Engineering Wonders of the World
Volume I

BUILDING OF THE TRAIN-FERRY “BAIKAL.” 71 The Site of the Shipyard. back—namely, that instead of affording a gradual decline to the water’s edge, it sloped the other way, and this neces- sitated the construction of a strong wooden platform to act as a building berth, the plat- form being raised 11 feet at the forward end (see Fig. 6) so as to give the desired fall be- tween that point and the water for the launch- ing of the vessel. Owing to the great weight all to be cut and prepared on the spot. This was a comparatively easy matter, as the im- penetrable forests surrounding the lake afforded an abundant supply of wood both for the ship and the buildings. Fig. 6 shows clearly a number of the tem- porary workshops. The large one on the left of the gangway housed all the ship’s machinery, which arrived in a very rusty and deplorable condition. Months were spent in sorting it THE LAUNCH. {Fig. 6.) it had to bear, and to the softness of the ground for work of this description, a very strong erection had to be built; but this was so well and efficiently constructed that at no period of the building of the vessel did it show any signs of weakness. As will be seen in Fig. 6, quite a small shipyard had been started. It may be neces- sary to mention here that no woodwork for the building of the Baikal was supplied with the other material; consequently the timber had and putting it in a fit state to go into the ship. The other buildings comprise black- smiths’, joiners’, and fitting shops, foundry, etc. ; and farther to the left are a sawmill and a large wood-storage yard. As previously stated, a large quantity of material had arrived at the lake by November 1897, and in January of the following year the keel was laid; but owing to an exception- ally cold season, very little work could be done. Once the Siberian winter sets in, there