FUTURE OF PLYMOUTH.
'MERCANTILE DEVELOPMENT OF THE PORT. A SPLENDID HARBOCR. Although purely a commercial and industrial enterprise, the projected construction of new docks in the vicinity of Plymouth, for which Parliamentary powers are now being sought, is invested with a degree of national significant-.! fill in excess of what is commonly associated with undertakings of this kind. The geographical advantages of the port , will be sullicicntly obvious in a glance at the map. Situated at the month of the English Channel, it is, with the qualified exception of t'aliuouili, the outpost wuiihl be a dubious merit were it not accompanied by other conditions which far uutweigli the disadvantage ol distance from the metropolis and the Midlands. Plymouth forms an ideal touching spot for the great and ever-increasing stream of passenger trallic between ihe L'nilcd States anil the Continent. Its iiulway facilities \wvtl no further eulogy than I to recall the fact that Ihe regular daily express trains between Plymouth and London are the fastest in' me United Kingdom, covering 220 miles in a few minutes uver four hours, finally. Plymouth Sound, with its noble sweep 'of breakwater, is one of the finest harbors in the world. Why, then, it may be asked, with such ii category of advantages at her gates, and certainly no liick of eiiterpn.sing people fully alive to the potential value of these, has the mercantile developincut of the port uf Plymouth been so long delayed? The Milibay docks were adequate to the requirements of a quarter of a century ago, when lour teonsaml tons represented nboiiL the limit of size for an ocean currier, „nd sail was still very plentiful. But progress lias left" these docks far behind, owing to their limited possibilities of expansion. The Cattewater presents the obvious alternative opening for development. The immemorial anchorage for merchant vessels—as evidenced by a slab upon the Barbican, reminding strangers that the Pilgrim Fathers sailed from this spot—it seemed but right and proper that this spacious waterway should become honeycombed with docks, wharves, graving basins, and all the latter-day appliances fur the berthing and discharging of great ships. Mien a development would have resulted in the realisation of Plymouth's long - cherished dream of becoming a terminal port, instead of merely a place of call for the landing of mails and dropping or picking up of passengers.
Uul (me iiipxoi-iiblu condition has Unis far barred the way to tlte materialisation of every considerable project for' the commercial expansion of the Western port. She has had to pay the price of Admiralty. Jt is true to say that Plymouth has grow., up around the dockyard and the Navy, and that, therefore, she must expect to make sacrifices in conforming to the interests of the dockyard and Navy. Every proposed undertaking for attracting the great steamship lines of the. kingdom to Plymoiitli has thus far lieen vetoed by the Admiralty. Their attitude is consistent and reasonable. Plymouth Sound for the Navy is the keynote to all their opposition. Nov can it he for one moment pretended that the development of Hie (atlewalcr. where already the Admiralty are establishing an oil fuel depot and a ■.nliimm.ne base, eonld lie adequately undertaken without restricting the naval resources of tin; place. So much for the history of past failures to expand the ' uniivalled natural and artificial advantages of Plymouth as n terminal port. But now H'e come to a now phase. The Hill before Parliament has discounted any possibility of past, experience- liv quitting Plymouth Sound a 1 together, and thus getting away from the recognised jurisdiction of the Admiralty. WonTbiirv Day has l,con sclc-lcd as the site of the proposed new docks. Hounding the .•astern Headland of the Sound, known us lieny Point, the land shelves aw.vv rapidly towards the mouth of the river Vcalm. A hank of mud. called hv lishenoen "The Sinners," and having a few feet of water over it at low tide, sweeps out in eurviiiL' embrace to the Mewstone -a bold rockv islet about >.->«fl high. Within the bight thus formed is a spacious tract of deep water. The new docks would lie formed by breakwaters enclosing the whole of U'embury Hay. The contour of the iaml, which is verv bold ami ol red sindstoiie principally, would render extensive excavations verv dillieult. Hut in the form in which it is proposed U) carry out the undertaking no serious "iighiecring problems are presenled. The new docks would all'ord accommodation for vessels of much larger dimensions than the leviathans of to-day. and would have depth enough io>- these to cuter and h'iive ;il all stales of the tide.
In its engineering aspects the scheme may be taken as entirely feasible. The great point upon which speculation now I urns is the possible attitude of the Admiralty towards the project. Probably nothing authentic will lie heard upon this subject until the Bill is discussed ill Parliament. In iisv.il circles at Plymouth it, is believed Ihat no opposition whatever will be oll'ered, particularly since the scheme will in no way clash wilh the Service interests in I lie port. I.iinior, finding credence in siilliciently responsible ipiarl.crs to he worthy (if attention, has it that the Admiralty are likely to be favorably disposed, on strategic grounds. The Cimard mid White Star lines are known to be active supporters of I lie scheme, with the idea of -adopting Plymouth as their terminal port. It is worth recalling that for some months past there have been vague suggestions that the Lusitania a:id -Mauretania will he permitted to berth in Dcvonport Dockyard or to anchor in the man-of-war anchorage in JonnyclilV Bay. Although neither of these statemenls is correct, yet they serve lo call to mind the axiom about "no smoke without nre.' It is well known that the war role of these two heavily subventioneil Cunardors 'would be to rush food supplies into the country. The carrying capacity of these vessels is something like 40,000 tons apiece. Their speed is 25 knots; and it is something more than mere coincidence that this should also be the speed of the Indomitable cruisers. Three of these warships are now in existence; a fourth is to be laid down forthwith at Dcvonport. This would give two Tndomitables apiece lo the Cimard leviathans as an escort. Their individual main armaiaenl is vi.iial to that of any two pro-Dreadnought battleships; (hci'r speed superior to (hat of any warship ever yet put upon the water. The Wcuibiuy Docks wcm.d lie under Ihc heavy batteries of Hovisarul and fionv. and would be covered by virtually tlie whole of the fortifications of Plymouth Sound.—St. James Budget.
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Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 17, 13 February 1909, Page 6
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1,105FUTURE OF PLYMOUTH. Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 17, 13 February 1909, Page 6
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