The Sun.
London, England, 1868-09-03 00:00:00

LIER, MAJESTY.

PENSION WALLIS, LUCERNE, Aug. 31•

• The Queen, accompanied by Princess Louise,
Princess Beatrice, and Prince Leopold, and attended
by the Marchioness of Ely, Colonel PonsonLy, &C.
drove out in the neighbourhood.

AT7IOII3T TO LA UNCH 'I HE BERMUDA

FLOATISG

~_ ___

Yesterday an abortive attempt was made to
launch this gigantic erection, the largest structure
intended to float that has ever b.:en built since the
days of the Great Eastern. It gave another illus-
tration of the difficulty of broadside launches, or, if
not this, it, beyond a doubt, gave indications that
the engineering was in fault somewhere. No effort
was sufficient to move the enormous mass. Alt
sorts of temporary devices were adopted, but la
vain. Fresh efforts are intended to be made to-
day. Of these, however, there is little hope Of
success, and it is much more probable that the
engiceaing and mechanical world will be at once
delighted and improved by such a process of shov-
ing the great hull into the water as that which the
Great Eastern underwent for near three months be'
fore she floated.

It is almost paradoxical to speak of the launch of
a dry dock. That, however, was the attempt wada
yesterday. Our ironclad fleet require almost con-
stant docking, more especially when in warn'
latitudes, where the sea grass grows unon their sides
and bottoms to a length of six or eight feet, and of
course tells fatally upon their speed when under
way. None of our colonial docks will take in great
irouclads like the Warrior or Minotaur, and, in-
deed, we have few docks at home which will suffice
for their extensive requirements. Floating docks
have therefore been constructed for their especial
accommodation, and the first of these, which is
called the Bermuda, and is meant for the Bermudas,
was attempted to be launched yesterday. There
are some vague ideas as to what floating dry docks
are. A few words will suffice to explain their use
and structure. They are simply iron floats, mad°
in a horseshoe, or rather U, form. They are built
of iron, the inner and outer sides being at great dis-
tances apart, and the space between them being di-
vided into cellular compartments. These compart-
ments, when filled with water, allow the dock to
sink so low that any vessel, whether an ironclad
or a line-of-battle ship, can be placed upon it, and
then as the water is pumped out and air let in
both dock and vessel rise above the level of the
ocean—the former supporting the latter high and
dry, and ready for any repairs, even to her
keel. The dock attempted to be floated, or rather
launched, yesterday was of its kind peculiar. Its
was built on Mr. Campbell's patent, and at its
works near Silvertown, under the inspection of
Colonel Clarke, R.E. The size of it seems even
greater than the bulk of the Great Eastern, so vast
are its height and width. It is like a gigantic
vessel with its bows and stern cut off. Its lent'
is 381 feet, its breadth 124 feet, its heightb
75 feet. A thousand men have been at work 011
it for two years, and more than three million
rivets have been driven. The whole weight of tbe
mass, with its ballast and water in it, is nearly 9,000
tons, and it is equal to floating nearly 12,000 tons.
Every vessel that floats, except the Great Eastern'
could be taken into this dock easily. The sides °f
this great mass arc built exactly parallel, except !'t
the extreme ends, where they taper a little to assist
the whole structure being easily towed. The who°
hull is formed of two complete wrought-iron skins'
each 20 feet apart. The space between these tvii
shells of iron is divided by a water-tight bulkhead'
and this again is sub-divided into three chamber:
running fore and aft. The uppermost of °lei%
subdivisions is called the " load" chamber, tP
second the " balance" chamber, and the third the
' air" chamber. When it is required to dock a ship'
the first operation is to pump the load chambers foil'
For this purpose the dock is fitted with eight 10"
horse power engines, which can easily in the aggre-
gate be worked up to more than 200-horse power'
It takes eight hours, however, to fill the load char°.
bers, and this is enough to sink the mass below 61°
level of the balance and the air chambers. Valves
in the outer skin can then be opened and enotic
water admitted into the balance chambers to siva
the dock low enough to let a vessel over it. 111
ends are then closed with the usual caissons, and t',6
water pumped out of the great shell, and, of course'
as this is done it rises with the vessel, and shilea
doors in the caisson at the ends let the water Oa
out of the dock itself till the vessel in it is high en
dry. In short, it is in plain terms merely like lettinjg
water into a double box till it almost sinks, ond
then pumping it out till it floats again. By lill,
the chambers on either side the whole dock can
heeled over so as to bring every part of its bottoo;
in reach of easy and speedy repair. It was 1340
stoutly maintained by those connected with it
works that had the dock once moved yesterdaio,
would have slid without check into the Thane e
This, however, was not the opinion of sonic ofth
a
most experienced shipbuilders on the river, who I°lo
before the attempted launch began maintained t.oc;
the launching ways were laid at too slight au ioeltliot
that there was too much pressure on them, and of
if the great hull did move at all it would probtej
stop halfway. The opinion of most, however, seeP.:oo
to be that the dock would not move at all. TheAeLc ie,
confirmed these conjectures. At the appointed
half-past 1 o'clock, Mrs. Colonel Clarke carne..day,
named the dock ; the dogshores were knocked 3,,,63
and the hydraulic presses set in action, but the 1,/
mass gave no sign of moving. At first the diffie:te'o
was asserted to be only temporary, but Illiforti
rolled on as the tide rolled out. The crew 00; the
the dock were set to dance and stamp, win is
shipwrights below wedged and hammered, but nal to
vain. The hydraulic rams were totally unecinaßea,
their work. Improvised battering-rams were tbe
and almost every device resorted to to shaket the
monstrous fabric on the launching ways, bliwbeo
structure gave no sign of yielding. At last, ot;
the tide had fallen too low, the attempts were gboot
up till this day, when they will be resumed at 3 et
2 o'clock, though there is not the slightest Prns,,lloot
of their being successful till a greater motive PL'oes
is obtained than that of the two hydraulic Prop
which have to start the cradle. The atteraPt!_coo
this day will show what is really in fault—the lued to
of the launching ways or the power emPl°lworth
force the vessel down them. It is curious and der
used t
notice that some of the launching ways use , A-
d 131 A
this " dock" are stated to be the same, an niptv—
thesame incline as those over which it was at° bog
to launch the Northumberland, when she, too la
is'; for
in a position of no little peril for some da
t,
this case, however, the Bermuda Dock is heo
.bto Afel
it has not moved at all, and, so far, it is (I°l
and safe it is certain to remain, unless. toed
greater power than has yet been employ
ed Is
to start it.
ftlit
H
siiffoolf
oRRINGER FAlR.—This important shot s
for sheep and lambs was held on Tuesday. Tlbletter ic
o
,4.
sheep was large, and their quality"wm also 00
might have been expected, taking account °
o.tu, droug,Po
which the pastures were reduced by the prolonc°'_atioo.o
The Marquis of Bristol showed a good lot of v/01,` ;
owes. A lot of 30 lung-
shown by Mr. Hugh Aylmer, of West DerelitTss 00.
these were sold by auction, and realised fr°' iaobs
,so
£ll each. Some line black-faced Suffolk ratn, stock Is,„
£2lisod los. to £5 l Os. each. The show of n°3lchat
about an average, but business was
gish state, the prospects of food being still farcul;3l sue
factory. The same remark applies to tho g
coy
in a $OlllO.l.
trade.
.iyo s'`/1310,1
SUNDAY IN LEEDS.—On a recent AssLahv'l
in Leeds Mr. Baron Bramwell and Mr. Justic,
ati 0141)00
the Exhibition, and for several hours enjo)!, e Oa 1.,
lion of the splendid art works their coll Ga.,
same Sunda Mr. Councillitr Clapham ga", ,3;,
was attended by many hundreds of tbo wo
079
formance of sacred music in the Leeds E9Ytur,„
for which " offence" he was fined ,Z 5 and.l.ll in
-owl
local magistrates. Mr. Clapham has issued or, foe
su
ho says that ho has, during the presont co4'l,,ei
compelled to pay
giving performances of sacred music on
Daily Express. £9l in fines (exclusiv,eunu.oo.,/,