e accident.

[Illustration: SAVED.]

The place from which the child fell was the corner of the pier head, in
the foreground of the picture, where you see the post, just beyond the
stone steps.

There is a boat pulling off from the vessel to the rescue of the little
girl in the foreground, to the left; but its assistance will not be
required.

Now, Rollo's chief interest in going to see the docks was the
anticipation of witnessing scenes and incidents of this and other kinds;
but Mr. George expected to be most interested in the docks themselves.

The construction of the docks was indeed a work of immense magnitude,
and the contrivers of the plan found that there were very great
difficulties to be surmounted before it could be carried into effect. It
was necessary, of course, that the place to be selected should be pretty
low land, and near the river; for if the land was high, the work of
excavating the basins would have been so much increased as to render the
undertaking impracticable. It was found on examination that all the land
that was near the river, and also near the city, and that was in other
respects suitable for the purpose, was already occupied with streets and
houses. These houses, of course, had all to be bought and demolished,
and the materials of them removed entirely from the ground, before the
excavations could be begun.

Then, too, some very solid and substantial barrier was required to be
constructed between the excavated basins made and the bank of the
river, to prevent the water of the river from bursting in upon the
workmen while they were digging. In such a case as this they make what
is called a coffer dam, which is a sort of dam, or dike, made by driving
piles close together into the ground, in two rows, at a little distance
apart, and then filling up the space between them with earth and gravel.
By this means the water of the river can be kept out until the digging
of the basins is completed.

The first set of docks that was made was called the West India Docks.
They were made about the year 1800. Very soon afterwards several others
were commenced; and now there are five. The following table gives the
names of them, with the number of acres enclosed within the walls of
each:--

NAMES. ACRES.
West India Docks, 295
East India Docks, 32