The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-03-19
THE NEW NAVAL DRY-DOCK.
Huge Structure Nearly Completed by
The Maryland steel Company.

the Maryland Steel Company.
BALTIMORE, March I9.-Nearing com
pletion at the marine department Of the
Maryland Steel Company at Sparrows
Point - the longest and heaviest floating
dry-doch constructed for any Government
and the largest in the world by several
thousand tons lifting capacity
Work on this immense hollow shell of
steel and iron has so advanced that the
contractors expect TO turn it over TO the
navy in the spring. II is being construct
ed in four sections. and when completed
they viii be Joined together so that a
| dock will be formed with a length enah-
ling the biggest warShips building and the
heaviest battIeships afoat to he taken
from the water without taxing the dock
to its fun lifting capacity by 1000 tons.
This dock viii be located at Algiers,
| near New Orleans. on the Mississippi Riv-
ct. where the water Is deep and free rom
salt. This place is to become an imp9r-
tant naval station and the iock is 10 be
the longest in the system Of dry-docks that
now extends from Maine to the Gulf For
many years the Government has been in
vestigating the subject of docking sta
| lions on the Gulf with a view to estab-
fishing one there convenient for the use
of ships cruising in far southern waters
and to take the place of the dock at Port
| Royal, s. c, that has proved a failure
The unusual physical characteristics Of
the United States naval reservation at Al
| giers were important factors in deteTmin-
/ ing the type Of dock to he located there
| The strong current of the Mississippi rem
I ders it almost impossible to turn a ship
across it, and the difference OF about
| eighteen feet between high and low water,
Of 4 rl1N
made it apparent that sunken dock was
out of the question, so Congress by an act
| of May, 1895 made an appropriation for
combined floating and craving dock Of
steel. In April, 1893, the contract for the
| construction of this dock was awarded TO
the Maryland Steel Company. whose bid
of $3.50 900, including cost of towing, in
! sUrance and shore connections, was the
| lowest received.
The plans for this mammoth dock were
| drawn by Clark & Stanfield of London,
| England. who designed the Havana naval
| dock. of 10.o0G tons. and the dock Il SJetz,
/ tin, Germany, Of Il 900 tons.
| The general dimeusiousS of the Alsiers
| dock are as follows: Length over all 3;
| feet; breadth over all, les feet; breadth
/ between waIl-s,- ItD feet; width OF walls l.
| feet. nuy' i'er of pontOons- 2ssszzssz.cuIr
olr4ft. - ~ ; nh
/ 5,7l tons; weight Of equipment, 20 tons;
( total weight OF dock, 6,122 tons: maximum
/ lifting power, 1900 tons; time OF lifting.
/ 81 hours: cost Of dock complete. $50. gGI
I The dock IS bri1IS Constructed OF basic
/ Open-hearth steel Il is being built in
4 huge hole dredged ont Of the fore
/ shore, the earth scooped out having been
( thrown mp, FORMING d Golfer dam " hen
! completed the water viii be let i'm and the
! dock located. thus doing away with
/ launching, which in this case would be
! q difficult operation.
/ a recent issue of Marine ErgineerIng''
SAYS. IN referring to the dock
one OF the most useful qualities of
the 3lSierS dock Is It's 'Self-dOcking' SyS-
/ ten. 10y which any portion OF the sxte-
( nor surface can be- made accessible for
I repairs, painting or inspection. To reach
/ the bottom Of one of the walls. say the
4 port one. il - only necessary TO heel the
deck to sJdrbOard- In case Of the pom
I tocns. the middle one is made large
( enough 10 raise those at the ends out of
/ " 1ter- Suppose ii IS desired to get al
/ the bottom of the middle poutoon the
/ dock is allowed TO float light
Men then knock out the two rows Of
/ nSh plates which secure this pOutOon To
/ the side walls, then the dock is allowed 10
/ sink. the middle potion floating free until
/ the lower row Of fish plates on the pontoon
( Is level with the upper row on UIe walls
! The pins are then driven in the dock
/ pumped cut and the middle D1ntoon is
lifted clear of the water, due 70 the differ
] ence OF height between the two rows Of
/ fastenings- To unlock the reverse Is fol
/ lowed. The end pontoons are similarly
{ treated. The interior of the walls and
/ pontoous is easily accessible through nu-
! merous manhOles-
! When completed this great dock will be
/ lowed out Of Chesapeake Bay. along the
/ southern Atlantic coast. and into the Gulf
{ of Mexico under direction Of the Navy
/ Department Towing II along the coast
viii be risky piece Of business. but the
! contractors are confident that if no severe
| gales are encountered the task can be ac-
cOmplished with safety
Before starting the dock viii be joined
! and sunk almost awash. and then, with
/ four big ocean tugs on the sides. the tIip
/ will begin The great mass of steel
{ drawing nearly thirty feet and as blunt
/ as the end of a house will offer powerful
/ resistance to the water and none but
/ heavy towing vessels can possibly get il TO
I its destination