The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-07-02

an appropriation has been made by con-
gress. will be done by large dredge
| which Will be built and placed In opera
ton within nine months.
This dredge will not be like the steam
dredges formerly used for such work, but
will be similar TO those operated in the
| New York harbor drawing UP the mud
and sand through suction tubes. Such
suction pumps mounted on steamships,
and TO be used In New York's harbor. will
be able, IT is estimated, to raise 1000 tons
OF mud and sand every hour.
In this connection the following article
from the New York Herald describing the
pumps to dredse the new ship channel
there will be OF interest;
New York harbors new ship channel
viii be dug by two ocean steamship
dredges, which will be constructed witnin
a year Unlike the steam dredges In com
mon use, these dredges draw up the mud
and sand at the bottom by means OF sue
ton pumps In this way it is believed
that the east channel can he deepened much
more rapidly than by dredgos which labor
lously scoop up the sea bottom by means
OF buckets. 1t is asserted that the two
new fashioned dredges COMBINED can hoist
5000 tons an hour.
Congress has appropriated $4,000 900 for
| the purpose of making the east channel
forty feet deep and 2OOO feet wide, The
length covered by the proposed dredging
operations will be six miles.
The method of dredging by means of a
suction tube is no experiment. The harbor
of Liverpool was cleared OF obstrucuons
by the steamer dred9es Grove and
Brancker. These vessels within the last
three years cleared away $4,000, 900 gross
tons of sand and mud from the Mersey bar.
They look very much like ocean steam
ships 1t is only upon close Inspection
That their true nature is revealed The
mud which they bring up is slowed away
in hoppers, from which 1t is atterward
discharged.
Government engineers estimate that To
make the East Channel III the srecitca-
lions il will be necessary to cXcavate 3d.
020, 900 cubic yards, or 49, 300, 900 tons Bor-
ings have shown that the dredges will en-
counter nothing but mud and sand, and
the contractor says that the finding of rock
is highly Improbable Making allowance
for the time required by the big dredges'
30 take their loads eight miles out TO sea
and dump them, it will take, at rough es-
| innate $50 days of twenty-four hous each
to carve out this new waterway. Con-
have not yet been awarded. u Will take q
year to complete them.
The dredges will have TO lie steel
plated. Their plans require that each
shall have sufficient power TO i,ump sand
through tubes at the rate of 1000 tons al
hour The hoppers of each vessel are 90
have a total capacity of 5000 tons of wet
sand. Each craft is TO be equipped with
twin screw engines capable If making n
I pf TIM, Efpt ~, hn W. -
ments of the vessels are; Length, 25e) fest;
beam, AZ feet 10 inches; depth, - ;eet 6
inches and draught when loaded End
equipped 16 feet 4 inches.
For pumping the sand there arc :wo CEN
trfugal pumps, having 36-inch suction
and delivery pipes, each worked by
three stage expansion engine. The pumps
placed on each side of the we'll, draw from
T-head ut the top of the suction pipe.
The T-head also serves rs trunion or
hinge around which the tube 3an swing,
SO that II can re raised or lowered at will.
Fitted TO the suction tube close to the
T head is n ball and socket joint, which
gives a motion sideways The nozzle of
the pipe has its aperture nearly at right
angles TO the axis of the tube. and is so
arranged that nothing of sufficient size to
choke the pumps can pass through it,.
Each centrifugal pump may be discon-
nected in case of accident and the other
pump may be worked alone.
BY means of hydraulic apparatus the
main suction tube is raised and lowered.
This suction tube is also fastened by
chains and other gear by which 1t may be
lifted in case of accident to the hydraulic
apparatus.
Along two "landers,' one opposite to the
delivery of each pump, mixture of sand
and water drawn from the channel is dis
charged into the hoppers. The flow of the
mixture is so regulated that the port and
starboard hoppers are filled Simultaneous
ly Each hopper has a discharging door.
The aperture is closed by valve which
opens upward and is surrounded by a
slightly tapering trunk, which extends up
ward to the top Of the hopper. The sand
Is cleared out of the hopper by means OF
water, which is supplied through the cen
ter Of the discharglng valves. The fluid
Is thrown out through round aperture
about FIVE inches above tho bottom OF the
hopper. 1t is elected in series of Jets
from a set Of pipes. The pipes receive
their supply from the circulating pumps.
Gear for controlling the speed of the
sand pumps is in a small house on the
steering bridge, where there are also in
dicators to show the depth of the nozzle
OF the main suction tube and the pressure
on tho hydraulic main. There is an au-
tomato apparatus by which the suction
the tide the end Of the tube shall rise or
fall as the sand Is removed. The pump
Ing engine for the hydraulic gear is two
cylinder compound engine. with double
acting pumps. The propeling machinery
consists of three stage expansion en-
gines, working separate screws. The
working pressure is $50 pounds to the
square inch. The vessels have rudders at
how and stern. both of which may be
worked by steam or hand. The hoppers
are built independently within the hull,
thus making a double bottom, when is
used as fresh water tank.
BY this Intricate machinery II Is believed
that remarkably effective and quick work
can be done In clearing the channel The
vessels are 10 be built on the basis OF rails
ing 1000 tons OF material an hour But
II the material is found sufficiently Yield
ing 1t IL believed that 5000 tons an hour
can be brought up.
The dredges are adapted for trips upon
the ocean, and they can be taken from har-
Dor u harhoI along the coast The sand
pump has been used With snccsss In Mis-
sissippi rive: dredging, but the combination
OF a sand pump and an ocean steamship
is unknown In the harbors of the United
States. The vessels will have commodioiIs
quarters for officers and men. The crews
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