An interesting example of a shore delivering dredger is a light
draught dredger constructed by Messrs Hunter & English for the Lakes
of Albufera at the mouth of the river Ebro in Spain (Plate I. fig. 6).
The conditions laid down for this dredger were that it should float in
18 in. of water and deliver the dredged material at 90 ft. from the
centre of its own hull. In order to meet these requirements the vessel
was made of steel plates 1/8 in. thick, and longitudinal girders from
end to end of the vessel, the upward strain of flotation being
conveyed to them from the skin plating by transverse bulkheads at
short intervals. The dredger was 94 ft. long, 25 ft. wide, and 3 ft.
deep, and the height of the top tumbler above the water was 25 ft.
When completed the dredger drew 17 in. of water. The dredgings were
delivered by the buckets upon an endless belt, driven from the main
compound surface-condensing engine, which ran over pulleys supported
upon a steel lattice girder, the outer end of which rested upon an
independent pontoon. This belt delivered the dredgings at 90 ft. from
the centre of the dredger round an arc of 180°. The dredger delivered
125 cub. yds. per hour of compact clay at a cost of 1.16d. per cub.
yd. or 0.86d. per ton for wages, coal and stores. Another method of
delivering dredgings is that of pneumatic delivery, introduced by Mr
F. E. Duckham, of the Millwall Dock Co., by which the dredgings are
delivered into cylindrical tanks in the dredger, closed by air-tight
doors, and are expelled by compressed air either into the sea or
through long pipes to the land. The Millwall Dock dredger is 113 ft.
long, with a beam of 17 ft. and a depth of 12 ft. The draught loaded
is 8 ft. It contains two cylindrical tanks, having a combined capacity
of 240 cub. yds., and is fitted with compound engines of about 200
i.h.p., with a 20 in. air-compressing cylinder. The discharge pipe is
15 in. diameter by 150 yds. long. The nozzles of the air-injection
pipes must not be too small, otherwise the compressed air, instead of
driving out the material, simply pierces holes through it and escapes
through the discharging pipe, carrying with it all the liquid and thin
material in the tanks. The cost of working the Millwall Dock dredger
is given by Mr Duckham at 1.75d. per cub. yd. of mud lifted, conveyed
and deposited on land 450 ft. from the water-side, for working
expenses only. This dredger is believed to be the first machine
constructed with a traversing ladder, as suggested by Captain Gibson
when dock-master of the Millwall Docks.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account