The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1910-10-30
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with mathematical precision, the al
| tentiOn OF the yard turns to the prep
aratiOn for launching. The ways on
which the vessel slides TO the water
are slight in appearance when COM
pared TO the towering nun, but they
are far stronger than they seem.
The ways consist OF two pieces,
I known as the 'grOundWays" and slid
/ ing ways" and are extremely simple
in construction, though they necessi-
tate the greatest care in putting down
/ for they must be absolutely true.
The grOundWays are laid out first.
They consist OF lengths of timber and
make platforms about three feet wide
| that extend from some little distance
beyond the edge of the water 10 the
bow of the ship, on either side. being
nothing more than tracks.
ON these tracks are placed the slid
ing ways. which are also long pieces
OF timber buiit up of many smaller
pieces, as is the groundways. but the
sliding ways are in gwo parts upper
and lower courses. When the ways
have been fitted they are taken apart
oiled and permitted TO season while
waiting for the ship 10 progress more
, toward completion.
Just a week or so before the ship
]
placed under her The grOundways
are carefully planned, each of the huge
timbers about 16 inches square, is lap
ped over the other in the direction the
ship will move, then barrel after bar
rel of grease made of tallOw. soap fat
and oil is smeared on the ways
The grease is necessary 10 make the
ways slip over each other easily and
it is not infrequent when one of the
/ large battleships is launched that as
much as 5000 pounds of this grease
is used. The grease is spread to
thickness of an inch or more on the
grOundways and then the sliding ways
are placed on top of them.
Between the lower and upper
courses of the sliding ways are placed,
every few inches apart, hundreds of
long oak wedges On top of the upper
course of the sliding ways is then
built the cradle. which is a series of
built-up forms of timber To- conform
with the shape of the underbOdy of the
ship and which is bound to the vessel
by ropes leading under the keel.
Just beneath the bows of the vessel
the lower course of the sliding ways
extends beyond its over course and
makes up what is known as the sole
pieces. which are firmly bolted TO the
grOundways.
Bright and early on the morning of
the launching the entire force of the
shipyard IS concentrated upon the
vessel. All of the hundreds OF pieces
of timbers that held the ship up.
known as shores" are knocked down,
much of TIE staging on which the
platers worked is removed and the
vessel stands out gaunt and, appar-
entity. unsupported. awaiting the sig
nal
Launching is usually a fete day, de-
spite its serious side. and on invita-
ton OF the builders hundreds Of prom
met citizens. statesmen and army and
navy officers assemble at the yard.
In the center OF this gathering is the
sponsor for the ship, a young lady
who has been selected by the govern
Or of the state for which the ship will
be named.
With her arms filed with a huge
bunch of roses she and the launch
ing party is escorted TO the platform
which has been especially built around
the bow of the ship. While the party
Is gathering on the stand the sponsor
is being coached by one OF the ship
yard people.
This coaching is also as necessary a
part to a successful launching as is the
times, there is considerable supersti-
ton regarding ships. and were ship
10 be launched ana the traditional bot
tie of wine be not broken over the
bow. then il is conceded that that ship
is not TO be lucky.
At a launching few years ago the
sponsor. despite the coaching. suffered
from stage fright at the crucial mo-
ment, and although she called out: I
christen thee --' loudly enough. she
failed TO strike with the bottle and il
slipped from her hands.
The bottle. however, was suspended
from a line from the base of the Jack
STAFF on the bow and as the ship
slipped down the WAYS the unbroken
bottle dangled against her side. Half
way down the ways a lynx-eyed work
man on the ground spied IT,
Hey. Mike" he cried to a workman
standing near the Jack star. ''she
didn't break the bottle. bust H." ana
Mike hauled up the string and
smashed the beribboned receptacle
ever the nose OF the ship as her stern
strt;ck the water. thus saving the rep
utation OF the yard and the good name
of the ship.
While the shipyard official is in