Los Angeles herald., 1907-08-08
MONSTER DRYDoCK is
COMPLETED AFTER DELAY
Situated at League Island YARD, II
VIII Be Used for Docking
and Repair of War
SHIPS

p1111 ADE,T .pHIA. Aug. 1.-The man.
v,a+h stone and concrete drydock which
nIaces the League Island navy yard at
the head of all government yards Tor the
docking and repair of warships Is COM
pleted.
The dock, which is the largest concrete
basin in America, has been under con-
struction more than four years and rep
resents an outlay of nearly S5,00O,OOO. 1t IS
1ocated at the extreme head of Fifteenth
street and backs up against the various
construction shops on the lower SIDE Oh
Broad street.
One of its peculiar and most valuable
features is the way in which the TWO
sides and rounded head heave been con-
structed. On the upper and lower sloes
there are two sets of steps for the use OIL
workmen in climbing from its depths
while on other docks built OF concrete
steps bind it on all Sides
The new dock eliminates this, allowing
the sides to slope gradually and giving
full vent to its width. Here and there on
either side are grooves in the concrete
work that penetrate to the bottom OF the
dock. This is for the purpose OF lowering
machinery or Whatever liai may o
needed into the dock.
The new dock is 754 feet long inside
the COPING and 14O feet wide, and has
denth over the sill at high tide or thirty
feet making it one of the largest docks
owned by the government, and the best
eouipped dock in all the yards IN the
United States.
It's construction was ordered py con-
gress in 1885, amid the enthusiasm over
the victories of the Spanish American
war. during which time the League island
yard made such an enviable record for
sneedv repairs and provisioning ships re-
ol1ired for blockading and scouting pur-
poses.
The original Intention was to build q
wooden dock, but through the efforts Of
the members of congress from Philadel-
phia the plans were eventually cnahgeo
10 a concrete dock. This required some
DELAY. and complications developed over
the necessity of driving piling to insure
a safe foundation. The contractor was
unable TO make peace with the govern
merit officials, and the contract was
finally declared to be forfeited.
One engineer in the navy died, 1t is
claimed, as result or worry over the
failure of the original tests to determine
the volume Of the quicksand and shifting
sand. which later necessitated the driving
of over 1000 piles and the use of $4,000
barrels of cement to provide a foundation
that would safeguard the dock from sud-
denly disappearing in the mud.
Another engineer from civil life, who
| succeeded as the government inspector
on theh dock. prohted by the misfortune
of his predecessor and was so rigid in
his enforcement of the specifications upon
the contractor that the influence of the
late Senator Quay was enlisted to have
| him removed.
The first contractor early found his
| troubles so numerous and his losses so
| great by the shifting conditions of the
| sandy bottom of the dock bed that he
gave up in despair He had made rapid
| progress in scooping out the mud, with
the aid of shearing and Golfer dams, but
one day the sand shifted and much of
his work was undone. Efforts to have
| the government aid him failed
The succeeding contractors, the Scho-
field company, have not been without
their troubles, criticisms and complaints
from the naval officials, but they stuck
to their task. When the dock was re-
Gently considered completed 1t was found
that 5000 yards of mud had washed into
the bottom of the basin. This was re-
] moved.