Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1901-09-11


metal ten feet square; one Of the boring
mills will swing sixteen-foot circle. ant
the largest radiaI drin has sixty-incl
arm and ID ten feet high. This shop Il
three hundred and twenty feet long, on,
hundred feet wide and forty-nine feel
high. An electric railroad takes the ma.
terial from this room and delivers 1t te
any point on the shipways where 1t ma,
be required.
The boiler room Is another immense
room, nearly $50 feet long by ITO feet wide
and is fitted up to handle the very largest
work in this line. Here Is hundred ton
hydraulic riveter, . faDger with two
forty-ton rams which can be combined &C
as to put an eighty ton pressure upon any
plate put into the machine, punch capa-
BILE Of putting six-inch hole through
the largest plate, and hydraulic cranes
that can swing hundreds OF tons with
ease.
1t lie Unnecessary to add that there are
other shops too numerous to mention
Every separate branch of the business has
. shop with its own foreman and skilled
workmen. Some OF the derricks on the
wharves and ways are OF gigantic proper
tions and can swing weight of one hun
dred tons with ease. These are used to
place the engines, boilers and othe heavy
machinery on board the ships after they
are launched. There Is q system for
everything that Is done here, and all runs
with the precision OF cIock-work.
There are several wsrships at these yards
at the present time. The three torpedo
boats, "Barney, J" "Bagley' and "Biddle,"
are completed, and ready to hand over to
the government. They are lying at the
wharf side by side, and each afternoon
they take spin around the harbor, just
to show what they can do. Either of
these boats can make twenty mine knots
an hour, and may be reckoned as the
swiftest and most dangerous craft of their
kind In the world.
The "Nevada" Is launched, and her ma
chinery well nigh placed in position. She
Is q monitor of the first class, and Is de.
signed almost exclusively for harbor de-
fence. She is a formidable looking craft,
and with the immense battery which she
will carry, will be able to cope with any
thing afioat.
The "Cleveland", a cruiser OF the second
class, is still on the ways, but Is we'll ad-
vanced towards completion. This ship
will be launched the coming fall, and
when placed in commission will be a fine
addition to our already powerful navy.
The greatest contract ever yet secured
by the Bath Iron Works is the building OF
the great battIeship "Georgia". This
monster lighting ship will be OF 1900
tons, and will be the finest among
all the nsvies OF the world. The prepar-
atory work on the ways has just begun,
and 1t will take three years to complete
the ship. Hundreds OF great piles are
now being driven into the ground, upon
which the weight of the battIeship will
rest. The expense of this one item
will be not less than 100000. The build
Ing OF great battleship is task OF such
tremendous magnitude that it is difficult
to realize it without becoming familiar
with the details.
The Bath Iron Works corporation has
always been fortunate in the ability OF its
officers. The elder Hyde was a man OF
keen discernment, and drew around him
personal staff OF superintendent, ioremen
and technical experts who have aided very
largely in building up he great prosperity
Of the firm. With the death OF its founder,
the presidency and reins OF power passed
into the hands OF his Oldest son, Edward
w. Hyde, a gentleman whose education,
natural ability and training admirably
adapted him to take up the burden laid
down by the father. He is a man of great
energy aud keen business ms, met, and
as never before.
Anot her son, John s. Hyde, is the vice
president aud general Manager. This
gentleman has grown up in the business,
and is thoroughly familiar with all its de-
tails. A large part of the technical, as
well as the business details devolve upon
him, and he is in every way fitted to per-
form these duties.
II. I'll. McCarty, the treasurer, is a
young man for SO important position,
but his selection for this office shows that
he is man of unusual ability and in
tegrity.
The superintendent Of construction Is
John McInness, and when we consider
the magnitude OF the work under his
control we gain an idea OF the Importance
OF his position. Charles p. Wetherbee is
the superintendent of torpedo boats, and
all OF this class of fighting craft are made
under his direct supervision. Another
high officer is Hugh t. Madden. This
gentleman is the general foreman of the
yards.
Besides these, there are very many sub
superintendents, managers and foremen,
all of whom have their specified duties,
and all OF whom are experts in their par
ticular line. In the buildings and around
the yards no less than HOO men are en-
ployed, and this force will be largely in
creased as soon as the battleship Georgia"
is placed on the stocks. Such vast in
,J,,at 49, raa,,;raa oroot akiil aud foree iO ht