The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1895-01-09
Che 5ailg 3 lllstin.
WEDNESDAY, JAN 9 1895.
PORT ORCHARDS DRY DouK
Puget Sound to Have the Second
Largest Dock in the World.

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The dry dock now building at
Port Orchard, Wash, will be the
second largest in the world. Its
only superior is one owned by the
Italian government. Port Orchard
lies across Admiralty inlet, an arm
of Puget sound, sixteen miles from
Seattle. 1t is approached by tor
tuous and easily defended passages,
so that the helpless warships laid up
for repairs in time of war will be
safe from the assaults OF the enemy.
When the federal government
made ready to build the new dry
dock many miles OF water front at
Port Orchard and a considerable
tract Of land extending back from
the south we're bought. After that
bids were invited for the building Of
a timber and concrete dock, whose
main dimensions we're to be: Out
side length, 625 feet and fraction
greatest width, 100 feet; floor width,
81 feet; depth 80 feet, 3 inches. This
dock was to float ships 80 feet
draught. The successful bidders, a
firm at Tacoma, undertook the work
at little over Si9l,O 600. The con
tract was let two years ago, with the
stipulation that the dock should be
finished in three years. In view OF
the fact that commercial steamships
are bigger year by year and that
such ships will be used for cruisers
in time of war, the length OF the
dock was afterward increased fifty
feet. Other notifications were made
this year, and the contract price, in
view OF these changes, was increased
to about S6OS,OOO. The time Tor the
completion of the work was also ex-
tended some months.
The Port Orchard dry dock will
be the most notable public work Of
the federal government upon the Pa
citic coast. 1t is being constructed
in accordance with the latest knowl-
edge and experience upon the sub
ject Of dry docks. The entrance is
to be closed 10y gate that will be Of
itself a notable feature. This gate,
or caisson, as IL is called, - like an
iron ship Of somewhat unusual pro
portions. II is hull with a bow at
each end. 1t will be ~ feet log
inches in length at top, II feet in ex.
treme nodded breadth, ID feet in
breadth at the top and 80 feet | !
inches in height from bottom OF
keel to top OF waywater.
The dock will be filed through
this gate, and to aid this purpose
the gate is pierced by twelve z0-inch
filling culverts, each fitted with a
gate valve. In the upper portion OF
the gate there is a water chamber
with two 20-inch sluices, one open
ing into the sea, the other into the
dock. Water to sink the gate is adj
mitted through two 2O-inch valves,
and in order to remove this water
when the gate is to be loated there
is on the main deck boiler and an
engine to drive a small centrifugal
pump capable OF delivering $500 gal
Ions OF water a minute. In order to
facilitate the handling Of the gate a
suitable capstan is placed at the cen.
ter OF the upper deck and worked by
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the main deck.
Powerful and complicated machin.
cry is provided for emptying the
dock. Three centrifugal pumps
each with its own engine, and a
fourth centrifugal drainage pump
will accomplish this work. Six grea,
steel tubular boilers will furnish the
stream to run the machinery. With
a boiler pressure of hundred
pounds TO the square inch these
pumps will discharge 10000 gallons
OF water per minute.
This great piece OF work is going
on more than dozen miles from the
nearest railway station or telegraph
office. When it is finished it vii
save many a ship of the navy tn,
long journey from the far northwest
to San Francisco, and doubtless vii
be used by vessels Of the AsiatiC
squadron returning home for over
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