Sullivan republican. [volume] (Laporte, Pa.) 1883-1896, 1894-11-02
COST OF A BATTLE SHIP.
AS MUCH AS $4,000, 900 EXPENDED
FOR A SINGLE VESSEL.

What That Immense sum Really
Means-Various Items That Enter
Into the Ships Cost.
TN looking over the appropriations
for the support of the Govern
ment for fiscal year probably
no item will be found therein
which specifies so much money to be
expended for 80 limited an object as
one similar to the following:
"The President is hereby authorized
to have constructed by contract one
sea going, coastline battle ship, de-
signed to carry the heaviest armor and
most powerful ordinance, at cost,
exclusive of armament and of any pre-
MUM that may be paid for increased
speed, not exceeding $4,000, 000."
At the first glance it scarcely seems
possible that q single ship, that can be
tossed around at will by the billows
of the ocean, or be destroyed COM
pletely in few hours if cast upon q
lee shore, could cost such an enormous
amount of money. Four million dol
lars would build magnificent feet of
forty full-rigged ships, each capable
OF carrying 5000 tons of cargo to any
port in the world. It would buy every
ferryboat plying between New York,
Brooklyn and Jersey City. 1t would
be sufficient TO establish line of six
teen good-sized steamships, such rs
run from New York to Jacksonville,
Fla, and other domestic ports. A
feet of fifty such crack yachts as the
Vigilant could be built and fitted up
in elegant style for the price paid for
Just one battle ship.
If we make our comparisons with
ojects on shore, more astonishing facts
can be cleaned. Take, for instance,
dwelling houses; good three-story
brick house, occupying a lot 25
feet by 100 in an ordinary city. would
be worth, on IN average, about $lO,-
900. Four million dollars would
build 400 houses of that class, and if
these houses were placed in one row,
after making due allowance for streets
and sidewalks, we would have nearly
two miles of dwellings,. There are not
many towns OF 10000 inhabitants
where the entiro taxable property is
assessed for 81, 900, 900. An average
mechanic, in good times, will earn
about 5000 year; the money paid
for one battlcship by the Government
would thus support nearly 1000 fami-
lies, or city of $4,000 inhabitants.
for whole year.
It will naturally be asked, aftcr
reading the above statement, how is it
possible to expend- -this- great SUM for
Just one ship? A visit to large ship
building establishment whero such
vessels are constructed will disclose
the fact that the principal item of ex-
pense must be the labor. Walk
through the draughting room, the
pattern shop, the machine shop, the
boiler shop, and out on the vessel
herself, and everywhere you will find
men working away hour by hour, all
for the one ship. IT we should count
them we would find that there are
nearly eight hundred employed on one
part or another of this four-million.
dollar vessel. Month after month
they work, and probably at the end OF
four years time their task will be
completed.
However, the men we find about the
yard are not the only ones who are
employed in the construction of the
battle ship. In different parts of the
country many others are working i'll
the mines, tho blast furnaces, and
rolling mills to produce the material
for the mer in the yard to work upon.
Altogether it is safe to say that thou
sand men are constantly employed for
a period of four years in the construc,
ton of one of these leviathans Of the
sea.
Probably no other creation of man
brings into employment greater va
riety of artisans than the construction
of war ship. If we glacc over the
pay roll of a large shipyard no find
represented thereon draughtsmen. pat
tern makers, machinists, riveters, cop
persmiths, plumbers, boiler makers,
calkers, pipe filters, painters, carpon-
ters, joiners, sailmakers, riggers, cleo
tricians, bellhangers, decorators, up
holsterers, and many other special
trades ana OccupatlonS. IL nus pecu cs-
itimated that thero are thirtytwo classes
of workmen necessarily employed in
the construction of steamship. AS
the majority of these men are skilled
mechanics who receive from S12 to
$25 week, it can be easily seen where
the money is expended for this class OF
construction.
i One of the most expensive parts Of
the whole ship is the armor for the
turrets and belts around the sides.
The contract price for this material
varies between $500 and $500 q ton,
delivered in the shipJard. This does
not include the cost OF placing the
plates on tho vessel, which amounts
to considerable sum. Some of the
plates weigh twenty, Eve tons and are
worth nearly $4,000 apiece. 1t is
probable that when the guns and
equipment are supplied and the pre-
miums paid for increased speed, the
cost of one OF these battle ships will
reach grand total cf nearly Sc. 000.-
O00.-New York Sur.