The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1908-08-26
SPLITTING OUT THE BLOCKS
BY ALBERT w. TOLMAN.


The keel of the schooner extended
over zoo feet up the sloping ship
yard, from sunlit harbor to pile
of Georgia pine near the blacksmith's
shop. Her inner ceiling" of heavy
timber was almost finished, and a big
'planking" crew was putting on
streak after streak outside her oaken
frames. Sledges rang on steel bolts
and thudded on locust treenails, and
the whole yard buzzed with life.
Under the bow an old man with
gold earhoops and iron gray hair be-
meath his bandless straw hat kept
filling two coal hods from whitish
heap of coarse Trapini salt These
he carried along gangplank and
stagings and emptied between the
frames, till each berth" could hold
no more. Thus was the vessel
"salted" to preserve her from future
decay.
The old mans face had healthy
flush; his blue eyes were bright and
clear. His bare brown forearms dis
played hard bands of muscle; the
right bore the Stars and Stripes, tat
tooed dull blue in India ink; while
fancy scroll pricked into the left en-
closed his initials, &c. w. N" AS he
rested in the shadow of the knight
heads l questioned him about ship
building. His first replies were mon
osyllabic, but on further acquaint-
ance he grew more communicative.
YES" he said, 1--WE worked round
vessels since l was old enough to
drive deck-bungs. Twenty years
was carpenter on different ships, and
I've circled the globe more times
than you've got fingers on one hand.
Storm, fire, wreck, mutiny-I've seen
'em all, yet here am I, back in my ma
tive town, working in the very yard
where / learned my trade almost six
ty years ago.
THE launching ways used to be
over there" He indicated a chip
strewn slope where lay several un-
smoothed spars. Down in the rock
weed you'll find some Of the oak cob
work STILL I've been in good many
tight places, but never in tighter
than near those old timber ends one
July night when l was seventeen.
This yard was then owned by
Enos Darlington, whose ships were
famous the world over. The Zeno-
bia Semple was a beauty of 1900
tons, the largest and finest vessel no
had ever built. She was finished by
July 1, and her launch was appointed
for the 18th, at ten minutes before
midnight, as in summer the tides by
night are considerably higher than
those by day.
when vessel is begun, her keel
is set on square oak blocks about
five feet apart, which remain under
her until she is completed. Just be-
fore the launch, smooth, sloping
track Of heavy hard pine timbers,
called the standing ways is laid on
the ground few feet from each
side of the keel, beginning at the
bow and running clear down into the
water. This track is smeared with
lard and tallow, and on its greasy
surface is laid another line of tim
bers, almost as long as the vessel,
and called the running ways The
space directly above this is filled up
to the bilge with planks and wedges.
forming solid wall, called the era
dle.'
'Mr. Darlington had determined
that the launch of the Semple should
be long remembered. BY eleven
that night the yard was we'll filed
with spectators The ship was alive
with lanterns and. bunting. Directly
before the bow was a platform for
the band. With cap torches fiaring
on their music sheets, they played
two or three selections, while the
the cradle planks and the bottom OF
the vessel, raising her slightly, and
easing the pressure on the shores,
or short props, under her bilge, so
that they could be knocked away.
"The master builder, who had
been walking up and down the yard
directing operations. now halted he
side the stem, and raised his iland
The music stopped.
"Split out your blocks!' he
shouted; and dozen men with
sledges and steel wedges sprang un-
der the bow into the two black tun-
nels that ran from stem to stern be-
tween the keel and the cradle walls.
Lanterns held outside the ways shone
through the crevlces and gave them
light for their work.
"The ship was now entirely sup
ported by the cradle resting on the
ways. and by the oak blocks under
her keel. AS these were split to
pieces one by one and knocked aside,