New-York tribune., 1909-01-03
DANGER AT NAVY YARD
EARTH SLIPS OYER SAND.
Patternm0ters' Shop, East of Big
DrudOck. Has To Be .ShOred Up.

There Is more trouble ahead for the people in the
navy yard in Brooklyn if the appearance OF build
Ing No, 30. where the combined forces Of pattern
makers housed. is be taken as a guide. A
small crack IN the northern wall which a few days
ago had attracted attention. widened to such an
extent yesterday that emergency call was sent
out for men and ma rerials and the driving OF piles
and snoring up of the wall greeted the shop work
men when they reported for duty
Il Is regarded ominous that this building
should show signs Of weakness, the big struct-
ures Of the steam engineering department are be
tween II and the excavation for drydock No. !
These buildings include of the largest and best
equipped machine shops In the country. a boiler
making shop erecting shop and a large black
smith shop Only short time go the great chin
ney Of the machine shop needed additional piIing
TO preserve its equilibrium. and this latest phase
Of the situation IS not conducive 10 comfort among
the officials Unfortunately, it is a condition which
cannot be guarded against, as all the buildings at
the eastern end OF the yard built upon pilng
sunk into the made land. which has quicksand
base.
The building which has just been shOred up was
selected by the commaudant 10 house the entire
yard force Of patternmakers who had previously
been scattered among the various departments and
the tools and machinery used by them IN
stalled there under the direction of the steam
gineerng bureau. that now. although Compara-
lively small, it is valuable buildings
IN the reservation. Men We're busy yesterday max
ing patterns for some Of the condenser machinery
TO be installed In the batteship Florida, in addition
to work for other bureaus.
In spite Of all the contractors can do the settling
Of earth around the excavation for drydock No.
continues, and where a week ago the outermost
crack IN the earth the western side Of the dock
showed n displacement Of only an inch two there
difference yesterday of more than a foot
between the two levels. The old foundation piles
which supported buildings formerly on TIE site
show more decided leaning toward the pit the
effect of the enormous pressure to which the work
Is being subjected being shown by the Huging out
Of the sheet piling the eastern side Of the
trench. This shows tCat, while the Crossbracing
and the transverse line Of heavy piing which has
the trench into parts holding their
own tho earth which dumped the western
bank 20 eQUalze the pressure Is slowly giving way.
This IS $" pronounced that the sheet pling has
been forced apart enough to allow a small but con
stant stream Of water seep through in each OF
half dozen places.
The I4-iuch timber which was broken when the
first big slump came has been Forced in from the
northern end of the trench that it laps beyond
the first OF the heavy crossbraCes while the outer
line Of piling stands firm This action. il
pointed out Yesterday could come from only one
cause the forcing Of earth Up under the outer line
of piuS into the space between Il and the second,
broken. line showing, perhaps better than any
thing else. the ueac cheTous nature OF the founda-
uon upon which 1t is expected ereat drydock will
be built
An additional cause FOR discomfort IS found in the
fact that the large tower the side of build
ing No l3l tho construction bureaus Woodworking
shop and stcrehouse. is showing increased
amount Of separation from the main wall OF the
building. Careful observations rcvea! the fact at
the tower is not materially out Of plumb but as
the tower wall was not 'toei into the main wall
the that ii IS IA even slight degree leaving
The wall Ii was built against shows that there IS d
slip somewhere the most natural solution OF The
question being that # comes from the setting OK
earth around the drydock trench