The Portland daily press., 1890-06-17
THE DOLPHIN LISTED.
Sailors Lost Their Dinner But the
Ship was Not Hurt.

New YORK, June 16.-The United States
ship Dolphin of tho North Atlantic squad
ron, steamed into the waters of the Brooklyn
Navy Yard Saturday and prepared to 60 into
the stone dry dock to have her bottom
cleaned. When the dock had been filed
with twenty-five feet of water the caisson
was removed and the vessel righted In posi-
tion, preparatory to settling the keel blocks.
The pumps were then put in operation and
the water in the dock gradually lowered.
About ten inches had been pumped out
when the vessel heeled over slightly to star
board, and at the same moment the forward
and after shores, which were the only shores
supporting her at the time, shifted position.
The forward one snapped in two under the
great strain, and the after one was rendered
useless by reason of its shifted position.
The accident caused commotion both
among the officers on board and the
crowd on the dock, but no serious results 0c-
CURED. Ensign William S. Cloke was officer
of the deck, and orders were Immediately
given to stop pumping and refill the dock.
This was done in few minutes and the YES
sci, which, though ten degrees out of verti-
cal, had not heeled far enough to touch the
dock in any of her parts, was promptly float
ed and righted. The forward and after
shores were then refitted and reinforced by a
number of side shores, and the dock emptied
without further trouble. At the time Of the
accident the vessel was resting on the keel
blocks, and the dock was four-ffths full
Had it been pumped dry, and had the shores
then given away. the consequences would
have been serious.
The cause of the sudden lurch to starboard
is uncertain. Assistant Naval Constructor
Capps, who was on the spot, attributes it in
part to the factlthat thevessel was just blow
ing out herlport boiler and that the dimin-
ished weight to port caused the lurch to star
board. He said that no Serious damage
could be found.
The accident occurred just after the ship
had been inspected, and the mems lockers
were all open. As a result. their clothing
was emptied on the deck. 1t happened, too,
that just then the mess gear had been piped,
and when the ship lurched innumerable tin
pans of beans and "salt horse" tumbled in
discriminatory to the deck. This seems to
to have been the most serious calamity that
attended the accident. Several pieces of
furniture in the wardroom also shifted posi-
tiOn, and one of the rapid fire guns of the
secondary battery mounted on the poop
swung heavily against the rail. The Dol
phin's officers say that they have made a
careful inspection fore and aft, below and
above, but they can find no evidences Of
strain.
A great deal of interest centered among
the officers of the yard in the condition Of
the Dolphin's bottom. which has become so
fouled as to reduce her speed from fourteen
W olBut kuOLS. w ucu buo uOCh Hau uccl
pumped dry the red lead which covered her
steel bottom was found to be completely
hidden by thick covering of animal and
vegetable matter There was evidently lit
tie or no corrosion or p'ttlng, but there was
surprising amount of everything else
which could possibly attach itself to a steel
bottom.
1t will require several days to scrape the
Dolphin thoroughly clean, and her bottom
will then be painted with one of the anti
fouling compounds, either the marine germi-
eide or the McInnes sulphate. The Galena
and the Kearsarge will also be dry docked in
the course of the squadron's stay in this
port, but their bottoms, being covered with
copper cannot be as foul as that of the Dol
phin.