The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-10-11
hooking OF VESSELS.
oovN1NG OF THE NEW DRY DOCK
AT NORFOLK.

From the Washington Star.
+. is rather a difficult mental feat to
.-,-ine the neither side of a vessel. After
- association with floating machines one
.o-aliv becomes imbued with the idea
-, the ship floats because there is great
e-st snace beneath the water, inclosed by
vi mr. iron. as the case may be, but the
Ind does not readily penetrate the murky
a,,.bs Of the sea. peer beneath the surface
N see the outlines of the great hull-that
-,.slv fitted box that keeps the vessel afioat.
Var is it often that one has an opportunity
...ea a vessels hull, for it is not often in
:. life that she leaves her native element
,,ficientlv to let the eye rest unimpeded
..or her outlines. This is an event in her
..-oer ard is only the result of an unfortu-
,.ta necessity, when she has stubbed her
tce on a rock or mas fouled with a sister
raft or met with one of those numerous
sc,idents that make the life OF vessel a
bo1,rdons one. Then, too, her hull may
bacorne coated with the thousands of things
that infest the great deep, seeking resting
Yiacas-barnacles, weeds, and other marine
tor,nations that cluster on the bottom and
i,nnada her speed. These things hanging
On q shin act as drags to her aud cause
serious increases in her coal bill if she is d
cteamer and to her wage roll if she is &
soiIar So between the barnacles and sea-
ITeads and the rocks and collisions there are
annie causes for a ships hull being brought
70 hight for the purpose of repair, although,
as was said, it does not often occur in the
life of the same vessel.
THE DRY DOCK.
And so it happens that the genius of man
has devised a concern which is called
''drv dock" by m cans of which the water
can be drawn away from ship, leaving
her hull bare and dry, so that it can be
matched, repaired or scraped. A scheme
has been devised whereby enough water to
float the ship can be confined in a tight
basin. which is then drawn dry, leaving the
ship in the middle This is dry dock"
Much labor and invention have been ex-
pended upon this sort of thing, experiments
having been made for many years with a
view to making perfect dry dock, easy to
work. to fill, to pump out, and cheap in
repairing and maintaining. The notori-
ousy bad effects of water on ordinary sub
stances have made the construction of serv-
iceabe, long enduring docks difficult, and
it has been but recently, comparatively,
tia. 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 aud is prob
ably one of the best structures of this
kind ever built 1t was done for the gov
eminent by j. E. Simpson & Co., of New
York, who have been uildIng dry docks
ever since the SOS and are well known in
naval circles. They have constructed thir-
teen docks in all, mostly in the east. The
opening of one of these docks is of compare
tive Importance and significance with the
launching 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 ip the docking of q. 8. S.
Yantic. Those who attended were con-
veyed to Baltimore from this city, Phila-
delphia and New York on special cars, and
there transferred to a steamer, whicl,
after run down the Chesapeake bay. landed
the party, about eighty in number, at
the Portsmouth yard the next morning.
The hospitality displayed by the firm was
very lavish and bountiful
THE BEDECKED YANTIC.
When the visitors arrived at the yard
the Yantic was at her wharf, near the
mouth of the dock, bedecked in bunting, or
dressed pretty" as the Jack-tars expressed
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 loafing on the decks, now pulling
away at ropes, now leaning over the gun
wales 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 q 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 i'm
mense affair, being enc 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
Inc timbers, thus making the entire dock
one grand staircase in every direction ex-
cept toward the river, where the great red
calsson or gate, which is in reality boat
blocks the way. This was pierced with
large port holes that will presently
be opened and will belch forth tor
rents OF yellow water, filling the dock to
the level of the water outside. Up the
center OF the dock runs a line OF blocks,
Known IN the vernacular as ''keel blocks"
"hlle at regular intervals along the sides,
on the level bottom, are other clumsy
DOCKS OF wood that are attached to chains
extending up the slopes to near the top.
IneSe are called "bilge blocks" and are
USED TO chuck up the vessel after she rests
Oh tne Reel blocks to prevent her tipping.
Coarre rx-x,
Look out, here comes the waterr' sang
OUT some one on top of the dock
70 those who had gone down on
tDe bottom to examine the struct-
ure as the upper left-hand port hole
IA the calsson was swung open and great
sOIesm OF golden water Numbered down
. IN the dock. 1t now came tumbling down
nougn the calsson, port hole after port
noie belng thrown open, until there was a
tHsnIy growing cataract of yellow water
pounding on the wooden basin, throwing
up spray i'll imitation of Niagara, while
Uue amber flood rushed up the deck TO
I the flying feet Of the spectators, who
oloAe Tor the "altarsn or steps at the first
S Souhd. And then came wait of half an
nSur while the port holes belched forth
s Suglr torrents and the gauge poles on the
'iueS were slowly, surely swallowed.
INTERESTED sPEOT TORS.
The sides of the structure were gradually
oelng Tiled by throng of people, mostly
SsaClve5, all dressed in gala costume rival
aag the bright sun in brilliancy. There was
on unusual number of pretty girls and their
yes wandered longingly to the brass but
t tS.is OIL the naval officers who mingled with
if1. r