Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-09-28

the water, inclosed by wood or iron, as the case
may be, but the mind does not readily pene-
trate the murky depths of the sea, peer be-
meath the surface and see the outlines of the
great hull-that closely fitted box that keeps
the vessel afoat. Nor is it often that one has
an opportunity to see a vessels hull,
for 1t Is not often in her life that she leave,
her native element sufficiently to let the eye
rest unlmpeded upon her outlines. This is an
event In her career and is only the result of an
unfortunate necessity, when she has stubbed
her toe on rock or has fouled with a sister
craft or met with one Of those numerous ac-
cldents that make the life of a vessel haz-
ardous one. Then, too, her hull may become
coated with the thousands of things that infest
the great deep, seeking resting places-barna-
ciesi weeds, and other marine formations that
cluster on the bottom and impede her speed
these things hanging on ship act as drags
10 ner ana cause serious increases in her coal
bill II she is a steamer and to her wage roll if
she Is sailer. So, between the barnacles and
seaweeds and the rocks and collisions there are
ample causes for ships hull being brought to
light for the purpose of repair, although, as
was said, 1t does not often occur in the life
OF the same vessel
THE DRY DOCK.
And so 1t happens that the genius OF man
has devised a concern which is called ''dry
dock, by means of which the water can be
drawn away from a ship, leaving her hull bare
and dry, SO that 1t can be patched, repaired or
scraped. A scheme has been de yised whereby
enough water to float the ship can be confined
In tight basin, which is then drawn dry, leav-
ing the ship in the middle This is a dry
dock" Much labor and invention have been
expended upon this sort of thing, experiments
having been made for many years with view
to making perfect dry dock. easy to work, to
fill, to pump out, and cheap in repairing and
maintaining. The VIGOROUSLY bad effects of
water on ordinary substances have made the
construction of serviceable, long enduring
docks difficult, and it has been but recently.
comparatively, that satisfactory docks have
been built
THE NEW DOCK AT PORTSMOUTH, VA.
The new one that was opened at the navy yard
at Portsmouth, Va, last week is one of the
latest successes in this line and is probably one
OF the best structures of this kind ever built. 1t
was done for the government by ]. E. Simpson
q Co. of New York, who have been building
dry docks ever since the SOS and are well
known in naval circles. They have constructed
thirteen docks in all, mostly in the east. The
opening Of one of these docks is of comparative
Importance and Significance with the launch
Ing OF ship, and on the occasion of the recent
opening at Norfolk the Simpson company gave
an excursion to their friends to that place to
witness the ceremony, which consisted in the
docking of the U.S.S. Yantic. Those who at
tended were conveyed to Baltimore from this
city, Philadelphia and New York on special
cars, and there transferred to a steamer. which,
after run down the Chesapeake bay landed
the party, about eighty i'll number, at the
Portsmouth yard the next morning. The hos
pltallty displayed by the firm was very lavish
and bountiful.
THE BEDECKED yANTIc
When the visitors arrived at the yard the
Eantic was at the wharf, near the mouth of the
uock, bcdecked IN bunting, or dressed pretty
as the Jack-tirs express It, Flags of all nations
were hung from every point and a line of gay
coloring ran over the tops of her masts and
down to the waters edge at either end The
jackies, dressed in their bluest and their
whitest, were loafng on the decks. now pulling
away at ropes, now leaning over the gunwales
making eyes at the pretty girls who thronged
the wharf. The yard band was practicing on
the after deck, and the ships officers paced to
and fro about the vessel, making all ready for
the operation.
THE GRAND STAIRCASE.
The dock, empty and dry as a floor, looked
like great coffin with sloping sides. blunt at
one end and corner-squared at the other sunk
into the ground. 1t is an immense affair, being
one of the largest dry docks in the country
1t is built of wood and its sides present an easy
slope, by means Of which the bottom can be
conveniently reached. The sides are in steps
formed by the timbers, thus making the entire
dock one grand staircase in every direction ex-
cept toward the river, where the great red
caisson or gate, which is in reality boat
blocks the way. This is pierced with large
will belch forth torrents of yellow water,
filling the dock to the level of the water
outside. Up the center of the dock
runs line of blocks, known in the
vernacular as keel blocks" while at
regular intervals along the sides, on
the level bottom, are other clumsy blocks of
wood that are attached to chains extending up
the slopes to near the top. These are called
"bilge blocks" and are used to chuck up the
vessel after she rests ON the keel blocks to pre-
vent her tipping.
HERE COMES THE WATER.
"Look out, here comes the water!" sang out
some one on top o, the dock to those who had
gone down on the bottom to examine the
structure as the upper left-hand port hole in
the calsson was swung open and great stream
OF golden water Numbered down into the dock
1t now came tumbling down through the
caisson. port hole after port hole being thrown
open, until there was mighty growing cata-
ract OF yellow water pounding on the wooden
basin, throwing up spray in imitation of
Niagara, while the amber food rushed up the
dock to catch the flying feet of the spectators,
who broke for the ''altars" or steps at the first
sound And then came wait of half an hour
while the port holes belched forth their tor
rents and the gauge poles on the sides were
slowly, surely swallowed
The sides of the structure were gradually
being filled by throng of people, mostly
natives. all dressed in gala costume rvalling
the bright sun in brilliancy There was an
unusual number of pretty girls and their ewes
wandered longingly to the brass buttons of the
naval officers who mingled with the crowd,
while The STAR reporter sat on one of the
affairs and let the sun burn his nose a cherry
red.
As the waters rose higher and higher. catch
ing the rays of the sun more and more the
effect became indescriba5ly beautiful 1t was
as though all the gold in the world had been
melted at an enormous furnace and poured
into the dock. 1t leaped and danced, shaking
its tawny name like a playful lion catching the
sunbeams and throwing them back tinged
with amber. Slowly the flood rose and covered
The port holes, but the waters kept coming.
their dance changed to the semblan e of the
struggling of imprisoned demons, writhing and
tossing and growing in their fury. As the
streams sank lower under the surface the dis
turbance ceased, the struggling Of the food
tints of yellow, and gradually all was still. a
to the surface, of great fish flirting his tail.
AT LAST THE DOCK WAS FULL,
and the waters on either side were on q level.
Then the caisson. which had filed with the in
flowing flood, was pumped out by means Of n
centrifugal pump worked by an engine aud
boiler placed on board. This process occupied
over half an hour, the people waiting patiently
in the sun the while. At last it was done and the
gate, which had been slowly rising above the
level OF the dock, was swung out into the