Armachiana Volume 13 by Armagh City Banbridge & Craigavon Borough Council

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Armachiana Vol 13 (Armagh County Museum ARMCM.28.2014.42)

If any of the material is reproduced, in any form and in any medium, you should acknowledge Armagh County Museum as the source and give the document references below.

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The contents of this digital resource should only be used for non-commercial personal research and all rights remain with Armagh County Museum.

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Armachiana Volume 13

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The cont ents of these volumes l a belled are simply notes for t alks to

Armachiana

local and visiting societies in search of

They a re not of any

and ancient monuments .

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TGF Paterson

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students seeking da t a on the county g enerally or on their own distri ct s i n particular .

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great i mportance but may provide a gui de to

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material relating to it s historical background

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179-1 88

214- 238

Extrac t s from Newry Telegraph

152-178

189- 213

The Ulster Canal

Armagh-Blackwatert er Canal

The Lagan Canal

1-1 04 105-1 51

The Tyrone Navi gation

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V0L.XIII

The Newry Canal

,AGH NISCELLAIIBA

A. Brownlowe, Lurgan to Capt. Samuel Waring "to bee Left at Mr. Butterfiel ds in fishamble -street, Dublin".

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LEndorse<17 " ..••. Mr. Brownlowe of ye glannbogg .•..• " "I reed. yors and read yor. observatio ns on ye Glin bogg with a great deale of satisfactio n, And have since discoursed one Fowler a neighbor of yors now in Clare Manor but formerly

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D.695/51

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 Illingwort h attempted to convey away a small

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glin bogg all the way to Newry.

boat from Sir Tobyes logh, and tis thoght yt if bee had not been discovered would have made shift to gett it throgh ye

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make draines and being informed yt already draines were continued as high as Scarvagh bridg except 60 pchs. of Mr.

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I agree with yow in yor sentimts that it were necessary ye inhabitant s joining on ye bogg shold be incouraged as well for their own advantage as in order to ye publick good to

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

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season or weather hinder not, and I question but in 3 years

lived at Sir Toby Pointz, bee tells me yt. Captn. Pointz by

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time it will be done all ye way to ye Newry by ye tents. and

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inhabitants for their own benefitt, for such as have already

cutt draines find a considerable advantage by it.

I have

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Crilly and Courtneyes assistance to prevaile on them to gett

writt to Dr. Mathews at Newry and to Coll. Magenis with Mr.

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

Thus I bury my thoghtes for ye

mathemat on this point.

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of ye leap and other falls is considerable - discours som

Carlingford as from ye same moss to Colrane and yt by reason

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publick good thogh I am sensible tis agt. my privat intrest All here are yors and return their a1'ft. mother I think mends •••.• "

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i).61s Is I . rJ .\n..aJ2 ~ p._._~c ro,~w owu

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service to yow and lady.

correspondence.

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and tis a great pt. of ye pleasure of it, that it engages yor

And for ye rest nearer home wee can gett it easyer

Newry. don.

ye levell or fall taken by instrumts. from Sir Tobys to

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1703 .

__Brigadier Cunningham re ported from the Com ittee, appointed to bring in the heads of a bill for making a canal from Lough Neagh to Newry that they had come to several re solutions in the ma tter to tl1em referred .

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Newry Canal :

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House of Commons Journal , Vol . III, p . 100 . (5 Nov . 1703) .

3 . That said Committee hath farther directed me to

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i-Ir . Montgomery

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Major Clayton

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Hr . Maxwell Brigadier Cunningham Doctor Cogh ill

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re port t hat Capt. Francis Ne ville, Collector of Armagh, hath taken great pa ins in surveying and takibg the level of the gr ounds thr ough whi ch said canal may be made .

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2 . That it is the oninion of the Com~ittee that £20 , 000 will mak~ said canal sufficient to carry lighte r s of 20 tons .

1 . That it is practicab le to make a canal from Lou gh Neagh to Newry.

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He r e t ake pl a ce some changes i n the re presentation of the town . In Febr ua ry , 1704 , Edward Bayly, Esq . of Plaseneywd, in Anglesea, was returned t o supply the pl a ce of Adam Swift,_ who had died in the pr e ceding Augus t . Again in July, 1707, Hans Hamilton, described as r esiding at Frankfort, County Ar magh, was elected in the room of Robert Echlin, de ce ased .

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It is in an early portion of the pro ceedings of this Parli ament that we find the first mention of anything r elat i ng to t he Newry Navigation . On the 26th November, 1703, it was resolved by the House of Commons that the sum of £200 should be pai d to Captain Francis Ne ville " for his extraordinary pains and service in viewing the gr ound and pl a ces for making a canal from Lough Neagh to Newry;_ and dr awing schemes conce rn ing t h e It is interest ing to find t his same , and atte nding this liouse " . subje ct att r a cti ng attention at such an early pe riod eve n though nothing de fi nite resulted . Capt ain Neville go t his £200, and leave fo r the intTo d.uction of a Bi ll on t he ma tter was given, but it does not appea r to have been pressed further ,

Newr iensis , p . 172 .

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1703 ,

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1703 .

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Ashe ' s Survey of the Archbishopric of Armagh .

Tirrehuggan (Terryhoogan) .

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"It is projected by Capt . Newell (Neville) to make the Bann Wate r navigable by running a cut t hrough part of Dromonargill from Knockbr idge and so to Hewr y . It is designed thr ough the Glann Bog and Lough Shark in that townland which is about 8 miles from Newry, the shorttest way, but the road is 10 miles. The Bann Water is but small at t he br idge .

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

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

(26 iiov . 1703) .

House of Commons Jour nal , Vol. I II , p . 15'8 .

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1709 .

£yr one Navigatio n .

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House of Com~ons Journal, Vol . II, p. 529 .

A petition to the House of Com~ons had been drawn up

by Thomas Knox in 1709 to mak e a cut between Knockbridge

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and Fathom in Co . Down

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CANAL .

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Newry

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Castle has the honour of h aving designed the first stone lock in Ireland, t h at on t i1 e His only lit erary p roduction was Newry canal. an "Essay towards supplying the City of Dublin H e married 1 in with wate r , " published inl736 . a Lisburn lady, bu-c by 1733 , hiss Anne Truphet He resided her, 1vho died in 174-4 , had no issue. 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 even i ng of t h e 19th i1e i1ad r etired to Fe~ruaryi 1751.. After dinner write a etter 'GO the car p eni;er emp loyed at Leinster House , and a pp arently was s eized ,.Ji th a fit , as i1e was subsequently found dead in his He was about sixty y ea rs of age, and :1ad chair . long suffered from gout , th e resu lt of inte-.:perance . Castle was laid to rest in Maynooth Church, but no stone marks the spot .

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

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Newriensis , pp . 180- 182 .

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In the l atter part of 1729, or the beginning of the following yea r , the question o~ formin g a . cana l from Lough Neagh 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 gnised . Finally , in 1730 an Act authorisina its execution, passed through Parliamen f . The subject of inland navigation engrossed at this time a great deal of public attention· ' and of the numerous pr ojec t s unde r considerat io n , not one was r ega r ded as of more consequenc e than the Newry Cana l. The advantages cont~mJ?la t ed from its for mat ion were two- fold - first , ~o. affor d. fa c i~i ties for the introductio n of foreign com11odities ini;o the interio r , and secondly , to convey coa ls frotn the Tyrone collieries s t o Newry , and thenc e by sea 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 extinguishe d , and in its pl a ce we have an extens i ve import trade of the same comruod ity .

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The construc t ion of the Canal was push ed on without much 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, Tandr agee and Gilfo r d , unt il nea r Portadown it joins the Upper Bann , which continues the navigation to Lough Neagh . At liewry , the Canal opened into the river opposite the old Custom Hous e . It wa s ope ned for t r affic in 1 741. I n the opinion of the writer, it was probably 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 channel , and forming the land thus reclaimed into the now f r ui 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 ch , in March , 1 741 , pr oceede d to Dublin with a cargo of coals . The formation of the c anal appears t o ha ve giv en a great impetus to the pr ogress of the town . Unmis t akeable s i gns of improvement present tnemselves on all sides . Fr om 1730 do,m l eases in pe r petuity (or rather of the by ol d perpetual l y r enewable t enur e) began t o be libe r ally granted six The old Ballybot Bridge (which t hen consisted of Mr . Nedham . ar ches) was soon found insuffi cient for the p~blic accommodat ion , and a second one was a cco r dingly e r e cted . This was Sugar Island Br idge . I t was at first called Mur phy ' s Br i dge, and contained t hten e ar ches . Sho r tly aft er wa r ds a t hi rd br idge was construct ed on sit e of t he p resent Dublin Bri dge .

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1729 .

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Sun?ay evening last arr ived here the Cope of Lough Neagh, simple , master, with 50 tons of Irish coals from Newry, being the first shi n laden there since the new • canal was finished .

The coal s a re said t o be as good as any br ough t from England and they will come much cheape r, will not onl y reli eve t he consume r, but will also save vast sums of money annually carried out of the kingdom for that commodity .

On he r corning int o t he harbour her guns we r e fired thereby givin g joyful notic e to t he inhabitants of this ci ty of our own kingdom ' s pr oduce i n her .

Harris in his County Down ( p . 118 ), published 1744, records "Two small vessels, t he Boult er and t he Cope , passed t hrough Newry and so to Dublin loaded with coals , Ma rch 1741.

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Robert Cope, M. P . for County Armagh. friend of Swift . Died 1753 .

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Hugh Boulter, Archbish op of Armagh , 1724 - 42 .

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Dublin Evening Gaze tte, Ma rch 27-30, 1741 .

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1741.

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1744 .

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

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Fifteen l ocks of di ffere nt denominati ons a re already fixed, and the bes t par t of the :u compleat ly finished , the whole extent taking up about 14 Irish miles from the lowest lock southward 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 prett y equal c ourse between the two counties of Armagh and Down ; but t he gr ea te st pa rt of it seems to pa ss thr ou h the latter.

In cutting a new channel for c a rrying_on this wo r k, south of the pl 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 cove r ing of ea rt h in some pla ces six in otners eighc 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 Discoveries of this kind are very f requent in Ireland , siti n ~~d th~r~ a r e few bogs in it, but what afford_plenty oE_ va ri ous so rts of ti:nber burie d in them. deeper or shallower in propo r,,ion as the loose and spungy earth lies so; For all such that 1-1e have observed

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When great 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 bordering on Lough Neagh , it was a natural Benefit thought very w?rt~y of J?Ublick regard : and a ccordingly a plan was laid for br inging this coal by sea to Dublin, whe re the consumption of that sort of fuel is computed to cost £70 , 000 per annum . The most_probable method of effecting th i s was concluded to be by cutting a cnannel through the intermediate gr ounds between the rive r of Newry and t he great lake above named; whi ch will effectually answe r not only for the coal trade , but fo r all other busi ness that inland Naviga tio n c an promote through the greatest part of the No rth. This noble undertaki ng was ca rried on by Parli amentary 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 dr ai 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 ~ Cards and Dice, and manufa ctu r ed Gold and Silver Plate imported into or made in this Kingdom ; the Commissioners impowered to execute it began the Canal in 1 730 , and through many inter ruptions carried it on in this county beond Ho nallan, which is almost the extre:ne N. W. bounds of it, near two miles northward of Gilford .

Newr y Canal .

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

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· , ,.,. 1· th or Gravel , It ,..1ou ld b e vain Body . of. Harle lie t ' Clav• vulga t e on lain here . a r OJ?lnion , o suppose, that these trees have : hath since tne universa l deluge; for th ough the Soil of a turf bog intire been ~emarked for a wonderfu l quality of preservi ng bodies with ated incorpor ~any years, by means of t h e bitumen or sulohur of i~; yet it c':1nnot be well imagined , that the porous texture ly found timber _especia l~y of birch and alder, which are frequent so buried , coulo remain solid and intire a s it often haooens . -if t;ees after a period of between four and five thousand yearslie in one thu~ ~ound were felled by the deluge , they would all aonears · position i whereas the instance before us the contrary ax on Eiem , ~r none of them would be found with the mark of the therefor e seek We must in part burned, as is often the case , and they for mo re solid causes of these subterran eous woods ,; which is the industry seem to be more than one . First , want of J cause of bogs; for i f a great access of water eithery, fro springs inwardly , or from rivers or streams outwardl abebogby laziness or negligen ce stopped , this naturall y causes done in being by softenin g and loosenin g the earth; and that trees are left course of time to the depth of the roots, the this is subject to be overturn ed by the violence of storms ; andadhering t he case where trees are found in bogs with the rootsmust by their Trees thus falling upon the soft surface to them . and this own gravit y necessa rily make a bed in the yieldingthesoil; springs and again causes a further stoppag e in the course of earth st re ams , and cons equently increase s and swells the loose . Add to by a yea r ly accessio n of scruff, moss , gr ass andy weeds d by dissolve graduall this cause, that the higher lands being course of re peated rains, and washed do1-m by floods, in a long time cover the lower gr ounds wi t h many layers of ea rth; ofal which t he Write rs (Plot ' s Stafford shire, Ch . 3 , p , 113) uponin Natur . Hist ory have furnishe d us wit h several undeni able, or stances This then being ea rt h to the depth of eight, tentime a twelve r riving i n feet . Secondly , various colonies from time to not unnatura l this forme rly uncultiv ated and woody island, it is in making r oom to im ag ine that their fi rst industry was employed for rest s , for tillag~ and pasture by clearing the ground of great pract ic e which we r e then an incumbra nce to the country; And this times appears f rom many in stance s in t he hi stories of the early to plains ar e of this kingdom the names of which f orrests reduc e d pa burned , t. r in trees find ye t p re se rve d , 'Thu s , where in bogs we l l im ag ine and others with the marks of t he axon them , we may we of some of t hese c i rcumstan ces to have happened f rom the labours work , were those colonies who being oblig ed t o fight as wellfr as places he t om driven often re pe lled ' by th e invaded natives, and

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Newry Canal

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whe r e they intended to make the ir settlements ; and trees being thus left fe l led and scattered over the face of the plai n might have caused the stoppage of water before mentioned and consequently in t i me have created a deep bog coveri 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 Reli 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 nobleman is to be seen in the mi dst of it .

On each side of To p r o c e ed wi th the course of the canal . i t i n sever a l pl a c es a re back waters, brooks or loughs , which may be eithe r admi tted i nto or excluded from it , as occasion requi r es . The l ocks are 15 f eet 6 i nches wide , and 44 fee t long , except thr ee, wh i ch va r y a li tt l e f r om these dimensions ; but they ar e of an unequa l depth , acco r ding to the situation of the ground , some being 1 2 , and othe r s 13 feet and a half de ep .

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Betwe en Point z • s Pass and Teryhogan a rivul et f r om a bog f all s into the canal , call ed in Irish Ellen-Money , or the wonde r fu l bog , f r om the nature of its cur rent , that i m~ediat ely on i ts ri sing sepa r ates i nto two branch es , whi ch take a no r therly and sout he r ly cour se; one branch running towards Lough - Neagh , and t he Betwe en these pl aces lies the highest other towa r ds Newry . gr ound of t he who l e c anal ; where by means of two l ocks t he wat er is f orc i bly retained on a l evel for nea r t hr ee miles . We r e it not fo r t h is c ontri vanc e , as the course of the wat e r s i ncline no rth and south , the i ntermediat e space would be l eft dr y . Lough Sha r k , Lough- Dian , and Lough- Br i ckl an li e east of th: canal almost opposite to Ac t on , the two forme r near the banks of i t , and t he l atter al mo st t wo miles di stant fr om th e othe r s . I t i s sa i d t he r e is a subt e r r aneous communi cation between the th r ee lakes, by whi ch means the water of them all may be applied to feed the canal ; at l east the wat e r of Lough- Shar k is int ended t o be br ought into it by a t r unk or ot her pr ope r conve yanc eA the cana~ running nigh the edge of it . This lake cove r s about bO plantation acres , and is th r ee fa t hom deep and at the dries t season can emit a soli d foo t of wate r . Lough - Di an is of some t hing a small er si ze; but Lough - Bric klan e xceeds t he fi rst, a s cove r ing t en a cres mo re .

The Canal i s ca rried on t hr ough va r i ous soil s , such as gr avel , bl ew clay bog and in some pl aces ma r le . At Tr uman ' s lock , whic h is t he reJ10te st l ock no rt hwa r d , i t is 42 f ee t br oad , in oth er

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Ne,Ty Canal

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places som:1thing les s . The who le course of i t is extreme lysituated pl easan! either to ride or walk on , some pa rt of it being woods d by among f~ne l awhs, and ?ther inter spersed and enlivene many and variety of plantati ons , among circli ng hills , which ofform Gilford , natur al and be autiful terrasse s . From Monallen , north able t o Tuscan Pass about t hr ee miles from Newry several agree scatterprospe ct s of wood and water pre sent t hemse lves with some ttle li he t and , village; ing houses, pretty i mp r ovements , small Tuscan town of Act on , south of George • s isla nd , in full view . From there Pa ss to N:wr y it is not pleasing to t he eye , th e country the soli d broad abouts being more open, naked, and unimo roved· yet he re make banks to take the ai r on , and the exuber ance bf r water , beautie; al natu r he ot of ce som e comp ensation for t he absen

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r d of The River Cu sher falls into the canal a lit tle northwa a consider able Knock- bridg e, nea r Trum an ' s Lock , and brings with it up the choak and r incu,abe quantity of sand , which in time may much a new cut navi gation between that and Port adown; t o r emedy which d of the said is intended to be dr awn throu gh a re d bog northwar streams empty loc k . From the Cusher River to Newry s everal smallnorthwar of the themse lves int o t he Canal , wh ich at some dis t ance in one dpl a ce, town is dr awn into Newry River for about 400 ya r ds to forsake this and 140 in another . When it was th ought ne cessary a sufficie nt river they secured it by wears, in order to retain are fixed in quantity of water t o supp ly the cana l. These wears gan to wo oden fr am es, and mad e oppo site to th e pl a ce where theytwobe cut the canal again; and t he se two pl a ce s are t heto only the canal. From observab l e ones where the Newry water is us eful thence the a rti f icial locks are carr ied until you pass t he bridge of t he to,m . The lock s are faced with a hard gritty stone conveyed byBlackt he river water fr om Benburb, i n the county of Armagh, down and from water to Lough - Neagh , and so t hrough a pa rt of that lake, bo ar ded at t he all are t hence by Portadown int o t he canal . They next to bottom with deal planks two inches t hi ck . Some of them nch; and the rest Newry are already pitched to render them stasea south of the bri dg e intended to be so done . The lock next t he out the ti de as of Ne wry is c ontrived either t o receive or shut Bri , op posite occasion may required . That next to Madenebo ny yar dge ds , and takes _ to Gilford has a level to fill up of a hundred the cill over near 28 mi ~utes to fill it so as to bring the vessel f ill, and take s of the flood - gate . The ne~t h~s about 18 ya r ds toabout twelve of nine minutes to do it . The third has a level of these ya rds to fill, which is compasse d in seven minutes . Each of locks r ais es t he boat s about two feet above the natural level the cana l as it lies below t he lock .

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Newry Canal ( cont I d) .

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a In many places the canal is carried in a direct line forsmall consider able space; in others it forms several angle s . itTwoto Newry vessels called the Boulter and the Cope passed through named and so to Dublin l oaded with coals i n !,,a rch 1741. The latter Amor of these vessels has this motto painted on the stern , Vincet Pa tri£13 . n of thi s The benefit arising to the kingdom from the executio will be scheme will be very consider able , as a thorough trade of carried on by inland navigati on between Dublin and the counties and Armagh , D01-m , Antrim , and Tirone, for all kinds of goods r parts on the manufa ctures; besides that Dubli n and all othewitn firing at a very eastern and southern coas ts will be supplied from the colliereasy rate; while other parts can be easily served purpose has been ies at Ballyca stle , where a safe ha rbour for this save a made with sururizi ng expediti on . Both these collieri es ,,illa r ticle sin~~e prodigio us sum of money yearly to the nati?n inis t~e be to intendea of firing . And this inland navigati on ( which parts of carried on through the Shannon and other rivers in other e d solely by execut is act) same the the kingdom by the benefit of who are a tax unon luxur y · the duties being only pa id by the rich, the nation well abie to spa r ~ them , which again circulat es through numbe r s great s, f r om the hands of the artifice rs and poor labourer . One adva?tag e of whom are employed in undertak ings of this n~ture co pass over, wlnch more from this inland navigati on we ought not are cut for this end is, that by the broad and deep channels w!1ich

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

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Several breaches have been made in the Canal by the winterand are re paired; floods, where the soil is loose or boggy, which with lime and the workmen have been ob:j.i ged to face t he banks s. stone , or sods, the better to fortify them against such accident

J 6.

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171t4 .

Newr ? Canal (cont ' d) .

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throut;h t he mo i st and loH grounds , gr ea t quant ities of land will be hereby effectually recl aimed and recovered to t he nation ; t he benefit of uhi ch would otherwise be lost . Add t o t hese benefit s t he fixed and re a sonable pr ice, whi ch fo rei gn coals have been at in the uinter sea so n, since this scheme has had a prospect of_ succes s , th ough small quantities only have been yet i ~po rted into Dublin by this new conveyance .

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1748-1767 .

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The Canal appea r s to have been a constant source of outlay t '? the nation . Large sums were frequently applied for, and liberally gr 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 great advanta~es expected in keeping up the navigation was t o have coals sold in Dublin at 12s , 6d . per ton .

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The Parliamentar y Journals are filled with notices of Pe titio ns, Ap pointments of Committees, Reports , &c ., on this subject , whi ch the writer may be well spa red from infli cting on his readers . However , some statistics a re incidentally given which t h row considerable light on the nature and extent of the trade of Ne wry . It is stated that 60 tons of oatmeal, and lar ge quantities of flour and other provisions , were conveyed weekly from Newry to Lough Neagh . 12,000 tons of merchandise annually passed through the Navigation, not inc luding immense quantities of linen clo~h, Tyrone coal, limestone, and other products 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 cargoes 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? cont ~ining 1 28 ,133 pi~ces of linen cloth, which , valued at the medium price of 50s . per piece, amount ed to upwa rds of £300,000 .

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_Shortly after the assembling of Parliament a Committee was ~~point ed by the House of Commo ns to inquire how the sum of ~ ,~oo , _granted to Mr . Nedham in the session of 1755 , for the Naviga tion, had been expended . The Com mittee reported that the money had been properly app~ied, and, moreove r, that Hr. Nedham had spent £616 6s , 5d . of his o,m rn the executi on of the works . A motion to reimburse him this sum was brough t forward but was negatived on a division , so Mr . Nedham must have b;en at the loss himself .

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Newriensis, pp .187-188 .

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1755 .

will be necessary

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£4 , ooo

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. lso r esolved that the sum of to co~plete the above .

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 .

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lfowr y C;;;nal :

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:louse of Commons Journal, Vol. L C, p . 376 . (6 Novembe r, 1755 ) .

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1751.

25 Geo r ge II, Chap . X.

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Whe re a s a c ana l ha t h in gre at par t been mad e, and is now carr yi ng on, in and thr ough seve r al parts of_ t he counties of Down, Armagh and Ty r one and seve r al 1 disputes are de pending and unse ttled be twee n the commi ssi one rs or may arise between t he corpo r at i on hereby created and the pr op rietors of lands t hr oug h wh ich t he c anal hath already been made or may here after be made, etc .

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1755 .

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

Newry Canal :

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

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(Ordered that a Committee meet t o exami ne the petition) .

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Newriensis , p . 183 .

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1755 .

11.

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Par liament kept a very watchful eye on the navigation, but notwithstanding thi s it became obstructed by accumulations of mud and sand in the river . In November , 1755, the me rc hants of the town presented a petition, in which they comp l a ined t hat they we re greatly delayed and distressed in their trade by the sha llO\mess , narrowness, and crookedness of the channel of the river for about two mi l es below the quay, which seemed to the m to grow shallowe r every year , so that no vessels of twenty tons burthen except lighte rs could come safely to the quay .

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The Hous e of Commons immediately appointed a Committee to conside r this petition , which , after a short interval , reported that the petitioners had fully prov ed their allegations , and that it would be gr eatly to the public advantage to ma ke the river navigable from the end of the canal and the Custom- house quay, fo r wh ich pur pose the sum of £4 , 000 would be necessary .

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1755 .

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£1 , 000 to Robe rt Needham , Esq . towards making the riv er of Newry navigable f rom t he end of the new canal to the and the cus tom house quay to the sea .

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29 Geo r ge II, Chap . 2.

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1756 .

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Wesley ' s Journ al .

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Journey from Newry to Belfast .

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In the mo rning 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 canal with f r uitful gently rising hills on either side.

Wednesday , July 21, 1756 ,

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1758 .

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Wesley Journal .

I rode to Newry .

Monday , 8 May.

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We r ode by the side of the Tuesday, 9 May , 1758 . c ana l, through a pleasant vale to Terryhugan .

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1759.

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Journal of the House of Commons, Gao. II, p.243.

(Vol. XI).

December 5.

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Total payments

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Mr. Mitchell's accountable receipt to Mr. Waring Mr. Waring's draught on Mr. Mitchell April 25. to Mr. Golborne ~26" 0 1 16 To ditto on ditto to ditto June 18. 270 1 ditto to ditto on ditto To July 9. 54 3 To ditto on ditto to ditto 1~. 54 3 To ditto on ditto to ditto l • 0 360 ditto to To ditto on ditto August 4. 132 To ditto on ditto to ditto 21. 108 September 8. To ditto on ditto to ditto 108 6 18. To ditto on ditto to ditto 11 103 24. To ditto on ditto to ditto •• l08 6 October 16. To ditto on ditto to ditto

Payments made to Mr . Golborne on account.

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Mr. Mitchell received three thousand eight hundred and eighty pounds, one hundred and twenty pounds being deducted at the Treasury for fees. Mr. John Golborne, the engineer from Chester, came over, and went immediately to work.

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

February.

April 25.

1759.

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 navigation.

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

1758.

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Anf Atcchompt of th e Four thousand pounds granted by Parliament e use of the Navigation at Newry. or

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1759,

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Mr, Samuel Heatly laid before your Committee , a paper entitled, an account of the four thousand pounds, granted by it parliamen t for the use of the navigatio n at Newry; by which 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 navigatio n, That Mr, Waring sent the same to Mr. Henry Mitchell, who received And it appeared by said account, said sum from the treasury, hundred and that several sums to the amount of one thousand eight been by forty one pounds eleven shillings and one penny, had that paid a Mr. Mitchell to the orders of said John Golborne, and shillings ballance of two thousand and thirty eight pounds eight and Company, and eleven-pe nce, now remains in the bank of Mitchell more As by said paper hereunto annexed, and marked (No.l) may fully appear. And Mr. Samuel Heatly being examined, touching said paper, declared, he believed the several particula rs therein mentioned were true. Your Committee was informed, that the said John Golborne not and James Golborne his brother, resided in England, and could been made get any informati on concernin g the progress which hadtherein, in the said work from any person that was concerned curiosityBut , Mr. Thomas Omer being examined, said, he went out of

(Vol. XI).

Your Committee first enquired into the applicati on of the sum of four thousand pounds granted by Parliamen t to Robert Nedham, Esq; towards making the river of Newry na~igable from the end of the new canal and the custom-ho use quay to th~ sea· and your Committee find that the said Robert Nedham Robert ' h of Parkinson , and Bernard Ward, Esquires, on the fourt~ent February, one thousand seven hundred and fifty six, acknowled ged principal a recogniza nce in his Majesty's Court of Exchequer the four in a sum of eight -thousand pounds, and the security in and thousand pounds each, condition ed to perform the said work, to account. Your Committee find, that indented articlesthewere one executed in England, between the said Robert Nedham of part, and John Golborne of Chester, engineer of the other, bearing date the fifth of December one thousand seven hundredtion and fifty eight, whereby the said John Golborne, in considera him by of the sum of four thousand pounds, agreed to be paid totherein the said Robert Ned.ham, at the times and in the manner of March mentioned , covenante d, within two years, from the first works ensuing the date of said indenture , to execute the severala Plan therein mentioned , upon the river of Newry, according to thereunto annexed.

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Journal of the House of Commons, Geo. II, pp,221-22 2, Newry Canal:

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1759.

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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.

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Journal of the House of Commons -

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1758.

Newry Canal1

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petition 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 the 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 do thereon as to the House shall seem meet.

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

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Newriensis, pp . 185- 186 .

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The plan adopted for comp l eting the Navigation was to length en t '.1e Cana l from t he Custom Hou se quay on to Fa t hom , a dis tan ce of t wo miles . This addition was comp leted in 1761. Since that time t he a ccumulation of mud in t he river ha s gone on steadily , ren de r ing it an exceed ing ly disagreeable obje ct at lo w water .

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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 .

Ibid , p . 893 .

(17 April, 1762) .

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

Newry C::inal :

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House of Comnons Journal, Vol. JCII , p . 893 ,

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From Brownlow Acc ount Book which carries a sec ond entry unde r date May 13 , 1765 - received f r om Naviga ti on Boar d £503 , 7 . 9½ for Port adown Bridge .

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December 10, 1763 . Lodged a Tillage Warrant for £600 with Mr . Clements for whi ch he gave me an a cc ountable r e ceipt, the money to be applied i n aid of Portado,m Bri dg e by order of the Navi ga ti on Board . Mr . Myers di rector of the above said work £300 to r eimburse hi!Il fo r money expended .

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1763 .

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3 2._

1771.

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£8 ,000 to navigation boa r d to be by them exp ended i n making a commu nication f rom Dromglass Colliery in the County of Tyrone to the head of t h e Newry navi gation , commonl y called t he bason .

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11 Geor ge III, Chap .

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17 71- 177c. .

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

Newry Canal :

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11 and le. George III , C. l .

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1776- 1778 .

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Newry River £9,000 . Dromglas Colliery and Na vi gation £112 , 218 . Lagan Rive r £40,304 .

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An account of money gr anted for publ ic wo r ks bv Parliament, or the Nav i gation Board from 1753 to l7b7 inclusive . (Common s J ournal, Vol. XIV, p . 485) .

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

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1778 .

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In the year 1778 a proposition to utilize convict labour on the public works was before the Legislature . A petition was presented by some of the merchants and traders of Newry, pr aying that if the scheme were carried into effect part of the convicts mi ght be employed on the canal , which stood in need of improvement . A week after a counter petition was presented, 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 insurre 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 di strict sha re d in the dissatisfied and disturbed state of feeling which pr evailed throughout Ireland during the le gislat ive and commercial disputes with England .

Newriensis, pp . 193- 194 .

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?;ewriensis , p . 195 .

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1787 .

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_O n the 1st February, 1787, a pet ition was pr esented to Pa rli ament f rom the merchants, traders, and inhabitants of Newr y , winch shows that the ideas of the people were be coming expanded by prosperity , and that they were not content to follow alto gether in the footsteps of their fat hers . The matters co:nplained of in the petition were numerous . Amongst the m were the want of proper r e gulations for cars and cart s , for coa l measu rers an d coal porters, in t he mar ket f or bread , meat, and ot her articles, for keeping the streets cl ear and f ree froffi r ubblish and obstructions , and preventing swine fro m e; oi ng at large, and also the excessive price of coal sold i n small ouantities to the poor . Host of t hese inconvenience s ar ose f r om the want of Eunicipal Government, the benefits of which the town had not enjoyed since the destruction of the J acobite Cor po r ation . Some of the functions usually belonging to Town Co un cils were exercised by the Parochial Vestry and Ma nor Court, but i n an i mperfe ct and inefficient manne r .

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1788 .

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The Complete Irish Traveller , Vol . II, pp . 192-193 , pub . 1788 in London .

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We now hastened to Newr y from wh ence t he canal passes northward s about fourteen miles when it joi ns t he River Bann not far from Lurgan in the county of Armagh . It was be gun in 1730 and finished in 1741 .

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(Rema ins of a for e st found in cutting the cha nnel south of t he pl ace whe re t he river Cushe r falls in at Stramore ne ar Moyallen) . Betwe en Poyntzpas s and Terryhoog an a rivule t from a bog falls into the canal , called in Irish Ellemoney or the wonde r ful bog , from t he nature of its current, one branchthe Between t hese ol aces lie r unning towards Lough Neagh . highest gr ound of the whole cana l , whe re by the means ofof two locks the water is forcibly retained for a l evel 3 miles; were it not for this contrivan ce as the course ceof t he waters incline north and south the intermedi a te spa would be left dr y .

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In many places it is carr i ed in a di rect line fo r a considera ble spa ce : in others it forms several angles . It t alces a pretty equa l course between the counties of Armagh and Down, but t he great e st pa rt of it seems to pa ss thr ough the latter .

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1793,

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33 Geor ge III , Chap . 10 .

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An a ct for confirmi ng , ame nding and enlargin g the powe r s ve sted i n the Corpora tion for prom otin: and ca rryi ng on t he Newry Navigat ion . -

Newry Navigati on:

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1800 .

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In this t he l as t Session of the Iris'.l Parli ament two Acts we re pa s sed having refer enc e to our town . The first dissolve d t he Local Commissione rs for the 1-.anagement of the Navi ga tion , and tra nsferred 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: much neglected . Twenty - one were necessary to form a board , and th is number it was found ve r y diffi cult to ass embl e .

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Newri en sis , p . 200 .

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1804.

The obs tru cti ons , which were e bcounte 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 casion t he adoption of the o r esent navigation; fo r, ori gi nally, this river could not bea r boats, but of wry smal l burthen, and only at high wate r, as the tide flowed up to the town . The wor k was considered to be a national benefi t, if extended to Lough - Nea gh , and t here to admit the boa ts f r om the Tyrone collieries, and that t he coal, brought f r om t henc e to Ne wry, could be dispat ched coastways to many par ts of Ireland , whi ch would keep at home the i mmensity of spec i e paid for fo rei gn coals .

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The work was entirely comple ted by pa r liamenta ry gr ants , and pla ced under th e cont roul of a Boa r d , but there ha s lat el y been made a con side r able chang e in its form and government . The ori ginal board cons isted of t we nt y- one members, and nothing could be determi ned without t he ir consent . The noblemen of the counties of Arma gh , Tyrone, and Down, and the coun ty re presentative s had each a vote, but t he conseque nce was, tha t t he business wa s greatly neglected, as they found it diff icult to bring so many gentlemen together , a s would make a boa r d ; if casual repairs were required , th ey of course could not be amended, and the navi r ati on was for long periods i mp eded, and re ndere d so 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 counties bordering 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 this t01m of many branches of her tr ad e .

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If in consequence of the neglect of a necessary expenditure of money, for long periods , the works we re gr ea tly injure d , yet the small tolls , which were yielded in pa rticular pl aces , that still rema ined navigable , were husbanded with gre a t ca re and management by the Rev . Doctor Campbell, of Newry, who wa s secretary to t he board, and t he savings amounte d to no less than £5 , 000 in hand , whe n_ that gentleman lately r esigned .

Since t h e new establishmen t has been adopted , this sum , t ogether with a l a r ge gr ant from the gene r al navi gation board , has been expended in some material repai r s and improvement s .

The board of t wenty - one is now abo l ished , and the ma na gement of all affairs , rela t ing to the canal , is vest ed in conductors , who must be resident merchants in Newry , and na tur ally a re interested in the prosperity of the trade of the to,m; f ive of t hes e constit ute a boa r d , they recommen d wh at they think necessa r y to be done , and communi cate their opinions to t he gene r al

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

Newr y Canal :

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(cont' d) .

survey of County Armagh, pp , 106-111.

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Coote's Statistical

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l o04 ,

navi ga tion board, who order them t 0 b e adopted or rejected at their discretion .

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

The na vi ga tion is now greatly i mp roved from the town t o the sea, but the n ew locks, which have 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 come up which now unlade at Warren po int, six miles from Newr y ; lighters take in t he ir cargoes, and enter the can al at Fat hom .

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

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For two years past, the works have been under a general re pair ' and the line is now well supplie d with water . The Cu shier river ~ill imme diate 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 ; Lough brickland and Lough - shark waters already sup ply it .

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The whole length 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 ,

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Its advantages are common to the whol 7 line of country, west - _ w_a rd in Armagh, and eastward in Down; running for the greate: way in tnat v alley which constitu tes the bounds of those two counties ; in respec t of the several towns and villages on its bank~ , we will he re after shew , how they a re pa rticul arly benefited, in the 13th chap . and 5th section .

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

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1804 .

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Formerly , the making of c anals was only considered adviseable , in propor tion to t he trade, which, it was calculate 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 canals have no t only a ssi st e d trade, but cr eated new br anches of comme rce, as well as ill aterially improved agricu l ture . The prosp erous 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 canal , has al ready exceeded the most sanguine expectations, and this success should create an emulati on amongst the gentry in this pro,,ince, to f orward ,-,orks of such great i mp ortance to the natives in general , and particularly so to their own private interests .

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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 them liable to incalculable expence : how many such navigations are there, at present, in Irel and , on which thousands have been expended to no good pur pose , and whose defects cannot be r emedied, but by abandoning the bed of the river, and adopting a new line? A partial selection of river beds , in favou rable situat i ons , such as are not subject to floo ds , is sometimes very adviseable, but whe re the ri ver is liable to r apid torrents, a navigation should neve r be though t of .

(cont ' d) .

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

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1804 .

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The gre at advantage of this canal is the constant sup ply of sea- coal brought from Newry , at 4s . 8d . pe r ton f rei ght . The nu:ner ous bleach- mills i n this vicinity could not be supplied with turf, this fuel is so scarce in t his district . From Tanderagee to Guilford t here is the closest neighbourhoo d of opulent linen :ner chants ; and , for a great extent indee d, almost the whole of the country is a conti nuation of demesnes and beautiful i mp roveme nts; many of these are held by the respectable society of Quakers , and their esta blishments in the li nen trade are the most considerable in this count r y . A manufactory has been erecte d here for vitriol which is indispensable in t he ble a ching process , and is the joinf property of several me rchants, who have a large capital sunk in this concern , from which a sufficiency of vitriol is made, equal to their demand ,

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

Coote ' s Statistical Survey of County Armagh , p . 358 .

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1808 .

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Post Chaise Companio n, 3rd Edition , p . 19 .

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Two miles from Newry is Fat hom, t he seat of lr . Ogle . The canal begins t here which goes t hroug h Newry to Lough Neagh .

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1815 .

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exemptions .

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whilst we have been engag ed in speaking of these various local erections, a work was being inaugurated at soDJe cistance which was to have co nside r able influence for "Ood or ill on the co~merce of Newry . This was t he cutting of a channel through the bar at t he entrance of Cariingford Bay . A provisional or der for this nurnose had been obt ained from 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 consist i ng of twelve gentlemen, four of whom were nominated in the Or der, two were appointed by t he Ilewry Town Commi ssioners, t1-10 by the Newry Navigation Company, two by the Dundalk and Green ore Railway Company , 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 are authorised t o cha r ge tolls on vessels entering the Lough, subject to cert ain conoi ti on s and

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Newriensis , p . 243 .

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1815 .

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, Alt~o~gh I am ne it~e r a l?rofessed , nor a practical engineer ents ye~ I t~i?K a calm and impartial account of sev e ra l imorovem easing whic,h mignt be made on this intended cut, will not . be di sol · to tne engineer , nor to any other pe rson concerned Observe first , according to Hr . Owen ' s survey, who is oerfect r of the master of _the _use of the spirit - level, an d is chief directo of Lagan navigatio n, t he elevation of Lough Neagh above t he levelLa~an tne sea , is 41 feet nine inches; and the su.~mit level ofthethesea~ canal above Lough Neagh is 72 feet, consequen t ly above 114 feet .

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Secondly , by repeated accurate obser vations, it ap,-ears thatof the floor of the Armagh observato ry is 205 feet above the level . Ther et he sea, and 95 above the lower end of t he comm on of Ar magh fe et above fore it appears that the lower end of this common is 110 of the level the l ev el of the sea , 4 feet lo wer than the summit of running Lagan naviga ti on . Does not this suggest the propriety ke eping 72 a canal f r om the summit level of t he Lagan navig ation, , fee t abo ve t he surfa ce of Lough Neagh , through this com~on to Tynan in whe r e i t may ente r th e intended Erne navigatio n, and continue by , it by Gla s sl ough and Monaghan to Smithsbo r ough ; from thence n prese rvi ng , if possi ble , the summit level of the Ernewhi?avigatio ch , or til l i t ente rs the r i ver Erne , near Belturbet ; from may f r om any othe r ua rt of t he naviga t ion more ·convenien t , a brancheed to proc be cut wit h six locks , to Lough Erne ; and the mai n might s lake he the lakes nea r Ki lle shand r a , wh ich ar e connected with t n ng i point navi~atio t near Cavan , Coo t hill , and Ballybay ; the gr ea t owa r ds t he Royal cana l. Such can als would establish a cor r esponden ce with t he di fferent pa r ts of the provinc e , and open a communica ti on with Dubli n and the wes t . The county of Lei t rim being but about two miles f r om _Kii.ll e- i. ng a escend shandr a and cros si ng the Newry canal by an aque duct, or but the into i t 'by locks woul d be a t tended with some exoensewould , by thi s cost of a br an ch ' f r om the pro j ec te d canal to Armagh scheme , be sa ved .

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n, and having seen , in th:o~~l~! s~p; culaLti otnts upon inla~d navigatio . ews - e er, t '1e engineer ' s oublicati on of a -:by an intended Erne, Loughwith p r op~ ~eg . Juncti on of Lough Neagh cana · is benevole~ ce_and ge~erosit y in subnittin g an a cc ount of implies a wish that his schemes h~~' ~abbour _s : 0 J?Ubllc. inspectio n, and reviewed . m_onc e i.npartia lly investiga ted

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Newry 1-1agazine , Vol. 1, pp . 4 10 _413 _

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

A gre at benefi~ he mentions , is the facility of tr ansporting coals of a l a tely di scovered coal - pit, to different c ounties f or house use? and for burning lime . rte says, "I had the pleasu~e to le a r n dur ing my su rvey, that there has been l ately discovered an excellent and extensive vein of bituminous coals . nine feet in t~ic kness , convenient to the northern shore of Lough Nea h , which might be conveyed to t he towns mentioned , not only excellent for house use , but for bu r ning lime " .

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When the engineer made his surve y , he did not appr ehend that those coa ls would cost , at t he pit , £1 2s , per ton, whi ch I unde r stand is now the selling price at the pits; nor did he know the cost of land carriage from the pits to Lough Neagh , no r the frei ght on the canal , nor t he toll s of sixteen locks . Heither did he t hen know, that alth ough these coals are excellent for house use, they are too free f or burning lime with advantage . Culm, or blind coal , whi ch may be had f r om Newr y , ar e better, and pr eferred to Tyr one coals, for this pur pose . I am told those coals are now a little cheaper .

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Taking into considerati on the price at the pits, t he landc ar r i a" e the water - ca r r i age, and t he tolls of sixteen loc ks , these pits c;n~ot serve Belfast, nor Ar magh ,_ wh i~h is many feet h~gh er than the summit level of the Lagan navigation . Great bene fits will indeed r esult from th os e pits to t he inhabit ants of the shores of Lough Neagh; but very few to the purchasers of the coals , when bu r dened with the tolls of sixteen locks . T'ne same advantag es would r esult from as cending the Lagan navigation t o Armagh, &c .

A canal cut f r om the summit level of the Lagan navigation , _ to the lowe r end of the common of Ar magh , and from thence to fonaghan , &c . ( which I nam e the Armag h c a~al ), would be pro duc~ive of more advanta ges to Ulster , than any yec projec ted . The sav ings , by occupying t he canal_and loc ks of the Lagan nav~gation, woul d be very great· - in the firs t instance, te n locks, ir they descend by tne Lagan navigation ; six locks, if they descend by the Newry

Canal.

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t· The vess els from all th e t owns men ~oned beyo nd Armagh , woul d pa ss nea r Banb rid" Lisb urn, to Belf ast and to an~ an, Lrrg e'. . cend Newr y with out de s h; beca use, if r equir edy, Neag h Lou~ ~n ing_ t migh Newr a com~unic a tion betw een t he Ar magh and maae e Y eas~ t the tha so cana ls desce nd by the lat te r ' eith er t o vess e 1 s mi ght sea b ' N . h Neag h Loug to or , ewry Y rd cana l are very few . "Th e Boa T~; O?je c t ions to the Armagh eer t o as cert ain wheth er a engin r thei d re o~de ~e ha ion t of ~a vioa fo r med from any pa rt of the deep navi gabl e commu~ic ati on c ould be l-iona "ha n gh the coun ties of Cava n ter" . wat e r s of th e rive r Erne , tt hrou ckw1 Bla r rive the into fall o as Armagh, and Tyro ne , so mus t is dete r mine d that the cana l given If the Boar d of Navi ga ti on cut for the pr ese nt be must agh Ar. the ne, Tyro pa ss thr ough h Nea h to s s throu gh Tyro ne, from Loug up . I f the ~ana~ ;11ust pacut her , some othe r t i me . Clog by be t mign it , Erne h Loug eer of was t aken by a mili ta ry engin A ,51;1rver of this cour se terto , by Augh naclo y a aske Lisn to wn ckwa Bla grea t aoil ities , from Br ooks borou gh , the dista nce ' Aughe r, Clou gher , Fivem ileto wn and t ha t th e deot h of wate r i n el rmed info am I . es l bein g only 26 mi suff i cien t to floa t any vess is , akea Lisn r nea n t he drie st seaso l. cana the n i d gate navi be can that t he Armagh cana l woul d , by its The seco nd obje cti on is , that expe nse . The cour se from t the o t ci r cuito us cour s e, add gr eatly sho rter than by Benburb . I much is , gh Arma Belt ur bet by Tyna n to sbur n; but it would wind Li to gh Arma from s is inde e d circu itou ter . The libe ral Uls in ties coun le i t r fe throu gh the most emen t hr ough whose gentl and emen nobl the of ions subs cript d be cut, would fully coun te r actbe aut iful esta tes this cana l woul he voya ge would be amply remune r t his obje ction . The leng thby ofwhit ch it would pass . The prin cipa l at ed by the weal thy to wns occu rs, is i n pass i ng the Newr y. diff icul ty whic h at pres entscert aine d by actu al sur vey only a be an c navi gatio n , which he loc ks and aque duct s , i f any , The r eal addi tion al expe nse ofde ttermined . It is to be hop ed , inly cann ot by this view , be certa gatio n will t ake this impo rtant that t he Boar d of inl and navi or der an actu al surve y of the and , ation r ide subje ct into cons Armagh cana l . ~his f a cts, and ~h; magn itude of On rec onsi de r ing the abov er takin g , I thin K t he Bo ar d of inlan d unde gre at and usef ul natio nal y he t r a ca refu l su rvey of Havi "atio n will i mmed iatel ordethen dete rmine which sha ll tend diff ; r ent cour ses pr opos ed , and . most t o p r omo te natio nal inte rest

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I must suppo se that t he inte nded Erne navigation has been judiciousl y laid down in the eng ineer ' s map , and agreeably to the directions given; but I wish the vie w should extend from the summit level of the La gan navi ga tion to the royal canal ; and that the junction with Lough Erne and Cavan should be by branches from t he main , as they woul d be to Lough Neagh and !1ewr y .

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1815,

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1816 .

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The fuel is turf which is cut and saved in the months of July and August . Great quantities of this useful article are conveyed by the Rive r Bann , from t he extensiv e bogs in its nei ghbourhood, the bogs in this pa rish (Seagoe ) being t otally inadequate to t he supp lyi ng of the inha bitants .

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Shaw Jvi ason ' s St atistic al Survey, Vol. II, p. 525 .

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1818- 1819 ,

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o f Ar magh, p . 517 .

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Stuart ' s Histo ric al Eemoirs of the

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471,900 72,684 5,164 3 , 903 5, 255 9 , 937 1,939 16,180 1 , 050 68 262 246 238 31 940 52 174 22 69 360 150 840 72 295 960 125 4 , 607 210 2 ,010 750 6 , 032 6 , 828

s. d . £ . . 57,960 o o 361,301 10 0

.. Oats, 5796 tons at£10 per ton .. Butter, 103 ,229 fir kins at £3 . lOs. per Linen Cloth, 4 , 719 bales and boxes, at £100 pe r Flax ( 3890 bales at £18 per bale) ) (37 tons Tow, 908 Bale s, at £5 , 13s , 9d , per .• Hides, 3903 at £1 per Oatmeal, 292 tons, at £18 per ton Feathers, 265 bales, at £37 10s . per bale •• Pigs, 633 e t £3 per •• Cows, 161A , at £lb pe r •• per £15 at 70, Horses, Glue , 12 Hhds . at 5 Guineas per (788 Sacks at 6s . 8d . per sack Bran ( 37 tons, at £6 . 13 .4d . per ton (238 packages at £1 per Tanners ' Weste (21 t ons at £1 10s . per Potatoesi 470 tons , at £2 per . •• Flour, 2v bags , at £2 12s . pe r •. Soap, 29 boxes, at £6 per Bone Ashes, 11 hhds . at £2 per Hair , curled , 23 bales, at £3 per Ca l f Skins , 12 casks, at £30 pe r Calves Valves , 20 casks, at £7 10s . per Old Rags, 84 packages , at £10 pe r Apples, 145 casks, at lOs . per •• Hay , 59 tons, at £5 per ton Whiskey, 30 puncheons , at £32 per 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~, 1177 barreis 1 at £5 2s . od . per •• Bacon , 569 bales, at £12 • •

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From t he 1st of January, 1818 , till t he 24th of February, 1819 ,

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1819 .

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English coals are obtainable at Armagh from Newry and Irish coals from Annah one and Coal Island . It is hoped t ha t Lough Neagh and Lough Erne will soon be con necte d by a gr and canal , from whi ch a lateral branch mi ght extend to Gran e in the nei ghbour hood of Armagh . Fuel would then be obtainable from Newry at reasonabl e r ates and the export trade of that town would be completely opened t o the farmers of the country .

Stua rt ' s !emoir s of Arm agh City, p . 517 ,

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"In fine weather this mode of travelling 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.

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"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.

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"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, wedged 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 might 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.

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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 Knockbridge (near Portadown), which is taken from the "Newry Telegraph" of April, 1812:

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NEWRY CANAL ,

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Life was leisured and there was "time to stand The boat on the canal was and stare" in those days. 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, The was far off on the main roads from city to city. 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".

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

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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". Well, Portadown was little thought of by Why Newry? Its population in 1816 was those living outside it. Newry and Lurgan about 600· something like 120 houses. Even Tandragee, -which were the Meccas for the shopper. 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.

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"We sometimes amused ourselves by drawing the curtains so as to admit the light in through a small At this time if we fixed portion only of the window. our eyes on the boys or girls endeavouring to keep When pace with the boat, the effect was amusing. 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".

1819 .

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Newr y : Conv eyanc es by wate r - A few years ago a pa ssage boat was built by seve r al gentlemen to ply between Newry and Knockbr idge on the Newr y Canal. It leaves Newry ever y Tuesday , Thur sday and Satur day , and returns every Monday , Wedne sday and Friday .

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

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1830 ,

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Also conta ins (p . 79) a list of shipp ing belon ging to the Port of Newry . Gi ves names of vesse ls and names of baste r s .

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fa cCabe ' s Direc tory of Newry and Warre npoi nt . Newry Navig ati on Compa ny. Incor porat ed by Act of Parli amen t 19 June , 1829 , 10 Geo . 4. (List of Membe rs given ) .

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1831- 37 ,

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

3, 404

1835

101,514

3, 477

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3, 520 3, 505

102 , 333

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3, 054

102 , 770

1836

89 ,165

3, 029

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1834

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2, 414

1832

1833

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70 , 479

1831

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Newr y Navigati on (between Newry and Lough Neagh and Newry and the sea) for goods only .

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1834 .

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The export tr ade of Newr y is , next to oelfast t~e larrest The tonnaae inw~rds d rinr t .e l"st in the North of Ireland . The three year s , aver ag ed 60 , 000 , outwards ab,,ut 45 , 0uv . annual Custom r evenue i s about £130 , 000 . In t ll its exoorts t he t own is increasi n ; in the article of but er alone 80 000 cas k s a r e exoort ed yea r ly : and a on tn, chief 3rtic~es of'impo rt tra de I ~ay name flax seeds , of w·.ich not less 10, 000 tons, will hav e been received this year at the port of Newr y .

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Newry is a t own of cons i de r able trade and ·ncrea sing consequence: it s si tuati on is well adapted for comLerce : from Loch Ca rlingf or d , a ca nal communicates with the to,n; anct from J;ewry therefore t h e t own i s c arr ied up t o Lo ugh Neai:h . possesses immen se advantages as a pla ce of export , th w.:ate r communication t o Lough Neap,h t hrowir., onen the extensi ·,e c rn ut the c:.n:.l from di strict s wh ich li e t o the nor t h and west . Loch Carlingford t o t he town is not sufficie'lt for the tr o e : and it is intende d t o de eoen the river navi ation lelo w . ewr· so th at vessel s of 200 or · JOO tons bu r the ~a y co~e u to the to1m .

Newr y :

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I nglis' s Journey in Irela nd (4t h Edition) , pub . 1836 , p . 360 .

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1835 .

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During the summe r mo nt hs t he meadows al ong t he Bann covered with numbers of bl ack cat tle . The qua ys near t he ar e bri dge have a perc epti ble ai r of busi nes s , espe c al l y t ha t on t he Edenderr y side of t h e bri d e ... ... lhe r ver i s nar r ow above th e bri dg e, bu t wi dens out al mos t to t he s ze of a smal l lake below it .

Ordnance Survey Memoirs .

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1837 .

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6 (-

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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 or ves sels of 80 tons bur den, but f rom a bar at its mouth , and from want of depth in the cana l , t he vessels ge ner al ly navi ga ti ng it seldom exceed 60 tons .

Portadown :

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Lewis ' s Topog r aphical Dictionary of Ireland .

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1837 ,

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Newr y is a populou s manufa cturim· tmm and port hav:.r.~ two handsome bridges over the Hewry- water . e ove r a draw bri dg e on t he c anal which i~ n~vi ~bl~ail p:sses for s~a l sloops from Carling fo rd to LouP,h ., eaph .

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The quay and vessels floatin ~ 3lonrsi de it :or ·intere sti ng si £;ht within th e town itse f .

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

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1837 .

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The village cont a i ning about 50 well built houses , was found ed about 1746 by the late John Reilly , Esq . who obt ained a cha r ter fo r a market and fair . It i s situated on the canal between Newr y and Lough Nea gh , having a small do ck and quayage fo r lighters : a considerable trade is carried on pa r ti cula r ly in coal and tur f, suppl ying a populous neighbour hood and nume r ous bleach mi lls and manfactories (sic) with fue l.

Scar va :

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Lewis ' s Topog r aph i cal Dict i ona r y .

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1840 .

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Merchants Quay is situated on the banks of t~e Cana l and almost enti rely taken up with merchants counting hous es, sto re s and wa r ehous e s . Here vesse ls can unload .

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Pri or to the days of Wi lliam III the river was not navigated above Warr enpoint; but that monarch by affording protection to the Newr y merchants , and conferring grants fo r the embanking of the rive r and improving the harbour, gave to he r merchants that spirit of indus try which ha s made Newry wha t she is . Tr ad e is also f ac ilitated by a ship canal, which connects Lough Neagh on one side and Carlingford on t he ot her . 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, commenced in 1730 and comnleted in 1742 . It was placed under the management of l oc al commissi one r s and remained so until the year 1800 , wh en by Act of Pa r liament it wa s placed under the Boar d of Inland Navigation . In 1830 t he Cana l was transfer r ed fr om the abov e to the Newr y Navigat i on Comp any by Act of Par liament, 10 Geo r ge 4 .. .. . .

Newr y :

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Lennox ' s Director y .

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Belfast Almana c .

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1842 .

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At above date William Dargan ' s passenger boats Gr and Junction, Countess of Caledon , t he Antrim and Tyrone Steam Ferry Boat Ent erprise, the paddle steame r Marchiones s of Done ga ll and t he paddler t he Lady of t he Lak e - were all in commission on Lough Neagh .

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

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The ea rli est steamship - the Ma rchi one ss of Donegall was l aunched in 1821 . She made her fi r st voyag e on Janua ry 5, 1822, from Ellis Harbour where she Has built , havi ng in tow the La ss o f Sc arva laden with co al for t he Dungannon Dist ille ry . On the day of he r maiden voy ag e t housand s of people ga t he re d at Maghery to see he r pass .

Grand Juncti on and Countess of Cale don sold by auct ion in 1859 ,

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1843 .

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From Belfa st t o Coal Island the len gt h of the l!av i gation is 61 mi les, from Newry 39½ miles .

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Newr y Navigation . The leng t h of the 1-:ewr y Ca:ial is 16½ mile s . It fo r .D.s the com:nunicatio n bet\-1een lewr y and Lough 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 .

la rtin ' s Ireland Be for e and After the Uni on , p . 136 .

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1843.

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

The brisk lit tle t01:m of Portadoun , with its comfort,bl e unpretendin g house , its squa res and mar'-et place , its pretty cr aft along t he river - a stea~e r building on the cockside , close to the mills and wa re houses t ha t l oo·, in a full st3te of pr osperity was a pl easant concl us i on t o this 10 miles drive t hat ended at t he newly opened r ailway station .

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Thacke r ay ' s I rish Ske tch Book .

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1844 .

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The Grand Junction . Will leave Ballyronan wi th <;oods and passengers, every Honday , Wednesday and Friday at 8 o ' clo ck and calling at Ne wpo rt Trench wi ll a r rive in Portadown in time for the 2 o ' cloc k train . Ra ilway t r a in to belfast and Fly Boat to Newry .

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Lough Neagh Steamer .

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Returns t o Bal lyronan e very Tuesday, Thur sday and Saturday on t he a rr ival at Portadown o f t he 10 o ' cloc k train from Belfa st and Fly Boat at Newr y , c al li ng at Newport Trench . Agent J oseph Handle y, 81 Ann Stree t, Belfast ,

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1844 .

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

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The Bann The principal gre at deal of and for warde d slates, coal ,

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Ibi d , p , 598 . It was not until the middle of the last ce ntury , when comme rc ial enterprise aided by the Gover m,ent opened t he navi ga ti on to Lough Neagl1 that the foundation of its present improvement was laid .

is he r e navi gable for vesse l s of 60 tons burden tr ade carried on is at t he weekly market whe r e a cor n and ot her ag ricultural pr oduce is brought to Newry - the r eturni ng bar ge s bring timber, i r on, etc . for inland conswnpti on .

Portadown_is situate d upon the Upper Ban wh ich falls into Loug h Neagh , 71; mi les below the town, and communi cates with the Newry Canal ab out l¼ miles abo ve it .

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

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Ibid , p . 360 .

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Steam vessels have been placed upon the lake (Lough Neagh) which colle ct at va r i ou s ports on the northern and western _ sho r e , goods and pa ssengers,and convey them to the south ano east.

In 1837 the traffic was 10~ , 333 tons producing in tolls t he sum of £3,505 . 11 . 5.

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The Newry Canal communicating with t he sea about ;,; miles 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.

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1846 .

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Th e Canal was ori gina lly f or med for conve yi ng coa l s f ound in t he count r y bo r derin g upon Lough Neagh to Newr y , and then ce by sea to Dubl i n and ot her I r ish port s . Even t ua l ly t hos e adva nt age s we r e r ever sed; for , from wan t of cap i tal , those coa l mi nes have never been f ul ly or perseve r i ngly worked , and now one of the chief ite ms of t he ca r rier t r ade by t hi s canal, i s t he coals i mnort ed i nt o Newry and then ce t hrough t he cana l t o Portado ,m , Dun"annon Ca ledon ' Bl a ckwate r tm-m , &c . It s utili t y is ve ry ext ~n sive; as it opens a water communic at io n with f ive c~unties , Dovm , Der ry , Antrim, Tyrone , and r ~agh ; and , by me ans or t he Ul ste r Can al , which connects Lough ~rne and Lo~gh Nea~ h , Cavan , J.ionagh an, and Fermana gh , also expo rts and i mp_o: t s t hei r mer cha ndis e by water vi a th e por t of Ne1-1r y , wn i ch i s t he gr eat nat ur al outl et of Ulst er . The Canal which connects Lough Ca r l ingfo r d with t he_ Upper Bann a~d Lough ' Neagh its course runni ne north along t he bot~orn of the f er t i l e va l l ey which se par ates Ar magh f r om Down , formi ng i n many p l a c es a boundar y line bet we en t ho se co~ t ies; r~~ of constructed by orde r of the Iri sh gov e~rment , b~u~r i~ 1730 and the Tyr one ' t he Irish Par l i ament , 3r d Geo r ge IIth. 1wa;r om ve ssels pass ed t h r ough it l ad en wi /?a !bout twent y- one Eng lish C?llie rie s i n 1741. Th e Canal , whi~- n~s an d that rive r continue s ' h Neagh at t ha t t i me mi l es in l eng t h f r om _Fat hom ttho th e t he Na vi gat i on ten miles f ~r et hr tgus~~: House , ' old Quay , in the ope ned into the tide opposite • e N ;ry to Fathom was compl eted south end of Newr y . The cu~ ~r om t e~ he Cana l, was accomp li shed i n 1763 . This val uabl e adi7 t ~~nHo ~ James Fortescue , f at he r g MP · f or Lout h ai ded and under th e nuspices of t he ti h0 n M• p and wnh am Qc,le , Esq . , of the l at e Lor d Cl ermont , suppor t ed by Robe r t Sc ott ?dE~ i ' ' hd ~omme rc ial ent e~ prise gr eatly Who by the i r untiring a s si ui Y a promoted t he pr o spe rity of Newry .

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. • ?r i gi na l~y the Navi gation to Newry appe ar s to hav e been of ! r 111 7ng s er v ice t o t he c omme rc e of this part of the count r . Ihe river pr esent e d so many obst ru cti on s t hat the passa "e wa s dif f i cul t or i mpr ac t ic abl e , except for v~s se ls of i nc onside r abl e bur den . l he Customs of Newr y we r e r e ceived at Carl i n" f or d as th at an ci ent to,,m , f rom i ts pr oxi mit y to the deep sea u and ' t he de pt h o f water i n t he bay cont i guous to i t , was found ' a conve ni ent stati on f or shi ps of l ar ge bur t hen . But t h e situat i on of Newry be i ng much bet t er ada pted for i nland t rade , i t s navi gat i on was i mp rove d so as t o admit coa sting and s eabo r ne vessels up i nto t he town, wh en immed i ate l y it s comme rc e began t o i ncrease .

Newry Navi gat i on :

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..., , Publi shed by Gr eer Pi ctur e s que ,Iandbook t o Ca rli ngfor d vay of Newr y , e t c . 1 846 , pp . 168- 17~.

72. .

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Pur pose of Loan - Newr y Navigation Company . , Amount of Loan £12 , 000; Issues by Exchequer Bills , £1~,000;_rate of interest four per cent . ; Amount of Intere~t ~aid , £3 , 948 17 s . ld .· Repayments on account of Principal, £5 632 ls 5d • Balance outstanding, £6 , 367 18s . 7d . Diito (fu;th~f to complete) - Amount of Lo n&£~OV?O~ ; nd I ssues by Excheque r Bills, £10,0too} . u e~r cent · ~o~nt . 1 c 44 £10 000 · Rate of Interes , ive P 1 d £1 160 17s . ld .· Balances outstanding, t' . It' Amount of f:4;c 000 , o f n ere s pal · , £20 , 000 . Total amount of Loan, interest paid, £1~ ,451 ls . lld , t C 1 two miles fa r ther seawa r d anaieted the Sea - locks will An extension of t~e P:esen is being made . When this will be comp . le ' north of the head of nd ~r=dmto dee pen the Canal so be four miles sou th of ~ewry , a Lough Carlingford . It is contemp 1 d other ships of larger as to admit steamers of 600 tonst an·ve docks are to be formed 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 at htgwe r por tion of the rive r have town . These obstruct ions in th e bo means of a steam dredge _a nd been in a gr eat measure r emove~, a~d in the middle of the rive: diving bells particularly an 1.sl d (so called if we can credit ' , ea 11 e d Nun ' s Islan at th e, Harrows t was there in ' anci· en t t1.·mes) , oral tradition, because a conven

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The N~vi~ation was formerly under the management of a Boa r d cons1.st1.ng of the gentlemen whose est at es lay ~onti guous to _the Canal , the members for Newry, the magistrates 1or the counties through which it pa ssed , th e clergy and others . Twenty - one of these were necessary to form a Board · and as it was found i mp ossible to bring together so many individ~als as often as was necessary, the Canal fell into decay . It was t he refore in 1800 , transferred by Act of Parliament from t he mismana~ement of the local commissioners to that of the Directors Ge nera l of Inland Navigation . In 1830, it was transferred from t ha t body by Act of Parli ament, 10th George IV ., to t he control and super intendence of a Board at Newry, called t he Newry Navi gatio n Company, the committee of which consists of a number of the merchants and shipowners of the town, and gentlemen pa r ticula r ly interested in the success of t he Navigation. The engineer in chief is Sir John Rennie , the resident engineer, John Ramsay , Esq . , M. A. , in whose skill and jucl.gment the ?ommittee deservedly repose the gre a test confidence. From a parliamentary return issued dur ing the present year, on the motion of Mr . ~eorge Hamilton, l1 . P ., the followin g appears ~o be the pe cum.ary relationship between t he gove rnment ano the trustees : -

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Newry Navigation (cont ' d) .

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The Nav i gat i on to Newry has the advantage of a Lighthouse , situated at the Bar, on Haulbowline Rock , at the mouth of Lough Carlingfo r d . It was e r ected in 1823 , 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 rling for d Lough , two miles and a half farther inland, on Greeno r e Point, erected in 1830 . It is a white revolvi ng light , twenty - nine feet above high water , and may be seen nine miles off at sea . There is ahothe 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 our good fortune to sail with - is of opinion , that if this li ght we re pla ced on the Black Rock or some othe r elevated ulace at the head of the Lough , and that the Bar were removed, the Carlingford Lough would be a most com plete easily entered and pe r fectly safe ha r bour of refuge shel t~red from every {.1ind . All the experienced commande rs t he ~ough , of ste~me rs, and sail- vessels acquainted with includin~ Captain Tallan Captain James 0 1 Hagan ,_L1eutenant Servante ( Cornmander 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 safet y harbour , i f the Ba r, the chie1, ,nay t~e only obstruction to its usefulness as such , we re removeo . Bar is a natur al deposit of blue clay and boulders, upon fas ra a of limest one rock , at a considerab~e i~ptt ~:~ow i~\,!~r 0 ~~:inally e ~· on~ of sand and clay r unning r ight ac r oss the ent r an ce O th e r cc~ut1t~ eve r y tide, it has a ve:y narrow ridge, but from th ndred fee t . This has e ou ?arried do1-m from the head of the Southern Channel has incre ased it s b re adth to nearly seven ~u of limestone between r:h!i~~!ov~l increased very r ap idly of l atedy~a ? t t hereby diverting the bee n created or r ather enlarge Blockhouse I sland and Ba lla gau Pein' nd lessenin ~ its force in current from its natural channel, a d nd clay it formerly fo rced th ': ~a~e/ our readers will bette~ carrying over the Ba r _mu ch ?f ove r and carried off into t0e ~ris 0 r obst r uction f r om the following ar is th Understand the nature of diagram of i t : -

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has been al toge t her t aken 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 entering the canal is one shilling :?er to;1 inwards, and one penny per ton outwards . The rece:ipi of tolls in 1832 , amounted. to £3 , 029 lls . 8d . Amount for yea r ending April 5th , 1846 , £4 , 059 4s . ld ,

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Newry Navigation (cont ' d) .

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1846 ,

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Newry Navi gatio n ( cont 1 d) .

_H_i.;;;g_h_ W _a_t_e_r_O .:...r:..::. d=i::n:: a:..r~y~ T:.:i:.:d'..:e:.:s~~~- - - - -

-'~i; __ Low_ Wa__ ter ....:________ Sp ring Tides _::::....__ ~:.::....

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The Ba r 700 feet broad ¾Mile long

I r ish Sea .

, On th~ Ba r. at 1 01·1 wate r sprin , t he depth of water is 9 reet, wh ilst immed iatel y insi de gt hetides bar at the sa'll e time the wate r r ~pidl

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y d~epe nds t o eight fathom s and upwa r ds . Outsi de , the descen sion of tne Bar is more remar kable int o t~e I rish Sea , from which the deep , for it abrup tly sinks water of the Carli ngfo r d Lough is only separ ated by this singl the water on t he Bar at ordin ary ti dee obst r uct i on . The rise of s is l" feet , and at spring tides ei ght een feet . It has been accur ate calcu latio n , th a t an out l ayas ce rtain ed by s ci entif i c and of about £60 , 000 wou l d eithe r entire ly re mov e or suffi ci ent l y deepe n this Bar to admit the passage of vesse ls of t he gr eates t. burde n at all state s of t he tide an outlay i nsign ifica nt co□pared with t he nat i onal as well as local adv antag e s it would c onfe r; f or as t he re is no harbo ur of refuge on t h e north - e a st co a st of Irela nd , vesse ls caugh t by stres s of weathe r , pa rticu la rl y south - eas t gales , in ~he. I rish sea , in:7ar iably make for Carli ngfor d Bay for s'.1elt e r , ai:a w,1en t he tide ,n ll ~ot pe r mit them t o ent e r it by re ason of the Ba r, 1 t . ve r y frec,u ently nas hap::, ene d that t he y have been wr ecked upon t he I ri sh <:_Oa:t , and human life and v aluab le pr ooert y sacri ficed . Al l thes: ra:cs have been submi tte d t o t he Adm iralt y , and recogn ise d . The r omedy may confi dentlthei r impor !anc~ rullY 1 1. . ~ iing t he appro achin e sprin g , a s the y be expec ced, co ':'e api;> - e? pr ope r ste p s ro r i nsurin g it - 1 be studi ous ly pe r sever ed in .

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Carli ng ford Lough .

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High Wate r Sprin g Tides

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1846 .

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About this t ime t !ie c ana l was leng t hened fr om Fa t hom two ;niles fa rt he r s e awa r d . The sea loc ks a re now si t uate t hree miles and 3- half s out h o f Hewr y , and one mil e and a- ha l f no rt h of Harre npo i nt . Seve r al obs truct i ons whi ch imueded t he n a vi ea t ion we re r emove d , especi ally an is l and in· the mi ddle o f t he river a t Ha rrow- wa t e r, called Nun s ' Island, because tradition a s serte d t hat a convent had been ~tuate t h ere of old .

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Newrie n s i s, p . ::C24 .

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Conveyance by water .

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To Enniskillen and Belturbet , the Ulster Canal Comp any ' s boats daily taking go ods to Belfast , Portadown , •foy , Caledon , Monagh an, Clo nes , Maguire ' s Bridge and all t o,-ms adjacent .

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Slater ' s Directory of Ireland . Newr y : A noble ship canal is now in proces s of' completion for connecting the r iver with the town , which will receive ste ame rs and traders of the largest burth e.n conveying them to the wa re house doo rs of t he respe ctive consigne es .

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1846 .

71::, ,

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1854 .

77,

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By means of the " Newr y Cana l Na vigation" it is united to Lough Neagh and be ing t hus connected with the Great Ulster Canal , its communication with the l i ne of traf fi c from Sha n!lon t o Be lfast is es t ablished . The company have the management of t he po rt and c anal , by whom the latter has just been comp le t ed , which has t hus se cu re d t o the mer chants of the town the utmost fa cilit y fo r ext ending thei r commercial r elations .

Newry :

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Doyle ' s Tour of Ulster , p , 45 .

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1855,

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Ibid, p . 312 .

The vie1•1 of Newry from t he sout h a s ent ered f r om t he Dubli n road, is pa rticu l arly ag re eabl ~ t o the eye, and t he can al which i nt e r se cts its str ee t s and vall ey s wi t h vessels of considerable tonnage on its surf ace, gi ves a str ong resemblance to Dutch or Belgi an t m-ms .

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Ibid, Precis, pp . 123- 1 24 .

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That aft er the cana l from Lough Neagh to Jiewry had be en completed i n 1741, it was deemed expe dient, as already shown under the head of Inland Nav i gati on t o extend i t t o Fa t hom .

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

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The New r y Na vigation - Constructed t o convey coal f r o,n Lough Neagh to Newry. and t hen by sea t o Dubli n, etc . Commenced 1(7) 820 Act of 3rd Geor ge II . Ve s sel s wit h coal through i n 1741. Cut from Newry to Fathom in 1763 .

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1st A Boa rd of Directors . ~nen Commissioners of Inl and Na vi ga t~o n. 1ben 13 Newry Navi gation by Act lOsh Geo . IV, composed of 30 me rchants and ship owners . in Newr y . n 6 nd 7 Vic . to deene n and A l oan of :,:..30 , 000 under a t o deen water at Warrennoint . exte nd th e navi ~ation from Fa~homto Newry . I n 1831 to nnage Now about 14 or 15' feet of wa.r£ 2 413 3 10 In 1837 home by c anal 70,479 tolls pai , • • · 102, 322 tons, tolls of £3,005' . 11 . 5' .

of t ~ s one a cross t he river and 4 che canal , whi ch r un pa r alle l i n t own ( Newr y) .

Ibid, p . 304 .

There a re 4 brid~es drawbri dg es of wood o~er their course t hrough t he

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

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Newr y and Ty r on e Nav i ga ti ons

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1859- 60- 61 .

(cont , d) .

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As t o t he then s t ate of the navigation fro::i Loueh ,:e 0 el1 t hr ough the c ount y of .i'yrone towards the coal pits , ,-;r . Johnston st at e d tha t t he nav igati on was continued 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 of stone, a nd t h at i t shoul d be ca r ried further tow;:irds the colli er i e s of Drumg l a ss and St ewart st o1-m .

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The ·iagh e r y Cu t was made a cr oss t he isthmus o! ~~at nam,e fo r t he uur uose of a voi d i ng the bar at the mouth. or ":18 0 1° cKwater, h~ving up on it 1 foot 10 inche s of water rn s\.LllJJer ·

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Th t · t · f t he canal on 1•,r. Acheson Joirnston ' s e con inua i on o . l t. r-lr . Christooher 1-,ye rs pl an , h a vi ng p r e sente d some di f r~ cu ies , of the ,-arks·, in 1762 . was appo inte d t o su c c ee d him as 0 ~~e c ~~~t size to enable ve s sels He pr op o s e d t o make a c anal of sur~~~ ic ol l i eries . Ee began a t of 100 t ons t o sa il f rom Ne wr y tot de m;ch ur oryress when h e t he col l i ery basin , bu t he had no ma e t that he r e com.oended f ound . t ~a t t h e . exp ens e would ~e s o ~~ th ; exper i me nt, a~ . he the givi ng of i t up a ft e r hav in~ ma f the l i ne and builai ng a cal led i t, of exc avating a port i o~ O The est imated cos t of t hi s l ock 125" fe e t long and 22 fee w~l e · t e r - i nation of the old canal canal , t o exte nd 2-!J- mile s , f r om T~: i nt ent ion of makin~ it t o t he colliery , wa s £ 26 , ooo . Du ka rt an English Engineer , havi ng bee n ab andon e d , Mr . D~~is n ~e r vi ~e , wa s ;ppoi~t ed . iie who h ad b een l o ng i n the Sa r t ni a 1 ass and Coal Islano , a made a commun ic a ti on betw~en r rgt he formation of four pools, dist an ce of abo ut t h ree miles, Y

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We l earn f r om a r eriort in 1750 of Hr . Acheson Johnston , Undert ake r and Eng i n eer of the Newr y Canal uositions then not inc omJ;> atible , that of the fif t een locks on ' the canal , twelve we re in go od or d er, two. of the remaining three uere built nine yea r s ~r e v iou sl y on~ Fr en ch rilan , with pipes in the side wal ls ins t ead o f slui c e t unnels ; these were subject to burst a• d we re out of o rd er . The splays or f r on t s and tails of the locks were built o f b ri ck and we r e moul der i ng away , and the waste of wat e r wa s such , t ha t the l e vels , full over nicht , were dry in t he morni ng . The th i rd l ock 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 vel , next Poynt z Pass , was so narrow t hat t wo bo a ts of bur t h en could not pass ea ch other .

1741. 'rhe po rt ion betwe en Hewry and Fatho co.upl e t ed until 30 years later .

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1859- 60- 61.

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This system of narrow c anals , inclined plane s, and ,~ee.Led boats of about 4 feet in width , was r e colllsiended by i"ulton as useful in faci lit ating the navigation of the '.reat rivers' snd l akes 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 contrivance of a · l ock , us e, at the ri r esent day , inclined planes , up 1/1ic'l ,neir boats are nulled by a gr ea t expenditure of , anual labour.

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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 hav 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 reuly as "i ven in the second vo l u.ne of h ls 'le ports, 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 Duc.rn rt ou i1t t be carried out in order to test its· applicabilit r to other . l a ces" . S!neaton adds - " If the sche,ue do es not, on tric:l , _answer , a . railr oad of timber , after t :ie mai:incr of tho~e _a~ .· e'. c&s!l: _::.no Whitehaven , would be pr eferable in . sucn a s1tua , _i? ri , e _ c --r ;.o~_ a canal or a gravelled road, especially as ~t ColL;-c., be_ uo~;. tisn a l ength of t1-10 mile s and 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 .0 ~e-~ horses wo~ld h~ve nothing . . . t o do but t<;> ar :;i.1.-.r t~e _e~-:-,vy .. one.s ~~ ., which i n a rise of 19" 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 ·p 1 e ano co:Jplicated syste:a should be y,r e e rr: -- effective co ntrivance of an incline n plane . d oar tl y execut ed a subterranean Mr . Duckart also pr oposetd . an h. aft s t o be made t o answe r a_s . b le ca na 1 , wi"th " S . e s and to comsuni cate witn naviga , ve nt ·.c l "- inll' a sough or drain for all the co ~;~i o6 ~ ~am ilton bury , the old navi ga tion , . 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 ~ be exec ute d for the estimate , do now- a - days , that the work cou1 th us i· t was not so done , and but , as also some t imes · 'nap.ne ns , f wi ~siderabl e su:o of money , was , after the expenoi ture o a co. abandoned about the year 1775 .

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or levels , at d iffe~e nt e levations , 4 fee t deeo and ~4 fee t wide ? for vessels ?l L:: t ons burt hen : betiieen ea cn 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 them. These contrivances, called dr y hu rri es , uere ime nded for smal l l aden vesse.Ls to go dmm with t'1e hel of a crane and_ r ope to p r e ve nt their runnine too fas t, anf al~o to dr aw up t 'le e11pt y boats .

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Kewry and Tyrone TTaviza tio ns

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1859- 60- 61 .

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Rewry and Ty r one Eaviga ti on s (c ont ' d) .

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_ . :r : Richa r d Owe n ~a vin:; been ca lled on for h i s orof essi onal

= Wit h r ef~r en ce t? t ha t por ti ~n of the na vigat i on f rom Newry to rath~m, ,-1hich, a s oe fo ~e st ate ~ , was no t fini shed unt il thi rt y years arter t ha t bet we en ~ewry ana t he bann . a contract wa s entered into in 1758 , for its execution , Hith Er . J oh n Golbo rne, ingineer, of Che st e r , wh o , aft e r uorking at it f or a vear abandoned it , and ret u rned to his own country . . ft er Golborne ' s ciepartm-e, r e c ourse ,.-, as had to Hr . Ch r istoph er iiyer s and ,-'. r . Thomas Ome r, in conjunctior: , by whom , Hh at Ha s done by Go lborne , was condemne d , a nd consider able sum s wer e l ai d out by th ew U!) to 1763 , without , however , pr oducing any de sir able r e sul t ; f or, on inquiry before a Committee of the Hous e of Commons , i n 1767 , it appeared that t he 1-1ork was wl1olly inope r ative.

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Er . Christopher Hye rs, wh o, at t ha t pe ri od , wa s ~rch it ect to His Najesty • s Board of Wor k s, hav i ng been examined , s;; ated tha t so much of the work as was carr i ed on by him, in 1762 and 1763 , was in accordan ce with the plan app rove d by t h e House i n 1759 , _ that he had advised 6 fee t de oth instead of 9 feet, as exe cute a , and that h e h ad offere d in the first i n stance t o~c ontr act fo rth~ •1hole for +'18 000 orovi ded half the amount was che n gr ante d , ano the r emainde r' in the followi ng session , bu~ as £5 , 000 . onl y was gr anted , he refused to be responsi ble f or its comp letion .

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Hr . Thomas Omer , who was a Dutch_Engineer, havin g b~en

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examined as to the insufficiency of h~s pl ans , excu se d ~i~ s! !~e by stating that he knew ~hey. would noc answ~~!t t ~:t 0 ~~c~!ded while t "J em by order of the Navigation Board , anc t he money l as te d . litary inst ance of t he mis atheso-manag e-~ ent - As t his 1-1as by · no f means d - 01• t -he Kavi- oPation applic ation of publ ic un s , t"i t - body w"ii ch comm ence d its nd Boar d f ell into disrepute ; a ; a n' was dissolved by the func tions in 1730, under the 3rotGeo . f g~~ntin~ aide to orivate 27th Geo . III i n 1787 , ':nd a sy,s em ~ubsc r iot i ~ns 1~as thence unde rt akers, in propor ti on t'? ~ne~r of that a ct. he navi gations forth adopted under t he provisi?n,rr the boyne , the Ba:row 1 t he thus tra nsferred we r e those of tie ·f;; carrying on the Limeri ck Shannon , and Tyrone . The company rated in the year 1767, and ~or poTo these unde rt akings grants Navigation had been alre~dy the Gr and Canal Company in 1 SOO and in the latter year a sum in aid were made f rom 1789 to 1 1 ied t o the system of navigation of £500 , 000 was granted t o be appt iof t he Por t of Dublin in generally , and for the improvemen

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0 1 oroe~ . he r ecomsena e d t he grad i ent of t he incl i ne s to be l!s~en~o , and t ne ~e arns and r~l l er s to be r eplaced ty a road made 0 1 oro ,,en sto ne ano gr avel. l n t his s t at e ma t te -r s r e2Jained a s long as unche c:red dil ap i dat i on per:nit t ed . · -

aC!VlCE: l? 1787 , f~und _che hu rries cons truct ed by i-:r . - Ducka rt out

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1859- 60 - 61.

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Newry and Tyrone Navigations (cont ' d) .

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About the year 1780 the canal 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 1789 h r . ~ichard Evaris ~ Civil Enc-ineer reported on the state of the navigation , a~~ ~v~ .· th a enb e ':.l but without having been. P-l ;n~ fo~- its imurovement, ear t o nave een r-iven t· t · • results , nor does any renewed a ten iont~PP stin" of the Ty;one·· to the subject until the year .. l~~'B on . Oe f vinland Naviga tion oar o to ext~nd the canal ' Navigation in the newly c on stitu 1·1hen Sir Thomas Hyde Page made a. rro~osa!n Poi~t at a cost of from Fathom to Rice ' s Bay , oppos ice_ arr t the ab;ve neriod the £ 136 , 000 . On entering intotp~,ssess~~~ a con-structed at a cos t 'lmost into a st:ite of ne wo Directors- Gene r al found tha of £114 , 220 , had been a~loued to fa~i 20 7 30 on the Tyrone f5, 379 on the and exp~ to r:uin, and they were obliged l1avigation which had been aba nd ?ne tion i n d~e,:ienin; the levels 3. of the latter r econstruction of the Newry Na~iga£l5 ' t~lls . Un to 1812 these and rebuilding mos t of the loc s ; f expenditure having been re~~iv~~re~~:o n of Mr . Brownrigg , who ointed . e wor ks were executed under was t he firs t native Enginee r app 1 k at Fathom , and the p~tt ing The widening of the sea. 1 ~c. the first instanc e or th at in of a ston e pla~for~ a 1nd 1si d - wa s subsequently executed at an mode of construction in re an ,

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The u1ana-; e ,~ent of a body so numerous and ill - consti 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 fou r p rovinces, with the Chi ef Governor, the four. Archl:nsh?ps, t he _Speaker for the time bein , at their head , ca rr ied 1·1ith it rom t ne beginning the ge r m of its o,m decadence ' and 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 comp letion, with an aggregate expenditure of £600 , 000 . But bad as t he administrative part of the management 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 duty 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 .

particular, under the supervision of a board of five di rectors .

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1859- 60- 61.

under the superintendence of the .

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In t he year 1831 t he Newry Navigat i on Company was incorporated by Act of Parli ament, and they were authorised t o levy tolls on condi tio n of their expend ing not less than £80 ,000, in seven yea rs, in keeping the worl':s in rei;,air, and in the extension and improvement of the J:avigation , 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 , 000 were expended by the Company in deepening and widening the channel 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 purchased for that purpose , and that a contract had been entered into a'llounting to £40 , 000 fo r extending the canal along the western side of t he river, from Fa t hom to Doyle ' s Ho le, and t he erection of a sh ip lock , all of whi ch have been since executed ,

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The canal has been exten ded one mile and ~: half_f rom, locK Fathom - the old loc k t he re tak en up, and t ne V1ct~r1a 1 designed by Sir John Rennie, and superintend~d ?Y •,r . John Ram say Civil Eno-inee r was opened for traffic in t':le yea r e s below and a - half mil · t 1 n th~ river three 1850 , a't a po in i 76 feet soundin,,. th , - . :: . _ -o, , e re _s 1,ewr y , known as Doyle I s Hole , wne r e affordi TI" sa fe anchor ag e. t o vessels wai ting fo r tned op~mnb feet w:- e , aving of th -, k . , · h is 220 feet , lon g and 50 il 1 int o the canal, e _oc , ,mic rino- tides . Th e 17 feet 9 inc'1es of water . on tne u ppe r s 0- f' and 7 feet on the lower sill a~ low_ w~i~~ ~0 ~~isting of ma ssive escr ipf r om ' the neighbourhood of masonr y is of a very superior st0 · t f £25 000 ne, gr anite blocks with some l ime !!h~"~~; a~d teak; the ?arlingford . th: whole was e r~cte~ O includ ing two pa ir of gates ma e estimate of the latter was £3 , 500 .

£5', 000 ,

I n 18 28 t-Ir . Al~xander Nimmo hav i ng been consulted, reported in favour of dee!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 ,568 . 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, with a ship loc k th ere, and the dee nenin- of the nat ural c hannel at . a rr ow Wate r, as r ecommended by Rennie .

additi,anal expense of sac1 e Engineer .

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

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The Be lfas t Raih;ay com:riet es with the i'1e1-iry Canal to Portadown , r unnil'1g close alongs i de in nany places; 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 nables 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 1858 and 1859 , was 78, 051 t ons , and t he rec:ipts f r om.ballast and tolls, both sea and inland , amounted averagely to £6 , 074 .

:~avigations~ naffiely

With refere nce to th e attainment of the obje ct wh?:ch a t y the out se t u romot ed the undertaking of the Tyrone a'1d 1.e'.1r 1 the su.pplying_ o~ :C,1:1-bli,.. w~ t l-i cro.3,1 , 1 .t_

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3uuears that in 174$ a c omnany , co ns istin:; of ~ fei· .. ,-.e 3 _tn local nro~rie tors. was forille d , and a 1•. r . John ?letcner , an, was br ou::;ht '?V':lr l wno f, Enr l; s'n a·entleman, of a re a t exnerience, o f t 'ne gre a t c_ap abilities o - · . - :- :- t' 1 was so c onv ince d o on o -examination the D=1 -la ss ~nd Stewartst o,,m collieries t h a t ne EJofne~ ' ~e uart nershin and sent miner s and a rt ifice rs from ng~an · ana rlrnd by a rivulet · ·' · l ,:00 'ards in . put up a lar ge water engine , wo constructed a sough o r unde r g round_ dr ain , . ;, ,, ro~ed to be len::,;th, but these mean s of unwa ter ~~~ e~a~rParliament in 1784 inadequa te, a sum of £2 , ooo was _g~ ~ "souir os for the nur no se to Joh n ~taples~ and Jam:s Caul{i~~:d :rom- a~ ±nGlish manufa ct urer

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erecting a sveam eng~ne? ~b ~; a reement by t he o.re>uc::ht of

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This was ur otably the g wno was delayed in fulf i llinu _hi t f . himofmillpower .. ~- seaso n depriving :--t. Ir e l and · and the fac o vne first steam engine introdu~ed ~n . ~" wholl v' de pendent on wate r a factor y of t ha t des cr: ptio n e:h ut bran~h of manufa cture had power, shows t he sta ge "o whi ch " a at t h e time a rrive d in Eneland . failures may be summed up by . The c a t alo gue of s~ccessive Secretary t o the Dir e ctorsthe re po rt of Mr . Franc i s Tren~~ ' t Board that t he price of coal General in 1812 . He info:me~., a er ton. and the les s ee . at the pit was sixteen shill~nuf 0 twenty - six or twenty- ei g):t . expected to ge t them to Dublin, f two shilline;s !'e r to n . t.-ir 0 shillinos includi n~ the_bounty t~e int e r e st of the lessee was it consider not di~ Trench

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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 ntr 3nce 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, ;ende ring it necessa r y t o l ighten t:iem in the canal. where the de nth is 17 feet . Fr ow Vi ~tori~ Loe:, to l!a rrenpoint Roads , a di~ t:rnce of t wo and one - third miles, shoals of rock and sand have been remov e d by b las ti ng and d r edging , and rive r walls c onstructed , confini ng , and in som e pa rts enl a rgi n~ , the t idal sc our .

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

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At a later pe ri od the field was occupied by two co,npanies , and not ably by the Hibernian hining Company in 1829 , but a s this br anch of t he sub ject has been taken uu by Si r Ri cha rd Griffith , in his Survey of the Tyrone Coal District, it would be more than superfluou s to pursu e it further he re .

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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 mme diate interest of the subj ect deser ves, but their c hequered nr ogress is s o illustr at ive of the emp iric al chaiacter ~f t he engineering of the time, that in an _ historic 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 pro r e,s si?na l pe r sons emuloyed can not be consi dered out o, place, tne mor e so a~ it ha s been ' cus tomary to attribute the failure of e v~ry ~h rng in Ireland to native incomne 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 pirit of enterp rise was ma rre d by the general want o. professional knowledge .

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Carlin ~:('.Qrd Lo.JJ£h..

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1 · 1 t e xtendin~ eight miles from nd affording uuwa rds This lough is a natura in_e ' . t rapid the bar at its e ntrance t o Har r en, Poin ' ~{it subject to tlie of one thous a nd a cres of good ~~cn~ra!e 1.10 urne mountains . 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~ su v{y ~~e s~undings at low water of bar t he rise of springs Lieutenant i"razer, made in~ 1 3-t' spring 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 ving not crossed there a re six miles in ex

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t send t hem there, as they were of a very ind · ff s:1all, swift,. and without any of t he bitum i ~ou e r en /!~alt Oty , . actual t-,,i· al s ~ua ,i Y m_ake them adhere . He found fro!!l , ac a nouse in . . d t · · hb tne neiG _our~~'? ? ha t a ~ooo fire could not be made of them wi ;hou t t lle aooi tion ~~ tu~•f; _a t anothe r house they burned En ~llsh, co a-1 , 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~ about oO feet dee p , and the seam r epor ted to ?e six feet, but it c ould not be r a ise d large ; 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 .

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

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1859- 60- 61.

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Kewry and Tyrone Havieations (cont ' d) .

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 since been enlarged, and quays built by t he 01me r of tne soi l , the ;,iarquis of An <; lesea, who levies dues for their use . A patent slip has also been built, capable of adm itting vessels of 750 tons, being the tonnage of the largest steamers of whi ch Wa rren Point is the station .

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Carlingford Bay in its position, half - way between Kingsto,,m and Belfast Lough , distant from each other 100 miles , offers gre at advant ages fo r r efuge in easterly winds , if its bar were removed , the practicability of which , by dredging , has been shO\·m by the soundings made in 1835 by 1-;r , Ramsay , Re sident Bngineer , who re ported it to be an original formation, comp osed of blue clay, mixed wi t h moderately- s ized boulders . ,-lr . Ilobe rt Tutnill , the present Engineer of the Newry N"a vi gation , st ates 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 dredging . A deep pa ss age through the bar was discovered v1hen tne Commi ssione r s for inquiring into Harbours of Refuge were examining it in 1859 , but it is tortuous , and a squa r e- ri gg ed vessel would find it diffi cult to beat in, unless in a leading 1~n~, nor could it be attemp ted, under any circ = stances , at

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Captain Washington , R. N. , has ob served, in the second Rep ort of the Commissioners on Tidal Harbours , that the render ing of this bay a harbour of refuge, by deepening the bar to at least 18 feet at low water of springs, would be well 1, or th a l ar ge_expenditure, on a cc ount of the very_ great numbe r of vesse1s navigating the Irish Sea , and having no other harbour between Kingstm-m and Be lfa st Lough , unless, pe rhap s, Strangford , that can be taken i n an easterly ga le , but under such circumstances the latter would be di ffi cul t of a cc ess , the r e ar e not , however , wanting availa ble intermediate 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 gr eat service , at a moderate cost ; and Clogher Head , within eight miles of the bar of Carlingford ,

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less than four fathoms depth , the remainin g two miles t o Wa rren Point are navigable at tide time by vessels of 18 feet drau~ht . The entire of the na vi gation from Lough lieagh to Carlin ~ford bar is about thirty - two miles in length .

Carlingford Lough :

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Carlingfor d Lough :

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possesses c onsiderable capabilities for an asylum harbour , a large sum , howe v er , would be required to r ende r it ef.i'e ctive .

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Judg ing from Norie ' s sa iling direc ti ons for the I ri sh Sea , the approa ch t o Ca rlint; ford Bay, outside the ba r, is beset with dang er; it has, howeve r, been again brought into notice a s a ha rbou r of re fuge by the Commis si one rs for inquiring into harbours of that des cripti on in 1859 . They recommend t hat a channel, six hundred feet in wi dt h , should be dre dg ed through the bar, at a cost of £ 50 , 000 .

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Newry and Tyrone iavigatio ns (cont ' d) .

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1859 - 60- 61.

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1870 ,

. Ba r ges :ply by _the Newry Canal Navigatio n t o Lough Neagh , thirt y- two miles dist ant inland . The Newr y Navi ga ti on have t he manageme nt of the port and canal , the l atte r of whi ch extends al ong t h e west side of t he river.

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Above seems to have been copied with out al ter ati on from Henderson ' s Be lfa st and Pro vince .o f Uls t er Di rect or y of 1852, excenti n~ that the l atter ha s an additiona l fi ve wo r ds foll; wing "r ive r " abo ve. The y r ead ".aruLi.s ...Jm.LI :~ The income of the port in t he completed " . See p . 607 . previ ou s (ye ar) 1850 amounted t o £5 , 000 ar ising f rom canal dues on tonnage , 1/- per ton inwards and l d . outwa r ds .

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The Port admits vessels of 1000 t ons t o Wa rr ennoint f ive miles from th e town , where l ar ge r ve s sels r emain by.thos e dr awing 15 feet of water ca r go up t he sh i p canal t o t he Albert Basin Ne wry •

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Belfast and Province of Uls ter Pos t Offi ce Di rect ory, Vol . I, Part X, p . 157 .

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187.c ,

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The Improv ement and Water Bill cam e before the Commi ttee of t he House of Commons , appointed to consider it on Friday , 19t h Hay . The following app e are d to op pos e it - the Trustees of arl Ki lmorey , the Honourable John Henry Knox, Viscount Newr y , t he Gr and Jury of Down , and some owners and occupiers . I n add it ion to these , the Newry Town Commissioner s and the Navigati on Company we r e nomi nal op ponents , but their object was merely to have som e clauses which had not bee n f r amed a s they de sired , alte re d .

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Newri ensis, p . 253 ,

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1877 ,

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(Ment i on of tidal pa rt of Newry river being fo rmerly obstructed by natura l deposi ts of stones and mud and removal of a small island at Na rrowate r) .

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. ?ri ginally the navigation of Newry appea r s to have been of tri fl:1-ng_ service to, its comme rce . The rive r prese nted so many obs tr uct i ons that tne ~assage was difficult or impra cticable exce pt fo: vessels of. inconside r a)lle size . The customs of Newr y were r e ceiv ed at Carlingfor d as tnat ancient t0vm from its pr oximity to t~e dee p sea, and the de pth of water in t he bay contiguous to it was found a conv enient st ation for shi ps of l ar ge burt h en . But t he situation of Newr y being much better adap te d fo r inland tr ade, its navi gati on was i mproved by means of a canal , so as to admit coasting and seaborne vessels up to the town ; and immediatel y its commerce be gan to increase . The Canal - which conne ct s Ca rlin gfo r d Lo ugh with the Up per Ban and Lough Neagh - it s cour se r unning north along the bottom ofin the fertile valley whi ch se par ate s Armagh from Down , form i ng many pl ac es a boundary li ne between t hose counties was cons tructed by order of the I rish Government under an Act of the I rish It wa s begun in 1730 and vessels Parl iament 3 George II . t hrough it with co als fr om th e Tyr one Collieries in 1741. 'l'h e cana l at t ha t time opene d int o the t ide opposite the Custom House Old Quay at the South end of Newry . The cut from Newry the An extensi on two mi les near t o Fa t hom was comol ete d in 1763 . sea was constructe d in 1845- 47 and t he sea locks are now four miles south of Newr y and one f rom t he head of the lough . When t hi s extension was comole ted, the canal was deepened so as to allow steamers of 600 tons burt hen and othe r l ar ge vessels t o re ach Newr y and t he prese nt exten sive docks we re fo r med for t hei r u se .

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Sh aw ' s Tourists Picturesqu e Guide to Carlingfo rd Bay and t he County Down .

Newr y Na vi ea ti o n .

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_Jssett ' s Count y Down , pp . 79 - 83 .

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~ewry ~ a d n:ade so mi.:ch p r ogr ess after t he advent of Wi lliam .. tnat 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 1726 . Coll i eries were then at Hor'., in tnE: Count y r yrone , and a propos it ion was made to bu i ld. a canal from hewr y ~o Lough Heagh . An Act was pass ed in 1730 for this pur pose, anCi t he c anal wa s opened in 174 1. By this mo ve the t r ad e of t he port wa s g r ea tly be nefite d . I n 1755 Parl i ament ap~ropria t ed shallow £4 , 000 for t he improvement of t he river , which was t h en t hat ves sels o f twenty t on s c oul d not r ea ch the quays in safety . By va r i ou s Ac t s of Pa rli am e nt the power s for the ·manaee,nent of t he canal we r e c hang e d , unt il it c ame at l a st t o be under st ood tha t t h e wor k was only to be su ccessfully ac comp lished by pla ci n8 i t in th e ha nds of a l oc a lly - constitute d bo dy . I n 18 29 by vi rt u e of an Act of Pa r l i ament , t he c ont r ol wa s give n to t he Newr y Navisa ti on Compa ny , consisting o f the ifar quis of Downshire, Ea r l of i<ilmorey , and oth er n amed , a nd of t h e sub scribe r s to t h e st o ck . The gi ft of t he water - way f r om Ca rling for d Lough vi a Newr y and Port adown to Lough Neag h , a bout 36 mi les, wa s ma de on cond it ion s t ha t t h ey should r ai se a capi tal of £80 , 00 0 t o be exp e nded in i mp r oveme nt . Th e system wa s very much run down a t the time . Si nc e th e n t he r e ha s been exuende d unde r this head ove r £ 200 , 000 . Th e Comp any bor rowed £42 , 000· fr om the gov er nment , a t f r om 5 t o 4-,} pe r cent ., re:p ayi'.'g £6 000 with in a ue r iod of t wenty yea rs . I n 1876 a r eor gam za t1on of th~ finan c ia l sy~tem took p l a c e . A sinki ng fund ~as es~ablish ed , ur ov i d i na fo r t he ext inction of th e ba lance i n t h i r t y - five y ea rs, by an a n~ua l payment of £1 780 . Th e f i rs t div i den d , two pe r ce nt . , on t he ua i d up c ap i ta l, £66 , 000, in sh a re s of £50 ea ch 1 wa s t hen paid , No vemb er 1 8 76 , and t he se cond of one pe r ce nt . , in t he . following May maki ng a tot al f or th e yea r of 3 pe r c enl . Si nce then t he div idends pa i d t o shareholders have averaged 32 per cent ~ 1 886 t he ent ire de bt to t he Gov e rnment , unde r the olo I n Januar Act, wa s l .31 ooo'. Th e Alb ert Ba s i n wa s cons tructe d u n? e~ the old rt c onsis t s of 3¾ a cres . Owrno to ncthe { f £8 00 0 Act a t . a bar at the e nt r a e th • , a co s o e r e i ~ t h n 12 fee t 6 inch e s building of t he s e wa ge aque d uct , lled ""'he Old gh . a hi ch pre vent s vesse l s of Tg r ea t e· r · ndr 1au basin W •· no w ea f The Newr y naviaation t ·mb; r h e or~ g i r om getting int o it , Basin" is ch ie fly us e d f or s~ortf g og e/ f r om · warrenuoint t o t h e at present c onsi st s of a nav ~ga e dr iv hal f Engl i sh, · 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 Fathom t o t he canal 1 bu il t by Wi l l i am Da r gan fo r t hr ough Newr y fo r ve ss els nd canal f r om Newr y t o ~lbe r t Ba.s in t h re e mile s, a quayag '.1 ctr awing 10½ f e e t o f wa t e r 1 a nd a~ ~n~!na l to Lough Ne agh i s unde r h . us ed inl and and steam- uower Por t adown 1 8 miles , Engli sh · Horse - power · · c t i· on . an o th.e r j u' risdi ck isis 6l fee t l on g ' and 1 4 f e e t · 1 t owa r d the s e a . The shortesi t ~0 is 220 f ee t l ong and 50 f~e t . I n 1884 t he Navi gati on "'1de . The Vic tori a Loc k at a i~ bl ocks · · "'1de . It i s c on structe d of g r an e

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1886 ,

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Newr y Navigat io n .

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oopeny secu,red a new ~et of Parliament enablino it to cut a cl:annel in t,1e ~ewr y River an~ Ca:lingford Lough , for a distance Th e navigation was depending on a tidal 01 ove : t h r 7e mi_les . river i n w~ich ~nere w'.'.s only a depth of " feet 6 inches at low wate r, sprin g tides . 1t will be increased to 7 feet t h r ouohout The Ne wr y Navigation Company borrow;d a widt h of 120 fee t . £40,000 from t he Gov ern~ent for this work , at 4· per c ent . ; paym ent is t o commence in 1890, and the principal is to be cle are d off in 20 years by yea rly instalments : The bill provides tha t t he Company shall at no t i me declare a dividend of more than 5 per ce nt . Any surplus from t hat amount is to go toward a reductio n of the t oll, wh ich unde r the old Act was ls . ld . per ton The di r e ct or s of the Navigation register . No ch a r g e on c a r go . Company a re ex- officio Harbour Commissione rs . The r e is a separate Boar d known as the Carlingford Lough Commiss i oner s , 1 2 i n number , 2 of whom a r e named by t he Newr y Town Commissioners , 2 by the Newr y- Naviga ti on Company, and 2 by the Newr y , Dundalk and Greenore It was or ganised under an Act of Parliament :\ail way Comp any . passed in 1864 for the pur pose of having a Nav i gable channel cut through the bar of Carlingford Lough . The work was done at a cost of £80 , 000 r aise d by a lo an f rom the Government , the interes t of whi ch is pa rtly se cur ed by _a ~mall ~axon vessels us i ng the channel . The p rese nt trade is insufficient to pay the interest in full .

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1886 .

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1888 .

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Two naviga ble wate r ways facilitate the carrying t r ade of t :1e count 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 bur den . Di r ec t communicatio n with Belfast i s secured by means of the Lagan Canal via Lough Neagh . Coal , gr ai n , timber and gene r al me r chandise form the cargoes . The Newry Canal was the fi r st of i ts kind completed in Ireland .

Newr y Canal .

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Ba s se tt ' s County Arm a gh , p , 23 ,

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r nagh, p . ~3 .

Two n_avigable. water-wa y s facilitate the ca rrying trade of the county. Tne more ~mportant separates t he County Down from Armagh . It runs fro1'.1 the tidal basin at Fat hom, below ii ewry, to Lough Neagh, and ls served by the Bann and the Newry river . The depth of water is sufficient to float lighters 70 tons burden. Direct communication with Belfast is secured by means of the Lagan Canal , via Lough Neagh , Coal, grain, timber and gene ral me rchandise for ,n the cargoes . The Newry Cana l was the first of the kind co ~p leted in Ireland . About fifty years ago connection was effected between Lough Erne and Lough Neagh, by means of the Ulster Canal . This passes for a con 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 some of the leading merchants of the City of Armagh . The shipping place is at Blackwatertown, distant four miles . It is expected t ha t the Ulster Canal system will be soon very much i mproved by the Ulster Canal Company who receive possession of it t his year 1888 - under special Act of Parliament .

Bassett ' s County

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1388.

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1902 .

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This n a vigation is c a rried from Wa r renpo i nt to Newry byr: t he ship c anal whi ch ad.nit s vessels drawin g 15 feet of wate it thence no r t hwar d by ca nal to Portadow n ; 16f miles abovecontinue d joins the Lo wer Bann , in the bed of which river it 28is above Lough to Lough Ne agh . The summit level is 76 feet , and ilewry Neagh . The Newr y Nav i gat ion was purchas ed in 1901, by the Newry iia r bour and Navigat i on Trust . I n 1881, the shares of the as fallen had Nav i ga ti on Company were worth £55; in 1900 t hey l ow as £20 , and at some t hing li ke the last figure they were pur chased .

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The New r y Navigat ion :

I relan d : Industr ial and Agricul tural , p . 118 .

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I)Je Upper and Lower Bann Naviga tions,

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a misnomer The "Uppe r -Bann Naviga tion" is someth ing ofter river which the Bl ackwa as it is ap plied to that sect i on of the Ul ster Canal at lies below the point of its juncti on wi thNeagh, The distan ce Moy, and conne cts that canal with Lough 7 miles an d 35 chains from Moy to Lough Neagh is by water, on this part. of There are no loc k s or artifi cial obstru ctions by the Upper ined mainta is ation navig The ater, the Blackw from their entire Bann Naviga tion Truste es, out of funds r ai sed distri ct by local taxati on,

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ine with Lough The Lower Bann Navi gation conne cts Colera , of whi ch 3 miles 12 Neagh. Its le ngth is 32 miles 32 chains and t he r emaind er chains are lake, 26 miles 40 chains river, l ength by 20 feet in t fee 130 is ocks l he t of size The canal. cills is 8 fe et. The Lower in width. The depth of water on t he wate r fallin g into Lough Bann is the only outlet for all the Lower Bann were, t ogethe r Neagh. The works of t he Upper and Comm issione rs of with those of Lough Neagh, execut ed by a the dr ai nage work, bet ween Public Works as both a navi gation andexpen se for the three the ye ars 1845 and 1859 at a total the Comm issione rs of navi gation s, accord ing to a return made by of public money. The £106,1 75, of which £69,07 8, was a grantrates. A branch of the balanc e has been repaid out of countyel to the Lower Bann on Northe rn Count ies Railwa y runs parallsix miles for its who le the east, at an averag e distan ce of y runs parall el to it on length , and the Derry Centra l Railwa traffi c, A railwa y for it with peting com ys railwa both west, the Portgl enone·. The work s of is also projec ted from Ballym ena t o1859 to two bodies of truste es the Lower Bann were handed over in the naviga tion works the other one whose duty it was to mainta in draina ge works only, and \olhose whose duty it was to mainta in the both the Upper and Lower author ity extend s over the draina ge of the Navig ation and Dr a inage Bann, They are called r e specti velymainta ined by local taxati on, Truste es, Both sets of works are c as re gards the supple mentin g the receip ts from watere s.traffi Lord Monck's Commission 8lCpenditure of the Navig ation Truste view of the possib ilities took in 1882 a distin ctly pessim istic "The avera ge annual of develo ping traffi c on this Navig ation. ation for the five ye ars eicpen diture on the Lower Bann Navig15s, 8d. The averag e annual ending 30th June 1880 was £1,154 for the same period receip ts from toils, wharfa ge, rents, etc. ~ by an annual Vere £93 14s. ld, The defici t has beenof supplie the adJoin ing counti es. Presen tment made by the grand juries works have been These figur~ s show that the naviga tion

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-111. Irelan d: Indus trial and Agric ultura l, pp.110

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1902.

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practically maintained and the expenses connected therewith paid , not out of funds derived from traffic on the canal and 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."

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unper and Lower Bann Navigation,

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1902.

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Evidence of Hr . Geo . A. Stevenson , Commissioner of Public Wor ks , 21 Ma rch , 1906 .

Original cost .

(1) Newr y Navigat i on . Canal from Lough Nead (Whitecross Point ) to Newry thence by tidal cha nnel t o Wa rrenpoint 1 25 miles . Be gun by the Commissioners of Inland Na vi gation , under the Act of 1729 ; handed over t o a local corporation in 1787 , vest ed in Dire ctors of Inland N~ vi ga tion in 1800 , transferred in 1829 to Newr y Nav i gation Comp any ; now under a Trust to whom it was sold under an Act of 190;: .

Expended by ])_irectors of Inland navi. gation prior to

1812 (includi ng £23 , 326 as a public grant) £38 , 326 .

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NU!llber of locks 14 .

Total £;:05,679 .

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

(A) Subsc ribe d private ly £70 , 353 , Public Loan £42 , 000 .

Expended by Newry Navigat io n Company bet ween 1832 and

1842 .

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Commissi oners Reports , Vol . I, Appendi x 2.

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99.

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1907 .

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Origi nal cost £ 205 , 679 . Number of loc ks 14 . Snallest loc k 69 • 3"; W. 15 ' ; Dh . 5 ' 4 11 • Lar gest boat using L . 62 11 ; w. 15 1 ; Dh . 5 1 2" . Max . Lo ad poss ible 80 tons . Usual l oad 45 - 80 ton s . Total rise 58 1 3". Headway (mi n . ) 9 ' 3". Shi p canal ves se ls 600 to 3 , 000 tons .

To tal Length 25 mile s .

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Length - Wa rrenpoint to Newry - tidal 7 miles . Newry to lvh it e coat Point 18 miles .

Newry Nav i gation .

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

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1950 .

l'kl:lrv Canal :

220 ft . 9 ins . 69 ft . 3 ins . 50 ft . 9 ins . 15 ft . 0 ins . 14 ft . 6 ins . 5 ft . 0 ins. Unlimited . 9 ft . 0 ins .

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

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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 ahd the Head Level and three locks from the Head Level t o the Upper Bann River .

General Rema r ks :

These are charged on Registered Tonnage .

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Th r oughout Wate rway .

Towing Path :

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Ship Canal Barge Canal Ship Canal ( Beam : Ba r ge Canal ( ( Dr aught : Ship Canal Barge Canal ( (He ad r oom : Ship Canal Barge Canal (

(Length :

3½ miles .

(b) 18½ miles .

Maximum Dimensions fo r Craft Using Wate r way :

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

Distance :

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

From and To :

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Newry Newry . Port and Ha rbour Trust , Har bour Office ,

Authority :

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Inland Waterways of Great Brit ain , No . 136 , p . 396 _

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Newr y to : Cana l Basin • . Poyn tzpa ss (10 l ocks fr om N~~ry) Lough Shar k •. Scarva Bridge Tallyho Locks Madden Bridg e Knock Bridge .. ·· Br a ckagh Lock Whitecoa t Point ( juncti on with R. Bann ) Portadd~m •. Ent r ance to Lough Neagh

Miles . Furlongs .

Dist an ce Table :

In recent yea r s no traffic has been offered and the Trustees have so reduced t hei r expenditure on mainten ance that t~e Canal is not now in a condit ion to t ake traffic and steos have been taken to effect its formal abandonment .

Special Note :

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

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(cont ' d) .

Newry Canal .

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1· nforma ti on has been been of ficially abandoned) . (At t he time of going to pre ssh r eceiv ed t hat t he Bar ge Cana 1 as

I 02.

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1950 .

-2-;

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1750 .

The above should be studied in detail also Journal under date 14 Novem ber , 1749 .

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o. s. Memoi r s state t ha t above bri dge was swep~ away in 1754 whereupon a new stone bridge was built on ar y land and the r iver tur ned into it .

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£2 30 , 10s .

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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 or six weeks be fore they can pass under the br 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 at a mode r ate estimate for less than

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

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19,0.

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

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Upper Bann Navigatinn1

Nil.

None.

Towing Path1

Road bridges and a railway bridge.

Bridges,

Locks&

Dimensions for Craft Using Waterway.

Not limited. (Length •• Not limited. (Beam •• • , 5 ft. 6 ins. •• ~Draught. Up to Moy 5 ft. Up to Blackwatert o,m 8 ft. (Headroom

Maximum

General Remarks 1

There is very little traffic south of the entrance t o the Coalisland Canal . The main landing places under the control of the Trustees are Kinnego Harbour and Newport Trench on Lough Neagh .

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The abandonment of this canal is under considerat ion. Miles. Furlongs. Distance Table1 Entrance to Lough Neagh to1 Maghery Ferry (end of artificial cut from Lough Neagh), Junction with Coalisland Canal ~ Verner 1 s Bridge •• 6 ·• •• •• , Ferry y Derrygalle 9 Junction with Ulster C;nal (now derelict) 11 2 Blackwater town Special Note1

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None for pleasure craft.

Tolls1

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miles.

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Distance,

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From and Toi

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Trustees of the Upper Bann Navigation Riddets Buildings, 49 Donegal! Place, Belfast ~ Ap proximatel y half of Lough Neagh and up to the Blackwater River to Blackwatertown .

Authority,

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Tyrone Nav igat ion.

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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)

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and appe ars freq uent ly ·Jose ph Wetherby was an engi neer n with the Lagan Cana l, in acco unts for work in conn ectio nals Vol. XI (Lagan See House of Commons Jour widow's and 370-374, where hisioned Nav igati on) pp.3 47-3 50, , is ment ry sala s and' husb late her for rece ipt

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Moo re•s Lock. Copy of ston e in Lock WallStonvee!~ Yd!; fi~~ 1ntio tread , s Words spac ed most , unev enly , orig inal posi tion

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Tyrone Navi gat ion .

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Hoore ' s Lock .

Annaghruore to wnland .

Lock keepe r' s house in good order and inhabited by Mr . J . •l cAlesky . Bridge over the canal at t his point blown up during recent troubles but now (August 1959) repa ir ed .

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I n wall of lock t he re is an inscribed st one st ati 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 .

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1749 ,

106

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Gortnagoni s townland .

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The double lock in this townland is of much interest and t he c anal is here sDanned by a handsome old brid e erected Fortunatel y this has been by- passed by a flat i n 1809 . bridge and a s a consequenc e remains in perfect preservati on , whereas in most instances such bridges ha ve been reduced in height or demolished .

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There is an inscribed stone on each side of t h e bridge one states that it wa s erected by the Inland ITav i gation the other gives name of builder . On date of my visit ( ugus ~ 20 , 1959 , the light was poor so I made no attempt to transcribe them .

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Tyrone Navigation .

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1749 .

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1753 ,

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

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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 Archbishop of Tua , the Right Honble . rthur Hill, ~sq . the Honbl e . and Rev . Charles Caulfe ilc. , Clk, and the Rev . Thomas st aples , to enable them to -nake a waggon uay and to carry on a coal work a t Dr ur:1glass in the County Tyrone .

Tyrone Navigation :

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1753 ,

I n pursuance thereof they have expended near £8 , 000 chiefly i n comp leting 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 imputed will cost not less than

£6 , 000 which the petitioners are assured they ~~st lay oui;.

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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 •

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

Tyrone Nav i gat ion :

( 2 lov . 1753) .

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ifouse of Com·non s Journal, Vol. I X, p . 94 .

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1758 ,

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House of Commo ns J our na l , Vol . X.

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Tyrone Navi ga tion .

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

1 . Enquire i nto the st a te of the collier ies in the c ount y of Tyr on e and what money granted by Pa r l i amen t ha s been e)..-_nended on sa,1e .

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

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

110.

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com

•ons , Vol .

x, ,n .B~J-B4B .

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Jour1:::ls oft e , use

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., . . T e CoLni ttee anp o i nted ~0 e i~t~ c~e state of th~ colli&ries i~ t:1~ couDtv' ; rvnq~i re ana ,1,...,at.. uonev ., ro .e, . .. o . 1 t . , _-• . ;; r ar. eo oy :'.}rll.J ent , '13.S been ex')ended -· J-; ;·;, ~,, ~ on "t'.:' sa...,e , . as :ilso the st:ite of trie na i-ation ·· -·- c.,ac cou!' :1 ~no 1f a:1y ~ · · 1 · f . =~a . :::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 and order to nursuant met n·ve r: ae or in e sa ,e {ee ~n~_" exa~inea sever:::l ra,e r s re lative thereto as also sev~r 1

re_ort as Iol lows .

"·:..tne~ses --;.n t---,e nost sole n ·Jan~er : a~d 'n. . ve cii rected ~; to

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I n t:~e first _ .!.a ce y •Ur Cornmittee ena·Ji reo into t'1e ceeci of cont r · et ,ade bet1-1een the ·.10st revereno Georc:e lord a rch 'cishop of .rcaag:1 , 9 rima te of all Irelanci , the most reverend Jahn , lord :ircr:bishop o f Tuacn , the rig'1t honourable .\rt'iur nill , Zsq ; t!1e hon)ur able 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 cor pora ti on for :-' romotinz t he inland navi:;ation of Irela10, of the othe r pa rt : bearing da t e t he ninth day of ~a rch , one t!'lousanci seven hunc-red awl fifty four . 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 honoura ble Arthur 1ill , ~sq . ; t'Je honourable 8 nd r e veren d Ch a r les Caulfeild , ano revere nd fhomas 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 rshin for the wor1.:ing of several col.'.1<;nes by the~ helr in the c ounty ~ Tyron~; and th~t t~~ ~;i~ . :o r oo r :ition f o r 1 .r 0 110 t 1 ne: t.'.1e in.!a no navigation, '?r ::._ e_ana , ..

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did-bar~ain and a~ree t o ,:: ive t he sa.id p3 rt ne rsn~p c:: t..~e ;~: or

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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 suc i'J i,;or·o:s as were ?ontrac_cea to oe )· all Fh, ch \·:ort.:s .:iy 'llo re · t0 · · · . f inisned by cheson J ohns ;- , ~s q . ' --d ·t- ~he "~oresaid deed f'urt'1e r particuL:rly sp!Jea r by a sc nedule a~nex~tne~s~in ?~ ; 0 ; ;re in·c;nsiderat o: contr:ict . And also th at th e_sai 81 3 '?r~!! ~t~ five ··oun0s ~nnually , ?0nt r'Jct T1itn t '.le cor p;> r ~1.o1:

.e ,

1.....

; 0

nti n:C to twenty Lve

s. ~ce of twe ~y ?ne ye:;tr\ 1. . ·

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

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.,.'-~f:_,er,.. s3 l ~ ries ou r1 n~ t ~0UOrs €~ Cl ye3 r .

;:or,_ of t-1e sum of one nuncre~ ariol~ti~e- t11eret0 in re .-,ai:- :'or •,a ,:ee_ the sa ie ard all wor -~ ~~d - 31 so to •,a, t'le loc'.c-

\II .

112 ,

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1758,

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Tyrone fa vig a tion :

certai n oak t r ee nea r t he col l i e · in t he county of Ty r one is ;;rv nes,, t o eh; Blac~ \-later t he pa rticu l a rs c ontain~d in t he mu,cn d out 0.1. r epair, and that exec ut ed a ccordino- t o c ont r -etszn: ule are not perfo r me 6. or of t he House , you~ Commi tte: h · v h nd f:i r t 'ie better i nfo r :1ation T' • t ~ a e e re inserted a col)y of t he a--1f O- e sai. o.· c on f r ta ·ct, with · annexed · - as . . t ':1° · ~ s chedule - tl1e reunto a_s o c op ne sa id r epo rt and schedu " h are · as ' follow . ies o ·· ·le ·, wh ic.

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Copy of the Contract .

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Artic les of ag r eement indented , had mad e conclud ed and agreed upon thi s ninth day of La rch, :.n be ye~ r of our l~rd one t housand seve!1 ':Jundre d and fifty f0ur, bet ween the ,nost revere0d George lord a rchbis hop of r~aeh , ~rimate of all Irelnnct , the most r ever enc J ohn l ord archbi shou of TuaT. , the ri[h t honour able Arthur Hil l , Es q . the honourable and reverend Charles Caulfeild , an6. t he reverend Thoma s Staples , of th e one pa rt , and t he honou r able c or uo rat ion for ur omot i nc the inland navigati on of Ir eland, of the other part . · \'ihereas by indented ar ticles bearing dat e the fi rst day of June, one thousand seven hundred and forty ei ght , and made or mentione6. t o be mad e by and be t we en t he said Geo r ge l or d orimate 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 cond pa rt , tne sa~~ .rthur Hill, of t he third par t, t he said Ch3 :les C!ulfeild , or th~ f ourth u art , and t he said Thomas Sta, r es, or tne fJ.f th ~a rc, a 1 pa rtne rsh i u wa s entered into f or the ,-,orking of sev ei:a-, collieries- by them hel c:1. in the county of Ty r one . _ And ,-me r~~s a c anal hat h been al r eady in pa rt mad ~ by ~he sa:d co~~~ra ~~ on for ur omo ting t he inland navigat ion or Ire.Land , r ro~ c.. - r!ve r Black Wa ter in the said county , to a pl ace cal~ed tne Oa~ rree ne a r adjoini no one o f t he said collieries . Ano wn er ea s cne several work; me ntioned and sp~ ci~ied fi n ~~e s~~~ee ~;~s a~1 the esti o sha __ · · . · ma t e h ereun t o annexed ( exc•us,ve ~ bed by Atch eson said ca n al as are c ontr a cte d t~ ~ 1 !~~e~ment with t he said Jonnston, Esq . ; in pursu~nce 0 ~ ~J.,s and t he said Lord co: porati on) ?o no:1 r ema;: n unfin_sn:d; eec:J ui t n t ':Je said Pr ima te an d h is said pa rc ne rs hf~:t ~nor before the f ir s~ _day cor po ratJ. on , t o execute and ~om~- d and fift v fiv e t he saJ.a of lfa y , one thou sa1;d _seven un _r~e ; t he said ca~al , se ve r a l wo r ks r ema i ni ng to be :to 0annexed at th e estima tes ai ned in t he s cn edule. he r~ amountina i n t he whole to t he 7J.nontt he said schedule mention~ ' nds And t he said Lor d sum of five hundred and e J.g~ y f~~ a g;eed with the said Pr imate an d pa rt ne r s have lJ.k~; a rtners thei r execut ors corpo rat i on. t h at they t h e S! l - rl for t~ e cons i derat i on herein ~nd adminisi r a t or s , shall an a WJ.

113·

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1758.

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•· after mentioned , f rom time to time and as oft en as i; ne same shall d d • e necessa r " f b . ~f, ~r an__ urini:: t he ter m of t we nty one yea r s . from ~com · ,- '· t ne twent y fifc:-i day of 1-,a rc n next followina r e · uair ana Keep in . o, .d ir ~'1 e uhole of th .e_ sai c anal, and all t he wor"s therein and · "· repa thereup~n , done and to De done in pur suance of these nrese r:ts . or of_ any c on tra 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 , towing s, paths , back dr ains , a s all other worKs appertaining t ne reto ( such uarts thereof the execution of which is c ontr a cted for by the said Atcheson John ston . beina firs t Arid whereas t he said corDor at:i.on ha th on co!llpleatly finished) . t heir par ts a nd behalfs agreed with the said Lor~ Primate and his pa rt ners t hat t h ey will, i n consideration of the premises, during the said term, pay to t he said Lord Prima te and his pa rtne rs, or to any t,iree of t he:n , the furt her annual sum of one hundr ed and twenty - five pound s sterling; t he first payment t he r e of to be made on t n e said twe nty fifth day of lfa rch, one thousand seven hundre d and fifty five . Now these presents Hitness , ti.lat in nursuance and pa rt ue r formance 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 considerati on of the sum of five hundr ed and ei gh ty )) ound s sterl_ing, to the :n in. hsnd . pa id by t he said c or oo ration at or before tne ensealing_ anc deli ~e r ~ of t hese presents , t '.le ;eceipt whereof ~s. h:reby a c Kno:•rledg:a , co for t henselves their execu tors and adm1n1s .r ators , co venan•, promise ·, g r ant ; and agree, to and w~th the s'.'id _corp,~ r ~tion and t hei r successors, t ha t they t he saic Ge or ge _L'? r a A~c~b.Ls~o\~ f . Armagh and oa rtn ers , their executors or adminis_tra o_ s, _n~ and will befo re t he caid first day of hay, whicn shall be _dn t ne f · f t f · ve execuce an ~ • nd ~ 0 n~ on the said cgna l , yea r one th ou sand seven hund re d _a co "pleat t he seve r a l worKs re main~ng ? _e e hereunto annexed . mentio ned and cont a ined in e n: said sc necu; oursuance and fur ther And t hes e presents further in~ness} tna\~ agre~!tlents , t,1ey the ex~c ution and pe rfor~a~ c~ of ~he a ore;~d oartns r s, for and in said. Geor ge Lord Arc nbi ~~op or ~r!llag\f one hundr ed and t 11enty c~nsideration of t~e saia ye~~ly s:e said cor oo ration as afore f1~e pound s, agreea to be pa~a by · tors and ed'.ll inistrato rs, _ said , do f o r t hems e lv es, t ne.Lr executo and with t he said cove nant , promi s e, ¥r ant , and agre~ ha t t hey the said Ge~r~e_L~rd corpo r ati on and t hei r succes_;'ors, t· . r executors or aamims •rat Archb ish op of Armagh and pa rc ners, ne~ cost f ro'.ll ti:ne to tice ors, shall and will a t t heir own pr openecess~ ry for and duri ng and as ofte n as t he s ame shall beco.ne , 1-- -nd k~ep i n r epair t ,1 e t 'ne said t e r '.ll of twe n ~•Y on e yea rs il rep., ;,ror •lc s a tl1erein ano• t·:1e r eupon ~hole of the said cana l, and all ;et~e ag reements i n these said t;1e of ct a done and t o be don e i n pur suanc~ ;ny 'c ontr Joboston , as well t \1e several presents before !llent i o n~d , . or, 0 cor por ation with the said atc neson

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Tyrone Nav i ga ti on :

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, . , 1 t l ocks , bri d. ges , 1,1ic r s , over fa l ls ou tle ~"s , in touing s E s , band:s · ' b 1- ci r ~ · n , , ' pa t n s , . a c ., - ~i. s , a s a 1_l ot he r uor k s ap1J ert a i ni n~ t' 1cr ' t 0 (, - ~ - ~f ' -te th e sucn exe cu t i on of \·ihi ch ;- s ·c -ontr oC pa r ts t ne r eo f Jthe cea or y b . ~ , - , • A~ 1 ~d sai a cc.1 es o~ onn scon . ein g f ir st com,, le atly finis:i ed ) . t h~ said Geo1 f~ Lo rd __Pru~ t e . and his sa i d partne r s do by t:i; se ~r e;3e nts fo r c:,emsel ve~ , cneir exe cut or s and ad:ninistrators , ! Urc ~e r ? ov enant ! pr omise , gr ant and agree to and with the said ,c?r po r ~tio ~ a nd , hei ~· su c cessors , th at t:1e sa i d Lor d Fr i..iate and nis said partn e r s , tn eir executor s or ad'.ainis t ra t or s shall and wi ll yea r .Ly a nd e v e r y y e a r , duri ~g t he said ter.a of t wenty one year s , ou t of t ~~ s ai d)'.ea rly sum of o~e ?und r ed and twenty five_ pounds , p ay t o ,iv e dirr e r en t pe r sons co oe empl oyed by them ana unde r th e ir in spe cti on and di r e ction as l ock- keeoers to t,1e ;a.:.c. locks , t ,1 e ye arly su:11 of five ,'OUnd s ea ch , the sac1e to be _ aici and payable on the t.wen ty fi f t h day of ,!arch in eve r y yea r o!: t':le nci t hese ) r esents fu rt ,1e r witne s s , &nc1 the saio. said term. corporat i on i n c ons i de r at i on of the pr emis se s , and i n exe cu ti on and performance of t he a gr ee:,1ent afo resa i d , on thei r pci r t and behalf , to be done :ind 1, erf or med , do fo r t'lemselves and their succ esso rs, c ov e nant , pr om is e , and agree to and ,n~17 ti~e _suiO. Lor d Prima t e , t h e said Ar ch - b ishop of Tuam , r thur :::ill , C'larle s Caulfe ild and Thoma s Staple s the ir and every of tileir executor s . and admi ni st r ators , t :1at t:~ey ' t he sai ci cor:_:>ora ti on and the_ir successo r s , shall and will yea rl y an6. ever y yea r , dun ,:i~ t:,e _said te r m of t we nty o!1e y e a r s , well a nd truly pay to t he, sa20 ~or ;:. Prima t e an d his said pa rt ners , t h~i r ~xecutor s . or amiinis cr aco~ s , t he sa i d yea r ly sum o f one hundr ed ano. twe nt y rive 12ound s , _or _or such pa r t t hereof a s t h e s ame shall be payabl e in vir t\le o r Pr ovid ed ah ;ays , and it ~s t ne tru~ rn~~ ni f~d these· pr esen t s . 0 meaning of t h ese p r esents, and of t he part ie s he r eu~. , ;;~ t '; ~ , r shall an d may be i aw!ul ~o and for t h 7 s~id co?~~!~t~n 0 ;~ yc,~r; 0 t 'i e s - -; ci Locrl: - ' succes so rs , a t any time during t he said, 0~r1 ... !f~;~~aid ha~~ he re ~t their will and p l ea su r e to r e;11ove a ~~ I n wi tness whereof, t ~e pa~ _e~ yea r above wri t ten . .ceepers . an unt o put t h e i r hand s and se al s t n e day A. HILL , Seal. J OHN Seal TUAI-! . GEORGE Se al A..R.HAGH . Co r oor at i on Seal .

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T~r one ::av i gati on :

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Copy o f the Sch edule annexed t o s aid Deed .

6::, 1 0

Taki ng dm-m and r ebuildi ng one si de of t he lo ck , built by Corn et Gilber t .

Two hundre d and f orty p e rch e s t o be fo r med and gr ave l l ed f r o!ll "'Ir . John s t on ' s house to nea r the oak tr ee, a t t hree sh illing s pe r pe r ch .

100 52

£580

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Two stone and l i me ar ch e s over the t wo lo1·1 e st l ock s, at t wenty six pounds e a ch .

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Five lo ck- keepers house s at twent y pounds e a ch .

6 10 0

Five i i;i l et s, a t one p ou nd si x s hilli ng s ea ch .

Counter s , sh eeti ng , J:c . f o r dit t o

Two hundre d a nd t en per ches of ba cl,- dr ai n , at t wo shilli ng s p er pe rch .

Thr ee hundre d and t wenty pe rches t o b e c layed and gr ave lled on t he tr a ck bank f r om t he mi dd l e lo ck to t he Bl a c k Hat e r , a t fo u r sh ill i ng s per perch .

150

Fift y 9e rc:1e s t o be d rudg ed, a t one 9ound five ~illing s pe r pe rc h .

s. d .

Sevent y f ive pe rches of t he bank to be r aised sodded , and ;ciled to k e ep of f t he bla ck and ' tor r ent ri ve rs, a t fo rt y sh i ll i ngs pe r per ch .

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175' ,

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1758.

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Tyrone Na vi gat i on .

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August 16 , 1757 .

Your Comm~ttee t hc:ugh t it their duty to view the canal in t he c oun~? of -Yr one , ~rom the bason at nnagher to the Black Wa ter , wni,ch they founa in very bad or de r and much out of re,:,air , ano 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 he particula r s out of r epa ir . The overfall at the bason intire ly walls snlay the out of order , and ,,an ts immediate r epair, as are of the lock fixed here; the wall of the bason on t!le south side of t he lock too low, and ough t to be r aised to pr event the Hate r frot! r unni ng over , which does great 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 dam lock has slipped 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, but the splay walls of it mu c h out of repair . The uppe r lo ng l evel , next the mill- dam lock is much out of r epair , the ban'.~s are ve ry bad , and instead of being sloped are under2i ned , and in ~rea t danger of falli ng int o the c ana l, as there is a great lo aa of ea rth lyi ng on the bank, wl1ich was never , l evell~d or formed . There is a stone bridge on the tracl, roaa of this l evel in_ a ruinous condition . The banks on both sides of this l evel nav e slipped in at two o r three diff erent pl aces , and must . ~e repa ired by pi ling and l and ties . The overfall_o n the north sioe i n this leve l in a ruinous condition and mad e in a wrong pl ace , and ough t to be made up , and a new one mad e near the doubl e lo~!, on the south side . The who le le vel is very foul aJ_Jd 1-iant s co be. scoured · the tr a ck roa d is much out of repai r , and wants to ~e The level is so foul t hat the ho rses c~n_ sca~ ce.!.\ gravell~d . pull t he bo a ts t hr o1;1gh the mud . . The splfY w;}!s ~~/~~d~~~b_e lock want some r e pa irsi the locl, is in tote r a ;:;o r ~ which is th e s or: wh i~h m-y ea oi 1 y Some wate r runs thro I the Joints of owi ng t o t h e i nsufficiency of t h e sp l ay \-/~~ m~de on- th; north There never ':'a s ~ bac\;ct~a~ted . The r e is a bri dge be r e pa ir ed . east side of this level , which is muc ,.a of passa"e fo r the over this l evel built fo r _the _conve~~e~crhat ca rriiges c an s ca rce people of t ne country , wh~ ch . 1 s so e!~h e~d of the bridge on t:1e get over it for want of fillin g ~nt O Cor ' ~ lock is in pretty Th e lock called Cor ' s d The l e ve l fro m this lmc banks . h ed condi tion , and ~ust good conditio n, and the _tr a c k roadag~~etc 1 lock , built by Co rne t G1lbe:t , 11.1t be i n" made so na rr ow a t nrst , chiz; le away a g r eat dea l be t aken dovm in or der t o widen 1 ,mich obl i g ed t he builde r s_ of ~ r to d r ao t he boats through ; 1 er it wi 11 fall in an6. st op t he of t he sides of the lock , 1.1 --this mus t be ve r y soon repa ire O

Copy of t he Report .

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Tyrone :~3v igation .

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T~e level from this loc k to the l ower loc k whole ?av igati on . near t ne, Bla c k Wate r is very f oul, and r equi res g r eat scour ing . The t: a c ,, r oa ~ very poorly g r a ve lled , and t':Ja t but ve r y narrow , a~d will require t~ be gr avelled anew . The bank s on eac:1 side or t ne level nea r vhe Black Water are ver y l ow . and in wretched co ndition , they mus t b e r a ised , and toe bac!, dr ains want to be scoured, being now entirely go r ged . 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 staunch in~ cut made f r om the lower l ock t o the brea ch last repaired . "The level is ve ry f oul and wants a thor ough sc ouri ng . The over fa ll in this level is mu ch out o f r epa ir . It will be ne cessa r y to fix poles on t he bank s of t h is l evel and t 'ie Bla ck Hater as gui des i n time s of floods . All t ':Je sl uices in t ':J e l oc k gates want t o be bush ed , and all t he ga tes want to be caulked and ta r re d . The locks in general wan t t o b e cop ed , ancl filled behind t he coping , in or<ier to keep t he c oping stones and l and ties whi ch hold the heel nost s of t he ga tes stead y and f irm, Hi t hout whi ch t ne gates must often go out of re,:ia ir . It Hill also be necessary to fix 9iles at t he sul ay walls· of a ll the locks , to defenc. t:1em fro:n dama:;e when t h e· bo a ts enter t h e locks . All t ne i:Ja ck- 6. r ains t hat a re mad e want to b e sc oure d . Th re e l oc k- keepe r s houses to_ be finished , and one to be built . The new c ut t ~lo1'/ t ,1e ~10•.. e r lock int o t !'le Bla c K Wat e r is e ntire ly gr o1·m up , ana 1:1~nts co be, new Your Commit tee f a rt !'le r observe , that Hilli a'.ll Cl e oeni; s , clea re d who liv~s at t he ba son , co ,np l ains that he oas suffer ed :; r eat ly by t he wa ter wh ic h run s from toe t orre nt i ri t o t '.1 e oas.o~ , !·Y ~ flo odinq eight a cres of his g r oun6. , a nd pa r t of t ha t nis oesc c au se to a r 1- se f r omt tt :1 e · d ~he 1.,1. meadow· u pon v1ew1 n° w.h'i c ,n we _r in f oulne ;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 he baso>1 , arid fro m t he want of a pr'.:lpe r s~uice a~ "'.1~ ~~r~!~e ' . near Cre~nagh whe r e a strong banl, and s lui ce ?tic:nt " C1emeni: s · t d t ta'·e ca r e of it ' t and t 1 e tiste t o t-.. ~nd a pr ope r pe rson ap,oin e . 0 insis ts u po n being pa i~~f or his dama¥~f pasutht t o be done, fo r c_ome, whic h y our Commi~cee a r~ 0 { . opL-- ~\~ f ~eauently 5ives Your tne good . and quie~ of che navig~h i~n{,a ~er ~course . all t!'le inte rruption h~ cant? t: a t t his nav igati on i n Tyrone Committee having been informea na 6 ~s and having Qbt ained a was under contra ct for twenty ~ne by a ad~ unon ente ri ng i nto t '.1 e copy of the sche6.ule of worl{ ~ ? eemar a te· a rticles of t hat co ntrac t, have he ret o an nexea tne s Pea ch a r t i cle and t ~e ir 11 whi ch i s schedul e , wit h the su.ms estima te d t~ t he contra~t'. ob se rv a t ions uuon the pe r fo r man c~ 0 humbly su bm itted to the corpora ti on .

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Schedule .

First Article .

~ev ~nty f ive pe rc he s of the ba~k to ~e r ai sed , sodded and pilea, to keep off .the Bla ck \lace r ano torrent rivers, estima te d at fo rty sh i llings ue r per ch , One hund red and fifty ' pound s .

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1758 .

Seco nd Artic le .

Fifty per ch es to be d r udged , a t one uound f ive shi llings per pe rch , Si xty two pounds ten sh illings-.

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Third Articl e .

Th e Committee we re informed, t ha t t h e entr an ce i nto the torrent was drudged, but t h e ne1v cut i nt o t he Bla c ., '.iate r is gr own up , and ha s no t been d r udged since t he contract made .

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Three hund re d and twent y perches to be c layed and gr a velled on t he track bank from t h e mi ddle lo ck to t he El a c:~ Wat e r , a t four shillings pe r pe rch , Sixt y f our pound s .

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Fou rth Article .

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1 Part of this is g r avel l e d i ut very li ght and nar ro 1.-. • ~-tnen the Committee comu lained of t he insuff ic i en c y of the gravelli ng , the pe rson who wa -s emnloye d t o do the work , said , he could not affor d to do it bette:r' ~ s 11 e was al lowed but one shilling and nine - ryen ce a nerch fo r' doin ~ it . It must be gr ave lle d anew , or the tr a c:~ ho r ses ~anno t pas~ in wet weathe r .

Taking down and r ebuilding or;e side of t he loc'.: built by Cornet Gi l b ert , Seve nty five pounas .

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lo ck; it . is ~n a ruinous Th e r e is no t hin" done to tt i1is his se ason , in a ~l proba bility , condition and i f not re built there wil1 t, e no n a v ig atio n there next season .

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

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Tyr one Navi s~ tion .

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Seventh Art icle .

Th is war:, is not done.

Two hund red and ten perch es of ba ck dr a i n , at t wo shillir.gs pe r ,;ier ch , Twenty one ,;iounds .

Ei gh t h Article .

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

Five inletts, a t one pound s ix shil ling ea ch , Si x pounds ten shillings .

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Five lock- keepe rs houses , a t twenty pounos ea ch , one hundre d pounds . ne built at the bason

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r , ... The s h ell of O . . h d ~ the doub l e l ock , sorc e1-ma c doo r s to it . One built and fi ni ~--~lta\ Corr ' s lock , but !lot out of r epair at present . Omi ~ui ~he foun oat i on of a four th finish ed, and in very oa d c ondi~~on,: a ck Wa ter t t1 e fifth is not is laid at t he lower lock ne ar . e_o_1 -~ ' begun , nor any materials prep a red ro r 1 ·

Nint h Article . . over t he two l0\•!€st locks, at Two stone and lime a rc ne s d Counter shee t in~ fo r twenty six pounds each, fifty two poun s · Sixt y five pounds . them, t hirteen r,ounds . . t ne arches mad e, tl,,o woooen 6.~awThe r e n ever were any sf~ - . nt.l y one of t nem is br oKe doim bridees were mad e v ery insu r ic i e · - '

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This 1-:o r k ha s not be en done , t he re ha s been some ;; r avel la i d on he r e and t h ere , i 'l a ver y li g'1 t s l ove nly way . T'1is rar.~ i s in suc'1 bad orde r that t l1e loc k keepe rs and some gent lemen who attend ed your Committee, i nforme d them t ha t i n winter time or \•;e t weather, it was not passa ble f or either man or ho r se wi th out bein~ boE;g e d , and t hat horses were not ab le to tra c'., _t 'ie boa ts .

Two hund red and forty per c , es to be formed and gr av elled f rom l-,r . Johnston ' s hous e t o near t he oa k tre e , at t 'i r ee s·1illings pe r pe rch , Th irt y s ix pound s ,

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Belvoir, July 18 t h , 1757 .

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My Lord ,

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Mr . Fethe r st on was lately with me, and i nformed me , that t he canal and loc k s in Tyrone will r equire l a r ge_ r e))airs th is t~ea s ont. ~ , which if ·no t ma de dur in ~ the s~mme r, cannot be done till detne O e and f r om the g r owing da;';;ages of the winter , may be supp ose more exp ensive then than .now. t h t your Gr a ce had mentio ned a ld . e eithe r t o take t he a t me , He at the same time t? proposal , which you some ti me ago made 1 m0 ; to leave it to you , bar gain with the board wholly uporh mrs~ro;os~l. I as\< your Gr a ce a reposit i on s of yours go out and that you wa it ed my answe: to a t housand pa r dons, fo r l :t tin g any P and I ne ver t hough t of i t of my head , but the ~a ct is re~l lyFs~6erston put me i n mind of it . f r om the time I r eceived ~t , ti~ l / could not' :;uess at its meaning ; t t o this hour I neve r once I ndeed at the t i me I received i t because f r om our signi ng th~ c~~ 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 ould be done, ready to concur with you i n wna . ~ '✓ r Forde who I did , and do t o be i ~truste d with publi ck excep t in the ins t an ce o{h~me~Yt n f u rt her co nsideri n~ wha t your ° n st il l with eood r eason 1 But now , upo or priva te money .

\lilli am Richa r dson , Henry Hi lli a.n lfoore, Robert Scott .

. The righ t honour abl ~ Arthur d ill beinz pr esent , infor med the Committee, t ha t he had signed that dee d of c ontra ct . 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 took u uon him any uart of the executio~ of the wo r ks c ontained in tha t d eed , nor did he believe that the Lord Primate had t aken any sha re in it; and t hat the sum of fi ve hundred and eighty pounds in t he deed mentioned , was :r,a id to the Archbishop of Tuam , who t ook ur,ion h i mself solely the exe cut i on of the work s co ntained in th a t deed of c ont r a ct; and it also ar,ipea rs that -Ir . Caulfei l d and Hr . St au le s never signed said deed , nor ever took any share in execut ing said wo r ks . That i-Ir . Fet he r ston , agent to the pa rtnersh i p, infor med Mr . ,H i ll , that the_ na vi gation was much ou t of order, u:r,on whi c h Mr . Hill wr ote t o tne Archb~shop of Tuam, de s i ri ng hL-1 to give or de rs to have the sa ::ie put . 11: re pa ir, and to p repa re t he a ccomr,it s of th~ co.npa1:1Y , re la~i ve to the navigation and of t he money grante d oy Pa r li am ent eApended A copy of wh ich lett er wa s p r oduced , and on the wag go n - tay. proved to your Committee and r ead ; whi c h is a s foll ows :

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and useless , as it ha s n o t be en re pa ire d .

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12 I.

Tyrone Navi ga tion .

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th· · s e I beg l eave t o g ive Gr ace has· h bet e n ·p le a s 1ed t o n• rono is ' • ' . a,n swe r • t . a a s to t ,1e re pa i r of th e c a nal , or t he exe cu ti on of t na~ cont~3 ct 1 I c an by n? me ans t ake i t upon myse l f solel y : the conc r a ct i s wit h t he co~l1 e r y c ompany , and of t ha t coCTna ny 6nly , you~ Gr a ce a 7d I. ha ve signed i t, bu t the r est of t he co,nn any ha ve a ri gn t t o S.Lgn if ,they pl e a s e; and I do not know t ha t e:i. t he r of u s can as sume -~~e wno_l e . to ou r s elves , either t oge t he r or e par a t! lY , wic n ou t tne1 r c ons ent , or _inde e d , t he cons ent of the boa r d, ror llilll:-.C.Qll.St at, that t h e bo a r ct woul d have c ontr a cted wit h any singl e perso n . Again , if i t be a l u crative ba r ~a i n sure ly the _!H ofit ou_gh t in r ea s on and e quit y t o c: o to t he ~o.1p ~ny ; if a losing one , t ne compan y wil l h a ve a rnu ch be t ter ch an ce of f avour 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 whole upon himself, co ntra r y to t h eir i nt ent i on s . So tha t upo n t h e whole , I c annot t hink it p r ud ent f or eith er you or me t o ma ke any change in t h e executi on o f t h i s c ontr a ct, but t o pro cee d t o lay out an d a cc ount for t h e mo ney as soon as poss i ble . A commissio n wa s late l y ap ooint ed f or the i nspect ion and SU!)e r intendance of those canais; a nd I unde rst and t ha t the Commi ssione rs soo n mean t o' vi s it t h i s . I f i t should t e re por t ed to be unfinished, it woul d rJake us appea r i n an odd li ght . I therefore must be g l eave humbl y to recomJend it t o yc,1;1r Gr a ce ' s conside r ation, ,-1hether Hr . Fet h erst on sh ould not be oir~cte d by us both to nut th e ca nal and l o cks int o i mmedi a te repa ir , and be furnis h ed· , rith mo ney f or tha t pur uos e . I f i nd 1-:r . For de ha s received a la;ge sum fo~ !)aY!lle nt c, f ou r debts; ~ha t _,our d~b: s are still unpaid particularly a s canoa lou s one t o l-1r • ,•JU sse nuen . That t he gre ~t sum r aised i n Ap r il, one th ous a,nd ndsev~ n huni re dha s and fifty six , not less than one th ous a~dt ~n~ '?u 5 ~e~~ !)O~~ s}or de not been a pn lied as i t was int en ded, a n o ka6 in - ~~~ ~u;t · of th e' ~~e;~ wh ic h we t hough frequently c a lle? u pon , wil~ _no~h m~e 0 O nd seven hund re d and mone y whi ch h e · has receive d ,. nor O eyth ~us~ - that time h e char ged u~animously ag r eed_to in Ap r il , one · f t he c~nal some fifty six . I n a list of debts returne a1 ~~o~t both i n -fhat , pa rt of them as money l aid out up'? n r e ' r anted by ounds , · paid of which I am tol d a re not Jet and in t he a cc ompt of the , 3:our th ous~~~slon : wh~n I t h inl, of all Parliament, I can see notm.ng ~~t co reaching Parliament, I can not these things , pa r ticularly of _ e_a~ p at ieast , tha t some help pouring myself out, and w~shin;; affairs into some little measures may be t aken for puttingto larly if we have not a order aga inst that time , mo re p~ r }cihat m~ney t o be lai d before clear and a s atisf a ctory a cc oun ° ably expect any assist ance conse quence of our Parliame nt, I doubt we c annot rea~onthe th from the pub lick , an? withou\ ak' ma ny pa r do ns for this long r no mor e t ha n hints fo r ta~unde rt aki ng i s t oo visi~le · 1 ~n thi nk and a ct more cle a rly confused de t a il, which is mean c ible, s sen am I who ce a Your Gr and us efuliy t o'the pur pose th an , My Lord, Your Grace ' s mos t obedient , and mo st humble A. HI LL . servant ,

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1758.

JOHN TUAM.

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Your very humble Servant,

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I have long waited for letteri delivered to you by Mr. Forde, as I re!~~~e~n gw;r toChmyristma s ast; and am e ore at a loss to account f me with your acquaint to neglect our intention s as to acco~~i~ 0 rdmy share of the profits of the collierie s. I am f!i,w}~h m~ dto lay you under any difficult ies, and hope the work~mwirle~e ing con ucted so as to t satisfy the th I have desired Mr. publick. the and Hill that t~ er ~r ner~ , and that may e put under your direction he will dir ~ ~an r, Alderman Bailie to pay what is necessary for . ec th in it wanted pairs re \s~~rte s of the lock-keep ers 7 and the e glad to know the state of the works, and am, Sir, • 1 so

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Then the second article was read, viz.

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Then your Committee proceeded to examine witnesses to the performan ce of the several articles contained in the schedule ' 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 Fethersto n 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 of any the service of the corii.pany, as entineer, and never knew of that work being done; but says, there were some accidenta l 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-keep er, and confirmed the evidence of the said William Greatrix.

Tuam, May 13th, 1757.

Reverend Sir,

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Then a letter wrote b hi the Reverend James FethersI n s Grace the Archbisho p of Tuam to t to the company ' was by desire of his Grace read • a~d'iagen s as follows:

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123

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

The Reverend James Fetherston said the boatmen complained of the shallownes s all last summer; that the Archbishop of Tuam made a bargain to drudge from the lower lock to the Torrent water y for twenty pounds; but that to his opinion, it was not sufficientl 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-wate r, at four shillings per perch, Sixty four pounds,

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The Reverend James Fetherston , believed there was not any part of it clayed, but said, that it was in some places gravelled, though very insufficie ntly. 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. of John Stone being examinebd, said,r~h~~e i~a;eop:~e~ two of the lock taken down, ut no paDecember last. knowledge, and that he saw it about

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said ' that there was some drudging done William Greatrix th ousand seven hundred and fift five; cannot say abou t May, one ~~~ ~uch, but what they did drudge, appeared t; him sufficientl y 8

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Fifty perches to be drudged at five shillings per perch, Sixty two pounds ten :mill~~:s:o und

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Tyrone Navigation.

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1758.

12-17-.

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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

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 him, 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.

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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.

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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.

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Then the seventh article was read, viz. und six shillings each, Six pounds ten ah l.ings. inletts, at One Po

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

!~dtg~;;elled,

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

Then the fifth article was read, viz.

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Tyrone Navig ation.

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175'8.

11 5

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Five lock keepe rs houses at twenty pounds each, One hundre d pounds.

The Revere nd James Fethe rst nletts were made to appear ance suffic iently , but ~~ds~ ;i• s~~d: Then the eighth articl e was read, viz.

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Then the ninth articl e was read, viz. locks, at Two stone and lime arches over the two lowest twenty six pound s each, Fifty two pounds . Sixty five Count er sheeti ng for ditto, thirte en pounds • pounds. this articl e) The Revere nd James Fether ston also (as to by the said confirm ed in every partic ular, the report made commi ssione rs. desire d to inform the Then the said Mr. Fether ston beingcanal, said, that the mill the of state l genera the of ttee Commi founda tion is bad; and as to dam lock appea rs suffic ient, but the set forth in the report made every other partic ular, it is fully Richar dson, Esq.; and others , to the navig ation board, by Willia m true. lmich in every articl e is just and being presen t alledg ed to His Grace the Archbi shop of Tuam the contra ct, that Atcheson the Comm ittee, that it being part of the work he had undert aken, Johnst on, Esq; should first perfec t ctors with the board of inland and not having compl ied the contranot having perform ed their part for able ans~er not were tion naviga was please d to inform your of the contra ct. And then his Grace first articl e in the schedu le, Committee, that with respec t to the appreh end it necess ary to do no work was done there nor does he canal is throug h anothe r any, as the presen t coiirse of the other e referr ed to a Passag e; and for answer to every desire darticl be read, which was might and up, drawn had he which Paper s. follow as is and read, accord ingly

bi t 8 The Revere nd James Father son ng examined, confirm ed in every partic ular the re :.comm ission ers appoin ted a~fi;~ tt~f~e to inspec t the wbrks , asp~~

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17~8.

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1755,

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The 9th of November,

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t d by his Grace containing Committee which is as And then another paper was pre:efh: O ' animadversions on the proceedings follows;

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The walls of the locks t hroughout the whole (excepting the piers) are built on a foundati on not deeper than the sills of the floors; the sills not being laid above a foot within the walls and having no foundation of stone under them, the walls have ' fallen in, and have in some parts been rebuilt, but not with a It is therefore apprehended that these proper foundation. locks will be subject to frequent failures, and t hat when they happen to fail hereafter, it will be adviseable 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 None of the gates are planks of firr instead of heart of oak, staunch. The splay-walls at t he ends of t he locks are giving 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 wall s of the lock without a proper foundation ; to preserve it for the present, a bank of sods is built against it on t he insi 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 nt he i ght above the surface of tb~ water and on the north side of it remai ns nnformed. The short level ~t the mill dam is made so narrow 1 that vessels cannot pass in it. In the long levels above the double lock s , great part of the canal is out of the ground, and in ge neral it is not opened at the proper breadth, so that vess~ls are there 1 ~ tugt~~ ~anks also. incapable of passing when they meet, nor 1 proper breadth: to remedy this, the wa;ef1is ra send ~beak the c~al d f t In several parts of it, t he banks are a en Dit h a ese e ec s. It will cost four hundred pounds, to make good 1 The , above is laid before the corporat~o~ i~r O ia~;! f~r~np;f!ate kee in in inland navigation of Ireland, on the e a and others, contractors with the c~rp~rai~o~,t~~rlock~ f c. of th e i~ ~n tialaand good re~air, repair the Tyrone canal; to ntractors the said canal may be put into su s an • according to the contract, and so kept by the co JOHN TUAM.

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

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February 21st, 1758.

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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~ confirmed by themselves O ~rticle by article, in o:der 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,

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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 them 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 ative 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 incumbent upon him, in justification of the contr actors, 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 though 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 satisfaction they are intitled to from the 111 performance of Mr. Johnston's works. JOHN TUAM.

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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 ~provement s might be made in the navigation ; he said, it would every advantageo us and necessary to cut a canal from the house commonly called Captain Johnston's house to Farlough lough by the which are by ; 0 rrent river, as through that the Dromglass coals, Being examined tar the best and most useful, mi ght be navigated, 0 the present state of the canal, he said, that it is in a very bad condition, which he attributes to the not having exp ended on it the money granted by the navigation board to the colliery company 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 thebyworks, the and afterwards (at his recommenda tion) above three years archbishop, as overseer and lock-keepe r; 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,

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Then Edward Forde, pay-clerk and cashier to the partnershi p, was called by the desire of the archbishop ; who being examined said, that he had paid the sum of seven hundred and seventy-fi ve pounds four shillings and ten pence halfpenny, by order, to sundry persons for works done by them, but could not produce any written order for payment of the same, He said, that a great part of it was paid by desire of the reverend doctor Ryder, but could not be positive what particular works this sum was applied But his Grace the to, as he had not vouchers for the whole. 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-men tioned works in repair, as also two years salary, being two hundred and fifty pounds for maintainin g and supporting 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 enquiring into the itate of the works, they had already fully complied with the orders of this House, so far as related to the performanc e of the contract,

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Then the arch-bisho p, being requested to infoI'!ll the committee, whether there was a sufficienc y 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,

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Then the reverend James Fetherston being examined touching the present state of the collieries, said, that the St~wartstown 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 him, insi 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 (Fetherston'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.

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The right honourable Arthur Hill being presentt ~~nfirmef s11iv! h~undr:dy;~~is) the evidence given by Mr. Fetherston,tand 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. ton being further examined, F th tructions and difficulties Then the reverend James e s1rsb O but cannot say by s said, that he had met with sever since he concluded the aforesaid bargain; engine for raisi 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 b desi n· that he design; that a level fell in soon a e 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.

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the C~~~t~!~n~f :~~ee~~~•hb~ibng called to give evidence to een on the waggon way said a that he was employed by the reverend Doctor Ryder to ~xecut~ the same at four shillings per perch for workmanship· 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,

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17,8.

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Then the reverend James Fetherston said, that he had applied twice, in writing~ to Mr, Forde, for leave to view his books , 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.

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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 tee, that he had d a co py of the orders ma e Y 9 given Mr. Fore (Which was admitted by company, relative to payment oftm~nerhat he had received from 8 Mr, Forde). And he also admit , 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

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J30.

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 he had refused Mr, Fetherston more than once frequently, but t hat he never refused Mr. Staples, nor any other person• that he thought himself obliged to account with every member of the company, and that his reason for refusing Mr. Fetherston was, that there had been a little misunderstanding between them; that he thought himself obliged to account with every member of the company, when called upon; that he never settled any account with the archbishop; but that he had produced vouchers to every article except a few, when he settled accounts With Mr. Staples and Mr, Fetherston.

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s. d.

9'57 10 I+

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

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8 2¼

27 13 2

107 lit

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

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6¼

9¼

3 2¼

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

Total of ditto charged regular

6¾

27'52

83 lit

12'50 2

Total of ditto charged regular

Total of ditto, over-charged in ditto account

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

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

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268 12 2¾

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Total of ditto charged regular

Total of ditto over-charged in ditto account

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Total of ditto, aid by ditto, on ditto account, 190 I+ Without orders P •• •• •• ••

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O½

17'5 I+

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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;

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1758,

17,B.

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5½

107 14

61+0 17

686 8 5

197 19 3 3146 10 Ji 45 11 3

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(Err ors exce pted )

2948 11

2752 3 2-¼ 196 7 10¼

expe nces Total of Drom glass , and wagg on-ro ad the navi gatio n Cash disb urse d by Edward Ford e on

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am Grea trix, Engi neer to the s, Then the Com mitte e calle d Willi ent state of the coll ierie pres the of unt acco an :2mpany, to give coal s in the Stew artsto wn of fund e larg a is e ther that , •uo said glass is the bette r vein ; Drom That s. ierie coll glass Drom anhd there are t at it is from four to five feet in thick ness . That but thirt y yard s That this last year they went ~ix shaf ts sunk . shaf t. a day may be raise d in every eep, That thir ty tons in Whit pit has been the That en. ehav the like That the coal is d. That no end of the coals disco vere . proved for two mile s, and ly vere d, unde r the afore mentisioned disco late been has vein er a anoth two yard s. That there only nt dista are s vein two the the That pay er any demand, and wouldd well suffi cien t quan tity to answ at_two . That they may be raiseand t-pen ce, prop rieto rs thei r expe nces eigh ings for six shill shill ings per ton and are sold shaf ts sunk; six are there , iery coll own aftst That in the Stew raise d and that thirt y tons may be feet that only thre e are worked, the is from four to six vein That t, shaf each in sixty daily nty yard s unde r groun d. That thick , and from twel ve to seve ~ade was y on-wa wagg a That . work the is men may be empl oyed in the coal s to the cana l, which about four year s ago to carry and communicates , mile a of ter quar a bout pit'a dista nt from the are conveyed to Newry, and liith Lough-Neagh, from whence they try. coun other part s of the

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Dromglass Cash disb urse d by Edward Ford e on acco unt Ditto by Jame s Feth ersto n, on ditto

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Cash disb urse d by Edward Forde on the waggon-way t on ditto Ditto disb urse d by Jame s Feth er son

Ditto by Jame s Feth ersto n

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17,s.

Tyrone Navigation.

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William Greatrix being asked, whether he had ever computed what sum it would take to repair the old road, and malte 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.; One in the school lands of Dungannon, like the Dromglass coal. 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. the opinion of this Committee, now in a more flourishing state 2. Resolved 1 t ha t i t i s that the Stewarstown colliery is than ever. the O inion of the Committee, that which is occasioned by 3, Resolved, that it is the waggon-way is much out of whrepiahrthe timber is laid. c on ground the of yielding the inion of this Committee, to be equal in goodness 4, Resolved, that it is th e op that the Dromglass coal, which appea~~ an ~ofit, until an to the Whitehaven, cannot be ~aisedrryingyof f 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,

discharged.

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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 thousand Y, four hundred and forty one tons, at six shillings per ton· that for some time he had delivered forty five tons per 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 Andfarther that the road timber which caused it also to yield, should have been double, by which a double quantity might be

Tyrone Navigation.

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1758.

that it appears to this Committee that said before them an account of two tho~sand eight nine pounds seventeen shillings and eight by him disbursed on said works,

7, Resolved, Edward Forde laid hundred and fifty pence, said to be

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 regul 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.

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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,

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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.

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12, Resolved, that it is the opinion of this Committee, that Edward Forde is not a fit person to be entrusted with publick money. 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 O by evil-minded persons, tending e r the expectations of the company, to make those collieries answe publick.

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

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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

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the opini on of this c 16. Reso lved, that it is to make a naVi gatio n ~!t~ ~:, that ous ntage adva very be it woulld Dromg ass coal -pits to the cana l. that the opini on of this Commnittee, 17, Reso lved, that it isnece ssary to make the waggo road be very usef ul and it would double, the opini on of this Committee irthat 18, Reso lved, that it is the whole put in thorough rep~ ' and ted, the same may be effec red poun ds. hund t eigh ding excee for a sum not to this Committee, that the 19, Reso lved, that it appe arsnavig ation board in the year the with d racte cont any comp coal four, to put in repa ir one thous and seven hund red andonefifty thous and seven hundred and fifty before the firs t day of May ~yron 2 navig ation in said deed of and e the f ive, certa in part s of the sum of five hundred for , ified spec rly contr act part icula in repa ir for twent y whole the keep to also and eight y poun ds, for the sum of one ies, salar ers keep lockpay and , one years hundred and twen ty five pounds yearl y, ars to this Committee, that his 20, Reso lved, that it appe (one of the partn ers of saidworks, Grace the archb isnop of Tuamsolel y the execu tion of said company) took upon hims elf this Committee, that said 21. Reso lved, that it appe ars to cont ract. works are not comp leate d pursu ant to opini on of this Committee, that 22. Reso lved, that it is the said to be execu ted, are very were as s work said SUch parts of to the low price s (much d bute attri be must which ent by insu ffici the contr act was grounded) given below the es!im ate on which docto r Ryder his son, to such perso ns his Grace and the rever end as unde rtook the same.

15. Reso lved, that it is the i nion of this Committee, that the navi gatio n in the coun t op fbTy~ ~ne is at prese nt in a very bad state , which is occas io~e~ of_th e coal y t eintheglect navig contr their g rmin perfo not ation company in the ac w board.

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14. Reso lved, that it is th 0 inion of the Committee that the reve rend Jame s Feth erste ul and faith ful offic er, and has been very usefu fnt 0 sthae skilf Committee in this enq\i,iry,

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Tyrone Navigation.

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24. Resolved, that it is the opinion of this Committee, that the not perfecting the said works, is a great obstruction to the navigation, and an injury to the publick,

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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 attempt was made by his G?ace towards executing many of the articles in said contract.

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 the same.

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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 keeping the canals and navig~tion ~Pitts in the repair, between the town of Newr~r~o!t~a~ ~~r spfor the keeping county of Tyrone, and to oblige t erform their contracts; the the work s upon the said cana~s, 0 P itts and Newry, bei ng of communication between the said coa 1 P great importance to the publick.

It passed in the negative.

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

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

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

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131

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Tyrone Navigation .

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

Mr, Speaker,

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Mr, Stewart :eported from the Committee to whom it was referred to take into considerat ion, the state of the canal from Loughneagh to the collieries in the county of Tyrone, and if any and imat improveme nts 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,

0 0 0

4500

====

pits bason to the coal •••••••• at Creenagh

ticpence from the

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From the bason to the river Torrent at Cr~:~:!h off rises thirty-thr ee feet, which willd~each •••• 4000 475 canal • • • • • T0 by four locks, at one thousand por O 25 • • • • • • • one hundred and ninety perches 4110wance for slipping of banks •••••···

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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. of the ble Committee thousa nd Agreeable to the orders of the Honoura House of Commons, dated the first daydof ~~~~:~•t~~ esurvey and the seven hundred and sixty, I have viewe an municate between f Tyrone and find levels of the navigation s necessary thto com t tion said'naviga of e ~~a~t~ Nelll'y canal, and the collieries in the following expences necessary for su £ s. d, as are immediatel y necessary.

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

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1761,

Tyrone Navigation.

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15667 10

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Thursday, November the 12th, 1761.

Thomas Omer.

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From the Torrent up Farlow river to Farlow lough, one hundred and ninety-four perches of canal, 485 at tw pounds ten shillings per perch...... The rise of ground, twenty-six feet, requires three locks, at eight hundred pounds per lock • • • • • • • • • • . • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • . • • • • • • • • 24o0 100 To a draw-bridge to Farlow house • • • • • • • • • • • • •

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Total expence from Creenagh to Farlow river ••• 8182 10

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

that it is the opinion of this Committee, that it ~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 and other parts fom the said collieries to the city of Dublin, 0 this kingdom without being obliged to depend upon a foreign

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~arket.

Resolved 1 18 necessary to carry the canal higher up into the county of

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.

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£ s. d. From Creenagh up the Torrent to Farlow river three hundred and ninety-three perches of' 982 10 0 canal, at two pounds ten shillings per perch The rise of ground, seventy-one feet, requires nine locks, at eight hundred pounds each •••• 7200 0 0

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1761.

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Mr. M1 Aulay

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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. Lord Boyle Mr. Stewart Mr. Fitz-Gibbon Mr. Thomas Knox Lord Newtown Mr. Thomas Knox, junior Mr. Magill Hon. Mr. Caulfeild Rt. Honble. Sir Wm.Fownes Sir Capel Molyneux Mr. Robert Fitz-Gerald Mr. Robert French Mr. Nevill Colonel Pomeroy Mr. Le Hunte Honble. Hugh Skeffington Hon. Hungerford Skeffington Mr. Henry Hamilton Moutray Mr. Mr. Bernard Ward Mr. Forde Mr. Nedham Mr. Hutchinson Mr. Hall Mr. Galbraith Lowry Rt. Honble. Mr. Clements Mr. Robert Lowry Mr. O'Neill Sir Archibald Acheson Mr. Sibthorp Honble. Mr. Wingfield Mr. Anthony Foster Mr. Morres Mr. Pery Mr. Recorder Mr. Sarjeant Paterson Mr. John Knox. Mr. Agar

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

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Tyrone Navigation,

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Resolved, that it is the opinion of this Committee, (]4), 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 Parliament.

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

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1761.

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ting and £1,154 , 12 , 5. to the Co r porat ion for promo t o be by them carr ying on inla nd navi gation in Irelabynd,t he Commis s i oners expend ed in dis cha r gine the debt due Drumg l a s s Colli ery in for that part of t he Navi gation f r om near Newr y which wa s the count y of Tyron e to Fatha m Point finish ed l a st summer . promo ting and The sum of £3 , 000 t o the Corpo ration dfo rt o be by th em carryi ng on an inlan d navi gatio n in Irelan d navi gation from expend ed towar ds carry ing on an inlan i n t he count y of Drumgl a s s Colli e ry to the col liery bason Tyrone ,

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5 George III, Chap . l.

l) f 2 .

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ryrone Navigation :

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An Act for the more effectual sup port of the linen manufacture in the several count ies bordering on Lough Neagh, by making a commun ication between the said Lough and the collieries of Drumglass in County Tyrone .

11 \>ine r ea s the inland navigation whi ch has been made from Lough Neagh towards t he collieries at Dru11glass in the county of ·r yrone canno t be c arried forward without a very gre at eJC1lense, and a communica ti on can be mad e at small expen se fro11 the head of the said navigation to the collieries by a trackway or waggan way, which would answe r all the purpo ses of navigation by giving a cheap sufficient and ready conveyance fo r coals ......

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To be made within two yea rs .

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

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29 Geo . 3, Chap . 31.

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1789 ,

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Lough The naviga tion f rom Coalis land near Dungannonatto presen t , is Neagh, in lengt h about three miles and a halfchoked with weeds . but indiffe r ently atte nded to : it is almost ing coals from the The chief use of this canal is for convey t unto collier y . Some timber and other article s are brou~h on cars Coalis land which are disper sed t hrough out the country and ho r ses . which runs The only naviga ble river is the Blackw ater t ance about ten miles from Lough Neag h to Blackw atert own , dis which require by water . In its course are two or t h ree 80shoals ton s burden and to be remove d . The boats are from 20 to from Newry br i ng to Blackw aterto1 m seve r al kinds of goods Neagh) such (from which town the r e is also a canal to Lough salt , etc . and as timber , slates , iro n, coal , culm, ashes, tat oes and also br ing ba ck ba rley, oats , and sometim es po each gre ens in t h e linen cloth as t he re ar e two extens ive bl is only four miles nei gh bour hood of Bla ckwate rtown . Arma gh the whole way ; from this villag e with an almost dead level . a canal woul d of course by found quite practic able oy to M the from or A cana l made f r om Verner ' s ferry not exceed ing fi ve Dungannon , b0 t h about the same distanc ewell circum st anced mil es by land would ren der Co . Tyrone (this_ view pe r haps as much so any county in the kingdom . greens in advance d by McEvoy becaus e of the many bleach that pa rt of the county ) .

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132 . HcEvoy 's Statis t ical Survey of County Tyrone , pp . 131-

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1802 .

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1812 ,

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Wakefield ' s Ireland, 1812, Vol . I, p . 64 1 .

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

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The Canal from Lough Neagh to t he s ea has been restored, deepened, improved and finished . The navigable cut across , across the penin sula of Magh ery, to the Blackwate r, where vessels we r e constrained to unlade on one side and re-shi p on the ot he r, is finished .

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

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Wakefield ' s Ireland , Vol .I, p .638. --'

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A c anal has been cut from Coal Isla nd to Armagh and f rom t ha t inland sea nea r Portadown to Newry . A f rei gh t of 4/- per ton is cha r ged f or this navigation , but t here is little t r ade and when I was t he re i n 1809 it was nearly choked up wi t h weeds .

The Belfast Canal to Lough Neagh is at a stand .

Ibid, Vol . I, p , 651 .

An attempt has been made to cut a canal from Lough Neagh to Belfast and t hough it is pr ett y fa r advan ce d , ever yt hing is now at a sta nd .

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

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1812.

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1837 ,

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This is now a pl a ce of consi de r able tr ade, and has 35 l ar ge lighters or b arges which fre quently make coasting voya ge s to Dublin and sometimes a cross the Ch an nel to S?otland • • • .. • . • • The expo rt s are c oa l, spades, fire - bricks , fire - cl ay , cru cibl es, e arthenwa re, li nen cloth , wheat , oats, flour , etc, the imports a re timb er, de als , iron , salt , slates , glass , etc .

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Co a l Isla nd originated in the f o r ma tio n of the Tyrone Canal which was begun by the Government in 1 744 and was intended t o int e rsect the entire coal field of Tyrone but was not carrie d beyond this pl a ce . 'I'he c anal is not more than three miles f r om the Blackwate r, whi ch it joins nea r Lough Neagh , to Coal Islan d , but it has been commenced and pa rti al ly completed in several pl a ces we s t war d ; bridges ha ve been erect ed over t h e l ine; an a queduc t of three l a r ge a rch es was yo have conveyed it over t he Te rren; 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 viadu ct, here c a lle d "the Dry Hur ry " was t h rown up Al l these ov er the Coo ksto~m r oad t wo miles from Dungannon . edifices are of hewn freestone hand somely finished and in good preserv 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 he line will not be t r ace abl e.

Coal Island :

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Lewis ' s Topo gr aphical Dictionary of Ireland .

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1843 ,

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The Ty r one Nav igation was executed at the publi c expense a view to en c our aging t he wor:rin g of certain collie r ies at Very exa gge rated statemen ts of the value and coal Island . nt extent of the coal beds in the di strict Here :::ade to Parlia:.e T'ne ton.l'la ge in and led to a wastefu l and u seless expendi ture . 1836 amounted to 7 , 291 and of t he export tonna ge coal only amounted to 718 tons .

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Ia rtin ' s Ireland Befo r e and

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

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

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Number of locks 7 , 1 double .

Original cost £25 , 813,

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(5) Tyrone Navigation, br anches off t he Blackwater River about 3 miles from Lough Neagh and terminates at Coal Isla nd, co . Tyrone , 4 miles , 40 chains . Begun by Comm issioners of Inland Navi gation under Act of 1729; transferred t o a loc al corporation in 1787, to the Directors of I nland Navi gation in 1800 , from whom it passed to the Commissioners of Public Wo rks i n 1831 and was finally transferred to the Lag an Navigat ion Company in 1888 .

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commissi oners Reports , Vol . I , Appendix 2 .

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1906 .

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1907 ,

}5"0.

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second Report of the Royal Commissio n on Canals and Inland (Vol. II) . Navi gat ion 1907 .

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Length 4 miles 32 chs . Original cost £31,41 7 . . Number of locks 7, 1 double 11 Dh . 5' 1 • &nallest lock , L . 65' 1 6 1, W. 14 1 10", 11 1 1 Lar gest boat using L. 62 O", w. 14 6 , dh , 5' O" . Max. Load possible 80 tons . Usual load 60 to 80 tons . Total Rise 5'1 ' l ". 11 Headway (min) of bridges to crown of arch 9 ' 4 •

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

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1950 .

151 -

Lagan Navigation Company, Stran!:lillis, Belfast .

Authority :

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Inland \late r ways of Gr ea t Brit ain , No . 132 , p . 388 .

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ToWing Pa th . Throughout Na vigati on .

7 (1 double) .

62 ft . 6 ins .

14 ft . 6 ins .

Length Beam Drau1:;h t Head r oom

Maximum Dimensions for Craft Using Wat er way . Locks .

Gene r al Rema r ks .

Con s t ructi on on t he Coalisland Canal com'Jenced in 1 732 and was completed b ef ore the end of the 18t h century . The s ources of water supply are t1-10 feeders at Coali sland Basin , one from a dam and the othe r a small stream .

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Road Bridges cr oss the Canal at Locks 3, 5 and 7 .

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Bri dges .

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

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4½

Distance .

From and To : Juncti on with River Bl a ckwa ter, 3 miles f r o:n the sout h - weste rn c orne r of Lough Neagh to Coalisland , Co . Tyrone .

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

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To cut a c anal from Spencer ' s Brid ge to Lough 1:eagh in the mo st c onveni e nt ma nner .

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27 George II, Chap . 3.

Lagan Cana l .

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1753 -

t agan Navigation .

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

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That it is the opini on of the Com~ittee that a sum not exceeding £20 , 000 be gr anted fo r opening a r~ssage water between Belfast and Lough Neagh .

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1753 -

lS3

Lagan Navigation.

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pp.346-347.

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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 making 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 thousand 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 Petitioners further beg leave to represent, the same. 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 .

Journal of the House of Commons, Geo. II, Vol.

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1757.

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Lagan Navigation:

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Conway Spencer, Esq. to the Right Honourable the Corporation for promoting and carrying on t he Navigation 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, carpente rs, stone-cutter s, smith s, sawyers, horse-work, etc. returns.

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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 1749, seems to have died during operations on the Lagan as accounts show (p,374, No,162) by "Joseph Wetherby's widow's recei pt for a quarter's salary, due to her l ate husband, as engineer, the first inst as per receipt dated t he eighteenth of Decemoer, one thousand, seven hundred and fifty eight,

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

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1759.

I nland Naviga tion . Faulkiner Dublin

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Brooke, Henry.

1759 ,

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"But an inland navigation is a never I bid , p . 68 . dyi ng benefactor. I t r equires no hot houses, nor costs, no r cautions, for cherishing and prese rv ing t he ar ts alive . It is a maste r of ce r emonie s t hat consti tut e s and confirms what ever it int roduces a proprietor of t he soil; and, of i ndustry, by its approved and never failing influence, becomes as the great t r ee in the vision of Nebuchadnezzar, whose hei ght reach ed to h eaven and its branches to the ends of the eart h , and of whose fruit s all flesh was f ed ."

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

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P. 25. "These canals se r ve as links or chords t o the communit 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 or fam i ly together . 11

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1759 ,

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()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.

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Lagan Navigation.

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1161. iournal of the House of Commons, Geo. III, p,495 (Vol. XII).

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Lagan Navigation.

Mr. Speaker,

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Mr. Robert Hami~ton reported from the Committee, to whom it vas referred to exallll.ne the matter of the petition of Alexander Earl of Antrim and others; the matter as it appeared to them and ~ e resolutions of the Committe e thereupon ; which report 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,

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;

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Thomas Omer being examined in the most solemn manner deposed, that ha has been the sole director and manager 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 pr ope rly and frugally expended by his directions in ca rrying on t he 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 ccounts 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 sayth, that the said navigati on 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, and that it will require nine locks more and three pen lock 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 furthe r sum of four Usand pounds will be necessary to c arry on th e same.

And the Committee came to the fo l lowing resolutions.

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

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

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1761,

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1161. Journal of the House of Commons, Vol. XII. 1,agan Navigati on.

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Resolved, that it is the opinion of this Committe e, that a of four thousand pounds, is necessar y t owar ds complea ting said navigati on.

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Resolved, that it is the opinion of this Committee, t hat the said work deserves and requires the further aid of Parliame nt.

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To which resoluti ons the question being severall y put, the House did agree.

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3 Geor e III, Chap . 1 .

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,akine the river Lagan navigable and openi ng a oassage by water froill Lough Neagh to Belfast - to be accounted f or to Parliament and the sum of £4 ,ooo to t he Cor po r ation for promot i ng and carrying on navigation in Ireland t owa rds making and comp leting an inland navigation for shi ps of one hundr ed tuns burthen from Fatho::i Poi nt nea r Newr y to Drumglas s Colli ery in Tyrone .

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1763 .

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Lagan Navi gation :

An Act for e xte nding and explai ning the sever al l aws mad e

(mentions ea r lier Act of 27 Geo . II) .

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in this kin gdom f or the carry i ng on t he Lagan Nav i ga tion .

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From Belfast t h r ough Blairis to Spencer ' s Bri dg e and thence to Lough Neagh . };entions such navi ga ti on a s ha s already been made out of the bed of t he river by a c ana l or cut .

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19 and 20 Ge or ge III, Chap . 32 .

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1779- 1780 ·

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Shankill :

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Lagan Navigation :

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

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Lewis ' s Topographi cal Dictionary of Ireland .

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1837 •

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1837•

Lagan Navigation :

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A facility of intercourse with Belfast is affo r ded by the Lough Neagh and the Lagan Navigation and the trade of the to1m is progressively increasing .

Lurgan :

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Lewis ' s Topographical Dictionar y of Ireland .

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

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The Lagan !,aviga tion was begun in 1753 for the pur pos e The tonnage i n 1836 of conne cti ng Belfa s t with Lough Neagh . a~ounted to 44,700 tons, the tolls to £2 , 060 .

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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 .

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1843 ,

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Lagan Na vi ga tio n :

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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 . There a re twe nty - seven locks' and 71 feet above Lough Neagh . in all , of which seventeen comp l ete the rise between .:;elfast and the srnnmit, four of them , in close proximity , 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 circumstanced . The summit leve l is ca 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 rches . 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 cam e so dilapidated that l arge pi eces had to be cut out of the side walls, and replaced 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 of th~ r espe ~tive reaches a r e m~il'ltained ,by ~en_ weirs , and over - falls c ons truc ted on the usual principle , t~e ,or_,er have from eie;ht to fifteen sluices in ea ch of the.J respecthrey . The a rtif icial cut s have a breadth at bottom of 30 feet, a ,a '.)l feet 6 inches at wate r surface, and, exce pt in verf dr y _s~asons , barges dr a ~1ing f rom 5 to 6 feet pas s freely, carryine su:1.,y to seve nty tons burthen .

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This is one of the many n rojects commence~ ui:iae~ t he auspices of our native legisl~ture, defe ctive in oesigr:i , and ?onse quen tly attended with ever - recurri ng i'.!lpedi.nents. aunng mean s ce of sufficient . t d by the absen its constr- t··ion , aggrava In t ;1e yea r ~ . _ t e ll? fo r completi on under unfavourable c ircums an c, s . - ~- . . ~ ~753 t he Boa r d ' of Inl and Navigation w1;s et1powere\fY ... ne / ·~~ <7t h Geo II c 3 to make the rive r La:-an naviga 0 t_e,ana~n_1.,0U"ll' · · ' • op 0 f B lfa lle:n, a pa ss age by water between the ~<?wn_ ad~iti~nal a.uti c; 0 , on certain a r ticles Jet t ~hat ~ut carry to order ~n g\ r ,e 1 a:1 ~'t;,rou,h ,:h ich t;ie br/~ evied by c onsent of ,., he ,1 nb~1;Ji 0 st nav~--ht for consumption into t ~e : r_i c c~mmenced. soon after . tho ear .. th eation was to extend . The works ,,e r e 17i P3ssin~ of the above - mentioned Act, and ,-,e::e ~~ve, ;1ioweci • b3 advanced in their cons truction so f~r t~s L~~burn , a distance of ~r t of forty tons to pass frfom B~~~~spe ri od for publi c tr affi c . even · nelish miles, open rom

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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 .

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1859- 60 - 61.

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The Com,1ittee resolved th at i t ,-:as t hei r oninio!'J it ·· ld require £4 , 500 to comp lete t!'le navigation fro'.11 Lisburn weir to Spence r' s bridge , and t h at the £4 , 0JO g r anted in the l ast se ssion had be en a ccou h t ed for .

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The ,/orks above 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 ther e being no cor porate funds at conrn,ana , th e extension rro.' Spencer' s br i dge to Lough Neagh was c a rried ou 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 al family , t o wno"1 th e nqv~gat1cn telonse~ until the early pa rt of t he pr esent century , w':len 1t \:as •. arc,~;:.sec: by a comp any of me r chants by who,tl several necessary improvec1ents were effected amonr.st which may be enume r ate d the al~i nc; of t :C-:e betw:en the fou rth and fift h locl, s . Fro this artifi c ial leve l also five tunnel s were const ructe d , openin;; into the river ' \·Ii th ~alve 5 acting only when the wate r ~n the river is lo-.1. An additional lock was made in t he tide - way a~out_ a mi le ~eare r to Belfast t h an the p reviou s r•;o . l l ock, in o~cer ~o fac:~1t ate the passage of boats in neau ti des; and the aegra~i~g er,e~t . 0 ~ the r ive r on some par t s of the ca nal was re ,1ediea b~ dr ;::v~ng 11es to support the banks . These i mprovements Here erfec"ea etween the yea r s 1809 and 18;'.eO .

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No t l ess than eio-ht acts of parliament , com",enci ~g wit~ . the 27t h Geo II in 17 5 3 and ending wi th the 6th ana _?th Vi ~. in 184 , c onf e rr in" owe r; t o r ai se money to co!!lpl ete tnis 1:1na? r taking;' we r e obtai~e~ - and yet much that was felt ti:: be ~esiraole remains undone • The ~oney authorised to be borrowea. by cr:;e act Of 1843, has n; t been raised for the pro~os~d extension or _the nd con sequently the difficulty of entering canal to Bel f t it ,1hen the w!~d ' tfows from a certain po int r ema i ns un remec ied ,

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Th e follow~,ns , _yith r efe r en ce to this subje ct, auue rs in ,; r . t he Reports of _ ci:ie '.:;..Juse of Commons for t oe yea r 1767~ Thomas ·Omer , Civil i,ng:~ neer, having been exa:nined, stated , that "bet ween_ Be;-fast and LJ.,sburn 1·1e ir, . there had been buil t twelve lac.ls ano. e.J.ght pen l oca:s , upon wh ich \·,ere ex1Jended about .i:l 000 each; t':lat it uoul d requi r e one mo r e l ar.:;e ,en lo ck ir:: Le t:i.cie way near 3el ast , 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:ie nUJibe r of l ocks necess a ry bet,-reen Belfast and Li sburn ileir . r,,at t he digging yet to be done on the tr a c ln1ays woulc'. requ:'..re £5C:L , so that £1 , 500 would c omple t e t he nwi ga ti on from telfa stt o Lisburn weir for vess els of f r o'!! f orty to fift; tons bu:-Len . That from Lisbu rn weir to Spencer ' s br idge , "' ciist:,nce ~f ab ut six miles , 1·1ou ld affo r d suffici ent worlc froc? th3t iler i od ~o c!:'!e next session , and woul d r equire £3 , 000 t o compl ete , supposin:; it to be carrie d on in the bed of the river" .

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Lagan Navigation :

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1859- 6 - 61 •

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

Mr . i•iullins , in ~is Treatise on I nland ~:avi(.. ation , publi s!'1eC.

This navigation pa rt a~es of the defects of its time , tot~

i:i 18;;3, obse rves that -

a~ to design and c ost of execution . Continuin'"' iP t~e beC.s o.:' river s , even when running through flat countries little sub~ect

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These t h eories, he continues -

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~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 e ,,ear anc casualties to wh ich they a r e so peculi arly liable , a'1d the consequent cost of maintenan ce are cons i de r ations of such Wei~ht , that , if duly appre ciate d , the imp~oveJ1ent of _rive_r navigations , except in few inst ances, woulo not be uno er tao::en .

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

. "App lying a lmost uni 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 tnore than suff ic ient to make parallel lines of canals tnrou;h the dis tricts in which t hey respe ct~velf r un ; ~he river c::-u~s~s being in the l atter case left free 1or the . errorrrnn~e of sue .. necessary operat io ns as dee oen i ng thei r ch annels, ana t~e • . removal of those obstacles wh ich occasio? the c on ~tant overrlow;1-ng of their banks f or several months in eacn su~ cess1ve ye~r , to tn~ gre at det e rioration if not destruction, of -chousands or ac r es 01 11nat would othe r wis~ be the best land in th e country" .

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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 rapi di ty of t'.!e current havinc- bee:-! a constantly recurring cause of injury to t:ie ban:.:s, and :interrunt i 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 . havi ng b~er:i ir: Irelar:id ~n the year 180.::,, was co s,1::. ted, and , recom11ena e o. tt!E abanaoning of the river as a n~vi,..ati?r., and turning it into tne head level for su,,ply , but the valuable :nilling interes ts woul6. have been so much injured t:· t!:e carrying out of h i s plan , that it Fas ab~Y!doned ar.~ ~al_i.:tives only re so rte d to .

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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, an n the snareholcers have been receiving a s~ 3 11 dividend .rJr the l ast few ears .

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The co ndition s unde r 1-1hi ch the improve ,nent of river_ to ,-men navi gat i ons should be underta ken , shall be r eferred we come to tr ea t of arteria l dr a inage operatio ns ,

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, cated observa tions of a somewha t s i mi l a r nature in his Reportand Solway - on- Tyne 1795, on, the J: roro s e d c ana l between Newc astle le above Firth . He r eJe c cs the p l an of maki ng the r i-v er navi~ab and the the tide - 1-1a,: , on ~ccount of its lia bilit y to floods , of the bottom ; conse quent rormati on of shoal s, 01·1ing to the nature of keep i ng and he ob serves, t hat flush weirs or any other meanswith great the channel ope n i n dry seasons , would be attende d ion e;."!)ense; that t he ri ve r c oul d no t be t hrown into a success ctior. of of still poo ls, ex c ept at an outlay , for t he constru : and as t o locks, exceedi ng t hat of a c anal cu t through the l and off the forming a navi g ation pa rtly composed of a c anal , cuttin~ it self , it sudden bend s of th e rive r , and pa rtly of the riverriver the would par take of the inc onvenie nce of making the to great chief li ne of communi c ation , and would be subje ctence of this interrup tio n and danger from floods . In consequ worr.s t he unde rt ake r s s hould either be content to have their entranc e occasion a lly ove rflo1-1ed , or they mu st, at thetheupstream river erect, a of every pa rt of t he canal , whe re it leaves . The_ eX!'ense guar d lock of a h ei gh t equal to that of the floods toe of every such loc k , with its accompa nying weir, andbe of very -:;reat . would , raised tr a c;nrays a lo ng the navi gable shore cana.!. Under these c ircums t anc es he decided on a indepen dent entirely a c r oss t he dr y land .

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Lagan ;;aviga ti on (cont • d) .

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1859- 60- 61.

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Act of 17~9 3 Geo . II . Act of 1751 25 George II. C. 10 .

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(2) 2 Geo . I.

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Lagan connecting Belfast with Lough Neagh 1751.

Report of 1800, 40 George III, C. 51.

Newry and Tyrone Cana ls constructed under Act of 1729 .

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Newry Navigation purchased by the Newry Navi gat io n and Ha r bour Trust in 1901.

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~- 189. Total length 35 miles . The first po rtion between ?renpoint and Newry is a ship canal adm itting vessels drawing 1b feet of water wh ich is connecte d with the L01·1er Bann by a t arge canal joinin" it 16J. miles above Portado,m and thus carried _o Lough Neagh . Its summit level is 76 feet above sea level and feet above the Lough which is also connected with Belfast by t~e Laga~ naviga tion 25¾ miles in length , 6 of which are river u~~. remainder canal - a work commenced in 1 ?83 but not coml?leted t· l l the end of the century and which was 1n 1890 extendea. by ne acquisition of the Ulster Canal .

f·194 .

18in

~-192 • The Ulste r Canal which is 451 miles in length and runs c~om Blackwatertown (?) to Lough (Upper) 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 was expended was transferred to the Board of Wo r ks in m 5 and again 1n '1890 to the Lagan Navigation and is no longe r 1 a nta1nea out of I mperial taxation .

The Tyrone Canal 4 miles in length ,mich connects Coal Bland with the Bla ckwater near Lough Neagh .

· Acc or ding t o a Repo rt of a Committee f t~e Irish House of co:n:nons p re sented on 23 January 1800 , proceea ings and grants ' · t· - 1 ·d " Hou se o f commo n s in 2 t ·he ·· for 1n 1 an f na vit lga ion are recorded .L Journa_s rom .1e. y~ar 1703. and 1715 an Act was passed "to and unprofitable Bogg the improving and encourage tn~ d r ain~ng low gr ounds ~or e~sing and despatching inland ca rri age and conveyance ?- goods from one po rt to another in this ki ngd 0 m" • -p . 181 fn is authorized

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1?06 .

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

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

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254. Ulster Amalgamation of Coal Island and Lagan Canals ~der Lagan Nav i gation Company 1894 .

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. Stevenson, Commi ss i oner of Public Evidence of l-ir . Geo . Works , 21 Ha rch , 1 906 ,

£4 , 947

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£108 , 251

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Numbe r of loc ks , 27 .

Expe nded by Lagan Na vi gation Company 1885- 1889 .

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£60, 000

£43 , 304

Expended by Ma r quis of Done ga l! out of private fund between 1809 and 1820 .

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

Or i ginal cost :

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(2) Lagan Navi ga ti on from Belfa st to Lough Neagh , 26 miles , 20 cha ins . Begun about 1 753 by Commi ss i oners of I nland Navigation ; hand e d over to a com pany in 1779 , completed early in the 19t h centu ry and now a fter var i ous vicissitudes held by a company whi ch unde r 6th and '7 th Vic . cap 104 days £300 pe r a n to t he Exc heguer . I n 1880 pa i d divi dends of l ½ pe r cent on c ap i tal o f £80 ,149 .

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

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19 6.

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Length 25 ml s . 66 eh s . Original cos t £1 03 ,304 . Numbe r of loc ks 27 . Smallest lock 65 1 O", W. 15 1 3", Dh . 5 1 611 , Largest bo at using 62 1 O"; W. 14 1 611 ; Dh . 5 1 611 l-!ax . lo ad possi ble 90 tons . Usual load 65 - 90 tons . Total rise above Belfa st Harbour 120½ feet . Lough Neagh 74 feet . Headway of bridges to cro\-m of arch 7 1 6 11 •

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Lagan Canal;

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second Report of the Royal Comrni s sion on Canals and Inland Navigation 1907 .

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1907 ,

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1agan rravi ~ati on :

2!5i- mile s .

i•laximum Di mensi ons fo r Craft Us in g Waterwa y :

( Lengt h ( Beam ( Draug ht

62 ft . o i ns . 14 ft . 6 ins . 5 ft . 6 ins .

(appro x . )

6 ft . 3 ins .

( Headr oom

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(

Distan ce :

?rom and To :

s, Belfa st . Lagan Eavig at i on Company ' Stran milli , Lougn ::eagh . Stran milli s , Belfa st , t o Ellis Cut

Author ity :

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sat:'.. "n The Lagan Havig ati on is in part a canaliicial of t he River Lagan and in part an artif of the ':later way . \'fork on the const ructio n The n resen t navig ation was c omple ted i n 1820 . It conne cts Compa ny assum ed contr ol in 1843 . thr- uc:h Belfa st Harbo ur with Lough Heagh and wate r ,.-:ith Lough Neagh affor ds communicat ion , bywith Coal ~o rtado1 ,m on the Upper Bann River Canal , wi th isl and at the head of the Coali sland, namel y small l andi ng place s on Lough i:eaeh h, Kinne go Harbo u r, 1''.aghe ry , Ne ·. :port Trenc and with the Bally ronan , Toom ebri dge and nt rim Lo we r Bann Nav i ga ti on . Stran mill i s From the quays of Belfa st Harbo ur to nces, a Lock , whe re the Lagan i:avig at i on c' omme Br ide , the li gh ter mus t pass unde r the Queen s Bridg e, Cen tral Railu ay Bri dge and the lbert ck , l!!lich and thenc e throug h the i-, cConn ell Lo c onflu ence lies in tidal water s ~us t above the Lagan . of the Bl a clrs t a ff Ri ve r wi t h t!1e River f ast Thi s l ock i s t h e n r ope rty of the Bela wEc?ir :·ih ic h Cor porat ion and is assoc iated with tide so impou nds water at a level below hignup to i mn rove the ameni ties of the river htly slob Stran milli s Lock by cover ing up unsig The ,-.cConnell land forme rly expos ed at low tide . ide and is l ock is 150 feet long and 38 feet w barge s . desig ned to accom modate a tug a nd th~ee the gate s The walls a re built of concr ete andle aving the ft er a r e elect rical ly oper ated . 0rme au McCo nnell Lock li gh t e r passe s under

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Genera l Rema r ks :

(l doubl e , at the Tidal entran ce .,f 27 . Stran milli s , Belfa st) .

Locks :

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, No . 1 Inland Water ways of Great Brita i n , 33 , P • ~89.

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195

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0 10

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£ 0

0 15

O 0

l 15 0 2 0 0 2 5 0

These char es include ret urn trip within 10 days .

l 10

Canoes (lifted ou t of loc ks ) Moto r launches, fishing boat s, etc . from 1st Lock s to :Newfo r ge Edenberry •. Drum bridge Mossvale Lambeg Hilden Lisburn Newp ort and beyond

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The aban donmen t of the Uppe r Rea ches of the Nav ig ati on (that is between Lisburn and Lough Neagh) is at present unde r considerat ion . Ch a r ges for pleasure craft pa s sing through Canal :

Bri dge _and the King ' s Bridge and so reaches the Str~nmi~h s Lock, which is Lock No . l of the Lagan Navigation . _(The 1.fcConnell Lock is operated by t he Belfast Harbour Commission ers) . Westward !rom St:anmilli s the navigation passes t ~e busy industrial areas of Lambeg 3ilden and At the Union Locks just beyond the out Lisburn . skirts of Lisburn there is a flight of four loc.~s whe re the navi ation finally leaves the River Lagan and follows a cont our on hi gher ground to Agha lee, a distan ce of 11 miles and ~8 chains . This is the Head Level and a number of st rea s act as feede rs on this level , namely, Lewport Feede r, Halli days Feeder, .. egarrys Feeder, Trumrnery Feeder , Douglas Feeder , ,.;oira ,·,ill Feede r, and Hell Hole Feede r . Ne a r !oira the Head Level crosses the valley of the River Lagan in a fou r-span mason r y aqueduct which is app ro ached on the south side by a hi h embankment . There are t wo overfall s on this l evel , the ma i n one being near the aqueduct . From Aghal e e the Canal de scends to Ellis Cut on Lough Neagh; ther e a r e 10 locks on that side of the Head Level. It varies in wi dt h from 40 to 100 feet . In winte r t he Head Level may carry up to 7 feet of 1ater and in summer some ti mes less than 5 feet 6 inches .

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Tolls :

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(cont ' d) .

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195 •

~ y i gation :

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6 7

3 7

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2 12 13 13

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Furlongs

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Stranmillis, Belfast (Lock No. 1) Lisburn Lock No . 12 .. .. .. Lock No . 13 Union Locks (total of 4) (Canal commences , leaving River Lagan , after Union Locks) . Aghalee (8 locks here in l i miles) Leanmount Lock (entrance t o Lough Neagh)

Miles

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Belfast to :

(c ont ' d) .

Distance Table :

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iiagan Nav i c-a tion :

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1950.

Kinne go Cut . Ba sin and cut in a di s gr a ceful state owing to crude sewer ag e deposits . Lurgan should be ashamed . Stone in wall of enclosed

2. Kilmore Hou se, Kilmore townland . yard dated 1861 .

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Forme rly occupied by Turtle family and previously by Ellis family now o~me d by lr . John Downing who st ates t ha t t he olde r house was built ci r ca 1690 .

3. Lean Mount, Kilmo re.

Lock ga tes

Lock ke eper's house inhabited .

removed .

5. Kilmore Lock.

4. Ellis ' s Cut in Kilmore townland whe r e it forms a boundar y between t ha t and Clanrolla i n Co . Arma gh .

Single storey t ha tched cott age .

This may not be in its pr oper sequence .

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[ he re Jcottage

To Lurgan

To Glenavy ~

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10. Interesting cottage with unusual pill ar gr ouping

9. Lock at De rrymo re.

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

7. Ballinderry .

6. Thatched two storey house, Aghaga llon townland.

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19 59, August 21.

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Date stone 1755 but Moravian Meeting House and Manse . church ha s certainly been renova ted since t h en .

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Bridges crossing roads gene r ally follow above t ypes . ar ch allowed horse t hrough .

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

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1959, August 21.

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1759 ,

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Map of pr opos e d c ana~ be t ween Ar agh and Bla ckwate rt o1-m , Ori inal (4L:: - 1935) in Count y Mu seum , rrna gh .

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Surveye d and levelle d by t he Cor porat i on of Armagh and in October and November 1759 by th eir most humble servants, James Ashmu r and James Ashmur Juni or '' .

llao inscribe d "A :nap or tr a ce of several li nes by either of ;!:lich a c an a l may be ma de from t he to,-m of . rmagh to the Blackwater near Cha rlemont .

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

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Mr. Fitz-Gibbo n 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-Geral d Sir Edward King

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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

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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,

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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.

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Annagh Canal.

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1761.

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Journal of the House of Commons, Geo. III, pp. 537-~~. ~.2 (V01. XII) •

Sir Archibald Acheson reported from the Committee to

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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 river Black-Water, they might thereby be supplied with plenty of firing at a reasonable rate.

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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 thousand ,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. Speaker,

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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

whom the petition of the Sovereign, Burgesses, and Freemen

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Mr. John Simpson informed your Committee, that he lives near Armagh, and carries on the bleaching business extensivel y• 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 convenien t fuel, he could bleach one third more than he does, and many of bis neighbour s who bleach more than he, are in the same condition 7 that he bleaches two thousand three hundred and seventy-si x pieces a year, and that there are twenty persons in his neighbour hood 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 supply the town and neighbour hood 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 convenien t; 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-Wa ter, costs him about six-pence; that if the intended canal was compleated to Armagh, the expence would not be above three-pen ce 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 manufactu rers 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-gre ens on the said river, within six miles of Armagh,t e d that he has had a bleach yard ten years, and has been pr~~n r;ach the from bleaching a much larger quantity t~tn ~a;dh~oe~ d• a O from the scarcity of fuel; says, he can kinda of linen he deals in under three half-pence p~rt~ar, that others who have firing conve~ien t,t~~~~r~; ~a~f Ar!a=r~s i about kinds for one penny· says, he bel eves the best in Ireland'fo r coarse linens; say;,i!h:~ : f!irs and :evkenty-tw o thousand poulidts i~a~~! i~{:n~~d canal was compleated d nei hbourhood of ar ets of Armagh; and tha Would sufficien tly 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~nsidera bly • .

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

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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-yar d proprietor s could bleach onethird more, and one-third cheaper, than they do at present, and that otherwise the linen trade must decrease; that the compleatin g the said canal will i ntirely prevent such decrease,

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Samuel Colvin says, that the linen trade has increased considerab ly of late years about Armagh; that he visited the bleach-yar ds, says, there are fifty greens and thirty-nin e 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-fi ve yards of linen; that the fuel decreases every year, and if some method be not found to supply fuel, at least five hundred manufactur ers must quit the trade, and probably go off to America, which the intended canal, if executed, would prevent.

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£10775 6 9

Amount:

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?o conting encies expence of engines , tools, th e implem ents, &c: and for oversee rs of ation works, by comput

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249 0 0

6000

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

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To ten locks, ninety feet long by eightee n and a half feet wide in the clear, at six hundred pounds each To twelve thousan d 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, eight feet wide at top, four at bottom by five feet deep, at two-pen ce per

Dublin, 20 Novemb er, 1761,

2582

To gravell ing one thousan d six hundred and sixty perche s of road by the side of the canal, ten feet broad, at three shilling s per perch

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To fifty-on e thousan d six hundred and forty· four cubica l yards of back-d rains, six feet wide at top, four at bottom, and four feet deep, at three half-pe nce per yard

yard,

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To three hundre d a nd nine thousan d eight hundred and sixty six and a half cubick yards in the canal, at two-pen ce per yard,

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came to the

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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

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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.

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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,

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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.

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And upon the whole, your following re solutions:

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

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Resolved, that it is the opinion of this Commit tee, that the petitioners deserve the aid of Parliament.

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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.

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(6 Ilovecnber , 1761) .

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A petition of the Sovereign, Burgesses and Free □ en of t'le town of Ar,,1agh a s al so the ,rincipal gentlemen free holders, 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 .

Sir Archibald Acheson Sir Canel ,·iolyneux Hon . 1-ir . Caulfeild i•ir . Brownlow , etc . etc .

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

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

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Ar.:iagh Canal.

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:iouse of Comnons Journal , Vol. J.:II , p . 246 .

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Ar:nagh Canal :

The sai,.e were read accordingly .

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The House was mov ed that the r esolutions of the House the r eport of the ',!.7 Nove'Jlber 1761 , on petition of the Sovereign , Durzesses , Freemen , etc . of the city and county by read . 00

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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 ply , etc .

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aouse of Commons Journal , Vol . XIII, p . 247 .

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1763.

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Th e c anal b a sin ha s now ( Augus t 1959) been fille d in, and t he canal is gene r a l ly in a very de cayed condition .

co,,JPANY

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A. D. 1837

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CANAL

WA S TH

ULSTER

ERECTED

BR IDGE

THIS

The canal b r idge bea rs a c arved tablet inscribed as under -

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Ulster Cana l .

Middletown ' Co . Ar'Ilagh .

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1837 ,

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Benburb :

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The Ul ster Cana l now i n progre ss passes on the easte rn side of the r ive r and village and is he r e carried t hrough a hill of limestone wh ich ha s been exc ava te d to a depth of 80 feet and is c onducted l ongtitudinall y over the mill race by an aqueduct of c on side r able lengt h .

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

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1837 •

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mlrn g reat Ulster Ca nal ha s been opened fro:.. C>:ar_e or t

to 10naghan , and ligh ters are now plyin; on that stat i on .

unit y are very cons i derable indeed .

and comme rci al co

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The advantages whi ch accrue in consequence to the ... gr:.c-.ilt..:,~-

have be en favored with the a nn exed cocJj]unication fro~ a

respectable i nhabitant of 1-iiddlet o1m :

"Dea r Sir, - La st •.1eek a vessel laden ·fit:~ c:,32.

" To the idi tor of the Newr y Telegraph.

the use of the Distillery arrived i n this viii~~e by the

Ulster Canal, wh ic h is nou , t hr ough t!le inde!.'at:'.. -ab~e

You canr.ot but have been

i mportant work is anti ci pated .

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ability of that Gentlema n , tlle s peedy ter:uinatio~ of t is

and, from the well - :rnown activity "r.c

lleagh to I•10naghan;

exertions of \ illi am Dargan , ,,;sq . , navi,;ai..le :ro~ Lou.:!1

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ple ased to hear tha t a junction between it and t.:e ~E~ry

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Canal is i n contemplat ion , whi ch :nus t ce rt ain ly t e ~roc...ictive of conside rable convenie nce and advantage t o those trJCi~; The i nhabitants of t his hit,ierto ats c-.ir&

along the line .

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t:.eir Village may now , with their war.nest feelings , ;;oin

brethren of t h e neighbouring tovms in t ha t heart - ani ... ating

llewry Telegraph .

"11iddle t own , 11th Dec . , 1837 •

"A Subscriber .

Uls ter Cana l .

excl ama t i on, "Erin go Bragh ,. 11 '·/J. ' · th the addition of t!le

191 .

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

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Blackwate rt own :

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This to,m from its situation on the Bla cl:11a t e r . c rries on a considerable trade in the exp ort of po t atoes , Qf ic great quan tities are annually . shi pped t o Eeifast ancl ·,t;.r!' _ . Sloops of 50 tons burden can deli ver t he.i. r car oes at t'.:e _uo:: : and the Ulster Canal which is now in pr og r ess . a sees c:!.o e :o the town .

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Lewis's Topographical Dictionary of Ireland .

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1837 •

13'2.

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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 Lough Erne, t hus nearly connectJ.n::; the ea st e rn 1-n th t he west e rn sho re by a li ne extending from Balle ek , ne a r Ba llys hannon , t hrough Lough Erne , the Ulste r canal , Lough Neagh, and t hence to Newry and Belfast .

The Ulster Canal is now comp leted as far as konaghan and promis es t o be a mos t useful work , Besides t hes e t he r e a re three small navi gati ons communicating with Lough Neagh ; the Lagan fr om Belfa st, one f r om Newry by the Upper Bann and t he thir d called ihe Tyrone Navi ga tion, extending from t he Colli eries at Coal Island, nea r Dungannon , by t he Blackwater int o Lough '.leagh .

I bid , p . 136 .

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

Newry Navigation . The leng t h of t he Ke,II'y Canal is 16: miles, It for ms the communic at i on between Newry and Lou:-,h Neagh and between Ne,II'y and the sea . In 1337 t he t onnage amounted to £ 102 , 332 and the tolls to £J , 500 ,

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. The Tyrone Navi gat ion was e xecuted at the i;iublic ex;ense w1t h a view to enc oura ging the wor ki ng of cert ain collenes at Coal Isl and , Ve r y exa ggera te d st at ements of the value and extent of the coal beds in the dis trict were ma de to Parliament · · · · · and led to a was t eful and useless exp enditure . The tonnfge in 1836 amounted to 7 , 291 and of the expo rt tonnag e coal on_y amounted to 718 tons. The Lagan Navigati on was begun in 1753 for th ~ pu se of connecti ng Belfast with Lough Neagh . T~e tonnag e in 1 60 amounted t o 44,700 tons, t h e tolls to L, , 0 Fr d t h len gt h of t he Navi gati on • om Belfast to Coal Isl an .e ls 61 miles , fr om Newry 39½ miles ,

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Ma rt in ' s , Ireland Before and After t he Union , pp , 132- 13 , 3

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1843 ,

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Moy,

Conveyance by Canal.

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Two quays on t~e river , were Erected 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 rthen , an immeoiate conn ection is formed with Belfast and Newry by the Lagan and Newry Canals and with Lough Erne by t he Ulster Canal.

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

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Goods forwarded to and from Belfas t and liewry anci the following places Blackwatert O\m , Caledon, Ch arlemont , Clones , Enniskillen, Lisnaskea , Monaghan , -loy , Portadown , Templet ate and Wattle bridge .

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94·

Slater' s Directory of Ireland .

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1846,

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canal, Pat r i c k Lo gan Agent .

•ro Belfast, Clones , Caledo n , Enniskillen, l•wnaghan and 1-.oy . Boat s le ave the Ulster Ca nal Steam Carrying i.juay ever y Tuesday , Thursday and Saturday forenoon .

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To Newr y from Ulste r Canal Ste am Carrying Company ' s Quay ever y Monday , Wednesday and Fr i day .

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Slater ' s Directory of Ireland .

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1B1+6 .

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Slate r ' s Directory of Ir eland .

Conve yan ce by ,,,ate r .

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To Enniskillen a nd Eelturbet , the ulste r Ca!la _ Co ~ny ' s boats daily takin g goods t o Belfast, Port ado,m , ,.oy, C c. eaon , Monaghan, Clon es, Laguire ' s Bridg e and all to,ms ad j ace nt .

Ulster Canal:

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

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.

The memorial of the Ulster Canal Company

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

That it is understood that the principal 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.

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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.

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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 • t nd that an application ertain sums of That your memorialists unders a which has been made to your Lordships to advancefcBelfast O ~oney for the improvement of the harbour ent of this th e improvem canal will if project so far from including 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 0 both with reference to their ~ 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

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uister Canal.

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And they accord ingly respec tfully subnit that in any advance of money which it may seem right to your Lordsh ips to make for the improv ement of the Belfas t Harbour such ian onlY may be sanctio ned as shall provide - by means of hoatin g docks or other ways - for this most importa necessa ry improv ement of the entranc e of the Lagan nt and Canal into the harbou r,

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Company's Office s, 6, Austin friars, London, 10th May, 1838,

And your memo rialists will ever pray, &c.

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1852,

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Doyle' s Tour of Ulster , p . 131.

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port adown situate upon t he Bann is in a ve r y suner:or trading positi on , h avi ng a sufficient depth of 11ater· to float vessels of 50 or 60 t ons burthe n . By means of the Ul ste r canal it carries on a communication be t ween belfast and Enniskillen and with Newr y by the Newry llavi3ation .

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1854,

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rne Ulst er Canal :

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Commen c es_ a t Ch ar ~e'.1:ont on th e Blackwater, by which it c(}llrrIUni cates with ~ougn Ne~gh, and taki ng a soith - west direction by i·ionagnan and 1.,l ones, enters Lough irne at the east ern ext remity, t~us un~ting the two loughs . It was con st ructed by the a id of large SUtllS of publ ic money sn6. wa s opene d for the passage of bo a ts in 1842 . ', e stations have bee n established on Lough i;ea gh for the accommodation of long boats between the Ul s ter, Lagan and Newr y ,la vi ryations . A ste amboa t has been also pl a ce d on Lough e;r ne , so that a regul ar communi c 3tion has been effected t hrourhout the li ne , which is 48 miles . The company was incorporated under 6 Geo . IV, c , 193 . '.Che amount of capital is £300 , 000 , half of which ha s been paid up . £120 , 000 has been obtained on :nor t ;;a:e o~ the under t aki ng , and to acc r uing tolls fro:a the r,;xc,1eq_ue r Lo~n 0ills Com:nis si 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 year or evious o f '< 000 t ons and the amount of tolls £1,138 . 10 . 11 and t he disbur serne'~ts £1 ,252 . lc . ll : there was also £1 , 000 :nore pai d t o an engineer and for law eiqi enses .

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

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1855,

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

'.o Clones a Fly Boat every Tuesday .

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:o Enniskillen a Fly Boat every Thursday .

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Belturbet a Fly Boat every Saturday .

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~nveyance f r om Portadown by water .

iater ' 5 Directory .

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The Ulst e r Canal :

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This c anal connects Lough 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 lough 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 rivers , 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 chamber , l" feet wide , and about 81 feet rise . , ~r. tccn of these l ocks are on the eastern or Lough J;eagr side of Le summit, and t he rema inder on t he western side ,· t'.'le difference between the levels of the loughs being about 10; feet . .~e intended de pth of wate r on the lock sills was 5·. feet .

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Althou"h t he advantaa es of this canal must have been obvious at ~n ea rl y date , 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 ' , , to,, . . r, s measures were adopted to carry ou •c sue h a pro J' ect t un-1-. · ·-:-. the clo se of t he fir st qua rt er of the presei:t cen ur~, ;'-ien r . John Kil l aly made t he ne cessary surveys, anc nre,iarec . · _ans an estimates, upon which an appl icat i on was ma~e. to,P&rlio eiS' H the yea r 1825 , and an Act obtained , namely 'rne oth Geo . ·, cap, 193", incorporating the Company • T • . • t of the estioate , ~ he difficulty of r a is ing the amoun . to ~reat delav ~n ~ 16O, OOO , e ou a l t o £3 , 478 per mile, gav<:: rise in 1Qy· CO!ll!lle ncing t he Ho r k s and t h e deat h of 1•1r. _Killa -1 Y, . ;- 7,; 0 0• ~ed to t he seeking of other professional ae1:1ice ' U~~=r t'i; ~r .. -· :~lford and Sir William Cubi tt we r e calle~ i~ . a s~ale ~i rection , the wo r ks - previously de si~ne~o~;exion ,-:ith _ '.J·:-t. °:respondine with t he c anals already/~; ed ~nd t'le icicit-i ana 11 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 Used i n th ose navigat ions c annot pass ; an - \ 0 be verv :njurious lntended to dim in ish t h e outl ay, has !Jr ove~ndeed ou~ht to !Cave t O th . y of the un d er t a,1cin"'=' ' as S;f i economy ' ~ l · · -be · e pro spe rit cou a n~ve j en. anticipated for no co n side r ation • ncinles such Ustified , on ordina r ily intelligible pr~ in ex~ludi"g boats modificati ons of a c anal so circum st ancea , enter1n1; Loush Neac;h from othe r qua rters .

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rransac~ 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) .

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1859- 60 - 61.

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capable, b · embai:i=ents 1 of pondine up about 14: feet de t of water, to be del 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 water fro :!l che r~ver BL,ckwater at Dall1node, wheri t-ie .Lls the neighbourhoo0. do not requ ire it , the su, ·lv to the co o far fro11 b~ing si.1fc'icie12t i, an~ the consequence" is, t,11t r' 'ri .it at least t nree months or cne ctry season of eac:i ye~r , t s r level is i:npassible for trade boats . In i.r . .Cillal:; ' s "c .i - , ·eet t:1ree contairi ta alculated c was ca:'.lal the the section of in depth of 1.1ater beyond the standard navigable height , belnintended as a reservoir to dr aw upon which circurnt~nces -, :il requir e .

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. By the et of Incorporatio n , the ti ,e of co ;1l~ti __ ; limited t o July. 15;,q , By the 9tl1 Geo . IV . , c~96,_J.t _-extended to t he ' ;,;oth. June, 1833; and ~v t:ie lsc a~; "nc · •· there wa s " furthe r extension to the .<4t June , 1 '- ~ 7 ·

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The Company , notwithstanding the sacrificss ..:iade of efficiency to economy, had t o contend with the 1s 1 _ fina ci 1 difficulties of such 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 ve rccci_rse t~ aJ1endments of their a cts . to borrow money ;or tiLt _ ur vse r the Loan Comnissionsrs in whose hands t.. e n°vi ti,... ~s ~sted to r epay t he de1t, the CoL_any h~vin~ ;•ile• t_ eet ,neir engage c1 ent s .

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

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The sw:iJJi t level is suppl i ed near the to,m

O 3 • on __ "n n h· h · lour!, · · w.• ic .. is a natura l lake, r ender~d -' oir, o: r ese ··v by the liuii;;; -

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rae Ulster Canal :

Ulster Canal (cont ' d) .

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Mr . M' ~ahon , on the termi nation of the pa rt nership , becq e in &.~gineer to t h e Dr a i nage Departme n t of the Boa r d of ·,or-:s of 'ice the year 1843, and c ontinue d to fulfil the ciuties of that auring t he mos t a c tive per i od of their exterJsiv e o:1eratier ns~r. n3 The dr ainages of Lough lifeagh , Lough Corrib , anci the U river we re t he orincio al wo r ,, s of 1-;hich he "ave plans a".lc' · spe cif ications . ·

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,vans i n the e~e': ut i on of the Royal Ca:-ial , havin:; :o .L'ld the field pr eoccup~ ea , _almost to the exclusio n of Irish.Jen , loo;rnd e_) in the out f?~ a c ~rn~i:1a~io~1 to enable _h i m_ to eJJba r k exte"Jsiv and~ in tne ear1y part ::i:' the ~r-s~r: 6 xecuu on o, 1)Ublic _v1?ro:~ , _ho, centur y co.,u~nce d 1ntn _hi s_p a r~ ner s, _llessrs . rlenry anc. ' ..oth.i.:r a career, mi e n , a s socictea inch en;;ineer inc . •1ill lose o bv comoaris on Hith the mos t successf ul period of the rofess in this o r pos sibly i n any other country .

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1059-60- 61 .

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About fif t y ye a r s a go conn ection wa s e ffecte d bet ween Lough Erne and Lough 1:e a gh , by mea ns of t he Ulst e r Cana l . This pa sses for a con siderccle dis t s~ ce along the weste r n a nd no r t h - ueste r n bor ders of Ar _agh . It is be ing l a r ge l y t aken advanta ge of at pre se~t by some o f t he l e adi n g me r chants of t he Cit y of . r .ac:h . The shipping pla c e is a t Bla ckwate r t own , di st a t :·cJ.r I t is expected t ha t t he Ul ster Cc:r.al s ste~ miles . will be so on v e r y mu ch i mp rov e d by the Ulst er C~na.,_ Company who re c e i ve possession of it t h::.s ;•ea r - 1888 under special Act of Par l i ament .

st e.,, Cana l.

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Bassett • s County Ar ma gh , p . 23 ,

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1888 .

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The Ulster Ca nal :

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The Ul s ter Canal , ext ending f r om Bla ckwater t own to Lough (Upper) Ern e, wa s mad e by a comp any, fo r med i n 1826, under 6 Geo . IV . , c , 1 93 , The work s took about f ift een yea r s t o complet e , and ab so r be d over £200).000 i n capi t al , t owa r ds wh ich the Governme nt a dv an ced on l oa n x.130, 000 . \<f.ri en the canal wa 5 opened in 1841, t h e tr a f fi c prov ed unr emune r ative and the water supply defective . I n 18 51 t he Public Wor ks Loan Com~ i ssi oners took pos s essi on of ~he P: ope rt y as p rinci pal mor t gagees , and proceeded to le as e i t, fir st t o a private individual (l,; r . u:irr,an), and subs e quently t o t he Dunda l k St eam Naviga ti on Com oany . While under t h e. manag ement of th is C0!3pany , t he c anal works fell into very bad r epair, and inde ed be came almo st der elict . On th e expi r ation of thi s comp any ' s le as e in 1865 1 it was dete r .n i ned (but only after much h esitati on ) , to vest the canal and under taking in t h e Bo a r d o f Wo r k s, Ir eland , who wer e of op i nion , i n opposition to t ha t of Sir Joh n Ma cne i ll i n 1861 , t hat it was the deficiency of wa ter, and not t h e r ai lway competitio n, ,:hi ch had pr eve nted its be i ng r emune r ativ e . The t r ansfer wa s effected by 28 3: 29 Vic . , c. 109 , After an addit i ona l ouclay of near ly £20,000 on t h e suppl y of wat er , the c anal was . '. eopened in 18 73 ; bu t t he traff ic on it ha s be:n ver y. tri runP . !he annual expense of its mai nt enanc e was seL do~n in 1870 , at Ll , 200 , which used to be p rovi ded for i n the Civil Se rvi cf 66 Estimates (Class I); and t he r ecei pt then only aver aged L a year . int o the sys t em of · t · . munit• . . The Commissioners appointe d o inqui r e navi g~tion connecting Cole: a ine, Be lf( a s \ 7 a £d _L~ssi t~t~i~ tha/ 3 in this n avi gation, in their Repor t c. 3 1 · d out by the " d 1873 865 Notwi thstandin" t h e l arge sum s al tw~e n . ~ . ~~w chi;fly Commissioners o f Work s on th e canal be 00 ' it at! and f r om want amounting , as has been st ated, t o _£ 22 , 0 to le a kage, in a very u1;1sat1 sfa ct or?1 \ he ye a r. Th e t r af f ic ~ Water navigable only for ei ght monih ~ ~ull y suool i ed wi t h is l ness of t he loc k s . ,,,8 also restricted even when t h e tcana Tiater , by its shallowness and by h e sma\ pa s s along t he Vl 5t er /e boats in use on t he La gan c anal c an~~ r i n t he channel of t~al when fully laden, t h e de p t h 0 ! w~ on the cills of t he On the Lagan can al e latter being only four fe et , whil s 1v~~ks it is only t h r ee feet nine i n~~e;~ dr aw f ive feet s~x re si xt een feet wine . in sel s c an generally be loaded so Evidence ha s been Th ches . The loc k s on the La gan can a_1 \ es ose on the Ulster twelve fe et two incdit ~re of £10 , 000 on t ~e ~ ~1tt e d to u s t hat by a further etl!~ feet bo t h in the cnannel t he an~ter c anal it may be de epene\ t o supplied , and all in the lock s, a dditional wa er

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Ireland : I ndus t rial and Agricultur al , pp .lll- ll 2 ,

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1902.

The Ulster Canal :

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This n a vi ga tio n wa s transferr ed during t he year 1890 , to the Lagan Na vi gati on Comp any, and ha s ce ased to be maint ained out of the I mper i al taxes. I n a ccordance with the Ac t of Pa rli amen t, an ag reement wa s subseque ntly entered into bet wee n t ne Eoard of Works and the Lagan Navi ga tion Company for trans fer of the cana~ . This agree ment bound t h e Company to expend £10 , 250 , the amount require d a cc o r ding to the estimate of t he Board of './o r:u ' Engineer , to ensure a sufficien t wate r supply and pu t the c ana-'in or de r for a five feet draft for li gh ters, the dr aft fo r werly given by t he Boa r d of Wor lrn bei ng only four fe et . l'rJe co any proceede d t o c a rry out the wor k s , which c os t £12 , 70 instead of the £10 250 estimated . Towar ds this sun the Treasur y ,aade a free gr 1nt of £3 500 and the Boa r d of Wo r ks l ent £4 , 40v r e: ayab~e in forty half - ye~ r ly ' instalmen ts 1-1ith interes~ at \Pe : ce nt . e r annum on c ondi ti on that the Chai rman of the Lagan ,-avi~at ion Comp a_liy lent £4 4 00 on same ter ms . The ori ginal defect ?f ·.-ater supply t o the si'.i.mmit level still rema i ns, no at te:n:-it ?;ving _ or "~been made to increase the size of t he storage reserv ~irh 1 t'. ~1 ~an ~ · remove an obstruct ion which exists in this po rt wn and is ~ti_ ~e waterway above the town of lfonaghan t herefore, st evf!leJ~ ;er, ~mpa ssible by bar ges dur ing a portion of al~o s be en in d'.y s easons t he stoppage of ~he traff~\ fm ~~~~;m~nt trsffic cons~dera ble pe r iods . Unt il t ? 25 es~egti\ le to re auit the es . oass ich wh ,e a 17 h ca: rie d out the Ulster Canal WJ.11 no t o wns ~g!~~ navi ga ti on syste::i ~ 1 7h awa i ts it a t the t~ri v~ng _ 1 ~ a most impo rt ant l J. nk in. tne no r ._. .. on the Elac::wate r ~~ntinuing the li ne of navigati on fro~ tj~ins the river ?inn . ver to Lough Erne, n e a r which l ake J.

(Cont ' d) .

n .• leakages s~aunche d. Many witness es expressed their that if this we r e don e a lar ge traffic would s urin<? ~o .. fi a1:n~~ .e canal would become a r emune rative conce r n · Bu'"" 1-t "musPt, bano e d . th a t t h e Great Northe r n Railway comuetes ' .h observea, t ey a a , ~th t he c ana l ~or the g reater pa rt of its length, 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 of £1 ,1 53 a : ear, i n addition to £350 , t ne interest of the :x.10 000 necessary to put it int o or de r, o r £1 ,503 in all , is in o~r ouinion to" take a · very san guine view of its p r ospects .

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1902.

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Number of loc k s 26 ,

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Expend iture by lo ans £ 130 , 000 . Borne from other £80 , 000 sources £210 , 000

Original cost.

(6) Ulster Canal f r om . Cha r !emont, Co . Armagh , comrnunic ati n~ 1/ith Lough Ne agh by Ri ver J:il ac kwat er to Uppe r Lough Er ne at Wattl e bri d g e, Co . Fe r managh , 46 miles l ong , constructe d by priv at e company unde r Act of 18,:5", c omp l ete d 1842 . Exchequer Loan Comm i ss i oner s len t £120 , 000 and Boa r d of Works £10 , 000 . Forme r took po s sess i on in 1851 and le as ed canal to Hr . Dargan , subs e quen tly to the Dundalk Steam Navigation Comp any, whos e le ase exp i red i n 1865 . Th e c anal was then veste d in t he Commiss i oner s of Publ ic Work and transferred to t he Lag a n Nav i gation Comp any in 1888 .

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Evidence of •i r . Geo . A. St eve nso n, Commi ssi one r of Publ i c orks, 21 la r ch , 1 9 0 6 . W

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Colillllissi one r s Report s , Vol. I, Appendi x 2 .

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1906.

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Lagan Nav i gation Company .

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Length 45 mls. 51 eh s . ori• inal cost £294, 272.. Number of loc ks 26 . 1 51 • anallest lock, L . 67 • 2";1 W. 11 Bk"1 ; Dh. 11 51 O" . Largest bo at using L . 62 O" ; W. 11 6 , Dh . Max. load possib le 65 t ons . Usual load 55 - 65 tons . Total rise 154 feet . Headway of bridge s to cro,m of a rch 9 ' 0" .

Ulster Cana l .

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and Inl and 5econd ~eport of t h e Royal Cornm i ssion on Canals , on Navigati

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1907 •

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Hughe s' parish of Tynan , p . 91.

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The Ulst er Canal connecti ng Lough Neagh with Lough trne is in poss es sion of the La gan Na vigation Company . It came in !832 and t h e Ulste r Canal Comp a ny received po ssessio n of it unde r Speci al Act of Parli ame nt in 1888 .

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Comi ng from J.lonagha n it enters the parish a t Ar dgon.~ell , brid•e, runs thr ough Foyduff , Shantull y , Tullybri ck (Hamilto n), Bond;ille , Cor fe ghan , Lemnago re, skirts Gortmagl eg , Dr um golly The Foryarr and Annagh and le aves the parish at Turry bridge . , Road •Big Bridge " out side i•iiddleto wn con necting the Glass l ough . k37 with the main ro ad , was e r ected by the Cana l Company in

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1910.

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21/ .

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1950,

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rn1and waterways of Gre a t Bri tain , No . 138 , p . 399 . ~

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Bann Navigation :

Tr 1:1-st~ es of the Uppe r Bann 1'avigati on Ricidets Buildings , 4 9 Donegall Pla ce , Belfast '.

Authority :

H¼ miles .

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Road b r idges and a railway bridge .

Bridges :

Locks :

(Leng th .. Not limited . Uo t limited . •. ( Beam 5 ft . 6 ins . (Dr augh t . Up to Hoy J ft . Up t o Blackwaterto,-m ( 8 ft . (Head room

Maximum Dimensions for Craft Us ing aterway . W

Distance :

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

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From and To :

Toll s :

None for pleasure craft .

Gene r al Remarks:

There is ver y lit tle tr affic south of the entrance t o the Coal island Canal . The ma in landing pl a ce s unde r t he con~ r ol o{ the Tr ustees a re Kinnego Ha rbour and Hewpo r Trenc h on Lough Neagh .

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The abandonment of th is canal is under consi de rat ion . ~iil es . ?urlongs .

~~ st ance Table : trance to Lough Nea"h to : Maghe r y Ferry ( end ~f a rtificial cut f rom Lough Neagh) • ~unction with Coali sland Canal •• n:rner ' s Bridg e • • · • t) ·· •• •. rrygalle y Ferry Junct1 C on wi t h Ulster ana 1 (now derel i c Bl •• ackwatertown

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Special No te :

None .

Towing path :

This c anal le a v e s t he Blackwater that point t he re is besides the loc k Charle rnont . stores . The. lock keepe r ' s house is in ~o a guay and inhabited bus t he lock gat es a re in ab sogl u dt 0r der and e dec ay .

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CLONES

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WAT .cLEBRIDGE

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CALEDON

CHA.qLK,;ONT

.h Lock No . 2 a t Bl a ckwate r town is ver y mu ch de cayed but t.e l ock kee pe r ' s h ouse is inhabited and i n good or der .

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Lock No . 3 a t Maydown does not seem to have had a t~ep er ' s ~ous e and Lock No . 4 in Carrickaness is also wi~hout '.1filem. ty . Loc k No . 5 Ca rr ickaness (near. t he ~en~uro . \arries ) h as a loc k keepe r ' s h ouse . I t is 1nh a?1tea and 1 n god order bu t lock gates a r e in very bad cond1t1on .

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WAT:i'LEBRIDGE

CLONE S

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CALEDON

CHARLEMONT

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Locks No s . 6 and 7 i n same t ownlanci are very much_ove r and git e s a re i n absol ut e de cay . At No . 6 on the t>enburb lnsc?bs1de t he r e is a c a rve d stone similar to that at Ch arlemont 1 ed as under -

;u~;11

40 Lo k • t ha s be en fil led in to Provid c No . 8 . The c ana l a t t his P01 ~h lo ck survives (gates decaye~)a fl at entr an ce to the Mill , . e us e as mi ll office . and t he lo ck ke ep er ' s hou se 1 s 1 n L . is in a ve r y ciecayed con11t~ck Ho . 9 a t Tullybr i ck nea r Bo nd VJ.ll~ good or der and 1nn,1,,~on but t he l _ock keep er ' s house 1s J.

(~~aL

on h t h e d bank · Ly· i ng flat ~ • whe r e t he can 1 en t ers t he nver 1s a scone s ape li k e a grave· stonea and inscribed _

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TM Ulster Canal.

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1959 .

August

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Trip to Lough Erne •

John .cDonarh ,

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Photograp hed lock at Tyholl an d .

Edenaforan , Co. Monagh an. Bo y wit h Donkey s. Edenafora n, Stonebr i dg e, Co . Monaghan .

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Lock House in Knockac oney townland i nha bi ted .

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Locks on each side of road bridge at Cr owley, Co . .. ona~han . keepe r's house inhabite d .

Killgarre t townl and . Two-st orey t ha tch ed house on old road from Dublin to Newtow nbu tler. Mr. Wi lliam He t he r ington, Postal address : Kill ga r r et, Newt o,mbut ler .

Photo graphs at entran ce of Can al i nt o t he Jsr ne at G&lloon Island. Lock complete l y destroye d .

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Ulster Ca na l .

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. 1979 , August 22

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Can a l P assage Boat .

The r es pectab le

The subscr i bers

Canal Pa ssag e Boat.

Feb. 10, 1813.

and conven ien ce.

sact t hei r It will enabl e p a s se ng ers t o go t o Newry, t ran e , comfor t busines s and r e turn h ome the s am e day with eas

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Pas sag e Quakers of Moy a l l en h av e es tablis he d a Cana l of Ne wry . Boat which will b e h i ghly usef ul to t he trade

i n Poin t z to the Newry Canal P as s age Boat ar e to meet As sever al Pass on the 15th i n st. a t el even o ' clock .

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Moyallen , 1st of second month. Feb. 27, 1813. Newry Canal Passag e Boa t.

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settled , a full a t t endanc e is exp ect ed . on s Those who hav e not ye t pai d t heir subscr i pt i th ei er t o are reque st ed to do so previ ous t o t hat day surer, Thomas Greer, Newry , or William Dawson, Tr ea

to be matters of i mp ortanc e t o th e Establ i shmen t are

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· th t he Com.o anY of pr opri et ors A person to con tr a ct WJ. bet ween t o dr aw the Canal Passa g e Bo at wit h two horses pass and Knockb ridge and Poynt zpa s s a l so bet ween Poyntz t o W. Dawson, Moyall en , N Applic a tion to be ma de ewry ·

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Feb. 10 , 1 813.

!!W'Y canal.

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Extracts fromNewry Tel egrall.b.

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Security will be required

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for the due performa nce of the contract.

Yest e rday the Newry Canal Passage Boat

arrived he r e about one

clock having on board the

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May 8, 1813 .

Marquis and Marchion ess of Downshire , John Moore of

Drumbanagher, Arthur I nnes of Drumentin e and John Reilly

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ULSTER CANAL

of Scarva, Esquires with their Ladies.

Edi t orial.

1819 .

See Newry Comme r cial Telegraph of Tue sday , Ma rch, 19

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We lay t his day before our readers a copy of a

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correspond ence which lately took pl ace between Hen ry

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R. Paine Esq . , assistan t secretary to the I nland The subject Navigation Office and John Killaly Esq . matter of these letters is highly i mportant as it

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relate s to the intended line of Ulster Navigation . Mr Killaly has accompan ied hiS communica tion to the ·

Board with a map of the line . h ' h \·'8 have seen we "'-~,om a copy of this map w ic ' will commence at Wattlel earn that this intended canal . h . t will communic ate bi r dge on the Finn river by wh ic i ·twill pa ss near 111th Lough Erne . From Wattle bridge i

CANALS ( conU

or George Bennett, Poyntzpa ss.

2.1 s:-

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CANALS

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C cont

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Ballymoe - then ce n ea r Cumber and Ballynu re, and on to It'll , the summit level, nearly between Drum conner and Mill t o nea r whi ch latte r place it will approxi ma te Monaghan

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and f r om thence it will wind in a meander ing course t o the vicinit y of Middl e town - thence to nea r Tynan and

Within

a sudden turn it will diverge to Benburb .

on t o the neighbo urhood of Battlef ord Bridge , where 'Jith

About a mile f rom the cut, by which it

the Callan.

about a mile of tha t vil lage it will communicate .nt h Thence the Blackw ater by a short cut of three l ocks . it will pro ceed to Darby 's Bridg e, wher e it will cro ss

mile and three quarter s of the city. From Darby' s Bridge it will run t o Ballymagerny -

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\/ill join t he Bla ckwater , a canal is to be made t owards Armagh , which will t e r minate about Grangemore within a

in the whole course.

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, thence to Loughg all, Ballyw illY, Flush bridge and Vinecash 4 and fall near Portado wn into the Upper Bann 6½ miles laid down ks f rom Wattlef ord Bridge t he re being 22 l oc

inquiry.

t th at th e UlS er We are sorry to find it stated any nearer t o the city of N avigatio n cannot be brought We viz . Gr angemor e. map, the on shewn Arlllagh than is ood gr ounds, and doubt the accurac y of the stateme nt on g · thout further and hope 1 t will not be acquies ced in Wl.

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CANALS Ccont ,l

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About 31 years ago Mr. Owen who supe rintended the

canal from Lisburn to Lough Neagh made a survey and

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estimate of a canal to Armagh whi ch was then in contempla-

The line which he selected and whi ch he pronounced

tion.

to be perfectly p racticable , crossed the Ca llan river a

little below Ge a ry• s Bridge and running t hrough Drum sill

and Killylin re- crossed the Blackwatert own road on the

Armagh side of Bagenal' s Bridge, and passing over the r oa d

leading from Blackwater town to Ch ar l emont, at the pla ce

The expense was then estimated at

below that road.

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made vi th a simila r result.

Has Mr . Killaly examined this line .

If be bas not,

In the year 1750 a similar survey had been

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£13,500 .

called the Rampart, joined the Blackwate r immediately

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his late survey is not conclusive on this point , and we

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mu st continue to believe that the canal may be brought into the very city .

'l'hoUgh somewhat foreign to the present subject, we that a canal is not c aJlnot help expressing our surprise

made connecting Lurgan with Lough Neagh, which it

Navigation Office,

20 Oct. 1815,

C h

9, 1819 .

desire that you will

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appronmates within less than a mile and a half .

1 am directed by the Board to t 0 t he line of p roceed With all convenient despatch,

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practicable to carry a line from the summit level to

the southward of the town of Monaghan, or fr om any of

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the descending levels by Mi ddlet oi-m to th e City of

Armagh so a.s t o f all into s ome part of t he val e of

the Callen River, by which you could trace a navigat ion or

to the junction of the river with t he Bl ackwate r :

Henry R. Paine, As st. Sec .

To John Killaly, Esq.

Navi gation Office, 8 Sept . 1816.

March 19, 1816.

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to connect the Canal with the Blackwater. xxx

by quitting the vale of the Callen northwar d of Ar magh ,

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can be carried nearer t he ci ty of rd 5 line laid down by you, it i s th e Boa '

or any other level Armagh than the

that if you shall be a.ble to trace by whi ch the summit

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Sir, I am directed by the Board t o acquain t you,

To John Killaly, Esq.

With the summit of the Newry Navi gation · XXX By Order of the Board . st Sec. Henry R. Paine, As •

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Wish that you will ascertain whether such new line may form a juncti on n0 t be extended in such a direction as t 0

Ulster Navigation and a scertain how far it may be

conLI

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CANALS

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Mar ch 19' 1 816 .

Tull amore, J an .

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CANALS ( coutJ

31 , l 8l6 .

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Sir, pursua n t to the Boa r d ' s instruc tions of the 20th of Oct . last, I have eXplor ed the country in

to the city of Ar'llagh .

any various di recti ons , in o r der t o as certain whe t her close level of the propos ed naviga tion might be brought

I first endeavoured to push fo r wa r d _th e summit level, but found th e gr ounds for many miles on the

that south and east of Monagh an so extrem ely irregul ar, s heavy an extrao rdinary deg ree of circuit y, ,-Ii th numerou

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of the Callen .

t hat ri dg es which sep arate the vale of Tynan water from

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level , embankments, would b e requis ite to prese rve tha t exclusiv e of the ver y dee p sinking through the high

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be I then tri ed whethe r the Board ' s object would

departed from in any ma terial degree ,

I am th·ls pro j ect p roved equall y unsucc ess f u1 · therefo re of t h e opinio n t ha t t h e Ulster Naviga tion be brough t nearer to c annot at any reas ona ble expens e nor do I th e City of Ar magh th an is shown on my map; the line marked can be th ink that the g ene ral course of

attained , by de p artin g from the 16th level and sinking but or tunnel lin g throug h the high gr ounds at Benbur b,

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CANALS Ccont ,l

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I next proceede d in obedience to the Board's

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order of the 8t h of November , so as to ascertain

,;11ether the Ulster Navi gation might not be extended, but

as to form a junction with the Newry Canal;

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the high grounds that lie in t hat direction render

this plan ineligib le, as the line should pas s within

a short di stance of Portadown, from whence to the

would be nearly parallel to the existing naviga tion.

be attained I p resume they will be gratified to

Although t he entire of the Board's object cannot

Newry summit, distant about six miles, its course

learn that a favourab le line may be found for extend-

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ing the Ulster Navigatio n from near Blackwate rto;m

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to the River Bann at Portadown, a distance of twelve

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descending locks. xxxx

and a half miles on which there would be three

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th e latter. xxxx

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section and This letter is accompan ied by a map th e cut estimate of the line to Portadown , and also of s1antry and alluded to (in my former report between alculated on th D The expense of bo , c erryadd Bay). th 8 1 canal extension, same dimension s as the Roya . eh £14 500 is chargeable to ' amounts to £101, ooo of wtu

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UJ_itet Qaoal .

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CANAL s CconLl

William Dargan having purcha sed t he

Dec. 1, 1842 .

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Establishment l a tely carried on by the Ulster Canal

steam Carry i ng Company and having made very considerable

additions th e ret o in steam boats, bar ge s and war ehouses

is prepared to fo r ward me rch andise of every descri pti on

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Port adown Ballyronan New Port -Trench Coal Island Moy

Caledon Mona ghan Clone s Wattle bridge Belturbet Li sna skea Enniskillen .

Belfast Newry

regularity.

between the under men tioned pl aces wit h economy and

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At each of th e above stations William Dargan has

or any of the above - named stations :

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Dungannon Emyvale Fi vemiletown Killeshandra Lis naskea Lowthe r stown Magherafelt Moneymore Maghera Ne wbliSS Newto1-mbut1 er Stewartstown Sligo .

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communicate with all

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towns may conveniently and c h eapl y

Armagh Aughnacloy Aughe r Brooke borough Ballygawley Ballyconnel Balli bay Cavan Coot ehill Clo ghe r Cooks to,m Ca stledawson Coal I s l and

and thus t he following import ant

. de1ivery of Goods;

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. an agen, t wi t h commo d i ous store s fo r the rece i pt and

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CANAL s Ccont .l

On the 5th of December arrangements

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will be made Newry to and t lfas Be rom f ily da ts to start Fly Boa

Belturbet, Lis naskea and Enniskillen and f r o:n those They will pr oceed full

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places to Newry and Belfa st .

or not, to their re spe ctive destinat i ons , calling at

all the inter mediate St a tions along the line fo r the

receipt and deliver y of Goods.

by Railway to and from Belfast .

All goods requirin g eXpe di tion will be forwarded

Spa re boats will be ready at t he different

Stations to take in full cargoes.

Steam Boats .

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The Grand Juncti on powerful ne w iron steam boa t

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will leave Ballyronan at half past six o ' cl ock wit h

Goods and Passengers and calling at Newport Trench

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will arrive at Portadown 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 Satu rd ay a

llill return to Ballyronan on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday

and Saturday calling at Newport Trench . ,nll leave Vernersbridge ""-4 ll8 Countess of Caledon w~ 'th Goods and Passengers ev ery morning at seven o 'clock WJ. for the ten o ' clock and Will arri ve at Portadown in time and will return to Verner stra111 and the Newry fl y Boat

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CANAL s <conU

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of t h e ten o ' clock brl·dge immediatel y a fter t h e arrival

train f r om Belfast .

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The Countess of E1'ne will pl y daily between

wattlebri dge, Belturbet, Lisnaskea and Enniskillen .

Arrang ements have b e en made for t he i mmediate

receipt and transhipme nt of Goods at Belfast, to and

For any further information , applic ati on

and Liver pool.

from Glasgo w, Ca rli sle, Dublin and London and at Newry

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Wi lliam Scott, Enniskillen . William Nobl e, Lisnaskea , J ames Finlay, Belturbet . William M. Clarke, Clone s . James Ho gg, Mona ghan . Ynomas Armstrong , Caledon. John Cubitt, Moy . Joseph Anderson~ Coalisland. David Gaussen, ball yronan . William Freckleton , Newport Trench . John Overend , Portadown . Samuel Smith , Newry. t Joseph Hindly, 81 Ann St . , BelfaS ·

is r espectively requested to the fo llowing agents -

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By an arrangemen t with the Ul st er Canal Company

liam Dar gan is bound to tow al 1

ts that may offer

both between and in the or d er in which they arrive, th e 1agan, Newry and Ul ster Canals and also between This duty he llattiebridge , Belturbet and EnniSkillen . fai· thfullY and impartially. Pledg es him se lf to perform hiS numerous Fr iends In conclusion he begs to assure pains t o carry out and th e Public that he will spare no

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CANALS

Ccont

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.1.

2.2.4

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all the se difficult and complex arrangement s wi th

punctuality, s afety and comparative expedition.

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He avails himself of the pre sent opportunity of

most gratefully a cknowl edgin g his obliga tions to the

Right Honble . t he Ear l of Erne and to t he Tr ustees of

tbe Earl of Lan es borough, fo r the liberal and

July 4, 1843. £..:.., posed Branch Canal to Armwm.

Trade .

at Lisnaskea and Belturbet, fo r the accommodatio n of

judicious mann e r in whi ch they have constructed Piers

We have received a p rinted prospe ctus of a mos t

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rational and lon g con templ a t ed project namely the

It is accompani ed by a map and section of

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!rmagh.

HuJ.lyleg gan , near Bl a ckwa tert own direct to the cit y of

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format ion of a line of Canal f r om t he Ulst er Canal at

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th e line, prepared by Thomas Casebourne Esq ., Resident As the length · &inneer, to the Ulster Canal Company· th e expense of the cut is only four miles and a half,

apatilists t cannot be such as to deter even moder a e c The estimated co st from embarking in the unde rtaking . r land, Parliamentary expenses, ot the work is £17,000 and fo 20 000 to be rai sed in ' surveys, etc.' £3,000: the capital four h llndred shares of £50 each. XXX

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CANALS

27.5 .

cont,).

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It appears that about 36 , 000 tons of mer chandise

are now imported into Armagh and 18 ,000 exported

Ulster Cana l.

Nov. 29, 1843.

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annually making to ge ther 54,000 t ons. xxx

Important Me eting held in conn e ction with th e

Armagh.

Ulster Canal.

Jan. 19, 1 847 .

Lord Caledon in the Chair and Wm . Dargan pr e sent .

proposed Branch Canal to Armagh a t News Room, Tontine ,

One of the Ulster Canal boats, the prope rty of

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With flour from the Tanderage e Mills for Newry .

was lying at a pla ce called Madden Bridge, when it was

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Mr . Dargan wa s about being laden on Tu esday 12th ins t .

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in carrying off about five tons of flour.

Lough Neagh st eambo ats.

Steam boat upon Lough Neagh which plies between th e Cbariemont and the Lagan and Newry canals for P1lrpose of towin g such boa t s a.s maY have occasion to

Ulster Canal.

(Condense d account).

Feb. 25, 1840.

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attacked by a pa rty of 30 men all armed who succeeded

cros s the lake. that the Ulster Canal had ,~e (8 = advert states e to t hat point ) . reached Monaghan and is open for commerc

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March 20, 1821.

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CANALS Ccont l

The Newry Canal.

Newry Canal P assage Boat.

The public are

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respectfully informed that the Newry Canal Pas sage

Boat will re-commence running between Knockbridge

and Newry on Thursday, 22 March and will continue

Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, leaving Knockbridge

every Thursday morning at five o ' cloc k and arriving

Will leave Scarva every

half past eight o ' clock.

Newry the same evening and arrive Knockbridge at

in Newry same day at ha l f past nine and will leave

Tuesday and Saturday at half past six in t he morning Will return

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and arrive in Newry at half past nine.

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Editorial.

Scarva, March 15, 1821.

Aug. 1, 1815'.

Thomas Wilson, Proprietor.

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o' clock.

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in the evening at four and arrive in Scarva at seven

The Directors General of Inland Navigation have

it in contemplation to connect Lough Erne with Lough

lleagh by means of a canal, to commence within half a

and conti· nue from the Blackwater Blackwatertown, to the DaVigable River Finn, which flows into Lough al will be brought &rne. A branch of this intended can

lilile

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CANALS Ccont.)

Another bran ch nea r the extremity of the cut,

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will extend into the roy al canal.

This noble under-

taking when perfected, will open u p a commer cial

Arillagh.

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to Grangemore, within a mile and a half of t he city of

communication across the whole kingdom - the benefits

that will result from i t a re truly inc alculable .

this canal is intend ed to be made towards the city of

Mr . Killaly who surveyed the groun d over wh ich

Armagh, mus t terminate in the neighbourho od of Grangemore,

On this subject we beg leave t o

nearer approximat ion.

as tbe elevated gr ound s a round that city will prevent any

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state to the Directors General and their able engineer

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canal from Lisbur n to Lough Neagh, made a survey and The line estimate of the then intended Armagh Canal.

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that about 30 years ago Mr. Owen who superintend ed the

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wilich he selected, crossed the Callan river, a little

th e place road from Blackwater town to Charl emont, at

The e stimate of the whole expense

It would cost double that sum now.

'tas then £13,500 ,

below that road .

called the Rampart, joined the Blackwater immediately

below Geary, s Bridge and runni ng through Drum sill and th e llillylin, re-crossed the Blackwatert own road, on th e Armagh side of Bagenal's Bridge, and passing over

Probably a better, though a longe r line than above,

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CANALS Ccont, l

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aJ.ght be found by going to the right of the Lough gall

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road, as far a s Grange, crossing the road on this side

of the church, and followin g a course n ea rly parallel

below Charlemont.

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to the line of direction to the Callan to the Blackwater

It appears from the Survey made by Mr. Owens, that

explanation which we can now give of the int entions of

The best

city of Armagh, at no very enormous expense .

the canal mi ght be cut from the Blackwater to the very

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letters.

the Directors General will be found in the two following

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Lough Erne and Lough Ne agh .

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Papers respe cting a survey fo r a Navi gation between

Navigation Office, 8 April 1815.

May it please Your Excellenci es -

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To their Excellenci es the Lord s Justice s .

We humbly beg

leave to represent to your Excellenci es, that in

frolll t his Board to His Grace the Lord Lieutenant , dated ~~~

aPJlrobation, viz. the making of general surveys, in

~ay 1810, and which was honoured with His Graces

fur th erance of the measure recommende d in representat ion

'ar1 OUs Parts of Ireland, to ascertain by what lines,

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CANALS Ccont, l

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canals of navigation , may be carried with a view of

for the improvement of the country, by shewing them

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the course in which such navigation may be practicable .

assisting the noblemen and gentlemen i n their objects

We dire ct ed Mr. Killaly, our engineer, to ascertain

any part of the deep water of the river Erne, near

Belturbet , or from the southern extremity of Lough Erne,

thr ough the counties of Cavan, Monaghan, Armagh and

Tyrone, so as to fall into the river Blackwater in the

neighbourhood of the city of Armagh , or of Blackwatertown,

instructed Mr . Killaly, if the rise of ground between

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and with reference to the necessary supply of water, we

which now communicates with Lough Neagh by that river;

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Lough Erne and Lough Neagh should prevent either the

rders, Mr. Killaly has with In pursuance of our O racticabilitY of carryth . e P ll!Uch diligence ascertained . ver Finn which falls from the n ing a line of navigation near the ttlebridge, which passing into Lough Erne near Wa the villages of &nithboro, nd towns of Clones and Monaghan a

connectin g navigation .

ascertain the streams which fall into the lakes, would th is or would not afford a sufficient supply for

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River Erne or Lough Neagh from becoming a summit, to

whether a navigable communication could be formed from

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.CANALS Ccont. l

ugh , Celedon and Benburb , Mid dlet own , Tyn an, Gla sslo , hal f a mile above Blackjoin s t h e riv er Bla ckw ater line is 35½ The who le ext ent of thi s wat erto wn. g and 18 desc end ing lock s, mil es, hav ing six as cen din , which Mr. Kil laly has exc lusi ve of an off - bra nch ood of the city of Armagh. laid out to the neig hbo urh the prob able cos t of Mr . Kil laly has esti mat ed l sca les, one bein g for a the lin e upo n thre e severa with the Royal Canal can al of sim ilar dim ens ions fee t wide at the bottom, 40 ext ens ion s, viz . to be 22 er e, with 6 fee t dep th of wat fee t wid e at wat er sur fac thre e inch es dep th on lock in the can al, and 5 fee t A second upon a scal e 8. sill s, amo unti ng to £22 2,96 om, 30 fee t wide at water of 15 fee t wid e at the bott dep th of wat er on sill s, and sur fac e, 4 fee t 3 inc hes lock s and brid ges sim ilar 5 fee t dee p in the can als, with al exte nsio n, amounting to to tho se on the Royal Can al unting to £175,000 for a can £19 5,00 0 and the thir d amo er wat t at fee t wide at bottom, 25 fee Upon a sca le 13 . the can 1a' and 3 feet dep th of wat er in sur fac e, 4 fee t and 10 · 11 s, wi· th loclc s 80 fee t long 6 inc hes on the 51 . in propor tion . fee t wide and brid ges etc laly 's map of the Mr . Kil We her ewi th sub mit . rep ort and of the th his wi er eth tog e, pro pos ed lin

'El .

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Your Excell encies height of the summit preclud es Erne, the po ssibil it y of taking up the waters of Lough or of the Riv er Erne, as a supply for the propos ed

at navi ga tion, an d Mr. Killal y having made his Survey ainty a wet season , is unable to speak with positiv e cert

season .

that purpos e will be suffic ient even in the summer

of the abunda nce of supply , but he express es strong for hopes that the stream s which he propos es to t ake in

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of any as yet ascerta ined in t his country : and that its execut ion would be produc tive of incalcu lable , by benefi ts to a large portion of the No rth of Ireland an, Monagh affordi ng the counti es of Fermanagh, Cavan, method of trans po rtd h Tyrone and Armagh, a re ady an c eap in ing the redund ant produc e of their l ands, which are the to oats, t b rley and genera l, very fertile in whea, a d Armagh , which will derive an market s of Belfas t, Newry well as from the opportu nity great advant ages thereby , as lying the foregoi ng countie s, Supp afford ed those towns, of t groceri es and flaxsee d, . Id th coals, timber , iron, sal t ' the kingdom at large, . 0 The advant a ge also resulti ng

We beg leave to observ e, th at this line of ble naviga tion, appear s to be by much the most favoura

detaile d estima te furnish ed by him.

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CANALS

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be As t h e c omplet ion of this na vi ga tion would

peculi arly benefi cial to the landed int erest in that part of Irelan d, it at presen t not enjoyi ng the

try, No rth Easter n and North We stern coasts of this coun are too eviden t to requir e any furthe r comment .

annon com:nuni c ating wi th t h e No rth Wes t Coast at Ballysh and and thereb y openin g a commun ic ation by Still Wa ter

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intere sts, and posses s such a spirit of nation al ith improv ement, as will induce them to come fo rward w

advant age of inland naviga tion, we trust that the landed propri etors are so far alive to their own

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subscr iption s toward s defray ing t he expense of the execut ion of so desira ble a work, when t hey are

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Daniel Corne~ lle . G. A. Bouver ie . James Saurin .

of t he extend ed line, and we humbly pray your Excell encies approb ation th ereof . We have the honour to be etc .

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app rized that so favour able a line f or a canal has We the refore propose to been f ound practic able. circula ted fo r the inforhave the pape rs printed and t he vicinit y ma tion of the noblem en and gentlem en in

by the unitin g by means of this canal, the Newry, Erne, Tyr one and Lagan Na vi ga tions, with that of Lough

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To Francis French Esq . etc .

Tullamor e, Feb. 2, 1815 .

Sir - In obedienc e to the Board's order of 1st

Nov . last, I have laid out a line of Navigati on between

estimate of which I have the honour to lay before them. On this line which is 35½ miles in length, 6

a map, section and

Lough Erne and Blackwa terto~m:

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The line departs from near Wattle Bridge; it passes one mile to the southwar d of Clones, runs to Monaghan, near the villages of Smithbo ro', Middletown , Tynan,

above the Blackwa ter.

ascendin g and 18 descendi ng locks will be required , the summit being 70 feet above Lough Erne, 162 feet

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Cale don and Benburb, and joins the Blackwat er, half a As the river can be made mile above Blackwa tertown. navigabl e to this point at a moderate expense, I recommend

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entering here, rather than encounte r the cost and diffi culty of extendin g the canal to the town .

Having ascert ained the impracti cability of carrying th en I the river Erne or Lough Erne into summit level . branch offan by fed tried that the l e vel might not be f t he royal canal • from the proposed northern ext ension ° und I could not but f 0 or from t he Ballyhay s river, The only waters th erefore derive a supply from either .

~2.33.

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that can be had for the summit l evel, are the heads of

streams that flow from Drumnaconner, Scotst m-m, and

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the river Finn which runs through Wattle Bridge and the

Tedavent, which I have strong hopes would be found a

deep of water, and giving but small f alls t o t he locks The weather being very wet, and at its extremitie s .

the river much swelled when I made the survey, prevented

me from ascertaini ng the matter with more certainty. The line is free from any material di f ficulty until

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it reaches the falls of Benburb, where t he Blackwater runs with great rapidity for about 120 perches through

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the canal must be contracted , so as merely to admit the but as five locks will be required passage of one boat ; near this, I do not much re gret the excavation through

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a deep and rocky ravine, for this distance we must unavoidabl y keep close to the river, and t he bread th of

on most other points of the line is of so soft a thwork very easy of execution . nature as to render the ear .ch the proposed navigation The country throug h whJ. f t·le in grain particularl y ' would pass is in general very er i so affords excellent pasturage. barley and oats; it al d pork are sent from thence Much butter and live cattle an rock;

sufficient supply, particular ly as I propose sinking deep through the summit level, preparing for 8 feet

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coa l . land s for wan t of tur f or the plea sure to lear n tha t had I ey, Dur ing my surv an exc elle nt and ove re d the re had l a tely bee n disc kne ss, ·tum inou s coal 9 fee t in thic bl. which gh, Nea h ext ens ive vei n of f Loug re 0 sho rn the nor the to a t ien this con ven I con side r . ge anta adv at gre is now wor king to

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seed , gro cer i es , etc . pe cul iarl y inv itin g for The can al wou ld also be sage boa ts , and high l y t he esta blis hme nt of pas h ance of fue l from Lough Neag adva ntag eou s in the con vey tion ed, to many part s of and t he tow ns I hav e men , but agh not onl y for house use Monaghan, Tyr one and Arm e, t he farm ers bein g at also for the bur ning of lim pre clud ed from liming the ir pre sen ~ in a gr ~at deg ree,

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the Lim esto ne is abu nda nt , but a gre at mos t l y cut out , occ asio ns

bog s bein g sma ll and par ts of the line , sca rcit y of fue l on many ult t o the Provinc e of Gre a t ben efit s wou ld res rdof this can al by its affo Uls ter f r om the exe cut ion ce o rti ng th e re dun dan t pr odu ing a ch eap mode of tr ansp one , , Fermanagh , Monaghan , Tyr of t he cou ntie s of Ca van ich fas t, Newry and Armagh, wh etc . to the mar kets of Bel g in tho se ben efit s would towns bes ide s pa rtic i pa tin flax t for timb er, iron , sal t, the reb y find a rea dy ven

to Bel fas t and Newry ,

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matter of vital importance to the co\ll1try and a further

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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,

the want of wh ich is so great in many parts of Cavan,

land carriage to those places from Slane, Navan and

Kells, a distance of 30 or 40 miles.

Fermanagh and Monaghan , that flour is now brought by

The line between Lough Erne and Lough Neagh would

in many other respects be extremely desirable pa rticularly

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those means a safe and internal navigation would be

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if a canal from Belleek to Ballyshannon were executed as

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opened on the nort,h ern parts on the eastern and western nd sides of the kingdom, thereby avoiding the danger atte ant nd t on a sea voya ge between those places , which I underS a nd th e is at times as tedious as one to the West Indies, a

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kingdom .

freight and insurance nearly as great . By the execution of those canals, a door would be from the north - western par t opened to the English ma rket be encouraged, the comforts of Ireland, agriculture wou ld of the poor increased, and a check put to the spirit of that part of the 8tlligrat1on, at present so prevalent in

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gr ound on which it stands and the difficu lties of obtain ing wa ter for loclcage , pre vents a nearer app r oa ch .

Alt hough a junctio n be t ween the Royal Cana l and tha t l which is now propose d, would be high l y desirab le , I fee

incline d t o View it ra t he r a s a distinc t measure : satisf ied t ha t t he line I have describ ed would be of

vast a dvanta ge to the nation, indepen dent of any communi the cation With the metrop olis, par ticular ly when

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pro je cted impr ovement s of the Lagan naVigat ion are complete d, an d some t ha t I conceiv e might also be found

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advisab le between Newry and Lough Neagh; namel y a canal about one mile and a quarter i n l ength, from t he river

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Bann, near Slaintr y into Derryad d bay by which eight or

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ten miles of circuit y would be saved in the commun ication With Belfast and t h e eastern coast of Lough Neagh , besides avoidin g t he most tedious pa rt of the Newry Navigat ion .

Not being limited by t he Board ' s order to any Pa rt icul ar size for the propos ed canal , I have calcula ted

n, on one of similar dimensi ons to the Royal Canal extensio of capable as being suited to the passage of boats

allloun t to £222,96 8 .

navigat ing t he lakes _ my detaile d estimat e for this

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The main t r unk of the pr opo sed li ne being f our mil es dis t ant from Armagh , I have l ai d out an off - branch to With in one and a half miles of that city : t he high

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A canal of 1 5 feet wide at the bottom, 30 feet at

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water surface, 4 feet 3 inches depth of water on sil ls, and 5 feet in canals, with locks and bridges similar to

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of 1835 and present 0,S. sheet.

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For SLANTRY see Co . Armagh O. S. Sheet 6. Shoim as a nd of Carn on t be t . . name for a bridge in the own 1a Marked on Survey t way from Portadown to Bann f oo •

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John Killaly.

I have the honour to be etc .

£175,000 .

wide, bridge s, etc. in proporti on would cost about

surface, 4 feet depth of water in canal and 3 feet 6 inches on sills, with locks 80 feet long and ten feet

those on the Royal Canal extensio n would cost £195 ,000 and one of 30 feet wide at bottom, 25 feet at water

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