New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-12-10
NEWPORT NEWS PLANT.
.ur LARGEST sHIPBUILDING YARDS IN
THIS COUNTRY.
-pr OLD VIRGINIA TOWN RECEIVED ITS
xrw LEASE OF LIFB-wARsHIps BUILT

now THE OLD VIRGINIA TOWN hhChINED lis
xrw LEASE OF LIFB-wARsHIPs BUILT
7HERE-woRK NOW UNDER WAY.
sbinbui,d,ns plant at Newport News
.ltbough only an infant in years. is the giant
vs., ,,,,d IN this country. For at the present
OF -. opstrips all its big competitors In size. and
''in .he construction OF its works was begun only
-. vears ago Its official name, Newport News
e,Nv,lding and Drydock Company Is com
o"lpsurahle with its physical size situated where
80 River flows into Hampton Roads. 1t is
" L,s,oric country on Hampton Roads was
~, the first great battle between armorclads.
nx..,e which revolutonized naval warfare and
"' NJ LA N the construction OF modern navles.
va ,ou, az Hampton Roads are built the wonder
-, wsrships which comprise these modern naves
xou,nort News is so fortunately situated, on deep
10 waters and in such close proximity to the
..r.,ic as 10 make It almost an ideal place for a
A"I,us,,g nlant There too are the Eastern
,.ols n. the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad
,.-o with its facilities for transporting every
.h,rr needed by great manufacturing establish
- And besides all this. Newport News IL to-
Az one OF the most important ports of export
1 Atlantic Coast To It is shipped much OF the
..oarce Of the West and South. Vast quantities OF
r,o,n 60 there which formerly came TO New-York,
- 90 do coal iron and other products OF the
mines .--
c,ivs p Huntingto the capitalist who.
..atqrne the natural advantages possessed by this
~ virginia town made It the outlet for his rail-
s.,d. f., the West and Southwest by buying UP the
l,besapeake and Ohio and making his o.ler roads
..,s,re ~ that one lie built piers ran his tracks
. .he,, hroucbt steamers alongside and unloaded
,bo freight from his into the steamers with
clio beodlng He constructed the shipbuilding
,., and IN a word. retuvenated the sleepy old
town
rho Nevport News Shpbuilding and Drydock
Cop,ranvs wards now cover an area OF one hun
dred and twenty-five acres. which means that they
are about oae-ff,h as large as Central Park. Their
frontage on the water is 600 feet or half mile
lacking % fee; The buildings OF the plant cover
ien acres OF ground. and are constructed OF steel
and brick Their equipment OF machinery is OF the
lq.ost pattern and capable Of doing the heaviest
work known In shipbuding. One Of the pieces OF
machinery which has attracted wide attention
both on account Of its novelty and its power is
huge revolving derrick which Is capable Of lifting
one hundred and Atty tons dead weight This
wonderful piece Of machinery is operated by cleo
irlcity
The Newport News company. like all the other
large shpbuilding establishments in the United
S,aies. has had its share in the construction Of
ships FOR the new Navy In the war with Spain
this company represented by the gunboats
Wilmington. Helena and Nashville. the auxiliary
cruisers Yosemite, Dixie. Prairie and Yankee and
the hospital ship Solace
BATTLESHIPS BEING CONSTRUCTED.
Additions the navy in course Of construction
there include the battleships Illinois and Missouri
and the coast defence monitor Arkansas. The bat
teships Kearsarge and Kentucky almost com
pleted and already known 10 the waters of New
York the former having visited the Brooklyn Navy
Yard within the last few weeks while the Ken
lucky was anchored of Tompklnsville only few
u. ~ baH ,-ta
making the best showing Of any battleship so far
constructed but neither has yet been turned over
10 the Government
Building war vessels however has been only one
item Of the company's business II has turned out
a large number OF merchant vessels. In this num-
Der indeed, are 10 be included the auxiliary cruis-
ers and the hospital ship already mentioned, which
taken from their peaceful avocations in
the merchant marine 10 help In the fight against
the spaniards. For the last year or more the New
yor; News yards have been exceedingly busy in this
line OF work well az in the construction OF naval
been denrersnS to toe owners Completed one 56o6ton
steamer every thirty days. and moreover Will con-
unue 10 make deliveries to their owners OF steam,
ers Of this tonnage. one each month for several
Work has also been begun on two leviathans for
the Pacific trade. They are 10 be used for both
passenger and freight business. and are 70 have
speed OF eight cen knots. Each vessel Is 10 have
Displacement Of u.s. 500 tons and the two vii conSe Use
QDently be among the largest steamships aToat and
the largest ever constructed in America ,Iogether
with the American liners ST. Paul and ST Louis
they will form the quartet OF the largest american
built steamships In existence The size OF these I'M
nense ships can be more easily appreciated when
Il Is remembered that the new Oceanic dlsplaces
B0co tons while these Pacific liners are to dis
The repair work is. Of course an important item
n these yards IN others. The activities al New
port News before and in the course or the rtct ny
fitting out and getting ready TOT service ne
numerous vessels OF the auxiliary navy useu py lhe
Government are still fresh in the memory OF TOst
persons At the present time the American Line
steamship New-York is undergoing her annual over
hauling at the yards.
MAMMOTH DRYDOCK.
Un,n recently he United States was without
facilities for docking the large ocean gong VesSes'
and Z, u,as not long ago that Americans felt
sense o, humiliation when the Government was
Obliged 10 send one Of its new and finest battle
ships 70 the British naval station al Halifax y .
in order 10 find a drydock large enough to accom-
nodste Il, This has. however. all been changed
and the Government now has drydocks OF its own
large enough and strong enough 70 take III an!
OF its batileships The Newport News ConlPsh!
has had in operation for years a uryooSN , ~
ments nov approaching completion is a mammoth
crydOck which will be capable or taxing III W.
saueshps al one time; ana me iens tha oceanIn
sufficient 70 enable II TO take IN the Ocea am.
with more than 100 feet spare. This means that
Is more than 500 feet long. ,,,,-, ~,
l. is easy TO understand that an estaphshihtht Vi
ssch size must have an army OF men In It's EN-
poy The men al present employed AT tne 4aIus
lumber $3.50 and would make a good sized yi!sse
many OF these men have families II can be seen
how largely this great shipDuiding paiilt aus 10
he population and prosperity OF the old town ~
Everything connected with the WORKINGS anu
tcivtes OF the concern is located there, except
ing the Offices OF is executive head ana one ~ 49,
oher Offices which al No. l broadway IN Ihis
quarters but the multifariOus duties OF his ousy
Ne DO not permit Of his remaining stationary long