The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-10-11
AT LAST TIE mock Whs FILL.

ana the waters on either side were on a
level. Then the caisson, which had filled
with the infowing food, was pumped out
by means Of q centrifugal pump worked by
an engine and boiler placed on board. This
process occupied over half an hour, the
people waiting patiently in the sun the
while. At last IL was done and the gate,
which had been slowly rising alb We the
| level OF the dock, was swung out into the
stream, leaving the mouth Of the dock open,
ready for the ship to eater. A rope that
ran from her decks to the shore was pulled
by the line of blue jackets with ''heave,
no" and the vessel began to move. There
was melting grand and impressive in the
way the great black hull. impelled by the
muscles of score of men on either side of
the dock, came swinging around the bend
and into the mouth of the slip with the
band playing 1.-THE Star Spangled Banner
1t was just II o'clock when the bowsprit
poked its arrow-pointed end through
the gateway, and the tugs and
steamers on the river and at the yard docks
gave forth their shrill tootings and their
hoarse growlings as though to celebrate the
event.
SETTING THE SHIP STRAIGHT.
Three colored seamen, sprightly, active
Jackles, darted hither and thither around
the steamer in yawl boat, taking lines
ashore and back again, until the ship looked
like captive fly III spiders web. A man
with knotted brow and an authoritative
look about his entire person ran up the sides
of the dock to the narrow end, where the
two blue poles we're planted Sighting
with these as guides he shouted forth direc-
tons and warnings to the ,ngs on either
side, and the line of blue Jackets now stand
ing in double file along great hawser
that had been run ashore to the upper end
of the dock. His object was to warp the
vessel up the slip with her keel exactly in
the center, so that when the water fell her
middle bne would coincide with the blocks
dividing the dock in half. The process of
setting the ship straight over her bed took
over half an hour, and when all was ready
word was passed to the engine house on the
side of the dock, and with a rumbling,
throbbIng noise one of the pumps was
started. Both of them working at full
speed would have emptied the dock SO
rapidly as to settle the ship on the blocks
before she couli be shored up and propped.
They have altogether a capacity of $4,000
gall ms minute, and can empty the dock
without a ship in it in an hour and a half.
GRADUALLY THE HULL SETTLED
with the falling water and finally her keel
touched bottom. Great timbers were slid
down the sides of the dock into the water
and floated to the ship. shore ends being
checked with wedges. During this opera
ton the pump was stopped, and as soon as
it was accomplished both Of them were
started and the water fell rapidly. Slowly
the bottom of the ship peeped from beneath
the surface, showing a greenish copper
plating covered with sea moss and little
white disappointing dirty, ugly.
At LIST the pumps could find no more water
and ceased their painting and the .Yantic
lay high and dry on her keel, while the
workmen began to shove the bilge blocks
under her side SO that she could stand
alone.
THE DOCK WAS FORMALLY OPENED,
the operation of filling. opening the gate,
docking the ship and pumping dry taking
about three hours and half, and then, with
the sun streaming down from the cloudless
sky, the natives went back to their homes
and the invited guests found their way to
the banquet hall where wit, wisdom and
wine flowed in generous quantities until the
returning steamer whistle warned the diners
from their seats.