The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1898-11-10
1H[ VAR REVIVED INTEREST IN SBPBuDNG.
The Number Of Students at Academy Of Naval
Architecture Has Been Doubled in the
Last Few Nonths.-HoW They
Learn the Art.
Learn the Art.

That 9 revival Of the American mer
chant marine is about to take place is l
evidenced by many symptoms, among
them the rush Of young men to learn
the shipbuilding business. This is
especially noticeable at the Academy
OF Naval Architecture and Marine En-
gineering. While hitherto the average
has been seventeen, the boys at the
school now number SO, and every day
new applications are received. This
is especially gratifying to the vener-
able founder Of the institution, who
expects before he dies to see the time
when the United States will build
ships, both merchantmen and men
of-war, for European nations, as he
used to do in his shipyard on the East
river Fl
The school and the home were get
ting along quietly, when along came
the war, and 10! the postoffice nearest
the academy began to be burdened
with the stream of applications and
inquiries which poured in to the man
ayers Of the institution, and the quiet
roads leading to the park in which
/ the building stands were seldom with
out a carriage bringing parents to the
place, who came to beg that their sons
might be admitted to the benefits Of
/ the institution.
It was not only the humble carry
all" from the railway station which
now goes up the hill, but private car
riages Of people Of means, who offer to
pay handsomely If their sons can only
be admitted. my son has determined
to be a naval architect u / do not
know what put it into his head UNI
4 less it was the war. We always
thought he would be lawyer This
is the only school of naval architec-
ture that I have heard of, so came
here. would be willing to pay a
generous price for his tuition" This
is sample Of the applications of the
fond mothers or fathers who coma to
launch their son on his chosen ca
reer. They, Of course, have to be
told that the boy cannot be taken,
and the object Of the school-to fur
nish shipbuilding education to young
men who otherwise would be Obliged
to go without one-1s explained to
them. #
During the past summer, while the.
school was in vacation, the students
4 were distributed among the various
shipyards, where they not only got
practical idea Of the workings OF
modern shipbuilding establishment,
but were also paid wages for their
work. They had been allowed to work
In shipyards in the summer vacation
before, but then gave their services
free This year they were not only
paid, but the yards were sorry to lose
them when the school term began
again. # ..s5sz
Boys of American parentage are
admitted to the school between the
ages Of Is and 20, and from the time
Z they enter until they graduate every
thing IS provided for them except their
clothes. The entrance examination is
pretty stiff. Besides the common Eng
lish branches, algebra, geometry and
trigonometry are we'll gone into.
To the layman the most interesting
part Of the students work is done in
the molding- loft. This is large, bare
room at the top Of the building, I'M
broken by pillar or post, where the
students in their working clothes draw
chalk marks all over the smooth floor.
These chalk marks delineate the vari-N
Gus parts Of some ship which the
students have been designing or study
ing from descriptions and plans. The
different parts are drawn in the exact
size that they are or would be in real
ity. The molding- room floor is to the
shipbuilder what those flimsy pat
terms, which come with publications
for women and look like war maps,
are to the dressmaker. From the
maze OF chalk lines drawn on the
molding-room floor ship can be cut
out and put together.
A student not only has to learn how
to design ship on paper and "lay
down. Its pattern on the holding
room floor, but he must also learn how
to order the material for It. When
the student has his ship all ready to
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