Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1896-04-04
GREAT DRY DOCK.
The Finest In the Country Is At
The Brooklyn Navy Yard.
A. Marvellous Gate Is It's Most
Interesting Feature.


When the dry dock which is being
built in the Brooklyn Navy Yard is
completed it will be the finest and
largest in the country, and capable of
accommodating any ship afoat. 1t
ssIas commenced two years ago, and
Z, .ssrAheann4rscs time had expissls
was only half finished. The work of
completing it was given to another
firm, and uader their hands rapid
progress has been made.
tl effort will be made to have the
dock ready for use by July 4, 1896,
aud If no unforeseen event occurs it
will be opened on that date By that
time it will have cost the United
States Government nearly one mil
lion dollars. The new dock is con
structcd entirely Of timber, which.
though much cheaper than stone, is
not nearly as durable.
There are only two stone docks in
this country-the small dock known as
Brooklyn No. l, and dock at the
Norfolk Navy Yard. A stone dock is
very expensive, even the tiny No. |
in the Brooklyn Navy Yard having
cost over 5000, 900. The new dock
will be called Brooklyn No. 3,the big
timber dock now in use being Brook
lyn No. .. The last Lamcd already
shows signs OF decay; the upper tim
bers, although creosoted, are. begin
ming to rot.
\ big stone dock would, however,
not be practicable in the Brooklyn
yard, owing to the nature Of the
ground. The soil is a kind of quick
sand, and the enormous weight Of
such q mass Of stone would be for
ever getting deeper and deeper. Near
ly all Of the government docks in Eng
land are Of stone. At Plymouth dock
is5pfd alone there = 30 i % dry
docks, all in a row, each one of which
is as big as will be the Brooklyn No.
3. They are, Of course. practically
everlasting, whereas timber dock
will not last twenty years.
Before building the new dock great
piles, sixty feet long, were driven into
the earth all around the outside be-
fore eXcavating was commenced. AS
the earth IS taken out more piles are
driven vertically into the sloping sides
OF the dock and bound together by
heavy timbers At the bottom a mass
Of piles is driven SO closely as to touch
each other. There are eight in each row
and they are about foot In diameter,
/ so that IN immensely solid founda-
tions about eight feet wide. running
from end to end, is secured. Upon
/ this foundation rest the keel blocks
which support nearly the wholeweight
Of a ship when it is docked. All the
divisions and spaces between the bot
tom piles are filed with concrete.
The most interesting feature about
the dock is the gate This is really a
small IRON sbip, los feet long and
thlrty-hve feet deep, with beam Of
twenty-five feet. When the dock is
tull the gate ship is towed away and
the vessel which is in the dock can
! pass out. When it is required to
empty the docks the gate Is foated
back IN position, and the water al
lowed TO enter the hull. This sinks
the gate, which settles up against the
abutments, and is jammed fast by the
pressure of the outside water. The
size Of the gate may be Judged when
ii is learned that 100 tons Of ballast
are required to keep her upright when
afoat.
The new dock is 30 feet long,
measured from end To end at the top,
and go feet n measured al the bottom.
1t IS los feet wide at the. entrance,
and has draucnt over the ell Of
twenty-eieht fee'. Aav ship ahoa'
could easily be dry docked IN No. ;.
aud this country has been wanting
something Of tie kind for lon2
time
Tie English dock al Halifax IS now
tie largest on this Continent, being
COO tee.. long, but TIE Brooklyn dock
and :be ore building 8. Puget Sound
viii bo,1 sarpass !, i s.ze- T1s
LARGEST doca u tee world : TIE Lacd
ton dry docA n Lo1doa, which : a5l
, feet long. When tie Texas was .as
, docked II Ne. , there was oniv .vs
inches ~ Snnr.t on either ,l.e a.. nfr