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NEW LIVERPOOL DOCKS. At the weekly meeting of the Mer- sey docks and harbor board, the works committee brought forward their scheme of new docks at the north end of the dock estate author- ized by act of parliament two years ago. This scheme embraces the under- noted new works which are est'mated to cost £3,204,400. A vestibule or half-tide dock, with a river lock entrance 8/0 ft. in length and 130 ft. in width, and. having a sill 30 ft. below old dock sill, the fore- shore in front of the said entrance be- ing lowered to suit the sill level, and 'TAE MaRINE REVIEW ft. in width, and on the south side a similar shed, 1,295 ft. in length and 100 ft. in width, with the necessary paving, railway sidings, etc, £740,000. The alteration of the timber storage ground north of the Hornby dock as may be necessary to make the same accord with the scheme of new docks, etc., above referred to at an additional cOst<ot 411427. The necessity for this elaborate scheme of new docks and river en- trances was clearly shown by J. W. Hughes, the chairman of the works committee, and other members. Dur- ing the last three years, and since this 19 Proposed new docks was due mainly to the increasing size and depth of ships. In 1887 the largest ships using the port were 560 ft. long, in 1897 the ships had grown to 625 ft., and last year the largest ship was 760 ft. It was therefore proposed to make the entrance lock 40 ft. below the old dock sill, and the aim generally was to have a depth of 40 ft. on the low- est neap tide. The No. 1 branch dock would be 13 acres in area. Its quays on one side would be 1,480 ft. in length, and on the other side P25 tt There would be double-story sheds with an area of 77,610 yards, "No.2 {iw Tent 3 RK E , awe F Pee FROPERT I OF AFORTH 7) EM ERSEY DOCKS & HARBOUR. ye BOARD. -- _# GENERAL PLAN OF NEW DOCKS PROPOSED FOR LIVERPOOL, the river wall being underpinned and faced. Estimated cost, £1,378,800. A lock, 645 ft. in length and 90 ft. in: width, and having sills 20 ft. 6 in. below old dock sill, between the Horn- by dock and the new half-tide dock referred to. Estimated cost, -£204,600. A branch dock (Al) opening out» of the half-tide dock, and immediately to the north of the present timber storage ground, north side.a doub!e story shed, 1.295 ft. in length and 100 ft. in width, and on the southside a similar shed, 1465 ft. in length and 150 ft. in width, with the necessary paving, ra'l- Way sidings, etc., £881,000. A branch dock (A2), also opening. out of the half-tide dock to the north Of the branch dock (A1), and having on the north side thereof a double story shed 1,265 ft. in length and 100 and having on the project was first mooted, the tonnage of ships paying dock dues has in- creased by 600,000 tons. Furthermore, the record of ships paying dock dues on tonnage in Liverpool in the last 30 years is also an interesting one. In 1877, there were paid tonnage dues on 6,400,000 tons net register; in 1887 that had grown to 7,600,000 tons, an- inerease (oF 18° per cent om, 197 it further advanced to 9,500,000 tons; while last year it rose to 13,500,000 tons, showing the huge increase of 42 per cent in the last decade. It is also a remarkable circumstance that in the 20 years from 1889 to 1907, the ton- nage of the port has nearly doubled in spite of the fact that the port has had competition, friendly and otherwise, from new ports both at home and abroad. Mr. Hughes also went on to show that the magnitude of these branch dock would have an area of 12%4 acres; the quay on one side would be 1,265 ft. and on the other. 1,235 ft., and the shed space would be 56,888 yards. In the vestibule dock, leading to these branch docks, it would be possible to maneuver. a vessel 1,100 ft. dong into either of the new docks. This new system of docks will bear the name of Gladstone as a compli- ment to the present chairman of the dock board, and his family, who have been connected with Liverpool's ship- ping for over 100 years. It was shown by other speakers that the accommodation for ships of the largest class at Liverpool was by no means superabundant, and that looking at the time it would take to 'build these new docks, it was a mat- ter of urgent necessity that the board should push forward this work.