The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-06-10
NowBeins Built in Mary
land for Use in
Louisiana.
S AN INGENIOUS STRUCTURE.
= Is Large Enough to Accommodate
Great Battleship. Is Sailable and Can
Dock Itself Piceemeal.

~@ HERE is now being constructed
at Sparrow Point. Nd. what
l will be the largest floating dry
dock in the world. II is being
IL built for use by the navy de-
partment. and when completed
will be lowed TO Algiers, La, Voy-
age Of 2ooo miles. 1t will then he paced
in position at the naval station there Tor
the use of al vessels in service in the
Caribbean and Mexican waters. The dock
is being built In conformity with plan
to strengthen all the Southern naval sta
lions and to provide there facilities for the
handling of the largest vessels in the Uni
ted States navy.
While the contract capacity of the new
drydock is 5000 tons, the real capacity
is really considerably larger than this. As
now estimated a vessel displacing 5000
tons can be successfully loated and sup
ported by the dock, though IT is probable
that no effort Will be made TO place any
ship of such dimensions within II. The
work is really gigantic and outclasses that
done on the old Havana drydock in use
during the Spanish war. The Havana dry
dock by the way, has passed out OF the
hands of the United States government
and now belongs to the government of
Vera Cruz, to which II was sold. The feat
of travelling from New York to Havana,
which at the time was thought to be a
very notable one, has been duplicated by
a second trip from Havana to Vera Cruz,
and the practicability of the floating dry
dock again demonstrated.
The new drydock is to be built at the
cost of $4,000 and will be complete in
every detail 1t will consist of five pom
toons three of which compose the bottom
and the other two the sides of the dock
The extreme length of the dock Is 240 feet.
while the extreme width Is IDS,
The dock is complete In itself, having its
fKy,rr
chinery and complete quarters for its crew.
1t can be lowed anywhere. is a sailable
property and is altogether one of the most
desirable acquisitions that have been made
to the United States navy since the up
building OF that navy began.
The arrangement by which the dock Is
operated is very ingenious. Each pontoon
Is fitted with forty watertight compart-
ments with a drain pipe leading into them.
These individual drain pipes then feed into
a large drain pipe in either side. All these
pipes are connected with pumps. which are
operated by central engines at either side.
When desired. these engines can be made
to run Independently of each other upon
separate compartments or they can be
made to individually operate them all. BY
this device all possibility of a general
breakdown is almost removed. since In
event Of accident to one set of machines
the other can he set In motion to do the
entire work of the two.
When II Is proposed to float vessel the
valves in the various compartments are
opened. The dock, which floats at the
draught of four feet. Is then lowered with
the onrush OF water into the various COM
partments until II reaches the desired
depth. BY simply closing the valves the
depth can he readily controlled, while II
desired vessel of thirty feet draught
can be taken in.
The vessel is then fioated in and care
fully centered over the keel blocks on
which II is expected to rest. The pumps
are then started and slowly, as the water
is drawn out of the various compartments
and discharged through the drain pipes.
the dock rises, lifting it's great burden out
Of the water As the vesse. rises IL is SC
cured In it's position until 1t finally reaches
a height of four feet above water, permit
ting every part OF II to be reached by the
repair mechanics without difficulty.