The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-01-03

The Need OF More DceAs-
TIE government % the La-Ese States
haa bssn active 81 sate years y tsl-se.E 3
large wsrxhfos without a corresponding
a.efv.ty Il esors--uctznx dry docks tnsy
could enter. j. has eight o1aeFss nose OF
boston. Brooklyn. y. =. and SorEe-A, "a.
y,e8ae Cd asa.z-z or EnscA rsLaca haz oesa
sn@fss for improvements and enL2rgezrs 81 :
ard wnsch set are no< large enough t0f
sf2e accommodation ct battleSa.pS Or tie
large cruisers Port Royal Grg COCK = 80
gaes long. bat although lts CONSTRUCTION
"a bexrn zonr before that a. PORK or
eszr5. 4 Is not yet satisfactorily con-
r,eeed The Akare Island dock, 81 feet n
ienrta. was begun IN 1873 and Is really not
YET completed. although = has COST aSosz.
q go 90 X "a u 100 anflQua&sd design 70
bexsa with. ard Bas not s1EiefsrlE Gep1h o.
water for the docking Of the iargesE war
shsps. wsYss wnen the Monterey was n
por+ Orchard dock there appeared 20 te
ample room and depth Cor another vessel
OF her r.Ee-
The United States ia Far behind other
countries in docks. While this country
owns none outside her Own i3Tn.ts England
has docks "a tse West Indies, on the At
laurtc seabosrd OF CanaGa ard az Es2a--
ynamft on the Pac-Hc. two IN Africa d in
Asia. 70 in Australia, and she practically
owns several docks IN China and Japan
,rhare are 60 docks OF a. deScrlp-sons n
the world. OF which Eag.and Owls S59
Sas has a docks al home, IA Of which are
az Portsmouth.
g-be por- Orchard dock is OF wood.
formed BY altar brace tiraoers resting on
sransygrse t.EnDers below and supported
on both sides OF sheet p.hBg driven close
fszstasr and forming a soEd slopng Wal
extending 70 the sop wa4ss. over TINS
regular altar f.mnsurs are aid eng ways
wseh the dock. The entrance IL formed OF
sandstone and granite. the sandstone
from one OF the Sound Islands and the
granite from Brssish Columbia. The cafs-
cor = an immense double-ended huh, each
end shaped similar 10 the forward end or
a ship. constructed mainly OF ron X IS
- fst long Is feet vide aad . feet h-gn-
l. has an upper deck OF fIr. man deck
Of steel plates and lower deck Of steel
plates on the main deck Is .aTge boiler
and capsian engine. an Edwards pump OF
a capacity OF 2.Soo ga,lons minute and
other machinery.
The pump ng plant consists OF three
large centrifugal pumps with a capacity
OF 10000 gallons per minute. and as the
sloca contains, when fun, about li,ooo.Ve9
s, takes the pumps but litt3e over Two
hours 70 empty Il.
The magnitude OF the whole work can
be realized from the following hgures;
TIE iron IA the caisson gate weighs 10000
pounds; che contract for excavating called
for IA. 0e1 cubic yards. there were $4,000
Zee, of timber used $4,000 piles driven; a.
COO barrels OF cement used. and 80 tons Of
bolts and spikes.
The shops and Residences.
The store house and machine shops, for
which there was an appropriation Of SS0.-
COO are now nearly completed. and five
residences for the commandan. and stan
were competed during the summer. West
OF the entrance 20 the dock Z Is proposed
- haild concrete seawall, extending out
JIs feet from the entrance. and 10 con-
straics a railway from the end OF the land
.ngdock out 10 the s,orehouse and around
the edge OF the dry dock.
Although the opening OF the great dry
dock excited considerable interest al over
the country. The peop.e OF Seattle scarcely
appreciate the entire Importance OF such
an institution at their port. or how much
the Industries correlated 10 q great naval
ssaron and shspyard. ali Of them employ
tng labor. VIII help 10 foster the deve.op-
fnsnt OF the resources OF Goa, iron, cop
per and lumber. and the large population
thus attracted become the consumers OF
ali thu products and mercantile commod!-
ties Of country and CITY.