The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-05-10
A GREAT LAUNCH.

Successful Launc hing of a Monster Calsson
for the East River Bridge of New York
Marrow Escape OF Tug Boats.
The New York Post of Monday evening says:
The second great caisson of the East River
bridge, which is to unite New York to Brooklyn,
was successfully launched from Webb's ship
yard, at the foot of Sixth street, East river, at
seventeen minutes before IL o'clock this
morning.
PREPARING FOR THE LAUNCH.
The caisson was erected on a foundation of
fourteen rows of ''blocking," or short timbers
laid one upon another in the fashion of cob
house. To prepare it for launching every other
row of blocking was removed, and replaced by
O sliding way.
The slides were composed of long timbers,
the upper surface of which was coated by a
composition of tallow and CASTLE soap. In
order to prevent this sticky substance from
gluiDg the timbers and the bottom of the
caisson together, the timbers were also covered
by coating of oil, and numerous small holes
were drilled in them, into which oil was
poured.
The timbers composing the sides were eleven
by twenty-five inches in diameter. Wedges
were tightly driven between the upper surface
and the bottom of the caisson.
The caisson was built on an incline OF seven
feet in the one hundred and two feet of its
length. Hence, when the wedges and the rows
of blocking were Knocked from under 1t, and
its weight rested on the slippery surface of
the sliding ways, it glided down them into the
river.
In order that the caisson might float securely,
it was provided with false bottom, which will
have to be removed before sinking il.
The tug Tebo was the nearest to the caisson,
and as the latter drove the water before it in a
huge mound, it seemed that the little tug would
certainly be drove upon the others and crushed
like pipe-stem. As it was, she was hurled
forward and her bow was dashed between the
Starbuck and the southern bulkhead, and
beyond the starting of her bulwarks and the
crashing of several small boats no great damage
was done.
AN EXCITING SCENE.
AS soon as the pilots of the other tugs saw
the danger that threatened them, they rang the
engine bells and were just able to start ahead in
time to save themselves from being sunk or
crushed. The police boat Seneca lay to about
twenty yards distant from the pier head, and
perceiving the situation of affairs evidently
before those on the tugs Captain Todd shouted
to them of their perilous position, and he gave
the warning not an instant too soon.
ON THE cAIssoN
the people seemed also to be greatly alarmed;
and those who stood on the side nearest the
vessels hastily retreated to distant place. At
first the caisson moved slowly, and then gradu-
ally increased the speed of the descent until just
before the caisson reached level in the water
it seemed to those on boats in the East river
that the water would pour in billows over her
huge sides. In tritie over minute the launcn
was successfully made and all the danger over.
Then shout arose, and cheers were uttered
from five thousand throats that the caisson was
in the water, and that what but a minute before
threatened to be a catastrophe was nothing but
a terrifying, but excusable, scare.
AFTER THE LAUNCH,
the caisson was made fast by ropes to the neigh
boring piers, as the ebb tide rendered it neces-
sary to postpone its removal to the other side OF
the river. Tomorrow morning it will he towed
by six steam tugs to the foot of Noble street,
Greenpoint where it will lie until removed to
its final place of anchorage. Five o'clock, just
before flood tide, is the hour assigned for start
ing. 1t is thought that the voyage will occupy
about an hour and half. The caisson draws
thirteen feet of water, or about the same as the
Brooklyn caisson.