The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1905-11-10

side near the rear end, whence it is
carried by 26-inch pipes 80 feet in
length placed on pontoons and con-
nected with each other by heavy rubber
sleeves or couplings until the land is
reached and thence it is carried by the
same kind Of pipes fitted into each
other like stove pipe to the point
where it is desired to fill up low land.
The water OF course runs off into the
sea leaving the rock and mud behind
and this rs what is called making
land" This mammoth machine is ex-
pected by Capt. Conner to fill in about
seven acres Of land (about an average
city block) foot deep every twenty
four hours. That is the least allowed.
The Chief Engineer is confident that
! the work will average a half more, or
ten acres of land day raised up
foot.
| AS the main shaft turns this ten
! foot centrifugal pump around two hun
dred times every minute. the friction on
the heavy bearing which holds it
/ steady is terrific, or would be if one or
/ the other of the duplicate circulating
pumps We're not constantly pouring
J cold water on this bearing in addition
! TO the oil that the big automatic oil
cups keep pouring on it. But so deli
cately is it built and adjusted and so
perfectly is it kept in order, it runs as
smooth as a sewing machine and makes
very little more noise. The noiseless
operations of the Pacific have been fire.
| quently remarked on along the water
front. To see it smoking away so
were resting. when really it is sucking
: up mud at terrific rate.
In the pilot house forward is not
alone the wheel that turns the rudder
and all the other mechanisms of a
steamer, but also levers by means of
which everything aboard is controlled
| by one man. One regulates the speed
: Of pump, another the speed of the cut
! ter digging in the mud thirty seven
feet below the surface Of the water.
the cutter moves sidewise, acting on
the tspud'' in the rear as an axis, an
other two raise either one of the two
, spuds or stills by which the ma
chine moves forward toward the shore
six feet at a time. Others raise the
ladder" etc. OF course no engine is
required to drop the heavy spuds or
the ladder, for they drop Of their own
weight if released.
The ladder is a very interesting
part of the machinery. It's two bases
are fastened to opposite side Of the bow
OF he boat. AT the upper end, run
three cabls, one carrying the cutter
down deep in the water and lowering
or raising it at the will of the engineer
in the pilot house. To either side runs
a cable fastened on shore, if possible, or
anchored if the shore is too far away.
By pulling on one cable and looSening
the other, the ship and the cutter in
front of it are steadily moved to one
side or the other. When one side of
the channel being dug is reached, the
other cable is pulled on and the cutter
slowly moves back to the other side
An indicator operating like float in
dicator on a water tank, shows just
how deep the cutter is working.
Along one side of the frame which
hold the cutter in place. runs the shaft
that turns the cutter The cutter en- /
CINE is a tandem compound engine of
$50 horse power. On the other side
of the cutter frame runs a IS inch pipe !
for carrying he mud and water sucked
CD by the knives of the cutter into i
the centrifugal pump before described. |
And all this complex machinery is COM !
pletely under the control of the man |
in the pilot house with his sets of lev ,
ers. A machine and blacksmith shop |
has been installed near Hackfeld dock
to attend to small repairs and also to !
house some of the men. Everything
seems complete
The dredger standing out in the
water with it's big dragon headed cut
ter showed deep into the brine and it's
pontoons and pipes constantly twisting
and weighing in the motion of the
waves and tide reminds one of a Chin
csc dragon procession with the bright
paint rubbed off.
UNION OIL co. STEAMERS.
-Four immense tank steamers have
lust been purchased by the Union Oil
Company and will be operated on this