The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-06-10

ship, which Is $50 feet long, with nineteen
blocks on each side. The latter are placed
under the docking keeJs, which extend
DOWN from the sides TO point even with
the bottom az the center. The Alabama
Is the first vessel with the docking keels
mat has been placed in the drydock. She
also has the much-talked-of bilge keels,
or rolling fins, which are 20 keep her
from rolling With strong timbers to
keep her steady, the Alabama's supports
are complete. But she Is better provided
for than Is usual for most vessels while
locked do not haze the side blocks under
them the entire strain being on the row
down the middle.
When the Alabama arrived at the navy
yard she was In tow Of four tugs These
took her TO the entrance OF the dock.
which had been filled with water after
the workmen had finished setting the
blocks. The caisson at the entrance hav.
ing been opened, ropes were attached 10
the big hull and with men at Ave cap
STAINS, one at the head of the dock and
two on each side. the Alabama was slow
ly pulled into the dock. 1t was necessary
to wait for high tide, as at any other
time the entrance ITO the dock would be
TOO narrow, the ship being Y feet Wide at
us widest point. With her armor on and
her machinery In place the vessel which
would weigh about 1900 TONS would be
too low in the water and could not cotne
anywhere near entering the dock
The battleship having been guided into
the dock the next thing in order was to
pump out the water. The caisson at the
entrance was closed by the efforts of a
dozen men and two capstans, and then
the pumps, which are located In a brick
house on the left side of the dock were
set In notion When the dock Is dry Wis
itors to the yard can see at the bottom,
near the entrance, q well covered with a
screen This well leads to a culyert which
runs about 200 feet to the end Of the
wharf IN front of the pump house, through
which the water is pumped from The dock
to the river. The screen over the Well
Keeps movable dock furnishings from get
ting into the culveEt
There are three pumps connected with
the dock, two with capacity of As 600 gall
Ions each and the third able to force out
500 gallons minute The latter Is called
the drainage pump, and is used particulars
~ to attend TO the leakage after the dock
has been drained. All three pumps are nut
to work al once. and thus the water can
be forced out at the rate of 1O2, 400 gallons
a minute. The record for pumping out
the dock is seventy-two minutes.
When the surface of the water In the
process of pumping got close to the tops
OF the keel blocks, there was a slowing
down. and the work went on very slowly.
while the dock workmen guided the big
vessel so as TO have her settle properly on
the blocks. They were enabled to tell to
a degree the position of the craft in rela-
ton to the blocks, having been kept in
formed by the guiding STATS that were
erected In different positions. and which
stuck out of the water AS the battleship
settled down the snoring timbers were ex-
tended from the various steps on the
sides of the dock TO the vessels sides.
Timbers were also braced under the vessel
in various other places TO make assurance
doubiy surrey and then the work to be
done on the ships bottom was started
The work finished, the battleship was
made ready to be hoated out this morii-
ing. There are eight holes, each two feet
IN diameter In the caisson at the entrance
of the dock, through which the water from
the river pours. over two hours are re-
CURED to I'LL the dock, and as the water
rises so does the vessel. The snoring tim
beers fan away one by one, and when the
dock has been filled 10 the level of the
river the battIeship is ready to be fioated
out.