The Hawaiian gazette., 1913-09-12
Expert Said to Have Intimate
Before Leaving Honolulu Tn;
Construction Along Original D
signs Might Have Resulted
Disaster After Completion
the Project.

New plans for the construction
the Pearl Harbor naval drydock, to n
place the original plans, are con
IDENTIFY expected to be recommended
the navy department by Alfred Nob9
the civilian civil engineer, one of Il
most eminent concrete engineers
America, who made special invest
CATION of the condition of the drydod
basin bottom a few weeks ago.
With the change in design from II
original plans and specifications, IL
contractors, it is expected, may be r
lieved of the financial responsibility i !
CURED thus far in the work of BULL
ing the dock, and from loss. The
nancial responsibility, if the recoI
mendations of Noble are adopted Il
the Navy, will fall upon the navy al
partment, giving the contractors, I'll
San Francisco Bridge Company, ne
deal for the future work.
The original plans called for a gra
ing dock built with concrete in call
sons from which the water was to II
pumped out. When the attempt wd
made to pump the water out of til
first completed caisson section, the I
was, IT is stated, a perceptible upwarI
movement OF the dock liquidation, and
the caisson was Immediately file,
again with water.
Authorized New Method.
The navy department authorized
new method OF placing the concretI
over the bottom by means of the TT
mic system. This involved the "pou
ing of concrete through pipes to thl
bottom, the material being spread bI
divers. When sufficient amount w:I
spread, another attempt was made d
pump out the water, when the entiH
dock structure and false work co
lapsed through the upward movemer
otthe bottom. The entire work of iii
contractors was reduced to a chaoti
of the bottom. The entire work of I'll
being complete.
Subsequent Investigations of the bot
tom showed the foundation to be I'D
/ from solid. 1t was full of mush. hole
and soft material, and the investig:
tons of Professor Jaggar, the eminer
volcanologist, showed that the sui
strata at Pearl Harbor was similar I
that at Waikiki where the Fort d
I Russy Notifications We're construete
and where the immense weight of til
works caused slight subsistence.
The intimation was left by Nobl,
on his departure from Honolulu fc
/ Washington, it is said, that doe
constructed on the original plans Nigh
have resulted in disaster, even thong
| it had been built and made ready fC
/ the reception of vessels. The weigh
/ of the wing walls would so far hay
exceeded the weight of the horizonti
/ base section that in the general subs
dence which it is thought might hay
ensued, the central portion would hay
been broken as the walls sank, thereb
running the entire works.
Built Like skyscraper.
1t is believed that the recommend,
tions of Noble will be for a reil
forced concrete dock, built much /;
the foundation of New York SIX,
scraper are raised. With this syste
the reinforced material is lowered int
position from barges, and reconnecte
to make an entire solid base, which,
is believed, would Offset the weight {
the reinforced walls. This structul
would be allowed to subside as a Who'll
into the soft material of the basil
: There are said TO be four degrees {
solidity in dock work, and the doe
basin is reported to be only near soil
President w. f. Dillingham; of IL
Hawaiian Dredging Company, an
Francis b. Smith, engineer for the Sa