The White Pine news. [volume] (Ely, Nev.) 1906-1910, 1908-12-06
Mare Island NdOy
Yard Makes
Record Time.
ADDRESS POINTS TO FACT THAT
SEW CONDITIONS PREVAIL IN
THE NAVY YARDS-NO long
ER LoAFING PLACES.

VALLEJO. Cal, Dec. 5-The great
steel collier Prometheus. which is
des. ned to carry coal for the fight
ing ships of Uncle Sans navy. was
launched at Mare Island navy yard
today. The Prometheus is the larg-
est steel ship ever built on this coast
The building has been accomplished
in remarkable time under the direc-
tion of Navy Constructor II. A. Ev-
ans. The steel vessel was not laid
until October 8 of last year. The
ship has displacement of l. 300 tons.
Mare Island navy yard was in holi-
day dress today in honor of the oc-
currence and the docks and yards
were thronged with interested spec
tators. This afternoon Constructor
Evans delivered an address which
was heard by some thousands of Wis
itors and by employees of the yard.
He appealed TO their patriotism and
honesty TO build up the shipbuilding
yards of the government, speaking as
! follows:
Shipbuilding in navy yards is OF
great Importance to the city OF
Vallejo. the state of California. and
in fact the entire Pacific, Coast
can readily understand that the ma
] iority of those present are more In
\ terested in shipbuilding in the Mare
4 Island yards than in the general sub
| ject, and for this reason | shall briefly
refer TO the building of the
Prometheus. This vessel is the first
1 large steel ship built in navy yard
on the Pacific coast The structural
material for this ship was received
about the middle of September. 1907,
and work was begun on October 1st
! The keel was laid October 18th. and
today the vessel is lying in the stream
! Less than fourteen months have ell
apsed since the keel was laid on those
blocks. Except for the machinery,
the vessel is practically completed,
being further advanced at the launch
ing than any large vessel previously
built in this country. Except for the
/ installation. this vessel can be COM
pleted and join the fleet by January | i,
( 1909. which is fifteen months after
work was begun. The completion of
I the hull and fittings of a vessel of
/ this size and type in this time is a
very satisfactorY performance.
I Furthermore. Notwithstanding the
higher cost of material and the high
er wages paid on the Pacific coast, the
I Prometheus will be completed at less
cost than a sister vessel building at
the navy yard, New York
Due credit kor this satisfactory
achievement should he given to the
1 foremen and mechanics of the Mare
T Island yard. The splendid work done
{ by Naval Constructor Henry, who su-
pervised the building of this vessel.
should receive special commentator.
I Ii is due largely to his ability and to
/ his unremitting attention to every de-
tail of the work that Mare Island to-
/ day stands at the head of the ship
builing navy yards.
Shipbuilding in navy yards is ne
cessity. The feet comes and goes: at
one time there will be an enormous
amount of work, owing to the pres
ence of the fleet, and again when the
! fleet goes, the work will drop to al
most nothing. With new construc-
tion work the organization can be
kept intact, officers and mechanics ed
ucated, cost can be reduced, and a
permanent force of excellent mechan-
les can be maintained, and the yard is
always ready to make repairs quickly
and economically. The necessity for
keeping new work in the Pacific
coast yards is greater than In the
eastern yards. These are located in
/ Boston. New York, Philadelphia and
/ Norfork, all large shipbuilding CEN
! ters where there are a large number
of men trained in the shipbuilding
trades who can be drawn on as re-
quired by the navy yards. What is
the situation on the Pacific coast?
There is no shipbuilding industry in
the vicinity of Mare Island, and the
available supply of men skilled In the
shipbuilding trades is small. In case
of large increase in the work, the
skilled men must be brought from the
east, 5000 miles away. Uuless there
is new construction work in the yard
these men can not be given per-
manent employment, and when laid
OF, 1t may be months before they can
secure employment at their trade.
Good mechanics will not remain
under these conditions; they will re-
turn to the shipbuilding centers
where steady employment can be
obtained.
The Pacific Is growing In impor-
tance. Anyone who has made study
of the situation we'll knows that in
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