Omaha daily bee., 1905-08-07
BUILDS A HUGE DRY DOCK
Naval structure nt philadelphia Holds
Monster wnrship and Room
60 spare.

Landlubbers who have recently visited
the League island navy yard were puzzled
over a curious looking craft which foated
In one of the basins on one side OF the road
that runs from the gates Of the yard down
TO the southern limits. This floating AFFAIR,
narrow and about 100 feet long suggested
to some degree, "A torpedo boat, except that
It did not look very warlike and set too high
out Of the water. Those who did not accept
the theory that It was something new or ex-
perimental IN naval warfare, borrowed per-
haps from the japanese, frankly gave It up.
II was the gate to the immense new dry
dock now being built at the yard. and IL
It stays in the basin until put in place
in that structure everybody in Philadelphia
will have ample opportunity to inspect It
and the barnacles which, unless It be kept
clean, will by that time cover Il.
The government dry dock at League
island, which Is now being completed as
rapidly as possible, was planned for and,
! indeed, started. along with two others at
the Mare island yard. in San Francisco.
six or seven years ago. Work was begun
on this dock in 1899. but only continued
few months when the concern having the
contract failed. Then the work lay idle for
time, while the plans Of the dock were
| changed, and was not recommended until
two or three years ago. Since that time
progress has been fairly satisfactory. The
| dock at Boston is completely finished, and
received its first ship a month or so ago
| The one at San Francisco Is not as far
| along as this one at League island.
| The government is just now very reticent
! about its naval operations and officials have
| received strict orders not to give out so
| much as the dimensions OF these docks nor
any other information about them. The
| theory, of course, is that such Information
might find its way to other nations and be
| Of use to them in time Of war with this
country. Thus, suppose warship OF one
OF the great powers OF Asia or Oceania
were to have lost its bearings somewhere
on the Jersey coast. II II were then to see
Que Of our ships, crippled, and making
for the coast IT could Immediately tell
where the vessel was headed by catching
It and carefully measuring It, for the Boston
dock and the League island dock are not
the same size. In the total length over all
there Is a difference of nearly six inches
The League island dock is 75l feet 81
inches at the top over all. The Boston dock
is just tiny bit longer but yet short OF
752 feet. On the bottom the League island
dock is 70S feet long and 81 feet wide. The
width at the top is 151 feet, the walls slop-
ing outward as they rise. When flooded
the depth OF the water is thirty-two feet
more than enough to float the biggest shlT
in the navy. II can take, indeed, vesse
OF more than thirty-two feet normal draft
for in going into dry dock a ship is always
lightened and floats high. The origina
plans were for a timber dock, but these
were changed and the entire structure Il
Of granite and cement the granite beinl
q lining which is backed up by cement. TIL,
base Of the wall is thirty-two feet thick
The contract price for the operation wal
8, $4,000
The construction of such an immens'
basin as this has been an enormous under
taking. Before work on the dock could b.
commenced It was necessary to scoop ou
an immense hole for it. This excavation
, is wide enough to allow at least thirty fee
, outside Of the outer surfaces OF the wall
for the carrying, handling and pouring o
? the concrete, so that 1t is not less in IL
: total dimensions than 30 feet wide and 81
, feet long, with a depth OF over forty feet
which means a cubic contents OF owe
, 10000 cubic yards. In addition TO this, whel
, the excavation was completed and 1t becam
, question of laying the foundation of tn
dock quicksand was encountered and thi
necessitated the drying OF 1890 immens
: ! piles PHILADELPHIA Record.