Caisson

“ Being, however, simple in construction, taking up little space, and requiring no chamber or machinery for moving it, this form of caisson is generally used for closing the entrance to a graving dock, where it remains for several days in place during the execution of repairs to a vessel in the dock. A ship caisson only requires the admission of sufficient water to sink it when in position across the entrance to a graving dock ”

“ In working on a sloping face, whether of rock, silt, or clay, it is good practice to keep the caisson tilted very slightly to the lower side, which has the effect of forcing it up, but this should not amount to more than the natural batter of the outside shell. A few inches one way or the other is of no consequence in so large a caisson, as the pier raised upon it could easily be centred as much as that to either side, but it is just as easy and much better to keep it right from the first. ”

“ The largest weigh many hundreds of tons. It is obvious that as the tide flows and ebbs, the caisson will rise and fall with it. To the top of it is attached one arm of a lever, which is hinged on to a strong upright on land; the other arm of the lever being attached to a crank that moves a shaft. As the caisson rises the crank is depressed, and as the caisson falls it is raised. ”

“ Great care was required during this early stage of the work, and the weight of the caisson regulated to a nicety, for there was nothing but its buoyancy to prevent it from suddenly descending and smothering the men below. At low water was naturally the most dangerous time, there being the least displacement in action then, while the weight was greatest, and moreover the cutting edge resting upon a treacherous ground. The men were generally withdrawn at this time, and the air pressure diminished, allowing the caisson to descend as far as it would go. ”

“ The whole of the north-east pier was built in a half-tide caisson, as the work was not pressing; but in the case of the north-west pier, so soon as the rubble masonry inside had been brought up to low-water level, a second tier of temporary caisson was added, and the work could then be carried on at all states of the tide. ”

“ To hold the caissons with some amount of security when once they would take the ground, and give them a good bearing all round the edge, it had been decided to place a large number of sandbags upon the rock, and bring these up to the same level and somewhat above even as the highest point of rock the cutting edge of the caisson would be likely to touch. ”

“ It was necessary to build up the great piers by the aid of caissons, which are water-tight casings built of timber and metal and sunk to the river bed and sometimes far below it, within which are built the foundations of piers or towers, and into which air is pumped for the workmen. A fire in one of the caissons, which necessitated its flooding by water, and to which the son, Washington Roebling, was exposed, resulted in prostrating him with a peculiar form of caisson disease, which destroyed the nerves of motion without impairing his intellectual faculties. ”

“ The launching of these caissons took place generally at or near to the time of high water of spring tides, owing mainly to the shallowness of the shore in front of the launching ways—the caissons drawing from 9 ft. 6 in. to 10 ft. 6 in. of water at the time. As soon as afloat a tug-boat was attached and the floating monster at once towed to its final resting-place, or else to the end of the jetty, where convenience existed for charging concrete into it and placing all the necessary machinery on board, as also the temporary caisson on top. ”

“ Being built up of plates cut to the proper size and shape, it is a very simple matter to rivet on additional tiers of plates as the caisson is lowered deeper and deeper into the bed of the river. The lower length is made with a cutting edge to penetrate the ground; the exterior is made without any projection larger than the rivet heads, and the interior is strengthened with T-irons or double L-irons at the joints, and strong cross-bracing to resist the pressure of the water. ”

“ It was just the sort of chaise that I had dreamed of for my purpose: eminently rich, inconspicuous, and genteel; for, though I thought the postmaster no great authority, I was bound to agree with him so far. The body was painted a dark claret, and the wheels an invisible green. The lamp and glasses were bright as silver; and the whole equipage had an air of privacy and reserve that seemed to repel inquiry and disarm suspicion. With a servant like Rowley, and a chaise like this, I felt that I could go from the Land’s End to John o’ Groat’s House amid a population of bowing ostlers. ”

“ Cæsar’s preference for small vessels.
One of the reasons Cæsar assigns for the preference he gave in his second expedition to small vessels was, that he had learned by his experience of the frequent changes of the tide in the Channel that the waves were not so violent as he had expected, and, therefore, [431] that smaller boats were sufficient for his purpose; but this does not seem to be a very satisfactory view. It is true that when wind and tide are together the violence of the waves is modified materially; but when they are opposed, their violence is greatly increased. ”

“ II. Sailing, then, from some port in Picardy (either Boulogne or Wissant) , Cæsar reached a part of the British coast which from his description looks like the chalk cliffs west of Dover. So far there is not much difference between the commentators, but what happened in the afternoon when, after his long halt, he found the wind and tide both in his favour, gave the signal to weigh anchor, and “having advanced (progressus) about eight miles from that place, brought his ships to a stand at a level and open beach”? ”

“ None so near approach his place and essence as a celestial mind in a princely body. Put forth, therefore, my lord, with comfort and confidence, having your sail filled with her heavenly breath for your forewind." On the 1st of June the fleet issued from Plymouth water, and being joined by twenty-two ships from Holland, it amounted to 150 sail, carrying 14,000 men. On the 20th the fleet cast anchor at the mouth of the harbour of Cadiz, and there discovered fifteen men-of-war, and about forty merchantmen. ”

“ Cayse went into the subject at once.
"Captain Ross, do you want to earn three thousand dollars?"
"Don't mind."
"Neither do I. Well, just listen. The king here has three thousand dollars in cash and three thousand dollars' worth of coconut ile and turtle-shell. Now, if you and I will help him to do a bit of fightin' it's ours. The money and shell is here in this room, the ile is in the sheds near by. If you agree, the king will hand us over the money now, and we can ship the ile in the morning." ”

“ During the winter and spring he maintained the blockade of Cadiz, but learning that the Plate fleet had taken refuge in the harbour of Santa Cruz, in the Island of Teneriffe, he made sail thither. He found the fleet drawn up under the guns of seven batteries in the harbour, which was shaped like a horseshoe. The merchantmen, ten in number, were ranged close inshore, and the galleons, in number and of greater force than any of his own ships, placed in front of them. It was a sight—seven forts, a castle, and sixteen ships—to have daunted any man but Blake. ”

“ Behind us stretched a space of straight water, and one canoe was close, while the second was barely visible along a curve of the shore. Ahead, however, the river appeared vacant, the leading boat having vanished around a wooded bend. My eyes met those of Cassion, and the sight of him instantly restored me to a recollection of my plan––nothing could be gained by open warfare. ”

“ The fact that the schooner bore away to the south proves that some one has correct information. No, Bob, Fingal has learned through Cassidy just why the Grampus put in at Belize; and Cassidy, intoxicated as he is and worked up over a fancied grievance, has cast in his lot with the schooner. The pair of them are off to the south to make trouble for us, take my word for it. What we must do is to get away as close on their heels as possible. We can’t wait until evening, but must proceed on the jump and get away without losing any more time than necessary.”
“Wait a minute,” spoke up Dick. ”

“ The English fleet set sail from the harbour of Portsmouth; 500 vessels, having on board 700 knights and a large force of infantry, under the command of William Longsword, Earl of Salisbury, a son of "fair Rosamond," and William, Earl of Holland. They bore down upon the coast of Flanders, and approached the port of Damme, in which the French fleet, three times more numerous, was lying at anchor. Many of the French troops and sailors were then absent from the ships, engaged in predatory excursions throughout the country. ”

“ Then the squalls died away and the breeze steadied. I could hear the surge of a launch as she came crashing along on our quarter, but once round the second mark-buoy and on the port tack no one could touch us—at least so Casey vowed.
Suddenly, the half-drowned bowman gave the first sign of animation that he had displayed since the green seas began to break over him. "She's missed stays," he announced with gruff relish, peering under the lip of the foresail.
"'Oo? Not that cutter...?" Casey so far forgot himself as to squirt tobacco juice into the sacred bottom of his own boat. ”

“ He first got a long line and a cask, and he fastened the end of the long line to the cask, and then threw the cask overboard. The other end of the line was kept on board the ship. The cask was tossed about upon the waves, every successive surge driving it in nearer and nearer to the shore, until at last it was thrown up high upon the rocks. The men upon the shore ran to seize it, but before they could get hold of it the receding wave carried it back again among the breakers, where it was tossed about as if it had been a feather, and overwhelmed with the spray. ”

“ Cassion was issuing his orders loudly, but exhibited no inclination to accompany the party, and suddenly the frail craft shot out from the shore, with De Artigny at the steering paddle, and every Indian braced for his task, and headed boldly into the smother. They vanished as though swallowed by the mist, Cassion, and a half dozen soldiers racing along the shore line in an effort to keep abreast of the laboring craft. ”

“ Nor shall I fail you at the boats: until then, Messieurs,” and he bowed hat in hand, “and to you, Mademoiselle, adieu.”
We watched him go down the grape arbor to the canoe, and no one spoke but Cassion.
“Pouf! he thinks well of himself, that young cockerel, and ’twill likely be my part to clip his spurs. Still ’tis good policy to have him with us, for ’tis a long journey. What say you, Chevet?”
“That he is one to watch,” answered my uncle gruffly. “I trust none of La Salle’s brood.” ”

“ Thursday morning we saw no probability of the people coming aboard, and the wind coming out of the sea, and not one stick of fire-wood in the vessel to dress our victuals, and it being every man's opinion that we must put to sea or perish, we got up a scuttled cask, and put into it all manner of necessaries, with four small arms lashed to the cask, and a letter to acquaint them of our danger, which cask we saw them receive, as also the letter that was in it ”

“ I have packed your money in a cask, in English sovereigns—there are 988 of them—and am booking it to you, carriage paid, by the Insular and Continental Steam Navigation Company’s boat from Rouen, due in London about Monday, 5th April. But I am addressing it to “M. Léon Felix, 141 West Jubb Street, Tottenham Court Road, London, W.,” and labelling it “Statuary only,” from Dupierre et Cie., the monumental sculptors of Grenelle. It will take some ingenuity to get a falsely addressed and falsely described cask away from the steamer officials without being suspected of theft. That is the test. ”

“ Now my idea is: suppose you run in for the Spanish land until you've got Cadiz within, say, half-a-day's sail. Us men will then launch the cutter and start away for the port, you giving us its bearings. We must turn to and invent a yarn and represent this schooner as having foundered, the rest of the people who got away in the small boat being lost sight of by us. There are plenty of vessels at Cadiz, and they're always in want of hands. We can ship as smartly as we choose, get away, and then there'll be an end. ”

“ If the affairs of England had been unsuccessful by land, they had been most disastrous by sea. Before leaving for Holland William ordered that Killigrew and Delaval should, with their whole fleet, amounting to nearly a hundred sail, get out to sea early, and blockade the French fleets in their ports, so as to allow our merchantmen to pursue their voyages with security. Our ports were crowded with trading vessels, which had long been waiting to sail to the Mediterranean and other seas with cargoes. ”

“ On Sunday the 7th, we went aboard the ship, got out a cask of pork, two barrels of flour, started one pipe of wine, and brought it ashore, with a quarter cask of pease, some bales of cloth, and carpenter's stores. This day Mr Henry Cozens, midshipman, was confin'd by the captain; the fault alledg'd against him was drunkenness. We learn from Nicholas Griselham, seaman, who was present and near the captain all the time, that as Mr Cozens was rowling up a steep beach a cask of pease, he found it too heavy for him, and left off rowling ”

“ The barbarians were already approaching the river, when Sabinus perceived them from the heights of Berry-au-Bac; [249] he immediately gave information to Cæsar, who, with all his cavalry, the light-armed Numidians, the slingers, and the archers, passed the bridge, and, descending the left bank, marched to meet the enemies towards the place threatened. When he arrived there, some of them had already passed the Aisne. An obstinate struggle takes place. ”