Crinan Canal

Crinan Canal, an artificial waterway, 9 miles long, in the west of Argyllshire, between Loch Gilp, a branch of Loch Fyne, and Loch Crinan, in the Sound of Jura, at the head of the peninsula of Kintyre. Constructed in 1793–1801 at a cost of £183,000, to avoid the circuitous passage of 70 miles round the Mull of Kintyre, it is 24 feet broad and 10 deep, has 15 locks, and admits vessels of 200 tons. In 1859 the three reservoirs feeding it burst, and government had to repair the damage at a cost of £12,000. The receipts seldom cover the year's expenditure.