New-York tribune., 1898-11-21

notable and most disastrous way by the leak
which started IN the timber drydock No. at New
{ York. which Is very dccp.
THE HISTORY OF THE STONE DOCKS.
1t may be Of interes. to review briefly the his
tory Of the docks Of earlier years when for such
! uses cheap and meretricious 4 material as
! timber had not been dreamed Of for construction.
| In the early twrnties ships had attained a size
! which made it advisable to seek some other means
! Of docking than that cf hauling them up slip
ways or railways. Bv authority Of Congress the
! Government called into it, service Colonel Loammi
BALDWIN, OF Boston, an ciainent civil engineer OF
, his day. VINO had prepared himself especially for
/ work OF this character h. personal examinations
! Of The best examples Of urydock construction
! abroad Colonel baldwin was instructed to pre-
pare plans for two docks one to be located at the
| Navy Yard in Boston. the other at the Norfolk
yided for structures OF the fnest class granite
masonry and Of the most substantial and perma-
1 These dogks were begun in ~ and we're com
to-day splendid and enduring EXAMPLES Of masonry
GorSirucuon. q the SKIN Of their designer and
ment in calling him to its service and in approv-
iEg his recommendations Although now sixty five
repairs to the cocks proYcr OF but slight extent
and at moderate expense for work now necessary
they give promise OF cnduranc" and usefulness
for centuries 70 come. The Government of that
, day in these noble structures builded better than
hese doSk; NV f99wsd by vr Of G sTan,tc
other drydock Of masonry was constructed at the
Mare Island Navy Yard. and finished sufficiently
Of granite or other stone, concrete entering largely
! into its construction.
FLOATING DOCKS
In the interval which elapsed l,twecn the COM
pleton of the first stone docks and that at Mare
Island the Navy Department favored to some
extent floating drydocks Of wood. Several of these
completed for the Navy. and did excellent
work but as their material not permanent. as
they involved more risk than craving docks. and
as, IL the end, they were not regarded as valuable
for naval purposes. they were not replaced when
they decayed and became unseryiccable.
Had the Government continued the policy begun
by lavish expenditures for repairs to docks, by
disasters and financial scandals IN dock 3ailding
the ,ittle-ship Indiana on foreign territory All
of these have followed in the wax Of the timber
drydock. which when the reed of more docks APP
peared. was pressed upon the attention OF the
Government. All docks of this material built on
the Atlantic coast were constructed by the firm
OF Simpson Co.. which firm. since ii controlled
certain patents covering improvements in such
docks and since IL was the only constructor OF
fuoh docks on the seaboard comprised the only
inducing the Government to build its future docks
Of wood
THE SIMPSON DRYDOCKS.
The apparent merits of wooden docks were first
pressed upon the Government by requests TO the
Navy Department. through persons Of influence.
that boards Of naval officers be organized to visit
and report upon the docks OF Simpson Co. The
first of these boards examined the Simpson dry
dock at Baltimore. 1t consisted of Civil Engineer
Sanger. Chief Engineer Stewart Naval Con-
structor Hichborn. Naval Constructor Mintonye
and Civil Engireec Prinde, all OF the Navy. Its
stated in conclusion:
THE solid and secure foundations Of this struct-
which IL Is being constructed. warrant the belief
that when completed 1t Will safely dock and sus-
Upon the completion OF the dock this Board made
final report lcyil hneineer GIayer a,r serving In
The dock itself is a wooden structure through
out, built principally Of yellow pine or white oak;
and Otherwise Secure It is SO designed and con-
structed to anord strength. dryness' air. light
The second Of these boards appointed in 1882 by
the Secretary OF the Navy. examined the Simpson
drydocks at South Brooklyn and at South Boston
It's report favorable. and would be regarded as
for the Navy. The third Naval Board reported
very favorably in 1854 on a timber drydock CON
foundland To the literature upon the subject Of
simpson drydocks furnished by the reports above
LINED from Naval Ccnstructor Hchborn Civii En-
These reports and letters were printed by the firm
Tfa TO- Of Enc IN !h R er Of nd he s%
dock were pressed almost constantly.
nS sp of o ,hs @ dock may be- PcThaps veWed
as only the result of legitimate business enter
tended TO the efforts which would seem to have
been made, and with success 10 obtain special
lie doubt that the law providing for the construc-
ton Of two Of these timber dfydock' one at New.
not entirely due to the interchangeable enterprise Of
The patentees.
ONLY ONE FIRM TO RESPOND.
The act OF Congress authorized the construction
Of timber docks; the Bureau Of Yards and Docks
issued an advertised invitation for bids which
was addressed to "drydock builders only.
that under the strict terms of this advertisement.
only "drydock builders" could expect to have
their proposals considered and, finally. Smp
son & CO. were the only timber drydock
builders" it would seem that the Government ad-
veriisement limited the proposals for these docks
and their construction TO this firm only. A. mat
ter Of fact there only one oth,r bid presented.
that Of Come Gohey ana ne ,ne com"ct re' Wa
Of Il board convened to consider the proposals, ard
consisting OF Naval Constructor iilchborn, civil
Engineer MenocH ana Draushlsman Wow Clv!l
l.neInccIl Mackay.
oueration A; the mex; session Of Congress the
same Influences in the sam" fashion. would ap-
Thc inVitaiions for propesls again cailei
ingiy Simpson q Co were the only bidders
they received the contract have completed the
As to tn. value Of the three timber docks which
hey have withont doubt performed useful service
every one OF them - el,ner now a. ID "a condinon
recently been IN that condition ana has Received
and yet none of them ar" ten years old Thus while
;he drydoch at Ne~-l ork, which Is only about |
NGhi years ou mas d. s1 I,'eiSr no Wy t Eo,i-
riorated greatly ana board Of experts. which ex-
amncd IL tns ycdI. estimated that il would cost
$4,000 to put tn dock in good condition. Con |
grrss mas appropriated this sum. and the work ~ |
10 be taken II hand soon the dock be |
SHARED from its present pressing service The |
League Island dock has proved to be lcaky-sO |
much has been necessary to add another |
drainage pump TO flee IT, from water while in |
service. The entrance works show signs Of weak !
ness and portions Of the interior have deierioraied
extensively. Congress has appropriated SG4.DOo 10 !
place this dock in good condition. The dock at |
Norfolk has Jared somewhat better In the cost OF |
but ihe entrance works have been |
seriously attacked by the marine and ex-