SUBMARINE DOCK.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19012, 7 November 1923, Page 8

SUBMARINE DOCK.

AVONDER OE THE AVAR. STRUCTURE TO BE BROKEN UP. Tho huge steel floating dock for testing submarines, one of the engineering wonders of the war, which was constructed for the German Navy, and came into the possession of the British Admiralty on the cessation of hostilities, has been bought from the Admiralty by Messrs Oox and Danks, iron and steel merchants, of London, for breaking up at their depot at Queenborough. Some idea of tho great size of the dock may be gained when it is stated that the whole structure weigh? 5000 tons. It has a length of 412 ft, and a breadth of 131 ft. Its outstanding feature is a grddt cylinder for tho reception of the submarine for testing purposes. When a test was made the dock was submerged, and the submarine was introduced into the cylinder, which is 40ft in diameter, and runs the whole length of the dock. There is space in the dock lei berthing two other submarines, one on eucb side of the cylinder. All the mechanicai operations connected ' with the structure art controlled from one room or cabin, this control room containing, like the conning tower of a submarine, all the devices b, moans of which tho raising and submerging of the dock are controlled. It is believed that the dock is the only one of its type in existence. It was designed by a Hamburg engineer, namet. Von Klitzing. The plans were rejected by the Russian Government, to whom they were first submitted, and in 1916 the dock was ordered for the German Navy. I(? construction, however, was delayed, and it was not until the summer of 1918 that h was completed.

Romance is the keynote of the animate universe (writes John C Craven in “The Open Road”). In, our own lives it exercises a dominant and all-powerful influence, and if we descend through a million varied organisms to the lower and less intricate forms of life, we shall still find it. In the plant world we have the tender maiden flower opening her petals to the sun, and using all manner of coquettish arts—colour, perfume, and honey —to attract the lovemessenger, the bee, to her bosom. All the beauty we see in the blossom is not placed there for our admiration. It is there because it has a definite office to perform in the purely material process of reproduction.. Flowers vary in colour and smell according to the kinds of insects they want to attract. The favourite colours of the honey bee are blue, violet, crimson purple, and deep violet-blue, particularly the last named. Butterflies and humble bees are very partial to scarlet, which is also a favourite of the humming-bird. Night-flying insects favour white and yellow—a circumstance easily accounted for,- since the deeper-coloured flowers become invisible as twilight falls. Flies and beetles which frequent dungheaps are drawn to greenish-yellow and brownish-yellow flowers. Wasps, which are so jxirtial to decayed fruit, seem to have a nredilection for dark brown; and carrion flies are most suscept'ble to palp fawn, red, and dirty violet, the prevailing tints of decaying flesh. Odorous flowers are of two kinds—fragrant and offensive. The former are chiefly visited bv bees,- and the latter by carrion flies and dungbeetles. There are some plants which', -though 'odourless to man, anpeal to the olfactory organs of insects. Such are the flowers of the Virginia creeper, in which we can detect no scent; but they must have some scent which is apparent to bees, otherwise it would be impossible to account for the readiness with which they find the flowers, which are insignificant in size and green in colour, and quite indistinguishable among the leaves.