with apparently only a moderate force and denting plates and bending frames to such a degree that it was a question of thousands of dollars to place the hull of the ship in its original condition. We use for a fender a spruce built log, about 40 feet long by 30′′ by 24′′. This log is fitted with chains and ropes so that it can be handled from the pier and placed in any position required. It is laid across the corner of the pier for the ship to land on at the water line, so that instead of one or two of the ship's frames taking the pier, she is landed on a dozen or more. As soon as the ship takes the fender, signal is given to the tugs and they commence to push her port quarter out into the stream. One tug is usually placed on the starboard quarter attached to a hawser, while two or more push on the port quarter. With a twin-screw ship it is necessary to have at least this one tug on the starboard quarter to prevent her quarter from taking the corner of the pier with a flood tide running, endangering fouling the port propeller. The bow ropes by this time are passed some 150 or 200 feet up the pier. When all is ready, the signal is given to the bridge, starboard engine "Slow Ahead," rudder left. The ship gradually swings toward a line at right angles with the trend of the river with her bow pointing into the slip. As she comes around, the check is slacked away to permit her to go ahead, and bow-lines are shifted as required (Fig. 3, plate 146).

The after ropes are run by the small rowboats, sometimes by tugs, as soon as her quarter nears the end of the pier. As she moves into her berth, the bow and stern lines are kept as nearly abreast as possible, by short fleets, and the ship's stern kept as close to the pier as is prudent, always taking into consideration the care that must be observed not to foul the port propeller. The engines can move the ship ahead or astern as much as necessary. There is a 12" check rope on the pier near the berth, ready to be hauled on board into one of the after chocks on the lower deck. There is also a wire pennant passed out from one of the chocks from the lower or spar deck, with an eye, in which is to be hooked the block of a threefold purchase block leading from the pier.

When she has sufficient way to reach her berth, she is placed in proper position by lines and tackles which are entirely in the hands of the shore gang on the pier.

The warps used on these vessels are 7" and 8". The lines themselves must never be passed forward from the stern chocks, but heaving lines used when it is necessary to pass forward any distance away from the quarter, as great care must be taken that these warps are not allowed to foul the propellers. In handling the check from the end of the pier, the shore end should be fleeted as often as possible as the ship goes ahead, in order that the strain may not be brought too much fore and aft. Of course the nearer the check is kept at right angles with the line of the ship, the less strain will be required on it to cant the ship's head, and when it is nearly fore and aft almost the slightest way on the ship will carry it away, unless the greatest care is observed.

1 Helm a-starboard.

Leaving the Slip.

We undock these ships from both north and south side of the pier at any stage of tide.

When undocking from south side of the pier, with tide running strong ebb, an 11" line is taken from the port quarter to one of the largest tugs (Fig. 4, Plate 146). Extra men are placed on the tug to assist in handling this rope. Two or three moments before the sailing time, the tug starts ahead to the northward and pays out perhaps 75 or 80 fathoms of scope. As the stern of the ship is about 100 feet inside the end of the pier, this hawser is rove through a thimble spliced into a 4 tail rope. This slip rope is taken around the post at the south corner of the pier with three or four turns, and the end held by some of the shore gang, to prevent the bight of the hawser from flying into the crowd that is usually on the dock at sailing time. When the ship is far enough astern for the bight of the hawser to clear the corner of the pier, the slip rope is let go. The end of the hawser attached to the ship is fitted with a lashing eye (old cargo falls are used for the lashings) and the eye hove over one of the bitts. When the ship is turned head to the southward, this lashing, at a signal from the bridge, is cut on the ship; the eye of course flies clear of the vessel and prevents any danger of fouling the propeller. In addition, one or two tugs are used to push on the starboard quarter. As soon as the ship is partly out of the slip these tugs let go the quarter and proceed to the port bow. With the aid of the tugs on the port bow and the one attached to the hawser, the ship of course is swung with her head to the southward, and when far enough around the tugs are let go and ship proceeds.

With the flood tide, two or three tugs are ready to put their stems against the port quarter of the ship. As soon as the propeller is well clear of the pier these tugs are to ease the ship off the corner as much as possible. For sliding out we have a built spar, 50 or 60 feet long by 20" by 24". This spar is slung abreast of a plate on the ship's side that is clear of sidelights and coal ports, and is secured firmly to the pier by chains and heavy ropes. The outer side of the spar is sheathed with 2" spruce that can be easily replaced as it becomes broken or splintered.

For handling a large liner when her own engines are not available, at least six tugs would be used; one on each bow (ahead) one on each quarter alongside and one on each quarter with a single line. The tugs alongside are especially for stopping the vessel's way when necessary, though of course they assist also in moving her ahead and in turning.

Turning a Vessel While Towing Alongside.

A tug towing a vessel alongside sometimes has occasion to "wind" the tow for putting her alongside in a particular way, or for getting on the off side in landing, to avoid being jammed between the tow and the dock. Plate 140.

The tug first gives the tow a sheer with the helm (Fig. 3). She then backs, slacking all lines except the backing line (Fig. 4), then, a little later, slacks everything and puts her stem against the stern of the tow and goes ahead, pushing the stern around (Fig. 5); and ends by making fast alongside with her bow toward the stern of the tow (Fig. 6), and with her own port side to the tow instead of the starboard side as in the beginning. This manœuvre may be seen every day in New York harbor, where tugs handling scows have to get on the off side of the scows for landing the scows alongside while themselves keeping clear.

CHAPTER XVIII.

PLACING A SHIP IN DRY DOCK.

The operation of safely placing a ship in dry dock, safely supporting her with blocks and shores, and afterwards floating her out of dock, is so common that the care and experience necessary to ensure success in this operation are not generally understood, yet it is possible that very serious damage may occur during the operation, if intelligent supervision be neglected.

Every ship should carry a docking plan which shows: the length on the load water line; the length over all; the location of all the under water valves; the locations of the water-tight bulkheads, the engines, the boilers, the turrets (if any), and such other weights and fittings as are peculiar to any particular ship; the length of straight keel, together with dimensions locating accurately the cut-up (if any) of the dead wood aft, together with any peculiarities of the stern post and rudder; also such dimensions as will show the curvature of the forefoot, especial care being taken to locate the exact point where this curvature departs from the straight line of the keel. The docking plan of a battleship is shown on Plate 147. The docking plan should also contain information as to cross-sections amidships and elsewhere, showing the beam at or near the water-line, the shape and location of the keel, the docking keels and bilge keels, the struts, the propellers and all other objects below the water-line; in other words, the docking plan must furnish all necessary information concerning the under-water hull and its accessories, also dimensions as to projections above the water-line which increase the nominal beam of the vessel: the latter information is frequently of extreme value in foreign ports whose docks have their dimensions tabulated with reference to merchant vessels only.

In our navy yards, blue-prints of such plans are usually in the possession of the Naval Constructor-elsewhere it is necessary to furnish such plans to the responsible authorities of public or private docks-without them, the efficiency and safety of the docking are absolutely dependent upon the skill and experience of those having control of the docks.

The dock master of any particular dock being given the docking plan of a ship to be placed therein, proceeds as follows: knowing the ship's draught, the maximum depth over the sill, together with the current and tidal variations in the vicinity, he decides upon the time the vessel should enter the dock, and so informs the commanding officer, who thereupon makes the necessary arrangements to ensure that the vessel at the time specified shall be absolutely upright, without any list either to starboard or port. The entrance to a dry dock may be closed by hinged gates, a floating caisson, or a sliding caisson; the first and last methods. are often used in foreign docks, but in home docks, a floating caisson is most commonly found; it usually has a ship-shape form with sufficient stability to safely float upright when empty; to sink it, valves are opened which admit water to its interior, and to raise it, all outboard valves are closed and the water it contains is pumped overboard.

The dock floor carries along its center a line of blocks, called "keel blocks." These are usually of wood and are secured to the dock floor in various ways. Their distance apart varies in different docks, but it is customary to place these keel blocks much closer together under turrets and other heavy local weights on war ships, than is done with ordinary vessels. Those ships having straight keels, but whose fore-foot is cut away, are supported forward by building up the corresponding keel blocks to suit the contour shown on the docking plan. With ships having docking keels, a double line of keel blocks is provided, running parallel to the center line and at the proper distance therefrom, given on the docking plan. At intervals along the bottom of the dock and at right angles to the center line, are the bilge ways, along which slide the bilge blocks which can be moved towards or away from the center line by the hauling lines which are manipulated from the dock coping. Each bilge block is built up of a proper height and level, as determined from the docking plan, so that after the vessel's keel rests upon the keel blocks, the bilge blocks can be hauled and accurately fit against the bottom, thus thoroughly supporting the ship before the water has been pumped out of the dock. Care is taken that the bilge blocks are not hauled so that they will bear against an under-water valve or other accessory which would be injured by heavy local pressure. In foreign docks, bilge blocks are rarely used, shores being fitted to sustain the bottom after the dock is empty.