Another partial success

The construction of the Manchester Ship Canal saw a number of accidents and mishaps and May 29th 1893 saw the very public failure of the approach to the new Barton swing aqueduct . Bosdin Leech described the incident in his history of the Ship Canal.

At the end of the approaches were dams, separating the new work from the old course of the canal. Everything was complete, and it only remained to make an aperture in both dams, and fill the new length with water. Amidst the cheering of the people the apertures were made, but when the trough was half full, an alarming accident occurred. Through some fault of construction a considerable portion of the bed of the approach on the Barton side collapsed, and a large body of water rushing through the hole forced its way through three of the arches, which carried the wall and inundated, or washed away the structures below. Fortunately the water found its way into the Ship Canal, and thus limited the damage. The accident postponed the completion of the canal, inasmuch as the old waterway had to be used during repairs and thereby delayed the pulling down of Brindley's aqueduct, which had to be removed before the section could be opened.

Repairs were quickly effected and the new aqueduct commenced to be filled on June 14th. The first barge to cross over was the Ann, of Lymm, which passed through on the 2ist August with a cargo of vitriol, for Hapton, near Accrington.