The Alaska daily empire., 1921-10-05
DOCKING LINER MAJESTIC, WORLDS
 LARGEST SHIP, WILL BE BIG TASK

NEW YORK, Oct. 5.-AnnOunce- ment that the worlds largest ship, the Majestic, will be- ready for serv- ice between New York and South ampton next spring directs attention to the facilities for docking the great ship at her pier on her arrival at New York and the methods to be em- ployed in doing so.
 When the largest of the prescnl ocean liners came' out. just before the war, it was necessary to extend the piers at New York where they are docked, to protect their long hulls from traffic passing up and own the Hudson River. The extended piers will be very tight fit indeed for the Majestic, while the task of getting her into her berth will pre- sent as big a job as the docking ex- perts employed by the steamship companies at New York have yet en- countered.
 New York is perhaps the hardest port in the world in which to dock great ocean liner. from the fac that 1t is the only one where tho , docks are at right angles to a river in which strong tides flow regularly A ships captain is usually pictured as experiencing his greatest worries when his vessel is at 9sea buffeted by wind and storm AS matter of fact on modern liners storms are small concern compared to his anxi' ety when he enters port and finds his ship hampered by lack of sea room-of space to navigate. F.
 In harbor he is confined to a chan rel ofttimes one in which he could not turn around. His speed is linn tied to bare steerage way. He must avoid striking passing craft or get. ting too far to one side from the deepened channel
 Opposite his dock, which in New York appears like openings between the teeth of huge comb. he must come to stop and swing the bulk beneath him crosswise to the flowing tide, hold it there. and nose his way into one of the openings
 Not daring to make use of the ships own tremendous power by req son of lack of room from dozen to as high as 20 tugs are used in swing ing into their docks such big vessels as the Olympic, the Mauretania. or the big 912-foot. 56,000-ton Majestic Indicating what damage might re- suit if one of the big liners should bump into pier OF a passing craft, marine engineer recently estimated that when moving at the rate of five miles an hour. about as fast as a man would walk. a blow equal to that of 14,4Oo- srun-about automobiles act ing simultaneously would be inflicted. Those who have seen the results of crash of a single car can visualize the collective result.
 The technically inclined are in- formed by the engineer that the measure of actual energy required to stop th6 ship at five-mile speed in one second is 15S.867, ,S60 foot pounds. or force equal to 2SS,52l horsepower acting through one sec ond Ns . afri .
 As soon as the ship is within heaving- line distance of the pier hawsers, or big ropes measuring IF inches in circumference and tested to strain of 131.00O pounds. are made fast Attached to the ships wfnches a slow careful strain is put upon them. The strain is carefully watched for if the tensile strength be exceeded they would snap liRA "a thread. If the tide pressure is toe great ofttimes the ship will swing up broadside to a pier head. then with aid of tug power winch power pulling on lines and an occasional turn of the ships screw. the -lons hull will be swung around and eased into the berth by inches.
 Once within the slip the vessel is eased along the dock with the aid of spring lines. or hawsers running from forward to aft playing over strong clutches or butts on the piel amidship the vessel. When one ol the 900-footers is docked her bow is so close to the pier head that | can almost be touched. Her sterr is protected from passing river craf by the bulkheaas built out into tn, river.
 "All fast, sir" the mates forwart