which is 35½ miles in length, 6 ascending and 1 8 descending locks will be required, the summit being 70 feet above Lough Erne, 162 feet above the Blackwater.

The line departs from near Wattle Bridge; it passes one mile to the southward of Clones, runs to Monaghan, near the villages of Smithboro', Middletown , Tynan, Cale don and Benburb, and joins the Blackwater, half a mile above Blackwatertown.

As the river can be made navigable to this point at a moderate expense, I recommend entering here, rather than encounter the cost and diffi culty of extending the canal to the town .

Having asce rt ained the impracticability of carrying the river Erne or Lough Erne into summit level . I th en tried that the l e vel might not be fed by an off - branch xt • f t he royal canal from the proposed northern e ension ° but f und I could not or from t he Ballyhays river, 0

The only waters th e refore derive a supply from either .

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that can be h a d for the summit l evel, are the heads of the river Finn which runs through Wattle Bridge and the streams that flow from Drumnaconner, Sc o tst m-m, and Tedavent, which I have strong ho p es would be found a sufficient supp ly, p articularly as I pro pose sinking deep through the summit level, preparin g for 8 feet deep of water, and givin g but small f a lls t o t h e locks at its extremities . The weather being very wet, and the river much swelled when I made the survey, prevented me from ascertaining the matter with more certainty. The line is free from any ma teri a l di f ficulty until it reaches the falls of Benburb, where t h e Bl a ckwater runs with great ra p idity for about 120 p erches through a deep and rocky ravine, for this distance we must unavoidably keep close to the river, an d t he bre ad th of the canal must be contracted, so as merely to ad mit the passage of one boat ; but as five locks will be required near this, I do not much re g ret the excav a tion through rock; on most other points of the line is of so soft a the ear thwork very easy of execution . nature as to render h whJ..ch the pro p osed navigation The country throug f t·le in grain particularly would pass is in general very er i ' it al so affords excellent pasturage. barley and oats; Much butter and live cattle an d pork are sent from thence

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cont. l to Belfast and Newry , Limestone is abundant , but the bog s being small and most l y cut out, occasions a great scarcit y of fuel on many pa rts of the line, Grea t benefits would result t o the Pr ovi nce of Ulster f r om the execution of this canal by its affo rding a ch eap mode of tr anspo rti ng th e re dundant pr oduce of t he counties of Ca van, Fermanagh , Monaghan , Tyr one , e tc. to the markets of Belf as t, Newry and Armagh, wh ich towns besides pa rtici pa tin g in those benefits would the reb y find a rea dy vent for timb er, ir on, salt, flaxseed, groceri es , etc.

The canal wo uld a lso be pe culi a rly invitin g for

t h e establishme nt of pas sage boats , and high l y adva ntageous in the conveyance of fuel from Lough Neagh and t he towns I have mentioned, to many pa rts of Monaghan, Tyrone and Ar magh not onl y for house use, but also for the burning of lime, t he farm e rs being a t presen~ in a gr ~at degree, pre clud ed from li mi ng their lands for want of turf or coal .

Durin g my survey, I had the plea su re to le a rn that d an excellent and there h a d l a tely been discovere bl.·tuminous c oa l 9 feet in thickness, extensive vein of f Lough Neagh, which c on venient to the nort he rn shore 0 is now working to great ad vanta ge . I consider this a

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matter of vital im po rtance to the co\ll1try and a further incentive to the execution of this canal.

Th e locks though more numerous than could be wished, wuld afford several excellent sites for flour mills, t he want of wh ich is so g reat in many par ts of Cavan, Fermanagh and Mona ghan , that flour is now brought by land carriage to those p lac es from Slane, Navan and Kells, a distance of 30 o r 40 mi les.

The line between Lou gh Erne and Lough Neagh wo uld in many other respects be extremely desirable pa rticularly if a canal from Belleek to Ballyshannon were executed as by those means a safe and inter nal navigation would be opened on the nort,hern pa rts on the eastern and western sides of the kingdom, thereby avoiding the danger atte nd ant on a sea voya ge between those places , which I underS t a nd is at times as tedious as one to the West Indies, a nd th e freight and insurance nearly as great . By the execution of those canals, a door would be ma rket from the north - western par t opened to the English ld be encoura g ed, the co mfo rts of Ireland, agriculture wou of the poor increased, and a check put to the spirit of that part of the 8tlligrat1on, at present so prevalent in kingdom .

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The main t r unk of the p r opo sed li ne being f our mil es dis t ant from Ar magh , I have l a i d out an of f - branch to With in one and a half miles of that cit y : t he high gr ound on which it stands and the difficulties of ob taining wa ter for loclcage, pre v en ts a nearer app r oa ch .

Alt hough a junction be t ween the Royal Cana l and tha t wh ic h is n ow propose d, would be high l y desirable , I fee l inclined t o View it ra t he r a s a distinct measure : satis f ied t ha t t he line I have describ ed would be of vast a dvanta g e to the nation, inde pend ent of any co mmunication With the metropolis, par ticul arly when the pro je cted imp r ove ments of the La gan naVigation are comp leted, an d some t ha t I conceive might also be found advisable between Newry an d Lou gh Neagh; name l y a canal about one mile and a quarter i n l ength, from t he river Bann, near Slaintry into Derryadd bay by which eight or ten miles of circuity would be saved in the communication With Belfast and t h e eastern coast of Lough Neagh , besides a voidin g t h e most tedious pa rt of the Newry Navigation . Not be in g limite d by t he Board ' s order to any Pa rt icul ar size for the p ro pos ed c anal , I ha v e calcul a ted on one of similar dimensions to the Royal Can a l extension, as being suited to the passage of boats capable o f navigating t h e lakes _ my detailed estimate for this allloun t to £222,968 .

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A canal of 1 5 feet wide at the bottom, 30 feet at water surface, 4 feet 3 inches depth of water on si l ls, and 5 feet in canals, with locks and bridges similar to those on the Royal Canal extension would cost £195 ,0 00 and one of 30 feet wide at bottom, 25 feet at water surface, 4 feet depth of water in canal and 3 feet 6 inches on sills, with locks 80 feet long and ten feet wide, brid ge s, etc. in proportion would cost about £175,000 .

I have the honour to be etc . John Killaly.

For SLANTRY see Co . Ar magh O. S. Sh e et 6. Shoim as a . . t 1 nd of Carn on t be name for a bridge in the own a f t Marked on Survey way from Porta down to Bann oo • of 1835 and present 0,S. sheet.