ship houses

[Dave Stevens (Lumberyard)]

look at the engraving does it look like the ship houses with the ships in them look longer that the water in front? how do the get the ship in the houses?

 

[JohnA]

Either the top part of the houses had a workshop, storage area, etc or the artist never went to drafting school.

 

[Jimsky]

Either the top part of the houses had a workshop, storage area, etc or the artist never went to drafting school.

...or he never been to the actual shipyard

 

[JohnA]

The parallel lines on the ground are not drawn with perspective nor a vanishing point.
The renaissance artists 400 years before this drawing had already created manuals on basic perspective, so the artist of this picture can't say he didn't have it available.

 

[Kurt Konrath]

Interesting drawing overall of what a ship yard would look like back in the day.

Sailing ships with masts removed in houses I would assume....

 

[pugwash]

A liberal coat of 'Shrinking Spray' was applied to the ships.

 

[Uwek]

There are a lot of errors in this engraving.
Worst in my opinion is, that there is a ship fully masted and with yards ready for launch.
Usually, and I never saw it different, these ships were launched when the hull was finished
and fitted with masts and yards already in the water.

But in principle - ship houses were every time much longer than the ship which was build inside

 

[neptune]

There are a lot of errors in this engraving.
Worst in my opinion is, that there is a ship fully masted and with yards ready for launch.
Usually, and I never saw it different, these ships were launched when the hull was finished
and fitted with masts and yards already in the water.

But in principle - ship houses were every time much longer than the ship which was build inside

G'day Uwe, I agree that the drawing is probably out of scale, but to answer Daves question of how they got them in the ship house, I looked closely at the photo and I couldn't understand why all the dock walls were square, then I noticed that the ship with the masts was sitting on a curious base of some sort, upon looking at the ships in the sheds or Houses and also the one being built on the stocks they are sitting on the same type of bases, so I assume that the ship on the floating dock is also on one of these bases, also the rigged ship sitting on the slip way has some sort of engine sitting in front of it, so it looks like that the ships are lifted clear of the water by the floating dock and then are winched ashore , hope this makes sense, so the fully rigged ship has been pulled ashore for repairs,

 

[Uwek]

you could be right
I found this


Sectional floating dry dock. J. Simpson & Neill ship wrights & proprietors Christian Street Philadelphia. [graphic] / Lith. by Rease & Schell 17 So. 5th St. Phila.

Advertisement showing the floating dry dock near the Delaware riverfront in South Philadelphia surrounded by marine traffic. The floating dock supports a three-masted square rigged ship under which laborers work on its base. Behind the floating dock, the frame of a ship is under construction near a large vessel at dry dock. In the foreground, a fishing boat being rowed by a four-man crew and carrying a bundled fishing net sails near two other row boats, one adorned with an American flag. Also shows a tug boat and ferry boat sailing on opposite sides of the floating dock. Masts of docked vessels, dock houses, wharves, and buildings, line the riverfront in the background. Also shows Sparks shot tower (Carpenter Street near Second Street).



To captains and ship owners. Kensington Screw Dock, Penn Street above Maiden, Philadelphia. [graphic] : The above establishment has been recently refitted and is now in perfect order for the raising of sailing vessels or propellers, having been in successful operation since 1830, without a single mishap, it is with renewed confidence that proprietors ask for a continuation of patronage heretofore enjoyed. Vessels sail or float into the dock and are raised without strain on any one part. Bilge blocks being worked in such a manner as to take the vessel in her natural shape. The dock is located in the most enterprising part of the town, in the immediate neighborhood of the largest ship yards, black smith shops, mast yards, riggers, block makers, plumbers, painters, &c. &c. with ample depth of water at the wharves for the largest vessels. Watchman always on the premises, also a fire plug on the premises with Schuylkill water with over 300 ft. hose, & can be reached by Glenat's Second Street Omnibusses [sic] at any time during the day. There is also an oil factory & alcohol distillery adjoining the premises, also sheds for the storage of goods. For terms apply on the premises to Alex. H. Campbell, proprietor. / FHS; on stone by W.H. Rease 17 So. 5th St., Phila.

To captains and ship owners. Kensington Screw Dock, Penn Street above Maiden, Philadelphia. [graphic] : The above establishment has been recently refitted and is now in perfect order for the raising of sailing vessels or propellers, having been in su

Advertisement showing the dry dock along a tumultuous Delaware River. Shipwrights work on the hull of a ship raised in the dry dock in front of the firm's building adorned with signage "Kensington Screw Dock." At the wharf of the dry dock, horse-drawn drays travel past the neighboring oil...

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[pugwash]

I understand the Dutch used a sectional floating contraption called a 'Camel' which they could lift a ship over a sandbar at low tide.
Dave's picture could simply be an illustrative device to show the basic function of a scene such as this, after all, the drawing is all too much on the square to be a realistic depiction.