Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 7.djvu/331

313 DOGKYAKDS 313 the whole premises, mixed among wharfs aud buildings belonging to the Ordnance Department, did not cover more than 15 acres. The storehouses were dispersed in various parts of this space, and in so ruinous a state, that a ship hauled up in the mud was by far the best storehouse in the whole yard. There were two small inconvenient docks for frigates or smaller vessels. It was in fact a mere port of refitment, and might be considered as an appendage to Chatham. The very limited capacity of Sheerness, and other consi derations, led to the origination of the project of a naval arsenal at Northfleet, which, from change of circumstances, and from the important improvements now carried out at Sheeruess, is not likely ever again to be revived. These improvements were of sufficient magnitude to render any establishment at Northfieet wholly unnecessary, by making Sheerness a very complete dockyard. Previously to carrying into execution this important undertaking, a committee of engineers and others was appointed, whose plan was afterwards minutely examined, and with some slight improvements adopted. The first stone was laid on the 19th August 1814, and the whole work was com pleted at an expense not far short of one million sterling. The additions, together with some part of the premises held by the War Department, make the whole area of the dockyard of Sheerness amount to upwards of 50 acres. The wharf wall on the south side of the basin in front of the mast-houses is 100 feet, and that on the river front 60 feet in width, lined on both sides with as complete a specimen of good and beautiful masonry of granite as any in the kingdom. PORTSMOUTH DOCKYARD. -- Portsmouth dockyard, founded by Henry VII., will always be considered as the grand naval arsenal of England, and the headquarters or general rendezvous of the British fleet. It appears at all times to have been regarded as a very important naval station, notwithstanding the rivalry of Southampton, which was the principal port in Plantagenet times. In 1225 an order was issued to the barons of the Cinque Ports to provide men for the king s galleys at Portsmouth. In 1226 the sum of 25, 14s. 4d. was paid to the masters and crews of the &quot; king s two great ships at Portsmouth.&quot; In 1229, 40 was paid to the king s clerk for the repairs of the king s galleys and great ship at Portsmouth. King John on several occasions assembled his barons at Portsmouth for naval expeditions. He seems, moreover, to have aimed at increasing the accommodation there for ships. In May 1212 the sheriff of Southampton was commanded to cause the docks at Portsmouth to be inclosed with a strong wall, in the manner which the archdeacon of Taunton would point out, for the preservation of the king s ships and galleys. He was also to cause pent-houses to be erected for their stores and tackle. This was to be done immediately, lest the galleys or their stores should be in jured in the coming winter. In 1540, when the dockyard seems to have been regularly established, the area of the yard was comprised in 8 acres of ground, and abutted upon the harbour near what are now known as the King s Stairs. Cromwell added 2 acres in 1658 ; Charles II. added 8 in 1663, and 10 more in 1667. Between 1667 and 1710, 30 acres were reclaimed from harbour mud, or bought from the town, and various subsequent additions gave 90 acres as the area on which Portsmouth dockyard stood at the end of the last century. Early in Queen Victoria s reign the growth of the steam navy necessitated an enlargement of dock accommodation. In 1843 were ordered, and in 1848 were opened a fine steam basin holding 7 acres of water, and four new docks, the dockyard ground being extended to 115 acres in all. A few years more aud the want of dock room was as great as ever. Huge iron-clads, of a draught and length greater than had yet been known, required new docks and basins of special construction. The extension works at Chatham (see above) and Portsmouth were accordingly entered upon. At the present time (August 1877) great progress has been made with both sets of works, under the direction of Colonel Sir A. Clarke, C.B., R.E., aud Colonel Pasley, R.E. When finished the Ports mouth new works will comprise a tidal basin, three floating basins (upon one of which four docks will abut), a large deep dock, entered from the tidal basin, two floating basin entrance locks, which may also be used as deep docks, and greatly increased wharfage and space for building store houses and factories. The system of docks and basins will begin with the tidal basin, entered from the harbour by an opening 1 00 yards wide, and having a depth of 30 feet of water at low spring tides. The deep dock and the two locks at the head of this basin will carry 28 feet of water over the invert at low spring tides ; the two latter will be the entrances to the repairing, rigging, and fitting-out basins, which will lead from each other in the order named. These locks will in themselves be magnificent docks, able to receive the largest iron-clad at once from the tidal basin. They will lead to the repairing basin, a vast excavation, of a parallelogram shape, which will measure 22 acres, and carry at high spring tides 35 feet of water. This depth of water will be common to the three basins ; it may be made permanent by the closing of the lock gates, and one great use of the locks will be that vessels may be docked in them in any state of the tide without lowering the level of water in the inner basins, where the tide may be ponded at its highest level of 35 feet of water, if necessary. Having been raised to this level in the locka by ingress of water from the tidal basin, vessels will be able to pass inwards to the repairing and other basins without any lessening of the depth of water. The four large docks of the repairing basin will have a depth of 30 feet of water on their sills, even when filled at high neap tides. Two of them are entirely finished, and the excava tion of the others is far advanced. Opposite to these docks will be the entrance to the rigging basin, an excavation of 14 acres, in a trapezoid shape. The third, or fitting-out basin, which will receive the ships when they have been repaired and rigged, will be a pentagon of 14 acres. On one side of this basin there will be a coal depot, so that vessels may leave the docks with their coals on board, ready for sea. In addition to these four basins and seven docks there is an entrance between the tidal basin of the new works and the steam basin of 1848, which will connect the old and new portions of the dockyard ; and, as for wharfage, the harbour or north wall of the extension works will have 26 feet and the wall of the tidal basin 30 feet of water alongside it at low spring tides, making altogether three miles of wharfage accommo dation in connection with the extension works, and that for ships of the largest class. The size of the whole dockyard will be more than doubled, for its present 115 acres will be increased by more than 177 acres of reclaimed mud land and fortifications glacis, making in all an exact measurement of 293 acres 2 roods and 29 perches. These great works were estimated when designed in 1865 to cost 3,000,000, exclusive of convict labour. They have given employment on the spot to upwards of 1600 free men and about 800 convicts. The latter are employed in brick-making, and have made upwards of 100,000,000 bricks since the works were begun. A complete network of railway connects all parts of the yard with the docks and basins, and the whole with the neighbouring railroad to all parts of the kingdom, so that iron or coal can be put into waggons at Sheffield or Cardiff VII. 40