The Washington times., 1903-09-06
PLANS FOR 4 BATTIESILP
COST A SMALL FORT UWE


other important sections Of her inner
mechanism
And in this respect no two vessels
are alike. even twin warships" being
like other twins In that they look alike
but usually act differently. Still an
other series OF delicately complicated
plans are those that provide for the ar
rangement OF tubes. wires and other
means OF connecting every part Of the
ship with every other part, for not only
must space be economized to the finest
practical point. but every part Of the
system must be readily accessible in
case OF necessary repairs at short notice.
The plan for bolt-the perfect me-
chanical drawing. that is. whereby the
Fore River Ship and Engine Company In
Massachusetts, proves to the United
/ States Government at Washington that
IL has read. pondered. and pct in prac-
tice the volume Of specifications under
which It signed a contract to build bat
| tleship No. 20. as the Vermont is off,
ciaIly known-is a good example OF the
| exigencies under which a modern war
vessel IS put together. Very likely. IL
a visitor should pick up that bolt after
It had been actually manufactured ana
was waiting to be used In the vessel IL
would seem much like any other bolr:
but the Government inspector would ba
able to point out the differences. verify
them by measuring the angles. and
show the astonished visitor that not
only had the bolt been cast to order
for that particular vessel, but. worry
likely. that a machine had been made
TO order to cast the bolt
For an ordinary vessel OF commerce.
the bolts would have been bought ready
made in open market In a war vessel
every part OF it's mechanism. even the
smallest, IS designed to have a specific
value in increasing her strength and
lighting power, and the Government.
therefore, scrutinizes with impartial Sc
verify the plans for the great marine
engines that must drive the vessel day
and night: for the ammunition hoists
that are 10 keep her guns supplied and
busy during a possible engagement; for
the mechanism that is to aim the guns
and protect the vessel from the recou
OF their tons OF explosives; the bolts
that are 10 hold her steel plates to-
gether; or the little wheel and track
that runs a sliding door between the
captains cabin and his morning bath
tub. The smallest plan IN those neces-
sary 70 put the Vermont finally into
commission is the carefully studied ana
exactly described drawing OF a future
hammock hook.
Divided Into Groups
All these plans go forward in general
groups. the ship being divided into hull
and engines and electrical arrange
ments, and the work OF the yard fol-
lows these lines OF division. The two
departments start their drawing simul-
taneously. the engineering department,
whose share naturally includes hun
dreds of minor bits of machinery, driv-
ing rods, pistons, cranks, valves and
gauges as well as the big engines and
dynamos in toto. making rather less
than the number OF plans made by the
department of hulls. These plans. more
over. are always subject to change by
the Government, acting on the advice OF
its own experts.
Every change is recorded on the ship
builders first draft by a star stamped
on the exact spot in the ships anatomy
where the change has been deemed ad-
visabie and annotated on the margin
with an exact description which refers
1t to the final series OF new plans that
have been thus made necessary.
ANY change the Government makes IN
its original speeifications-such changes,
for instance. as are often the result OF
the added experience in naval architect
ure gained by some minor mishap TO a
foreign vessel either in ordinary cruising
or in naval maneuvers-is so much added
to the cost OF the vessel 70 the Govern
ment. and every deviation from the
original specifcations-whichv very rarely
happens in a pnodern shipyard and is then
invariably very soon discovered by the
lynx-eyed Government inspector-must
be remedied at the cost of the company.
Despite the hundreds OF plans made IN
the shipyard. II may be noted moreover
that Uncle Sam is his own warship de-
signer. and the plans are simply tan
gibIe expression OF the way IN which the
shipbuilder proposes to carry out the
countless details specified by the Gov
ernment experts
And when everything is completed and
the big war vessel is not only built on
paper but launched. ready T. receive her
ordnance and go into commission, ths
Government files a duplicate OF every
plan-not OF the original draft, but OF
yet another new one containing all the
changes developed in process OF con-
struction-from the smallest hammock
hook TO the biggest engine OF gun mount.
From these final. complete drawings,
whatever happens TO the vessel. the
Government is able Immediately TO Or
der the material necessary 10 repair ths
injury.-Boston Correspondents Balti-
more Herald.