The Welsh Coast Pioneer and Review for North Cambria

The Navigation of the Dee. vri Explanation of the New Scheme. AN interesting statement, prepared by Mr S. SmAh, clerk to the Dee Conservancy Board, has been fiorwartded to the members of the various ._ülY oo.uncLs who'se co-operation in the scheme for improving the navigatiion of the, Dee is invited. History of the Movement. According to the Tiid'al IHarbouro Royal Com- missions, who ,reported: in 1846, the port of Chester comprises the estuary1 of the Dee frolm ■tne City to it's outlet into the Irish Sea, between, ilii 'ore Point on the north and the Point of Ayr on 'the' south. There are two. approaches to the river from, the .sea, 'the one, known, as Hiiibre Swash, being near the Wirral shore off Hoylake, ana the o-tner the main channel known as the Chester Bar. The Hilb-ra Swash has 9ft. and the Chester Bar ,12ft over it alt low water, or .ratner more depth of water than exisits in, the best entrance to iihe Mersey. The tides in the Dee are similar to those in the. Mersey, the spring tides reaching a. heiglbt of 30ft in botb estuaries. Mr Te-ford, the grea.r..engineer who built the Welsh suspension bridges, observed that the Dee resembled the Clyde in navigable length, dimensions, and shiape of estuary, but in those days he had to report that the Clyde had not been rendered as perfect as it-be Dee, though means were being employed to render it so. Commenting later upon Mr Telford's reports, the Royal Commissioners on Tiidal HaIlbours pointed out that owing to the continuance of those means o'f improvement he had alluded; to, 11-tihe: Clyde, with a far inferior rise of tide to the Dee, now offers a depth of and occa- sionally of igft., at Glasgow Quay," and tney a,dd,ed ,that all the engineers they had cited agreed in the opinion that "there is no reason, if it were desired and proper means were used, why Chester should! not have: the sia.me." The Commiss. offers in 1846 recommended that every effort should be made, to get a depth of 18't. or 2oft. of water up to Chester quays, and expressed the opinion that it would prob- ably be found an advantage "to lead the chan- nel (iby training walls) below Flint by an easy curve into Moscyn Deep, and thus by shorten- ing the passage enable vessels to come to Cnes- ter in one tide." Many ineffectual attempts were made to give effect to the views of the Commissioners, but it was Sound that the only course was to take, by legislation, the conser- vancy of the river OUle of the band's of the River Dee Company. After several costly at- tempts this was accomplished by the Dee Con- servancy Act, 1889, by which the conservancy, improvement, and control of the navigation of the river and estuary were transferred to a representative Board. This- authority has 38 members, of whom I I are elected by the public (bodies interested, 14 by traders and shipowners trading on the river, seven; by the various rail- way companies whose lines touch the> river, five by riparian owners and the Dee Company, and one by the Board of Trade. Its first president was the late Duke of Westminster. Objects and Cost of the Present Scheme. With the sum Of £ 30,000 paid by the Dee Cdmpany for being released from their statu- tory navigation and ferry oifaliga'tions a sufo'stan- fcial beginning with: the work of improving the navigation has "been made'. training walls have been constructed, that on the north side extending uo nearly opposite Flint, and by concentrating the tidal currents and producing a "scour" within the walls a considerable im- provement of the channel above that po-nt has been effected. The Conservancy Board! has ob- tainedl the dgllÚ to levy ship due's on. vessels using the river from Conna'h's Quay upwards, and the -revenue from due's: and! tolls in 1902 was ^1,000. These works have, however, practic- 1, ooo. ally e.xlhiaufeited the fund's oif tlhe '.Board available for improve'ments, and if the, work tis to be completed! it muslt be by "leading the channel inko the deep water at Mostyn. Deep." For this purpose, the training walls must be extend- ed) from nearly opposite Flint, where they now terminate, to a point nearer to, or, if necessary, actually inleo, M'ostyn Deep. The works sug- gested in the first instance are the prolongation, of the training walls to. some distance below Flint and the deepening of the' rock bar below C'onnah's Quay. If lzhese works were carried out and dredging' plant were provided to. assist it, the river would, it is confidently expected, cut a course ,through the intervening sandbanks, into, ifne "deep blue water" at iMostyn. Deep. 1* P. An approximate: estimate oif the cost of these works and) of the dredgers and appliances- is, ^"60,000, bult to carry the training walls to the: Deep would mean an outlay of over ^400,000. The expenditure would, however, be gradual. As. the work proceeded', the shipping places and .Wharves- below "I,,o,nna!h,s Quay wGuald: be brought within the area in which ship dues couid be collected, thus largely increasing the revenue, and there would be the increased- traidie resulting from, tlhe improvemenlt of the navigation. -Great trade developments have al- ready taken pllace on the. banks o'f the river, such -as the r tablish'ment of w'orks and indus- tries, and were the river converted into a Selcondl Clyde, its commercial and industrial future, would undoubtedly be most prosperous. The Future of the River. The future usefulness of the river as a route to the high seias is not apparently limited to Flintshire, Chester, and the, Midlands, for, at the Flintshire County Council meeting on Wed- nesday, when the question was discussed, Mr Urilas 'Bromley dedared-and 'he is never known to jol,-e-f-Tialt if a deep-water dhannell were madte to the sea off Mostyn, people might even talk of connecting the Dee with the Man- chester Sihiip Canal. It would, he suggested, only be necessary to cut a trendh across- the Cheshire plain for a distance of less than 20 m-ilel to Ellesmere for Flintshire to be brought into- direct communication, by water witch Man- chester, and- for Manchester to have two. outlets to the sea. It appears tha.t the whole oif the Dee up. -to. Chester lie-s within the county of Flint, as well as all the liandl on the Wirral shore; to a dl'sta.nlcei of liwo miles from mid- stream. Thus the' Cheshire County Council ihas no direct jurisdiction over the river, and the Flintshire Council have: been asked to con- sider whether it would not be well to retain their control of the estuary with the banks on tooth sides rather than relinquish to Cheshire the shipaf territory on the Wirral side, and thuis give the Che-shlre Counoil the advantage of the rateable value which would ibe tCireated by the' OIpening uíp of that territory to indus- lIal If, however, Cheshire, could1 be, by 11 a concession, intarested' in the, project, indtaced to. share in tlhe proposed, expense the Flintshire, inenbighishire" todi Che- C'ouncils and the landowners and others to derive benefilt, tlhe dleteired consumma- uJd be made more easily attainable. In reference to tie question of Cheshire's co- operation, it must be borne in iillnd that the county has on its northern boundary the river Mersey, and- thai, 'the interests of that great port must have a very extensive: influence upon the County 'Council. That influence, naturally, iwo-uld give a distinct bias' against any move- ment for the encouragement! of a rival like the Dee. -Such a. b-as would! make* itself especiaLy evident when the scheme, in connection with the Dee was first .mooted, but ijf tche, proposal were carefully explained and its a-dvantages .quietly indicated, in a spirit of friendly negoid- ati-on and compromise, it by no means foLows that the opposi tion to- it iby the Cheshire County Council would not in due course be -superseded by hfearicy co-operation.

Life in the Potteries. Strange Tales From Staffordshire Pot Banks. So far the campaign against Pottery morals has been fought chiefly in the pulpit, which has pro- duced a doughty champion in the vicar of Fenton, whose denunciatory sermons have not yet been seriously traversed. It may be news to many to know that inside the best-managed factories there exists a most elaborate preventive system, which is explained by a man who probably knows as much about life on the pot banks as anybody. He manages one of the largest works in Staffordshire and, apart from that fact, he is intimately aquainted with most of the men and women in the place. Most of the large Jactories are well managed. We cer- tainly do all we can to maiutain order," he says. If a man or woman proves to he an undesirable character, dismissal is instant. As often as not I am able to arrange a marriage." One woman I spoke to came a week after- wards, and banged her hand down on the desk right in front of me. It bore a wedding ring big enough for anybody." Where that it is impossible we keep the n-mnat work. Send him away, and the woman never hears of him again. But do you know that we settle more cases here than you ever heard of in- side a police court. Many of our women, of course, are as much above suspicion as a women can be. There are good and bad everywhere." The vicar says he would sooner lose his hand than allow a child of his to be emlpoyed in one of these factories. Sir, I have a daughter myself, and I would not hesitate to allow her to work in some departments." Evidently there was a distinction, and it tran- spired that caste plays a great part in the social life of the Potteries. Women working in one de- partment, like the throwers, refuse to associate with those in anottier--for instance, the turners. The type is generally small and sailow-featured, but unhealthy surroundings and coarse associates may have much to do with moral and physical deterioration. In certain cases the managemenl of the factories is reputed to be lax. A great deal of trouble, too, is due to insanitary and inadequate dwellings. Thirteen children may be found with their parents in two rooms. On the whole the general impression is that the vicar has right on his side. As one well-known man put it, He has a target as big as the Pot- teries, and can hit something. Some of the em- ployers are fighting him, but they had better be careful, he knows what he is talking about."

'Pull the Chain." The Best Protection for Passengers in a Non=Corridor Train. APROPOS of Miss Goss's unpleasant experience with an assailant in a North Staffordshire train, the "Manchester Guar iian deals interestingly with the question of the protection of railway passengers. The demand for compulsory corridor carriages is regarded as absurd by railway officials. The immense expense is only one objection. Trains and platforms would have to be lengthened as the corridor carriage accommodates fewer people than the ordinary type. People, too, do not really care about corridor carriages they like the privacy of the small compartment. Objectionable people can walk along the cor- ridors and annoy the occupants of one compart- ment after another some travellers find the air in the corridor train stuffy, others resent inter- ference with the view. At the same time it is admitted this type of carriage must be used on long journeys. The closed compartment being likely to survive some time, the question of communication signals is the more important. The air system of com- munication, adopted in 1899, is now used on 70 to 80 per cent. of the trains on great lines. To passengers it will be more familiar as the chain system." A. chain running through guide tubes is placed above the door on each side of the carriage. When it is pulled down it moves a rod which admits air into the brake pipe, and, putting on the brake, checks the speed of the train. This is at once noticed by the driver and guard, who immediately stop the train. The pulling of the chain causes two discs out- side the carriage to assume a vertical position, thas clearly indicating the carriage from which the signal came, and providing evidence against those who misuse the apparatus. Railway managers admit that complete safety to unprotected women can only be secured by the open train but until that comes the chain signal is considered the b^st possible. »—

There was No Room for Them in the Inn." When the Jewish world assembled, Each to his ancestral see, Came a lowly man and maiden To fulfil the King's decree On the eve of earth's redemption, O'er the hillsides wending slow, To the royal town of David, Clad in evening's crimson glow. Unadorned by earthly jewels, No one marked that virgin-bride, None were smitten by the answer- 11 Nay, there is no room inside." No room in that city hostel For such humble folk as they— Good enough for them the stable, Where the ass and oxen lay. E'en before His birth rejected, Jesus came to earth that night, And within the manger-cradle Shone the world's Redeeming Light; He, the Lord of Earth and Heaven, Who from winter's piercing wind, And the bitter taunts of malice, Rarely could a shelter find. Ah, those careless words and cruel Which the Saviour's pathway marred, Wounds of sorrow deep inflicting, Even from His own debarred For the homes of pomp and grandeur, Held by vanity and pride, To the meek and lowly Jesus Could afford no room" inside. Through the ages long re-echoed, Still those words to-day are told— O'er religion's modern gateway As by Bethlehem's host of old. Hark the chink of gold and silver Fills the Temple court again, v Hungry, poor, and homeless children For compassion seek in vain. Oh, that we, the heirs of Heaven, Burdened low with earthly dross, May arise and hear His accents Pleading from the sacred cross And in willing hearts enthrone Him King of Love and Peace for aye, Lest tibe solemn words await us-'— "Ye have turned the Lord away." Bettws-y-Coed. MRS. ALBERT JONES.

71 THE BURBERRY "14 SLIP-ON 4j 1 The qualities of the Slip-on are now so well known the whole world over that the Garment has become the most ubiquitous article of clothing known. It is made to meet the requirements of every climate, and according as it is lined, gives every degree of warmth; it is an absolute protection against wet. 0 The shapes for sportsmen afford the utmost ease in movement, whilst for general purposes, its light weight and natural self-ventilating properties through the porosity of the material make it the most perfect rainproof in vogue. Perfect Fit Guaranteed in all Burberry Garments. 851q ——— Prices on application to J. Smith Williams, Sole Agent for Vale of Conway & Llahrwst District, Bradford House, Llanrwst. Treleaven Jones, HYGIENIC BAKERY, OLD COL WYN. GOLD MEDAL, DIPLOMA, and 150 LONDON, 1903. — 8155 SAMPLE LOAF aTpucat,on. HOLBORN HOUSE, Abergele Road, COLWYN BAY. H. R. DAVIES Begs to announce that he has commenced busines at the above address as a. -High-Class Ladies' & Gents' Tailor AND BREECHES MAKER, And it will be his earnest endeavour to supply the best materials, with style and good workmanship, at reason- able prices. 796S Next Door io Mr. Marfell, Ironmonger. HU(IHES & BURROWS, AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENT MERCHANTS, Manchester floose and Warehouse, DENBIGH ST., LLANRWST. GENERAL FURNISHING IRONMONGERS. PLUMBERS, GASF1TTERS & HOT WATER ENGINEERS. 741b VICTOR ALBERT, "4937 Watchmaker, Jeweller, and Optician, CONWAY ROAD, COLWYN BAY. All Repairp connected with above branches promptly executed on the Premises. Charges Moderate. A REPLETE STOCK OF GOODS ALWAYS KEPT.

BUt ONLY Pryce Williams & Co s BRlAD AND CONFECTIONERY. PURITY GUARANTEED. West End & Ceylon Stores, AND Riios=on=Sea, COLWYN BAY. 5870 ARNOLD & CAPSTICK, I Cabmet Makers, Polishers ¡. Undertakers. FURNITURE UPHOLSTERED AND RENOVATED. BEDDING, die., iht,r-,at/lay cleaned and made up by *x[>e-neiwed hands. BLINDS FIXhD AND REPAIRED. WORKSHOP Erw Wen Road, Colwyn Bay. 433c ESTABLISHED 1876. WILLIAM JONES, COAL MERCHANT, "BRYN OGWcN," WOODLAND ROAD, CoJwyn Bay. Best Coal, Coke, Cannel, and Smithy Siack Merchant. WIGAN, STAFFORDSHIRE & WELSH COALS. Truck Loads at Pit Prices. ONCE TiUED. ALWAYS USED. 695 AND WATER WOK. A SHEFFIELD & (Rhyl) make a j speciality ot doing Best-class Sanitary and Water Work, and employs a staff of experienced men for this purpose. ESTIMATES FREE FOR RE-LAYING DRAINS AND FIXING W.C.'s, BATHS, LAVATORIES, HOT-WATER CYLINDERS, KITCHEN RANGES & BOILERS, TELEPHONES, ELECTRIC BELLS, ACETYLINE GAS INSTALLATIONS, HOT-WATER HEATING FOR GREENHOUSES, CHURCHES, AND CHAPELS, &c. THE HERALD RANGE] BEST IN THE MARKET. The Herald Range Best in the Market. A. SHEFFIELD & SON, IRONMONGERS, PLUMBERS, Hot and Cold Water Fitters and Contractois, R SC IT L. 3427 Nat. Tel No. 7. Telegrams: Sheffield, Rhyl. THOMAS WILLIAMS, GROCER, and Provision Dealer, &c., DENBIGH STREET, LL AN RWST. series and QUALITY. 7058

Rhyi Police Court. TUESDAY Before Messrs S. Perks (in chair), G. A. Taverner, J. II. Ellis, W. Ðlwy Williams, and J.. B. Linnell. Licensing for the Palace. On the application, of Mr P. J. Ashfield, the Bench granted an extension of the music and dancing licence on this occasion of the. forth- coming fancy dress ball, which is' now held annually at the Palace. An occasional licence was also granted for the sale, of intoxicating liquors during stipulated1 hours. ilie Picsiatjn C Llii(;ii iAHi Repair oi a i(oad. MAGISTERIAL D EC I SION. In accordance- with an arrangement, the magistrates wholl:card the application made at the recant Prestatyn. Petty Sessions on behalf of the, Urban. District Council, under the Private Street Works Act, 1892, in regard to [he appor- tionment of cost of repairs- in Victoria-road, gave their judgment at the above court. It will be remembered- that the Council's pro- posals were' objected: to by M.r Edward! Taylor, 50, Albert-road., L-sveinshulme, and Mr Joseph Nicholson, 49, Katherine-street, Ashton-unaer- Lyne, who contended that the road was part of the Rhyl and' Pmstatynl Road, and was a high- way repairable by the public at large. Mr F. J. Gamlin, solicitor, Rhyl, appeared on behalf of the Council, and the objectors were represented by Mr Pyoroft, barrister, Man- chester, for whom Mr J. Pierce! Lewis, solicitor, Rhyl, acted as agent. A large1 number of wit- nesses were: called) on either side, and the Bench announced they would .give their judgment at thei Rhyl Court. M,r J. iH. Eillis, said that he and Mr Taverner heairdl the case, which had received their careful consideration. They had' entered thoroughly into the question, and after having received the adlvice: of the clerk (Mr Oliver George) they had determined that the street known as Victoria- road was not -either in whole or part a hignway repairable- by thei inhabitants at large. They also found that the provisional apportionment of estimated expenses for private street work to be executed in the street in pursuance of the resolution of the U-rbani District Council on the 5th\ August last was correct in respect of the, building land' owned by 'Edward Taylor and Joseph Nicholson, the apportiomnent being: £'1113 9s 6d. As to the houses- and gardens owned. by Edwardl Taylor and Joseph Nichol- son, the apportionment amounted to £63 15s tod, or in all £II7-5s 4d. The Costs. Mr GawEn said- that having- heard; the judg- ment he applied, for the usual order a's to cost's. The Council had been put to considerable trouble and expense in establishing their case. Mr Lewis .engaged a Manchester barrister, and he (Mr Gamlin) had to, cope with him. (Laugh- ter.) The expenses had! been heavy in. engaging surveyors, andl others, in inspecting the' place and plans, as well as ancient records, and he, therefore, asked that the costs should be paid by 'the objectors, and, that they should be taxed by the Clerk of the Court. Mr J. Pierce: Lewis said that considering the nature of the evidence given by the objectors there must have been left in their minds a very strong possible doubt as. to whether the. road was not repairable by the: inhabitants alt large. Under all the: circumstances the objectors were perfectly justified, in objecting to the apportion- ments, andl it was not a frivolous objection. 'He, therefore, hoped the magistrates would not order his client's to pay the costs. 'He might say further, for the information of the court, that his -clients were, not satisfied to allow the case to remain where it was at the present time, tn-ey int,ended: proceeding further. Mr Ellis We have to make no order as to costs. IMunk in Charge of an Infant. A marIÍied woman named Annie Ihrene, of 2, St. Helens Place, Rhyl, who did not 'appear, was summoned for having been drunk in'charge of a child1 about eleven o'clock on. the night of the 12 th: intst. P.C. Hughes, stated he received complaints about the condition of the defendant, whom; he found with a, child in Crescent-road. When he was approaching her she dropped the child' from her arms. She was very drunk, and he had: great difficulty in getting her to the Police Station. Police: Inspector Pearson. informed the Bench that there were two previous convictions' against prisoner. The magistrate's sentenceld her to 14 days' im- prisonment with, hard! labour. His Twelith Appearance. Edward Morris, joiner, 48, Victoria-road, Rhyl, plea-died! guilty to being drunk an-d dis- orderly in Vale-road on the 12'th inst. The case was proved by P.C. Jones. Police-Inspector Pearson: There are, eleven previous conviction's against him; one in Janu- ary this year. A fine of 55 and 6s costs, or seven days in default, was imposed. In.ebriated in High Street. A labourer, namedl Robert 'Wynne, residing in Vale-road, and: who did not answer to the sum- mons, was fined: 2S 6d, and 6s costs, for having been drunk and disorderly in High-street about half-past ten .o'clock in the' -evening of the 19th inst. P.C. Richardson proved the case.