The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-12-24
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CITY OFFICIAL PAPER.
SEATTLE, FRIDAY. DEC. "a.
REPORT OF rHE pay DOCK BOARD.

REPORT Of THE DRY DOCK BOARD.
Early last summer Acting Secretary
of the Navy Roosevelt appointed Rear
Admiral f. NJ. Bunce, Commander +.
f Chadwick and Assistant Naval Con-
structar r. B. Dashieil TO report upon
the needs OF the navy with reference 10
dry docks.
This board reports that the piles,
braces. cross caps. etc. In dry dock
No. 2 ttimber). at the Brooklyn navy
yard, are badly decayed. and that II
II only a matter of time before the dock
will have reached such a state as to be
unfit for use, endangering ships under
repair I'm IL. because of it's liability TO
a sudden iugrcss of water from coll
iapse OF parts OF the structure. The
board also makes the sweeping state
ment that all the timber docks on the
Atlantic coast are In the same state. 1t
Is recommended that they all be given
concrete entrances. To make thess
changes will require s2s6, $50 for each OF
the timber dry docks at Brooklyn.
League island and Norfolk. while the
one at Port Royal will cost $4,000
The timber dock No. 2. at Brooklyn,
and the docks at Norfolk and League
island will only accommodate the
smaller vessels of our navy. The larger
docks. No. 3. at Brooklyn. and the dock
a. Port Royal. were begun in 1897. and
since their completion have each only
had one vessel docked in them. on ac-
count of serious weaknesses developed.
No. Is now having $4,000 expended
upon Il before Il can be used. and will
then still have to have q concrete en-
trance built to preserve IL for even
few years. At Port Royal the condi-
,ions are worse, for in addition To In
secure foundations. constant dredging
is required in order that our battleships
may approach the entrance.
From this iamentahle condition of af
fairs on the Atlantic coast, II is a great
relief 10 turn to the contemplation Of
tie dry dock at Port Orchard Begun
year later than the nest recent docks
on the other side. II was practically
completed on time. because all the coz
dltioas were favorable. 1; dimensions
are as follows: Length over all. G95
feet: width Of entrance. % feet S inches:
depth over sill at mean high water, %
feet. Any man-of'war saoat can enter
this dock. Its complete price fer con
struction WAS only s6oS S2t2t. n max
inE tire plans for this dock II was very
wisely given stone aoutments and en-
trace Cor x feet 80 that the difficulties
OF rapid decay and destruction ~
teredo as Ia the Eastern docks. are en-
tire!y avoided. Commodore Mathews.
the chief NJ the bureau % yards ana
docks, navy department, who has re-
Gently lHspec;ed the Puget sound naval
station. in HE report 70 the secretary Of
the navy. states;
Tho dry acrk constructed under cor
tract with Mesara byron Harlow & Co
.s,, ,,....r..,..r,s =, e., ......... So, 80,
finally accepted in Septemte~ lN9&
The nsts,essip Oregon hiss hseu
sa'c~s.f"ii, locked 'here. hthough
'na"e "~-
"a, al. .u.,,.x, st. =,
VA. developed.
IN view - tnfx r,axr,e,sr, ,a,,,,,,e,.
sem Win al ~ .n> r,.s.A~,, ~, a..
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,.,,t - ,,.>a,r,e.,,~, y,atb.v,.x w, -..,-
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