THE GREAT BERMUDA DOCK. ] 91 



a dangling vine ; and by-and-by, your way is along the sea edge, and you may look down 

 a fathom or two through the transparent water and watch the diamond-like flash and 

 play of the light upon the rocks and sands on the bottom until you are tired of it if 

 you are so constituted as to be able to get tired of it." 



But as there are spots in the sun, and the brightest lights throw the deepest shadows 

 everywhere ; so on the Bermuda coasts there are, in its rare storms, dangers of no small kinc( 

 among its numerous reefs and rocks. The North Rock, in particular, is the monument which 

 marks the grave of many a poor sailor in by-gone days. At the present time, however, 

 tug-boats, and the use of steam generally, have reduced the perils of navigation among the 

 hundreds of islands which constitute the Bermuda group to a minimum. 



The recent successful trip of Cleopatra's Needle in a vessel of unique construction will 

 recall that of the Bermuda floating-dock, which it will be remembered was towed across 

 the Atlantic and placed in its present position. 



Bermuda being, from a naval point of view, the most important port on the North 

 American and West Indian Stations, it had long been felt to be an absolute necessity that 

 a dock capable of holding the largest vessels of war should be built in some part of the 

 island. After many futile attempts to accomplish this object, owing to the porous nature 

 of the rock of which the island is formed, it was determined that Messrs. Campbell, 

 Johnstone & Co., of North Woolwich, should construct a floating-dock according to their 

 patented inventions : those built by them for Carthagena, Saigon, and Callao having been 

 completely successful. The dimensions of the dock for Bermuda, which was afterwards 

 named after that island, are as follows : 



Length ever all - - - 381 feet. 



Length between caissons - - 330 



Breadth over all - - 124 ,, 



Breadth between sides 84 



Depth inside - - .53 5 in. 



She is divided into eight longitudinal water-tight compartments, and these again into 

 sets of compartments, called respectively load on and balance chambers. Several small 

 compartments were also made for the reception of the pumps, the machinery for moving 

 capstans, and cranes, all of which were worked by steam. She is powerful and large 

 enough to lift an ironclad having a displacement of 10,400 tons, and could almost dock 

 the Great Eastern. 



The building of the Bermuda was begun in August, 1866 ; she was launched in 

 September, 1868, and finally completed in May, 1869. For the purposes of navigation 

 two light wooden bridges were thrown across her, on the foremost of which stood her 

 compass, and on the after the steering appai*atus. She was also supplied with three 

 lighthouses and several semaphores for signalling to the men-of-war which had her in 

 tow, either by night or day. In shape she is something like a round-bottomed canal boat 

 with the ends cut off. From an interesting account of her voyage from Sheerness to 

 Bermuda by " One of those on Board," we gather the following information respecting 

 her trip. Her crew numbered eighty -two hands, under a Staff-Commander, R.N. ; thwe 

 were also on board an assistant naval surgeon, an Admiralty commissioner, and the writer 



