Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-11-15
A New Industry at the Brooklyn Nav.
Yartl-Some Heavy Iron.

New Industry at the Brooklyn Navy
Yard-Some Heavy Iron.
In the big boat shop adjoining the Navy
Yard dry-dock busy gang of worlImen are
! hard at work learning the rudiments Of a
new Navy Yard industry. They are try
inc to make iron mastS, and for amateurs
are succeeding admirably. Up to date such
vessels as are said to compose the United
States navy are SPARED throughout with
wood. The new masts are not intended for
use in the old navy, but are designed to
embellish the new cruisers now being fash
toned by John Roach. The workers in the
boat shop have one mast nearly finished
and are framing another. The two are
meant for the newly-launched cruiser At
lanta, now due at the yard.
Most people think an iron mast is cast
and solid, and wonder why its weight
doesn't pull it up by the roots or punch a
hole in the bottom and slide through.
This shows how easy it is to be mistaken.
An iron mast is really lighter than wood
A sixty-foot stick of spruce or yellow pine
two feet in diameter at the base weighs far
more than the shell forming the modern
iron steamship masts.
These masts for the Atlanta will be fine
specimens of their kind. The mainmast is
feet in diameter at the base, tapering to
II inches at the top, at which point the
funnel will be fashioned square, making a
marked distinction from foreign-made mast
heads, which are left round The MAIN
mast is 68 feet a. inches in length and the
foremost inches shorter. The method OF
construction is peculiar. Three T-shaped
rods of steel the length of the mast to be
made are affixed base outward in circular
wooden frames, and around the skeleton
thus formed the ready-shaped plates are
riveted in place. The plates are II feet in
length and about three-eighths of an inch
in thickness. They are sold to the Gov
eminent as steel by Pennsylvania firm,
but are rather made of first-class iron or,
if steel, of a very mild type, at least so
say the mechanics working it.
The present force are likely to be kept
busy long, as all the new vessels are to be
thus equipped. Aside from lightness and
little danger from breakage the iron masts
have the advantage of suffering but slight
" from cannon shot in war and will not
splinter Inside, strong lateral braces give
perfect steadiness, so that no solid shaft
would be more intiexible.
The yard shops are turning out some
heavy iron work just now, beside framing
together the 11-inch armor plates of the
Miantonomah. Mr.. Parsells is laying the
floor of the later crafts gun deck with
sheets of iron three-quarters Of an inch
thick and 3! feet wide and "A long, each
weighing 5000 pounds. Years ago 12-foot
plate was considered the acme in rolled
sheets, and so little was it thought that
their length would be increased that a
heavy rolling machine, when put to work
in the shop, was placed so near the wall as
to be unavailable now
\ few days ago rolling machine of i'm
mense proportion arrived at the yard. 1t
will be set up in the new shop in con-
struction next to the Intrepid. The three
rollers weigh % tons, the two bed rolls
scaling s tons each and the upper one 9
altogether it weighs 45 tons. 1t will be
used on the naval destroyers to be built in
the hereafter, and on the two now being
repaired.
The coming of the Dolphin and Atlanta
will bring much continuous work to the
yard, for after them will come the Boston,
Chicago and their sisters, each with work
to do Brooklyn Eagle