A VALUABLE INVENTION.
After several postponements in the hope of securing a pleasant day, John Walsh exhibited the working of his portable coffer-dam yesterday in the: presence of a large party of practical engineers, among whom were Charles H. Haswell, Stevenson Tower of the Sewer • Department of the Public Works ; Coloinel Meehan, late Engineer of the Dock. Department; J. Dagget Hunt, of New Jersey; William H." White, Engineer of the Brooklyn Gas Company;. James M. Thompson, Harbormaster, and several others. The dam was at the foot of Fifteenth street, Jersey City, and the inspecting party was, conveyed thither yesterday morning in the steamer J. Birkbeck. There was a gale of wind blowing from west-northwest, and the weather was piercingly cold. The tide was half ebb before the party arrived at the dam, and it was already resting upon the bottom. There was no opportunity, therefore, to witness. th« M sinking of the structure. Its operation, J however, was fully apparent. Briefly described, the dam is a couple of caissons 180 feet long, 50 feet deep and 16 feet wide, placed parallel with each other at « distance of. 30 feet and connected at eachend with gates. The structure is light, draws about eight feet of. water and can bereadily transported to any required place. It is available for any submarine operations. The process is to flood and sink the caissons by filling'them with water. Then when the dam rests upon the bottom, its weight burying it far enough in the mud to make it water-tight, the water is pumped from its inside space and a section of the bottom 150-feet long by 30"feet wide is exposed for any operation that may be desired. In forty • minutes yesterday after the pumps were put in operation tho bed of the river was laid bare. The engineers present were unanimous in praise of • the invention and expressed the opinion that its use in the construction of the projected piers by the Dock Department, will save the city millions of dollars.—* New York World, December 17. • •-
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Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2531, 15 February 1877, Page 2
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341A VALUABLE INVENTION. Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2531, 15 February 1877, Page 2
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