Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-09-20
THE NEW DRY-D0CK.
a DIG DAY AT THE NORFOLK NAVY
YARD.
Docking tho tic-Dcsoription Of the
tmProvemcnt--A Grand Banquet.
Norfolk Notes.
lcorro,pondenOO Of the Richmond DIspa,ch.l


ncfc thiS morning and steamed immediate
lv up 30 the navy-yard with about one hun
drcG guests from New York. Philadelphia.
Baltimore. and Washington, invited here
hv Mossrs. J. T. Simpson a Co., the con-
tractors. 20 witness the formal opening OF
thc new dry-dock. The Secretary OF the
Navy did not come. hut among the guests
were: Roar-Admlral James h. Jouett, pre-
rGcnt of tho Naval Inspection Board
Commodore White, chief OF the Yards
aud Books Bureau Colonel Remcy,
lrc-sdvocate general Of tho navy
i..D.,IsU0a -lnspe c,or-0f-StCambuats Du-
n..t. Captain Meade. United States
...r. Contain 4. p. Cooke. United
s... 4.,y, Commodore Aaron II.
It.u r Nsn'-o Constructors HichbOfn and
I.U.t. si-ComptTouer Matthews: Con
.lr-m.. 1obu Z. Thomas. Of Illinois:
.uc.c..u4su llm j. Campbell. of Brook
iu. NA5.ss Lowry and Nicholson, Of tho
Nauuc corps Ciyil-Clerk Hogc. Of tho
Nav, Department, CMcf-Eugiuecr Pearrv
aDi McCoAum. United States navy. Naval
Constructor Narnoy, and number #
prominent ship-buldcrs dozens % north
'.n newspaper correspondents, Govern
Wcnt clerks, etc.
FLOODING THE DOCK.
AZ 1920 o'clock the work of hooding the
dock commenced and in one hour and a
quarter n was fan. and the gates were re-
Commander Rockwell. dressed gayly IN
fals from stem g. stern. and with tho Ma
tal-lost band ou board playing q national
0.r, was then slowly hauled into the dock
amid The cheers and waving of handker-
chiefs of the multitude gathered around
fEe dock. Probably 5000 people from the
two critics.. the lsrge proportion being
ladies. were around the dock 10 witness
she process Of docking of the trim war
chip. After the Yantic was secured, the
work of docking All being done 10y the con
tractors force. tho gates a. the dock were
closed and the two immense centrifugal
pumps were put o. work and the dock was
'mUtIod M one hour and FIVE minutes and
fWoutv-siX seconds. and the stately ship
slowly settled upon the blocks IN the bot
tom. where she viii be repaired This
ended the ceremony Of opening the dock.
GOOD WORK.
The dock il wh hat is known a. timber
trE-dack. Simpson patent. and Was con
ira ted f0r Meesrs. J. l.. Simpson d Co., of
...H York, iu November. 1857. ct "a cost 20
.he Government Of Sj50OJ1. The con-
tract called for the completion Of the dock
within two years and It's actual compile
ff.n required lust twenty-five months 10
... Hre when li was turned over 10 the
Government. The dock is one hundred
.... shorter than the Simpson dry-dock at
E,Np. z News and about one hundred and
thirty feet longer than the granite dry
o..s af the yard that cost the Govern
V.nt several million dollars to construct
end SIS Gears % build nearly sixty years
SGD. The construction OF the Simpson
...k hepf from three To- FIVE hundred men
employed an the time. and was finished 40
a cost 90 the contractors Of S495 ,70i. There
were five thousand plles driven IN the
cook. rpd over one million feet Of Georgia
elbow pine used, besides nearly AS much
more other timber. There were ono hum
.rei and fiftv thousand IRON bolts driven.
Seventy Thousand cubic Yards Of earth wac
iu, ont and four thousand cubic yards of
onrcrCt.. was used in the bottom of the
dock underneath the flooring. An i'm
iacnse CARSON made ~ boiler iron closes
che entrance with The gates. be length
.f the dock il $50 feet; width, 1870
.ect AZ the body. and - feet inches at the
entrance: depth. 30 feet - inches The
width ON the il0Gr Of the dock at the body
'- 50 fe--. There are two powerful steam
pumps ~ tho latest approved cOnstruc-
ffUu. and both together can always empty
frc immense basin in one hour and ten
minutes. which * nearly two hours lcss
than tLc granite dock can be empt' ed. The
approaches t. tho dock are altogether IA
y.rable. aud while the largest vessels are
taken ina t high water small-cl ships can
le admitted 90 the dock at low water. The
construction of this dock VIII be- Of vast
advantage 10 GOsport navy-yard, ~ the
r.lut for iron sllp-hulldlug recently
erected here has made the yard the
finest IN the country IN point OF equip
utnt. AMI the granite dock ~ not long
enough for the ships now built. The
o0md Of naval inspectors, consisting OF
Captain r. NJ. Buncc. Naval Constructor
steele, and Ciyil-Engineor MaXon, sent
here 20 inspect the new dock, finished
fleu labors to-day and IL is likely their re-
port will bee q very favorable one. The
dock holds 5000, 600 gallons Of water.
TNoINTs AND PUMPS.
The engines and pumps Of this new deck
ar worth seeing. The pumps are AZ inches
in diameter. driven 10y TWO vertical en-
rlnes y inches in diameter. Steam
power is furnished by three steel
Scotia boilers l3 feet IN diameter and II
feet long. These pumps have capacity
eff 80 900 gallons per minute. and can
empty the dock without vessel IN very
thort time.
THE BANQUET.
After the ceremony of docking was over
Oh the invited guests were taken into one
of tie large umbeT-sheds and the banquet
Given IN honor of the opening OF the dock
was served.
The banquet was a sumptuous affair,
gotten up by lie Mour. # Washington, and
covers were laid for 240 persons. The shed
v,- beautifully decorated with flags. AIR.
tlired simpson provided he dinner. The
President. the Navy. Virginia, and the
Norfolk nevv-vard were the regular tOasts,
md responses were made 10y flrst-Comp-
tr.i'eT Asa Matthews. Rear Admiral Jouett,
Judge l.. X. Watts. and Commodore
George Brown. Othel speeches were made
b.. Hon. j. r. Thomas, Captain A. i.
cooke. Naval Constructor Bowles. Hon.
Iu Camplell. Major John *. Carson,
mel William Lamb. Lieutenant Lucien
l.Dug, General '. D. GrOuer, and others.
NORFOLK NoIBs.
The bears in the Dismal swamp are de-
.....tirf 20 cattle this wear as Wei as corn,
..' the farmers are greatly annoyed.
Clt.rn.llars have almost swept the cot
. .r-ratchcs in ihc Carolina section adJoin-
Norfolk county.
Portsmouth, is agtating the matter Of
frg ON exposition.
Ifa ovet,r business is PROSTATE just
.. vI.i tho packers, and not much ~ cx-
..f.l .f tla .rafie tins season in tho Way
.-tt Iis rains and frtshets have
....Ol On, crop and there VIII be "a fall
.- ID one third or one half IN the bust
..- 81 season. ln' c1fchtfs nave au-
.....1 rate. ten cents o bushcl, owing o.
-..rcitv Of plants and the poor yield 0t
... rocks ln the James and happahannock
II. five vessels robbed in Roanoke and
-. ..'.. by thehsrbor thieves lost over
.f % ash. and those sleeping On the YES
whom tl. rObber,cs occurred believe
.. we're chloTofurmed.
six hundred aud lortv-hVc bales of cot
t.n were sold iu Norfolk yesterday, which
vc.ll.nf for the opening OF the season.
,r Hulbr1ok Whitehead WIS tried IN
,. Hu-fne- Court oi Portsmouth yester.
... 20 tle charge Of embozzing &lI0O of
... fllds os 4. Wronn Il Son and ac-
,uttel % tho ground that when Wrenn
-.r accepted thc proposition Of White
na.a 90 settle his indebtedness 10 became
...I transactiOn and not criminal pro
cooling. u
NOMINATIONS.