The Republican journal., 1897-12-23
Capt. E. O. Patterson.
His Success as Designer and Operator o
Steam Dredges.

His Success as Designer and Operator of
Steam Dredges.
In March last the Government called for
bids on self-propelling hydraulic steam
dredging steamer, and Capt. E. 0. Patter-
son, who has been engaged in dredging for
many years, was asked by the engineer Off
Ger in charge, Capt. F. V. Abbott, to make
set of drawings and specifications for such
steamer, that they might have something in
the Office to show the people who wanted to
bid what the steamer would be like. Capt
Patterson made set of drawings for
steamer 40 feet long, 80 feet beam and II
feet depth of hold. Other details are as
follows:
Steamer designed to carry about 800 tons
of sand, in two bins, one forward and one
aft has one Is inch centrifugal pump, with
10 inch suction and 16 inch discharge pipes !,
fore and aft compound engine II inch by
"a inch, "a inch stroke, inch shaft and it,
in. propeller with 10 it. pitch, to make
about 125 revolutions on 125 lbs. steam. The
engine to run the Is in. dredging pump is
fore and aft compound, 13 in. by 26 in. and
Is in, stroke, and will make 275 revolutions
The boiler is of the return tubular type,
13 feet in diameter, - feet long, with
three SO in. corrugated furnaces and ITO 3
IL inch tubes; she'll of boiler to be
rs inch steel and tested for 125 lbs
of steam. There will be one donkey
boiler, large enough to run the pumps when
steam is off the main boiler. She will have
accommodations for 90 Captain, mate, pilot,
quartermaster, engineers, 2 oilers, steward
and messman, 3 firemen, coal passer, 5
sailors and ! inspector. The captain, in
spector, chief and 1st assistant engineer
have large rooms to themselves finished in
sycamore and mahogany and fitted com
-
with running water, and drawers Under
meath berths for clothes, floors of walnut and
ash. The pilot and mate, steward and mess
man and two oilers will occupy rooms to-
gether fitted and furnished the same as the
above rooms. There will be two mess rooms,
officers and crews, finished in cypress one
galley, fitted complete and finished in cy-
press. In the bold under the galley there
will be fresh water tank of 800 gallons ca
pacity connected with the galley by pump.
The forecastle will be finished in cypress,
and have accommodations for ten men.
There will be lamp room in the forcastle
s!eathed with copper for keeping and trim
ming lamps and storing kerosene. One Bath
steam windlass 80 fathoms of ia inch chain,
so fathom l inch chain, anchors of l 200,
800 and 500 lbs, three life boats, - Is and
is feet. The steamer is schooner rugged and
carries sails. There are two large booms
on the masts for handling the suction and
boats. There is one of Williamson Bros
holsters in the after house for raising and
lowering suction The suction weighs about
tons. There is also one ice box in the
afterhouse with capacity of one ton, which
lasts about one week in the summer. There
is a complete set Of awnings for both decks
The coal bunker will hold about SO tons and
the steamer will on y have to coal once
week. She has GEO gallon tank for fresh
water for the boilers and it also connects
with the crews washroom, which is in the
port side forward. There are FIVE 80 gallon
tanks in the hold for lub1cating oils for
machinery. She is provided with the Amer
lean Ship Windass Cos. steam steering gear
besides hand gear; is to be completed in
April, and must steam 10 miles per hour in a
four hours trial.
The bids We're opened April 18th, seven
firms bidding and submitting drawings and
specifications. The Bucyrus Machine Co. of
Milwaukee, Wis, was the lowest bidder
$4,000. Capt. Abbc+. threw out all the
drawings and specifications aud insisted on
the Bueyrns people building from the plans
made by Capt. Patterson, which they have
done. The contract was awarded to them in
June and they sub,let the hull to the Jack
son & Sharp Co. of Wilmington, Del, and the
engine and boiler to the Charles Hillnan
Co. of Philadelphia. Capt. Patterson has
been stationed at Wilmington the past six
weeks inspecting the hull and making trips
to Philadelphia to inspect the machinery.
The steamer when finished will be one of the
finest hydraulic dredges atloat 1t was a
great compliment to Capt Patterson when
his drawings We're accepted over those made
by skilled marine architects as he has had
Instruction pycppt what he hos ,,;nl,o,l
himself He designed and finished all the
drawings for the dredge Charleston, now at
Charleston, S. c., and finished part of the
drawings for the dredge Cape Fear. When
he Went TO Charleston in 1891 there was 5
feet inches of water on the bar, and now
there is 90 feet inches. Both these so.j,,;
lngs are at mean low water Prof Haupt of
The University of Pennsylvania is an author
ity on deep sea excavations, and he said it
was impossible to put 20 feet of water on
Charleston bar at low water 1t has been
done, however; but experts say that if the
dredge Charleston should be removed from
Charleston harbOr for four months, the
channel would fill up 50 that there would
not be over II feet of water at spring tides,
ne success OF tlie Work on Charleston bar
is largely due to Capt, Patterson, who has
patents that increase the output of sand to
nearly double what had been figured on He
has had the aid of splendid crew, nearly
all old deep-water men. The majority have
been with Capt, Patterson six or seven years,
and five of them were launched on the
steamer i'll 1890.
There is talk of building four dredging
steamers for New York harbor, and in his
spare time Capt Patterson is working on
drawings for steamer 165 feet long, 81 feet
beam and is feet depth of hold. AS Capt.
Patterson worked in New York harbor Is
months he thinks he may be able to turn
out such boat as they want.