New-York tribune., 1899-03-26
A GREAT JERSEY SHIPYARh
ALL SORTS OF VESSELS BUr,nINc A.,
THE CRESCENT PLANT.

WHAT LEWIS NIXON HAS DONE AT ELIZABETH.
PORT THE VARIETY or WORK AND WORK.
MEN REQUIRED MIR NIXoN's RECORD
The Pathfinder, the new United States coa.,
and Geodetic Survey steamer which made j.,
trial trip last week, will BE- turned over 70 IN.
Government next week and will steam u
Hampton Roads, where she viii be fitted ara
made ready for her trip 10 Manila. She win
be used by the Government officials in suryevr,
the rivers and harbors Of the Philippine Islands
and will send back information which will 10
used in making the official maps Of the Stands
She was built at the Crescent shipyards at Ely.
abethport, y. J., from plans toy Lewis Nixon ara
although the contract requirement was twelve
knots she made fourteen knots under natural
draught. and attained a speed Of sixteen kuots
under forced draught.
The shipyard where this vessel was built bas
become the subject OF much attention Al.
though Mr.. Nixon has had the plant only fou,
years. he is now building his seventy first YES.
sci. and Of these twenty five were built in lSS
The yard may be reached from New-York In
about thirty minutes. II covers about four hun
dred acres. and has 400 feet Of water front the
depth OF the water being IS feet at low tide Il
IL fitted I'D in most respects like other shin.
wards. with the ponderous machinery Necessary
for cutting, punching and riveting heavy metal
plates There are furnaces forges athes
planers and other tools for working wood and
steel. and most OF the machinery is in sheds and
not inclosed between heavy walls as in the cass
in ordinary manufacturing establishments
VESSELS NOW UNDER CONSTRUCTION
There are at present seven vessels under way
on the building slips. and one Is being CON-
pleted in the water. TWO OF the vessels IN
q Of construction are long, lean and mar.
torpedo boats They look like great steel
sharks ready to dash az their prey. They are
being built for the United States Government
and will be known as the Nicholson and the
O'Bren. Mr. Nixon has guaranteed speed ct
twenty-sx knots or about thirty miles an hour,
for these vessels, and although they are ony
l75 feet long they will carry machinery capable
Of developing 1900 horsepower each
Alongside Of these is a broad strip OF steel .?
feet long which to the layman looks like an
elevated path to the waters edge, but 1t is the
keel of the monitor Florida. This vessel wher
completed will carry guns as large as thOs
which are placed on the battle-ships every
thing about the vessel Will be ponderous and
heavy, and she will probably be one Of the most
formidable armored monitors afoat She vii
be 80 feet beam.
Next to the monitor is the frame Of the Co
lumbia j. Harvey Ladews pleasure yacht'
vessel which. Mr. Nixon gays, Is In all essentla.
features a man-of-war. She IS similar ID &C.
sign to the Pathfinder Further up the stream
is the new steel steam yacht, l65 feet long,
which is being built from designs by J. r rams
for a man in Boston, and alongside her IS 'le
steel coal barge for the Automatic Conveying
and Weighing Coal Barge Company. The cap
tured Spanish steamer Rita. renamed the blrn'
side. and the Clearwater. renamed the lnsaS
have Just been converted INTO Army trapsf~S
and are receiving the finishing touches al !"
yard.
ALL SORTS OF SERVICE REQUIRED
The normal force Of men employed dD 'n'
wards is six hundred. anG the number embraces