The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1892-12-05
BIGGEST IN THE WORLD.
Ths Enormous Floating Derrick Used
I'm Crsmp a. sons shipyard.

s"e enormous Floating Derrick Used
I'm Crsmp a. sons' shipyard.
When shipbuiiders in this country be-
gan to make modern war vessels nine
years ago they were especially handi-
capped for lack OF tools, says the New
York Sun. To turn out cruisers such as
the Boston, Atlanta, and Chicago with
almost no facilities for doing 80 when
the contracts were signed was an experi-
ment that only yundismayed energy would
undertake. AT that time England and
other nations had been making such ves-
sells Tor ten and, in some instances, fifteen
years. They had immense forge ham
mers, great derricks, plants for gun max
ing, for armor- plate manufacture, for
forming the thousand and one parts of q
vessei, and, perhaps most important OF
all, an abundance OF designs and design
ers, all of which this country lacked.
To-day the United States are not only
abreast OF all other nations in the equip
ment for building these monster engines
OF warfare, but excel them in the ability
to do the work speedily. American
armor plate, which was an unknown
thing three years ago, now leads the
world, as the recent tests in England
show. We no longer take foreign designs
for our new navy. We no longer import
steel plates for the protection Of our ves-
sells or guns for their armament. Every
one OF our recent ships is American from
bow to stern in design and manufacture,
and II Is matter for national pride that
IN every instance OF practical comparison
our vessels have surpassed those of SINH
lar grades in other naves.
With the development of this industry,
now engaging plants worth many mil
lions OF dollars, there has been a constant
struggle to get promptly the big tools
necessary for the work. This also has
been accomplished, and now this country
not only has the biggest and best forge
hammers and the best steel plants, but
within year it has been found necessary
to build the biggest floating lifting ma
chine or derrick in the world.
After an armored cruiser has been
launched and her machinery and armor
plate have been constructed, the problem
is how to lift her boilers and engines and
put them in the hold quickly, safely, and
accurately, and how to place the armor
properly in position with the smallest
expenditure of effort. Every ship-yard
has stationary derrick or shears on the
end OF pier with which to lift ordinary
machinery into vessel. But when armor
plates have to be put in place with such a
derrick the vessel must be moved fire.
ouently and with great nicely. When
70-ton boilers have to be raised there is
great danger to the derrick, to the pier
on which the derrick is anchored, to the
vessel waiting for the boilers, and to the
boilers themselves.
To obviate this difficulty the Messrs.
Cramp, of Philadelphia, have recently
constructed derrick, at cost of $780,
600, which is the most complete and in
genious thing of the kind ever made. 1t
has the superb record of lifting a 70.t5n
boiler of the pier, towing itself a dis
tance of 150 feet, and lowering the boiler
with delicate adjustment to the armored
cruiser Nc York in less than twenty
five minutes. Only two men were re-
quired to operate the machine, and the
ease with which the Toto bundle was
lifted from one place 10 another suggested
play rather than mechanical engineer
ing Of high grade.