Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1906-02-16
A STRANGE CRAFT.
The Floating Dry Dock Dewey on the
Way to Manila.

way TO Manila.
Perhaps the strangest and most
picturesque craft that ever sailed the
seas since the beginning Of navigation Is
now breasting the pillows of the Atlantic
on its long voyage from the United States
nearly halfway round the globe to
Manila. 1t is the gigantic floating dry
dock Dewey, which started on its voyage
of 10000 miles a fortnight ago to
Americas possessions in the Orient and
will make, IL 1t umeets the expectations
of its builders only about 100 miles a day.
A week or more ago 1t had reached the
Bermudas and is now slowly making its
way across the Atlantic to the Straits Of
Gibraltar, going by way of the Mediter-
ranean and the Suez canal 1t is ex-
pected to reach the Philippines in about
three and half months from the time of
starting, If everything goes as planned
A rev facts and figures about this strange
craft will reveal its magnitude and give
an idea about the greatest towing enter
prise ever undertaken.
The Dewey is an immense box of steel
500 feet long 1874 feet wide, and AZ feet
above the sea. Its bottom rests upon
great square tanks Is feet deem, and its
side walls, including the parts above and
below water. are 81 feet high. When its
tanks are pumped out the great machine
the most stupendous ever constructed for
any navy, not only raises itself above the
waves, but is capable OF lifting high and
dry above the waters not only the heaviest
or our great war-ships, but also the
heaviest yet planned for any navy in the
world, for it has a lifting capacity of 20, :
600 tons. By means Of its construction
1t is not only able to lower its floor to
scoop up the mightiest battle-ship and
lift 1t above the sea, but 1t also is able to
dock itself. Here however, its powers
end. II has not been possible to devise n
tn ofa
and hence 1t has to be lowed Three
great naval Golfers, the Glacier, Brutus.
ana Caesar, each equipped with a wire
less telegraph plant by means OF which
they can communicate with each other
ana the crew Of the Dewey itself have II
IN Tow, ana the tow-line is a mile and a
haI long, being made of manila hawsers
twisted together and terminating in steel
cables The great length Of the tow
line was made necessary to meet the
heaVe of the sea, especially during n
west indian hurricane or an East Indian
monsoon, while the pneumatic cushions
by which the cables are attached To tba
conveys break the force of sudden strains
The enterprise of constructing such q
vast machine and towing II to the Philin-
pines is a great one, and involves a largo
expense, the dock itself costing a million
ana quarter dollars, while the expense
OF towing 1t will add greatly to its ulti-
mate cost When 1t arrives safely Mt
Manila, however, the United States will
be placed upon an equality with Japan
and Great Britain as respects docking
facilities. In times of peace the dr-v.
docks at Shanghai and Hongkong are
OF course open to American ships; IN
time OF war these would be neutralized,
and thus, in case OF a war between 49,
United States and any other power its
navy In the Orient would be placed at a
great disadvantage. " "