The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1896-11-04
FOR REPAIRS TO SHIPS
A CONTRIBUTOR PROPOSES THE
COFFERDAM SYSTEM.
Instances of Its satisfactory Use
Honolulu as a Repair Point WorI,
of the Late Rev. S. c. Damon.

Star Newspaper: There was time
when our labor facilities were well
advertised throughout the ~world and
in most liberal manner by our great
benefactor in that line, the late Rev
S. c. Damon, mostly through thc-col-
umns of his valuable publication, The
Friend. His personal correspondence
was volumnious also with Government
officials, ship owners, to the poor and
lonely one in search of her lost boy,
husband or brother.
There is no practical or fair minded
man who doubts the efficiency of re-
pairs to ships effected by aid of COT
ferdams.
The makeup of the cofferdam pc
culiar to these islands (now almost
obsolete) was copied by an executive
officer from one of the war ships of
the British flying squadron when here
many years ago. One was made at
Esquimalt and found to be the right
thing. That was before completion
of the dry dock at Esquimalt, b. c.
And quite recently a small box was
used to good purpose on the r. NJ. s.
Miowera at the Sorensen or foundry
wharf. An immense rudder post and
stern post connection (iron) renewed
at the Honolulu Iron works. was put
| 81 a.,
went on circuitous route to England,
arriving home all right. Instances
quoted will show at once the import
ance and utility of the cofferdam in
repairs to the vital parts of vessels,
viz: heel and forefoot, probably the
only part of large ocean steamers thar
pose and repair together with suction
pipes.
1t is here proposed that the Govern
ment will, as whole, or assist by
subsidy some firm or individual to con-
struct a large composite coiferdam
about dimensions of that used under
the Frigate DOMAIN, which allowed of
thirty-fve feet of keel being put on,
and will last together with a small
one for the bilge, same size as was
used under the L. S. S. Saranac when
last here. These with a plant to ma
nipulate repairs in iron is all that we
require. Import the racn or adopt the
late Dan Foster prllrcipIe, make them.
How long did it take to make iron
riveters, wood and iron caulkers, of
raw material during the Civil War in
the United States n 1S61-6j, when YES
weeks only green hands worked intel
| ligently under their leaders. Work
was turned out in good shape and
| handed over to the Government on
time. This can be authenticated by
a local mechanic who took a hand
there. Wood workers. of course. as Il
rule, have great aversion to work
ing iron and vice versa. The old trite
saying at the building of the first iron
ship nearly fifty years ago never came
true, viz: that an iron ship would scale
one-siXteenth of an inch year, and in
four years would not be safe and that
composite vessels blackened and rotted
the wood very fast and would not last
reasonable time The erroneous
ideas have long since passed away
and so has the exclusively wooden
ship builder.
Force of circumstances combined
with influence of leading and far see.
ing men, adopted the composite and
later on iron, the latter now strongly
in the lead. And if this country is tc
cut any figure as a cross roads repair
shop for the class of vessels now pac.
ing the ocean we too must follow the
lead and prepare ourselves to tackle
any job that comes along. let the builC
or material be what it may.
CENTAUR.