New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-06-03

firm, s. Swan G Hunter
The American built dock, the largest and most
expensive of the three, like its predecessors was
designed by Clark & Stanfeld, of London. The
following table will give accurate idea as to
the dimensions of each:
Dimensions. ETC. f bsT5 cos s8o A nsta
!1DE! !is' s:,s;' etc. @ 53S
N Wssr on i": SID. s9f in. SIS SIS rs tt
Cost Cos d deEv means $3.50 $4,000 $4,000
FowsR 1d 800 toms toms 100 toms toms IS go toms toms
The Maryland Steel Company has had num-
Der of Government contracts, and gives especial
attention to such work. Preparations for hand
ling the dock order were begun soon the
contract had been secured, but the scarcity Of
material caused a good deal of delay and
work is being rushed, in order to avoid the
time penalty. Part of the shipyard has been
fenced off a dock construction department.
and berth has been formed by scoOping out
the foreshore. the dredged material being dis
posed to form a cofferdam. In the bottom Of this
great hole a platform of heavy timbers was
laid, and down each side of its centre line
two trestes carrying the tracks for travelling
cranes which employed in placing in position
the plate etc. used Around the berth are
tracks and piping for compressed air, with
which the rivetng machines worked, and at
side is a machine shop, built expressly for
in connection with the dock building
The idea which Robinson Crusoe tried to carry
out in getting his first launched was cor
rect in theory, will be demonstrated when the
last seam has been riVeted for the Golfer will
then be taken down and the waters of the Ches-
apeake will fill the hole, float the dock and the
huge structure Will be towed away without the
formaity of a launching The Importance of the
naval station at Algiers Ca village opposite the
French quarter in New Orleans) will be greatly
hen he iS in Int
viii be only in proportion to the increasing i'm
portance of New Orleans as a strategic naval
base.
The Algiers dock will be powerful enough to
lift a 1900 ton ship two feet above the surface
of the water. With the floor awash it could
lift 5000 ton vessel with equal ease It's
designers say that it will excel in simplicity as
it does in strength. There will be three pom
toons each II feet and one-eghth inches in
width ard Of the following lengths respectively: |
Middle, 2i2 feet: end 141 feet and three-eighths
Of an inch; walls 800 feet and fve-eighths of an
inch There will be 300 keel blocks The weight
of the dock Will be BOP tons; of its equipment
40 tons, making a total of 6,122 tons. 1t will
require three ana one-half hours to complete
the maximum lift. When this has been made
the stability of the loaded dock will be from
fifteen to twenty times that of the ship floating
in the water Acid basic open hearth steel
Is the material used exclusively in the construc-
ton of the dock, timber walling of is by II inch
pine being used only as tenders
The enormous walls give certain amount of
lifting power, but serve primarily to give sta
bility and TO regulate its descent when the nom
icons are submerged. They are built in four
watertisht compartments, and contain the living
quarters of the crew, well as the pumping
plant. Each wall has four pumps on a main
drain, a separate engine for each pump and a
Beparate boiler for each engine yet the piping
Is so arranged that any of the engines can he
supplied from any of the boilers and thus with
snly one boiler, engine and pump the dock can
still be lifted. There is valvehouse on each
wall, from which the entire mechanism of that
side can be controlled by means of levers or
speaking tubes.
One peculiar feature of the Algiers dock is
what is called its self docking" system The
bottom of either Of the walls can be reached bv
keeling, and the middle pontoon is made large
enough to raise those at the ends out of the
water and the middle pontoon itself can be re-
leased and hoated free. then caught and lifted
clear of the water. Numerous manholes are
provided by which the interior OF the wall and
pontoons is easily accessible.
The necessity of a floating dock for the Algiers
naval station ID explained by the great ductua-