The sun., 1888-09-23
BUILDING A GREAT SHIP.
WORK ON THE CRUIsER MAINE IN THE
BROOKLYN NAVY YARR

| Great Deliberntion Of the Vert men.
The navy yard over on the Wallabout is
| going to be q mighty interesting place for
patriotic Americans during the coming year.
| A modern war ship. 1T to 90 anywhere
| to defond the honor OF Uncle Sam and to
meet and whip any ship that could be sent
whore she could go. is to be built there and
the people that are paying the bills are invited
to como down. and. under proper restrictions,
see the Job done. Although not the most pow-
erful ship yet designed Tor the new navy. she is
the most abe-bodied fighter yet begun. the
bending OF her frames and the preparation OF
her plates having been already commenced.
Not only will the building Of this great ship be
interesting on account OF the place It will oc-
oupy among tho powerful naval ships Of the
world, but to the American citizen 1t will be
interesting as test ofthe wisdom OF Secretary
Whitneys policy in building such q ship in q
Government yard rather than In one OF the
private ship building yards down the coast
The new ship will be called the Maine. She
is TO be an armored cruiser, by which is meant
ship with engines and coal capacity sufficient
to enable her to make cruise around the
world and which has her machinery and her
heavy guns protected by steel plates thick
enough to turn the projectiles OF an enemy's
guns. That she is to be armed with tho best
Her armor plates are to be 10H and II inches
thick and her largest guns will throw ten-inch
bolts OF steel Weighing 500 pounds to o distance
OF nine miles It Is Just nine miles IN straight
line from New York's City Hall to the entrance
When 1t was determined to build the Maine
in the New York Navy Yard. the yard did not
Se'st t9G economieay l Th6pse Who have We had sum.
cient interest In antiquities to visit the Old
stone shops over there at intervals during the
4 fnx aor Npfl anil har ha
mutation Of old style tools and appliances they
contain. They will also. recall a huge four.
foot foot Of In the street. that leads from the York
street entrance. The back Of this great shed
opened out on view OF tho big sugar sctorles i9,,
that would hare been called the Colossus If she
had ever been launched. used to stand in that
strewn with old masts and yards of forgotten
ships Of the old kind. In spite Of the green
grass between the stone walks, and the view Of
the hurryinG merchant craft on East River
there was an air OF desolation about the place
that was depressing.
shed is there yet. but instead OF decaying
sro group ip Of men with a portable forge and no
end Of other portable tools are engaged in
erecting new iron cranes. which will pick
wanted. The. old spars are gone, but If the
Facing at two 'o sides Of the big old shed is row
of new ones. ali one-story high. and not IA very
hig6 story ITO at haf @ on to e rE 9
realizes that il, Is 2l5 ieet long by As
but those are its dimensions. When the Wis:
itor enters this shed he recognizes the old
spars They are now doing duty @ as IS posts 9S and and
shed. 1t makes the employees of the yard who
have held their places over from the former
They can scarcely credit their eyes when they
see these sound old spars made use OF when
chased at large expense and to the great advan-
tage of the dealers in Georgia pine. The care
ful observer will notice by the way. that these
old employees stop and gas frequently in that
shed. and In other sheds, too; for that matter
and all apparently: because 1t Is easier TO do
frames for the new ship is the work done in
that shed, and plate bending will be done
Before the new ship could be commenced. it
was necessary to buy tools for the work and
erect sheds h9d the tools place to store
APE sRsa sFs hs
rack It t ws 9 necessary @ W to % ma Very strong
ls0xS5 feet largo. There is a line Of railroad
to be laid in front Between the tracks are
long rows Of stout posts. and tho plates forthe the
posts. Every post has lot OF letters and
marks MAJ on 1T and i 4 the visitor looks about ne
IS enssbe
workman to find any plate wanted i'm medi-
ately, for each plate that is brought to the
the ship. and can be used nowhere else. The
officers in charge OF the work have II catalogue
and have she'd In
that enables them to identity any piece in it on !
the instant. Just rs librarian can identity any
Another feature of this shop. and the fea-
ture that required a very strong framework;
is brought into this shed it comes from the |
lighters at the dock. being transported on |
small cars that run on the railways mention
to the machine shop which adloins it. in order
that they may hnye the rivet holes punched in
fore the plates enter the machine shop they |
are put into pickiinG vats, located between the |
shsfs ed Tfsh Th fd HWaS T IS
cdrry the plates from the. storage shed to the |
picking vat. From the pickiing vat the plate |
there are any defects which escaped the in
The visitor who goes there now. however,
will not see the whirling brushes work, be- !
s set SSs with 9 hs
work done IN the new machine shop except the |
work OF getting the shop ready. The plates |
old stone sIop in order that no. time may be
wasted in the building of the ship,
a shed With 6e beams sp ana poss strons
enough to support the necessary shafting < |
$50 horse power engine will be placed in one |
nish the steam. There are a host OF drills. |
rolls punches, and shears now on hand. and
more are to come In placing these machines
tho old live oak timbers that had been lying
about the yard unused for no one knows how
long were utilized for foundations. In fact,
whenever there was stock on hand that could
be used the Secretary OF the Navy refused TO
buy new. Apparently the officers have used
as much care to erect the new plant eco
nomically as they would have done in putting
policy. as In the bending shed, are not always
pretty. but it makes n taxpayer feel very com
Portable to see stock saved instead OF wasted
This bending shed also does duty for the
storage OF the unbent frames. The
frames OF this great ship seem re-
markably slender to the unaccuslomed eye.
The cross section is that of an l., and the
arms of the l. are four feet and three inches
long, while the frame itself weighs nine pounds
to tho foot. Beside the huge live oak timbers
that formed the frames Of the. old wooden ships
;. The process OF bending frame is simple, but
1t must be seen to be appreciated The frames
are heated in q long brick furnace, and then
hauled out on a floor made OF cast iron graf
ings. A row OF iron pegs Is placed in the holes
In this hoor before tho frame Is hauled out, and
when the frame has been forced around by
means Of levers, so as to lie against every one Of
that row OF DeUS, IL Is In the Ienuired shane