New-York tribune., 1907-08-04
A TRIP DOWN THE CHANNEL,

~ con,na,,y with a member OF the engineering
staff a Tribune reporter paid a WISH 10 'ie So So
of or,eratiors to find from actual opser'atioii
how the work was being prosecuted Ihe uiP
down the harbor made in the sHna.i sof
eminent steamer Engineer. Fortunately lhe oay
was fine and afforded an excellent oppoftuiil'S VI I
rasiy7F how things were done. The two oredges
ave sister ships that the description VI oa1c
,be nrs7a- exactly Painted dull gray, ike war
rinc -aa6v for action, they looked at hrst sisn'
much like ordinary ocean steamships II "do @ o.s
when close together that the dilleieH,e ,. -, ~
a--,are-. The first thing noticed was thSt o-t %
the sides Of the gray huls perfect caldia.t 80. W
dirty water poured. which dlscoIoreu - ~ ar
round about the strange craft 1flls' II W.. W. e.
claimed was the discharge OF water prouenl uP
from the bottom with the soil removed anu ~ VIZ
The deck OF the Manhattan was reacheo %
climbing up a rope ladder There the sceie "a - -
met the eye was a strange one ao 90 ro,ton
were two large bins. into which TWO |'-IhCi 80
w. W. 80 nourinr heavy streams OF sand ana
Ha-er brought up from the bottom OF the chaiIet-
TIVE strange craft being loaded with heF ca 70
6aa,sin Potter who has been in charge OF tle
Manhattan since she was put INTO Co"iit nis AID
obligingy consented TO explain no" is - 80 pcrau,
- wo-l The dredges are steel t"iA-sCae" $50
steamers 2ss feet length and ~ feee "loe IoS
have within their hulls below decks Two saIo - %.
o. nearly equal capacity. one forward ano one ,, .,
rTbase hins when fully loaded, have a capacity VI
. 90D c,,hic wards of material Each oreuse 40 p p
nl,ed with two 2onch centrifugal puInLs Oi,v 1'ns
eacf side of the ship. Attached 70 these paa a..a
ere two 20-t,ch drag pipes. with a steer sioo
UP with open grating az tle eno, o nv lowering
side Of the vessel. The dreoses "ofh oy Az, ,,ae-
.na drags 10 the bottom and pumping WINE ue ~ =,
- 81 a slow speed of about a nalie anu ~ :.
- hour The drags about . 1eet "iuo c. c.
% s1i . a,a~t AS the vessel slowly moves along
- co,,rse these drags suck up the son upon az :,
ho+.opo emitting out burrows leet III 49,,
ror,e The ships course. The mixture uiIo 30 ~
a. - noured into the bins contains ABOUT ~ W W
* ner cen. Of solid material Ihe rest , .a O. =
,so,, Sc drained off through overho" pipes - o.
siic.I ., tho tsns The courses are lald out 80
,h.- the dredge may get fun loao soilIs ur 80
s, once When loaded the drag pipes
to,la5 ,,n the signal given FOR 1ull sl"eu 80" a,Sa
s th,e hnee crawling sucker begins 10 mar no
anu 80 -a.a Of twelve 20 sixteen khots on
- "a the dumping ground eight fnlles -
sea and about q mile TO the east"aio % ''
land Lightship A , :; sron,ed through
.,x+een gates eight in the bottom or eac" o' ,o
lrt.. ,s+as are worked by machinery After 'he
1oad is dumped and the gates closed. .he I, h.H,
riding light upon the water, posts pacfA W i1eI -
and repeats the same operation f-ach caiso -
rr,ees sDoiI. 3.JO tons OF material taken UP Ito
tho bottom of the channel 1t takes about e~isnty ~
,yro Yninutes 10 make the round trip TO and from
,se dump 50 that about Is per cent OF "oih--e
time IS spent in discharging cargoes.
raoth dredses Captain Potter proudly Claims, az
.,lendia seagoing vessels and IL takes nllehty
blow from the southeast to prevent theih iio
loading I'd their strange cargo and gong ou. "
sea to discharge It No storm has yet managed I'D
r,reyent them loading up though IN very
roueh weather progress is slow. because the drag
mines have 10 be lifted often TO prevent te VesSe
Sro,n riding over them account OF the SLOW heao
way necessary while dredging is going on 1heIo
were times however. he reluctantly admitted
when they were unable 10 go out TO dump on &C
count OF the danger of getting Into the trough oi
the waves in a heavy sea, but that very seiooii
occurred Their greatest enemy was the Dense
fog in the fall and spring that made it impos-
sif,ie TO see the marking buoys. Then the ship
could be kept on her course. and work had TO
be suspended.