Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1898-12-24
THROUGH ALIEN EYES
Newport News as Seen by Our
English Cousins.
THAT ORDNANCE
description and History ola Great Firm.
The Capital of the English Company
That is Coming Here
Is $1e,5oO,ooo.

The vas. Importance that Newport
views is assuming in the Industrial
world has been recently strikingly
evidenced in many WAYS. and the city
has been nso,p talked about, perhaps,
than any other on the Atlantic coast
NIscussing the reported Negotiations
of the English nrm OF yickers. Sons e.
Maxim and the Newport News Ship
building and Dry Dock Company. the
l-eerson Iron and Coal Trades Review
publishes nearly two pages of Interest,"
ing matter Illustrated With n number OF
half-tones OF the Virginia plant The
Review regards the plan as combating
gun factory. shipyard and Ecneral ar
scnal. and says:
The matter is one of interest both
from an English and from an Ameri-
cah point of view-from an English
STANDPOINT because it marks another
stage in the developments OF IL gigantic
business and points to the Possibilities
OF further expansion of the same char
acter, and from an American because il
secures for Brother Jonathan the adj
vantages that are likely to accrue from
the knowledge, experience and resources
OF British gun-making, armor-plate
manufacturing and shpbuildnE firm of
the first rank. which may hereafter be
come, on American SOIL competitor
With such a gigantic concerns as the
Carnegie Steel Co. and the Bethlehem
Iron and Steel Co. 1t would, however,
be mistake to suppose that the report
ed new arrangement will be of any real
advantage to British industry as such
TN the contrary. it is understood that
the future of the Newport News works
will be bound up mainly in that of the
expansion of the American navy. and
no doubt with American materials and
American labor.
The firm Of Vickers. Sons & Maxim
already own at Sheffield one of the larg-
est gun and armor-plate manufacturing
establishments in the world us we'll rs
naval construction works at Barrow
formerly the Barrow Shipbui1ing ana
Engineering Co.'S; gun works at Firth,
in Kent, on the banks of the Thames;
powder and shot works at Birmingham,
hartford and Crayford gun works IN
Sweden and Spain, and ranges at Swan
lev, Eynsford and Barrow-in- Furncss
7ae foundations of the firm were laid
90 years ago by. the grandfather OF
s's: present nanag ing dlrectors-Mr.
Xmas e. vickers and -Mr. Albert
rH@rs. The original title OF the firm
Naylor & Sanderson, under whom
@@2 E were carried on in Sheffield until
1929, when two businesses and two sep
arate firms were organized-the che
known as Naylor, Hutchinson Vickers
d Co. and the other describde as San
derson Bros. &. Co. In 1863 the first
named firm secured the site of the pres
emit extensive works ait Brightsde, on
the outskirts of Sheffield, and built new
works, and in 1867 the firm was recon
sttuted under the name of Vickers.
Sons &, Co, Limited. The firm was un-
usually enterprisinE and speedily took
up leading position in the staple trade
OF Shefiield-so much So indeed, that
even before 1869 they We're manufacture
ing ingots of crucible steel that weighed
twenty-five tons and used 672 crucible
pets in the operation. More recently the
firm have adapted their appliances to
cast ingots of seventy tons in weight.
In 1883 they produced their first guns
ana in the same year they undertook
the manufacture Of rmor-plates, which
they have since carried on In competi-
ton with the other Sheffield firms Of
Sir John Brown & Co. and Messrs c.
cammcll & Co. Only last year Messrs
eickers. Sons & Co. acquired the works
OF the Naval Construction & Arma-
ments Co. at Barrow-in- Furness. and
more recently they acquired by amalga-
nation the works Of the Maxim Nord-
enfelt Guns e. Ammunition Co, Limi-
ted, at Firth. Birmingham and other
places. where various types of machine
guns. as well as ammunition are man
ufactulcd In 1867 the capital OF the
company was scl55,0G0. whereas it is
now c2,500,0OO The company are
equipped to construct any description
of warship ready for action, from their
own unaided resources. Their Sheffield
and Barrow works are among the finest
of their kind in Europe
The Newport News shipyard is one
of the three finest in the United States.
the others being those of Cramp & Co,
at Philadelphia. and the Union Iron
Works, al san FRANCISCO. 1t is Of large
extent, and has turned out Il number of
the largest and most important addi-
tons hitherto made to the naval power
or the United States. The shipyard is
about 231 miles south of New York /
was originated by Mr.. G. F. Hunting
ton, Of the Southern Pacific Railway
The yard is especially we'll fitted Il
has dry dock 600 feet in length by 1870
feet wide, and with an entrance of nine
ty-thrce feet in width. The moulding
loft is 3O6 by sixty feet. which gives an
Idea of the large dimensions of the con-
Germ. There are eight building ways
two Of 500 feet. two of 400 feet two Of
$50 feet and two of COO feet each Over
these ways there are cantilcver cranes
suspended The equippage is well UP to
date, ana includes a travelling crane in
I the p1'ar1ir,e. chnr ..apaT,1a ri I;ftip,r