The Portland daily press., 1890-11-22
IN A KENN EBEC INFERNO.
Tests of Fire as Well as Water for
New Cunboats.
How the Work Progresses at the
Bath Iron Works.
Making the KeeIs and Mighty Ribs
for the War Ships.
Especial to the Press. I

BATH, November 21. = Another of The
launchngs that are to take place here in the
future is that of the two navy gunboats
known as Nos. and G, at the Bath Iron
Works. A builder Of wooden ships who
looked around the yard and shops today
would say that from appearances the vessel s
would take the water at some date in the
Goth century. But man who knew about
iron vessels would say that things are moy-
ing along well considering the fact that so
much had 20 be done to the works them
selves. before anything could be done on the
vessels. For every old building in the Goss
Iron Works, new one has been built, with
several more to spare. The work is still GO
ing on in some of the buildings, notably the
smith shop, where an immense steam ham,
mer is to be set up when firm foundations
are secured.
The construction of the gunboats is well
enough under way so that trip through the
works will show how it is done. ALI things
start In the drafting room, which is light,
spacious apartment over the office. Here the
shape of every piece of iron is drawn and
marked on piece of blue paper. The
plans go the mould loft, where the shps are
literally laid down on the floor and their
curves and lines drawn on the boards Light
wooden frames are laid along the lines, fol
lowing the curves, and marked and num-
bered SO as to fit together into full size
grOund-Dlan" OF the ship. The lines of the
keel are determined and the positions of the
ribs and deck beams marked. A separate
wooden pattern Is made for each pair of
ribs, as scarcely any two are of the same
length or make the same angle with the
keel. These patterns are all marked and
numbered, and piled up in consecutive order.
They iDtO the hands al a muscular
of blacksmiths, who make the keel plates in
an atmosphere suggestive OF the Internal re-
giOns. Broad axes and adZes are not used in
framing these keels A piece of beautiful
llver-colored steel, perhaps three-quarters of
a yard wide, 90 feet long and half an inch
thick, Is given to the men. Two immense
jaws, depending from a travelling crane,
seize 1t and hurry with it into place that is
hotter than any other on the earth, or below
or above 1t to the knowledge of man. The
steel plate is laid on the bed of this cherry
red furnace and heated white hot. Then
it comes out and slides to an iron
floor full of square holes in which stout pegs
are set. Between these pegs, which are ar
ranged after the plans prepared in the mould
loft, the plate is set and the blacksmiths fall
upon 1t with hammer and t0ngS, pulling and
pounding 1t rapidly into gutter shape while
1t c0olS. This gives IL a general form When
the plate becomes cool enough the wooden
rib patterns are fitted inside and the steel Is
more carefully formed to fit them. Several
of these plates are similarly treated and are
then marked and numbered to be put togeth-
er bye and bye in the yard outside for the
keels of the ships.
A second furnace alongside the first heats
the angle bars, of which the ribs are made.
and which are laid along on top of the keel
TO hold the upTIghts. The ribs are ham
mered out, bored, planed, sawed and twisted
with unconcern by the powerful machinery
more as If they were laths than steel bars,
and as fast as they are finished they are
marked and numbered and laid away until
the time comes to put them in place.
Although the hnlls of tha vnsselS ssse to DO
OF steel and Iron there will of course be
much fine woodwork about them. To pre-
pare this fine new joiner shop has been es-
tablished and is now being rapidly fitted up
with modern machinery Engine tools for
the construction Of the machinery are also
going into position and by the time they are
wanted Will be ready for use.
outside In the yard the blocks for the war
ships are already laid side by side just be-
low the new shops. Work will go on on the
vessels together, although one will be kept
little ahead Of the other. They will be
launched within few weeks of each other.
All of the work, although done by
the employees Of the Bath Iron Works,
VIII be under the constant supervision Of
government officers. Constructor Hichborn
and Chief Engineer EDtwhistle of the navy
will oversee the hulls and the engines re-
spectivey. while near the blocks stands a
small red house, in which third govern
ment officer will be stationed, with pair of
scales Everything that sgees. by, destined
for the ships, will be stopped and weighed
and accounted for. Everything that comes
back will also be weighed and accounted for.
so that by subtractiDg one sum from the
other the actual weight, and hence the value
of the vessels can be told to a cent.
These RunbOat9 bring the first iron vessels
built in Maine. there is naturally cOnsidera
bic preparatory work necessary, and much
delay is experienced in getting steel along,
but Mr.. Edward Hyde, who showed the
PRESS correspondent about the premises,
said that everything is now in train and the
work will go regularly forward to its end.
As Is well known these vessels are to be
simply small gunboats, after the general
style Of the Petrol, which was in Maine
waters the past summer; but everyone hopes
that after the people here get their hands in
at the business, something more pretentious
may be done. Surely the magnificent river
frontage OF the yard is sufficient to admit the
building of a second Maine or even larger
vessel, and the works will be fully capable
Of doing the work.