Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-06-26
.SEAsICK VESSELS
II Is Necessary for Them 10 Go Into
the Hospital
ENEMIES OF SHIPS IN TIE SEA.
Some Device Needed for tho Protection OF
Iron vsssels-sems Serious Con-
sequences.
washington starr

Washington starr
The sea is a grand and yet treach-
erous mother to the thousands OF ships
that sail over its broad expanse' ana
after buffeting with its storms. the ships
must 60 TO their hospital for repairs. THIS
hospital !s the dry-dock, and the doctors
are the army OF careful workmen VINO
hook over carefully and repair every
faulty seam or broken rivet.
salt water is tceming with parasites or
plant and animal life that cling to the
bottoms Of ships. cat slowly yet surely
through wood and iron alike, or rust II
away. while they act as n check on the
speed by vastly increasing the resistance
and friction Of the water against the ship.
The gods OF the storms see everywhere"
and pick out each weak seam or faulty
rivet. and slowly and surely eat into the
vitals OF the ship. so that every rev
month"; It becomes necessary 10 examine
and repair the vessel. To do this she
must come out OF the water. The dry
dock Is lust n great box of wood. iron.
or stone, connecting with the sea by
great gateway. When the ship IL ready
10 enter. the gate is shut and the water
all pumped out; then the workmen, with
practiccd skin. place the great blocks at
the bottom of the dock for the Keel TO
rest upon, taking the dimensions from the
plans and drawings of the vessel These
in place, the dock is flooded again, the
gate opened, and the ship hauled In. - The
gate Is now closed again, and while the
water IL slowly pumped out and the ship
way or that till she rests evenly on the
keel-blocks; then shores. or heavy wooden
beams are braced from the sides Of the
dock to the sides OF the ship and as the
water Is pumped away the ship stands
high and dry" "a yerItable FISH out OF
water" the bottom, which was below the
water line, covered with sea-weeds and
parasites. that hide the defects they have
caused
THE CURE PROCESS.
Then the workmen scrape and scour
the unwelcome barnacles and grass
away, the seams and rivets are all ex-
amned and repaired, a fresh coat OF paint
goes on again. and as the dock is again
flooded the ship rises from her hospital
bed. and the wooden supports are knocked
away until she floats out on the sea
again healthy and strong" to battle with
wind and sea and the enemies OF the
flag she proudly flies at the peak.
When wood was used almost exclu-
slvely in building ships very easy and
convenient means was found to protect
the underwater portions OF the ship from
the insidious attacks OF barnacles ana
parasites Of plant and animal life. This
was done by covering the whole bottom
OF the ship with a plating OF thin copper.
for the gavanic action Of the salt water
upon the copper was TO convert the ship
and sea into a vast battery where the
copper became the negative pole and was
slowly yet constantly eaten away. the
particles. as they fell away. taking with
them the barnacles and sea-weed as fast
as they formed on the ship. thus keep
ing the ships bottom and sides always
clean, so that the speed was not cut
down b. dragging the barnaces and yards
OF sea-weed through the water Yet
even then the copper needed repairs,
faulty timbers rotted and crumbed away
so that every few years the ship had TO
go into drydock and be thoroughly over
hauled, each faulty timber replaced
and rusty bolt repaired. until no loop
hole was left for the sea TO work on.
But with the advent Of iron in the
building OF ships the old means failed
for where copper was placed over the
iron the iron became the negative pole
Of the great battery and was eaten away
quickly Kidding the bottom of the ships
with many leaks. Many devices were
tricd-the underwater portions OF the YES
seis We're covered with water proof
layer of wood, which was then coppered
as bcfore-but wherever there was any
metallic connection between the copper
and iron the whole force of the battery
acted there. and holes were eaten In un-
expected and inaccessible places. bring
Ing IN nm element Of uncertainty and en-
forcing great care in "sheathng' the
vessels. as the coat of wood is called and
the ships still had to so more often than
ever 10 the dry dock
SKILL OF CHEMISTS OF NO AVAIL.
Then the various methods of painting
the bottoms with protective paints have
been tried. and are used in all of the
cruisers of our new navy. The skill Of
hundreds Of chemists has been exerted to
find paint that would act as the copper
does. and throw off the barnacles and
sea weed Great prizes have been offered,
and fortune awaits the successful dis
Coverer of such a coating for ships, yet,
50 far. none has been discovered that
acts completely. and the iron and steel
ships which stcrt from port with freshly
painted sides and bottoms return in few
months covered with barnacles and sea
weed. which. as il trails in the water,
very materially cuts down the speed and
power of the ship. Then she must be put
in the dry-dock and scrubbed and scraped
aud reDainted. still worse than the bar
nacles and sea weed is the water itself
when II finds an entrance, be 1t ever sc
small, through the paint to the steel be-
low. Slowly. but surely. 1t rusts out a
little pit. which extends sometimes al
aoh he. .lat hnff 81 II,
scale drops off and dlscloses the defect
which can even then only be sc "a by put
ting the ship in dry-dock and exanl.n Ne
every square foot of her bottom plating.
A SICK LEAVE NECESSARY.
This all shows how necessary 1t is TO
the ships TO 40 to their hospital" AM
how careful her doctors should be. 70
millions of dollars worth of property AM
millions OF priceless lives are carrie
every year on these messengers of tn
sea-" The greatest docks In the wor
are those of the great shipping port o
Liverpool. where the great stone docks
with their powerful pumping engines
stretch for miles along the water from
The stone docks are the best for.
solidly built. they may last a hundre
years. and. in fact. the old stone doc
at Norfolk navy-yard. which is now 1
use. was built when John Adams wa
President of the United States. Yet
America. where fortunes are made an
lost In a few years, we do not often bull
for future generations. but only for IN
present. hence many OF the docks In III
United States are wooden affairs tina
though cheap at first. soon cost more /
repairs than they did In building.
Another kind OF dock frequently used
the floating dock. a great platform SUI
et..t..
first filled with water and allowed
sink until the ship can be brought owe
the platform, when the water
pumped out and the platform slow