Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 7.djvu/333

315 DOCKYARDS 315 Yard is a very fine establishment. At this victualling yard, as at Deptford and Plymouth, large quantities of biscuit and flour are manufactured. Casks and barricoes are also made ; but with these exceptions there is no manufacture at Gosport. The depot is supplied with sea provisions and clothing from Deptford, and re- issues them to the fleet at Portsmouth. There is an excellent slaughter yard in the place, where cattle delivered under contract are slain, and the meat issued to the fleet. Haslar Hospital. This magnificent hospital for the reception of sick and wounded lies at the point seawards, on the Gosport side of the harbour. It is in charge of a resident medical inspector-general, who is assisted by a competent medical and clinical staff. The second division of royal marines, consisting of twenty -six companies, is stationed at Forton barracks, on the Gosport side. Sixteen companies of royal marine artillery have excellent quarters at Eastney, three miles from Portsmouth, opposite St Helen s, and at Fort Cumber- laud, a half mile from Eastney. PLYMOUTH DOCKYARD. The naval station of Plymouth is hardly inferior to that of Portsmouth. It possesses one of the finest harbours in the world, capable of containing, in perfect security at their moorings, not less than a hundred sail of the line; and by means of the breakwater it may boast of an excellent road stead for eighteen or twenty sail of the line. The old dockyard has only one basin, without gates, but the dimensions are 300 by 280 feet. The excellent harbour of Hamoaze, on the western bank of which the wharf- wall extends, almost compensates for the want of other basins, especially as the depth of water allows the largest ships to range along the jetties, and receive their stores on board immediately from the wharf. Plymouth dockyard proper extends in a circular sweep along the shores of Hamoaze 3500 feet, its width about the middle, where it is greatest, being 1600, and at each extremity 1000 feet, making its superficial contents about 96 acres. The land front is about 2850 feet. In the line facing the harbour are two dry docks for ships of the first rate, a double dock for seventy-four gun ships, com municating with Hamoaze, and another dock for ships of the line, opening into the basin. There is, besides, a graving-dock without gates, and a canal or camber similar to that in Portsmouth yard, for the admission of vessels bringing stores into the yard, which, communicating with the boat-pond, cuts the dock-yard nearly into two parts. There are five jetties projecting from the entrances of the dry docks into Hamoaze, alongside of which ships are conveniently brought when undocked. All these are situated between the centre and the northern extremity of the harbour line. On the southern part are three building slips for the largest class of ships and two for smaller vessels, the outer mast-pond and mast-houses, timber- berths, saw-pits, and smithery. Higher up, on this end of the yard is an extensive mast-pond and mast-locks, with plank-houses over them, and, above these, three hemp magazines, contiguous to which is the finest ropery in the kingdom, consisting of two ranges of buildings, one the laying-house, the other the spinning-house, each being 1200 feet in length, and three stories in height. In the con struction of the new rope-house no wood has been used excepting the shingles of the roof, to which the slates are fastened. All the rest is of iron. The ribs and girders of the floors are of cast iron, covered over with Yorkshire paving stone, and the doors, window frames, and staircases are all of cast iron, so that the whole building may be considered as proof against fire. The northern half of the yard, besides the docks and basin, with all the appropriate working sheds and artificers shops, contains a cluster of very elegant stone buildings, ranged round a quadrangle, the longest sides being about 450 feet, and the shortest 300 feet. Within the quadrangle are also two new ranges of buildings, in which iron has been used in the place of wood. These buildings consist of magazines for different kinds of stores, rigging-houses, and sail-lofts. The northern and upper part of the yard is occupied by a range of handsome houses, with good gardens behind them, for the admiral-superintendent and the principal officers of the yard, the chapel, the guard-house, and pay-office, stables for the officers and the teams, and a fine reservoir of fresh water for the supply of the yard. Plymouth is n.ot only a good building and repairing yard, on account of its excellent docks and slips, and the great length of line along the Hamoaze, but also a good refitting yard. A large addition has been made tD Plymouth yard by the fine establishment of Key ham steam factory which adjoins it, with a water frontage of about 1300 feet, with two steam basinsone 630 feet by 560 feet, and another 700 feet by 400 feet. There are also excellent graving docks leading into these basins, around which are coal sheds, storehouses, boat berths, engineers shops, boiler factories, and all the necessary appliances of mast shears, cranes, and capstans worked by hydraulic or steam machinery. There is no railway within the yard connecting it with the general system of railroad, though means are being taken to secure a junction with the narrow gauge line through Okehamptou. Traction engines, called &quot; camels,&quot; at present discharge most of the work of a railway. The number of men borne in Plymouth yard in 1877 is 4336, costing 292,563. Plymouth Victualling Establishment. The Royal William Victualling Yard stands on the eastern entrance to Hamoaze, on about 11 acres of ground, adjoining 4 acres on its south side, on which stand two small forts, and a reservoir containing about 8000 tons of water, which sup plies the fleet the water being brought from Dartmoor. Plymouth Hospital is a handsome building of stone, or rather a series of separate buildings, regularly arranged, in which respect, as admitting a freer circulation of air, it is perhaps superior to that of Haslar. The third division of royal marines, consisting of thirty companies, is stationed at Plymouth. The barracks, situated at Stonehouse, are very airy and spacious. PEMBROKE DOCKYARD. This dockyard was established in 1814, and is now used merely as a building-yard. It is situated on the southern shore of Milford Haven, not two miles from the town of Pembroke. It in cludes an area of about 60 acres, its surface descending in a gradual slope to the water s edge, along the shore of which there is a frontage of about 2350 feet. It has a dock, and 14 building slips, 6 of which are for first- rates. The largest wooden ship of the royal navy, the &quot; Duke of Wellington,&quot; 131 guns, was launched from this yard. Here, too, were built the &quot; Thunderer &quot; and the &quot; Fury,&quot; the huge mastless iron-clads, intended with the &quot; Devastation &quot; and the &quot; Staunches &quot; to form the sea police of the coasts. OTHER YARDS. In addition to the foregoing, there are several small naval yards at Haulbowline in the Cove of Cork, at Gibraltar, Malta, Antigua, Halifax, Bermuda, Kingston (Jamaica), Cape of Good Hope, Trincomalee, and Hong Kong. DOCKYARD OFFICERS. The management of the dock yards is intrusted to a superintendent, either a rear- admiral or captain ; a master attendant and his assistant; a chief constructor and assistant ; a store-keeper ; an accountant, who is also store-receiver; and a director of police.