New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-08-10
OF PERHAPS 500. coo.

THE RUSH or wATER--orHER WAR
VESSELS IN DANGER-DAMAGE
OF PERHAPS 100000
The huge steel casson at the entrance Of Dry
o,or No. =. in the Brooklyn Navy Yard col
,.nsed on Saturday night. shortly after half
.ast o'clock A wave Of water twenty-seven
90, high dashed into the dock, hurting the
.sson On her crest as II 1t were cork instead Of
,4ish.ne many tons. The steel mass was car
,sd far into the dock. and thrown its side.
The wave broke on the far end OF the structure
"a sheets OF water were thrown high into the
when the caisson gave way the new tor
ado boat Ericsson. which was lying a short
rs away from the entrance was swept into
,,c dock and was badly damaged.
The powerful suction snapped the iron cables
h,ob Mold the torpedo boat to a large crane and
,,r,,gh, the olaft swiftly and steadily to the
ro,ss ~ the dock She would have smashed
~, 70 peces II she had struck, but receding
wave. carried her back.
Meantime number OF scows. pile drivers, a
s..,i,y derrick and the monitor Puritan were
- r~.,, ,heir mornings beyond the gates and
,l tho Ericsson The Ericsson caught
:, . ra,urninr wave and hurled with terrific
, .cainst the overturned steel caisson.
,r,oro was loud report and when thrown back
-. .o~,,edo boat had gap OF twelve feet in her
,o~u,ara compartment and several heavy dents
IN the steel plates AZ her bow
l..,.o., 7 Highly commanding officer Of the
,,~irs Barracks turned out the entire gar
ZEN and the men managed to prevent the
r-.csson from sinking 10y registering her TO
-, ,r,oe While they doing this the
water continued 10 near down upon the dock,
carving with Il the captains launch. recently
built at cost of $1,000 and upsetting il.
A moment later a long wave bore the monitor
Puritan which was only saved from destruction
bv being carried back by the recedirg water.
When the accident occurred there was twenty
six fee, Of water outside the caissor. which had
raised enough from the sill upon which 1t rests
when weighted down TO allow the water 10 hoW
in underneath Tie pressure was greatest on
either end IF the gate. and finally one of the
shoulders gave way.
TIE strong chain cables which moored the
scows and derricks were snapped as so many
pine stems and the boats were smashed to pieces
against the casson and stone walls Wreckage
MAS strewn all over the channel and high and
DRY on the shore. a few feet Of the mast OF the
oaptain's launch stood the water for a shor,
time but heavy pieces Of timeber soon broke II
The giant Puritan snapped all her big cables
except one Had she been released the Ericsson
would have been ground To bits.
The Atlanta and the Katahdin broke several
~ her nooorings The sailors say the water sud
denly dropped away three feet The Terror
came near breaking away One Of her whale
boats was splintered and several Of her stanch-
:ons were torn off.
Men have been employed during the last few
DAYS in taking out the ballast in the caisson IL
Is believed that the pressure on the OUTSIDE oil
the casson was so great as to cause 1t to col
lapse
court of inquiry viii be convened as 500" DIS
The extent ~ the damage is known.
None Of the officers Of the yard would speak
m the subject Of the responsibility YESTERDAY.
They are waiting TO hear from officials at Wash
tngton.
The total damage is estimated at from S'o,ooo
70 $l00.o0p.