Dear All,
 
Being 3/4 of the way through Charles Hadfield's book 'The Canal Age'  
(details of pbl. below), I have some questions that someone knowing the  Manchester 
and Bridgewater coal mining area might hopefully be able to  answer.
 
Construction of the canal commenced in 1759 and was completed in 1776 as we  
know. At the Manchester 'terminus' it is stated that at this point the  canal 
"lay below the level of the of the neighbouring Manchester streets". To  
overcome this "a tunnel was dug nearest Deansgate into which the coal boats  from 
the Worsley Mines were run". 1st question: does anyone know how much lower  was 
the canal below said streets, and does this tunnel still exist, and at what  
level were the warehouses?? There is nothing new in modern containerisation,  
since the coal was placed in barges in iron boxes (each carrying eight cwt. of 
 coal), and at this point (Deansgate), a crane raised same to street level by 
a  waterwheel powered crane for trans-shipment. 2nd question: does anything  
exist/survive of this operation in the area - can anyone supply GoogleEarth  
coordinates please.
 
As many know, the Bridgewater Canal was taken a substantial distance into  
the Duke's coal mines, and a complex system of higher and lower canals were  
constructed to facilitate the transportation of coal from as near the different  
seams and faces as possible (56yds below main, 83yds below main) - the coal  
containers being raised from the 2nd & 3rd u/g canals to the main  canal/level. 
3rd question: whilst the 2nd & 3rd u/g canal were obviously  lower than the 
main, does one presume these workings are flooded to the  level of the main 
canal, or were they drained by a lower drainage level? - I  think not. If not, it 
can only be presumed that pumping took place, in the  normal way, to keep 
everything at a common water level. 
 
A fourth canal was constructed at a higher level than the main, and  likewise 
connected to the main canal by shafts (as all the lower canals). 4th  
question: how much higher was the higher canal than the main? An u/g incline  plane 
was  constructed that enabled barges to be raised and lowered between  this 
higher canal and the main. Charles Hadfield states that in 1961 he went  down 
this "ruined incline" to the main canal. The main canal was driven apx. ten  feet 
wide and eight feet high above water level, and states that on  his trip the 
roof was down in places to four feet in places due to subsidence.  By what he 
says it sounds as if quite some length was still accessible at this  date. 5th 
question: Clearly access was quite good in 1961, but are these  workings 
still accessible after forty plus more years?
 
The vol. is illustrated, but the only u/g photograph is of maintenance on a  
cross-dam in the Blisworth Tunnel. No date, but looks to be 1910 or so. 6th  
question: does anyone know of p.graphs of the u/g incline and canal - recent or 
 otherwise.
 
Book details. "The Canal Age", Charles Hadfield, 1st Edit. 1968, pbls.  David 
& Charles (Publishers) Ltd., 2nd Edit. 1971, David & Charles  Series, pbls. 
Pan Books Ltd. ISBN 0 330 02678 X.  This is an excellent  vol., and describes 
in detail the development of the British canal system and  the considerable 
expansion/potential canals gave to the mining and quarrying  industry. If someone 
might know of a book specifically on the Bridgewater Canal,  I would be 
grateful for advice please.
 
Regards, Bernard
 
 
(p.s. Dear Peter, Quite right. Regards, Bernard).