A snapshot of the Dee Estuary shipping in the 1880s.
[from Chester Chronicle - Saturday 22 March 1884]:
[Re: proposal for an opening railway bridge railway bridge above
Connah's Quay]
Mr Haswell, accountant, of Chester said he lived at Chester and was
secretary to the North Wales Coal-owners' Association. He had prepared
a return of the vessels carrying coals. The effect of that return was
to show that most of the trade on the river was done at Connah's Quay.
The next largest port was that of Mostyn which was below Connah's Quay.
Above Connah's Quay, the trade between Saltney and Chester was small,
only 517 vessels in the year 1883 entered or cleared with cargoes
above [sic] Chester. Taking the three last years, he had prepared
statement,
which he read, and the principal figures in which were as follows:- In
1880 the number of vessels entering and clearing the river was 3822. Of
these, 1212 went to the port of Mostyn, 2092 to the port of Connah's
Quay and 518 to the ports of Chester and Saltney. ...
In 1883
the total number of vessels was 3815, of these 1498 went to Mostyn,
1779 to Connah's Quay, 538 to Saltney and Chester. The average showed
that the class of vessels coming to Saltney was small. Two vessels
came up in 1883 were about 130 tons, but, irrespective of these two
vessels, the average was 68 tons. The number coming to Connah's Quay
was something like three or four times as much as the number coming to
Chester.