Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-06-23
A WARSHlP IN MINIATURE.
The South Carolina Could Hold 117,000
of These Little Models.

The South Carolina Could Hold 11IOOu
of These Little Models.
Of the many things in Washington
that attract thousands of visitors prob
ably nothing leaves its mark on the
memory as do the models of Uncle
Sans fighting ships in the corridors
of the east side Of the state, war and
navy building,
These models are not at home all the
time, however, says Cassier's Maga-
zine. After an extended stay in port
off they cruise to some exposition at
st. Louis, jamestown, Portland, and
most recently the Appalachian expo
sition at Knoxville, Tenn. in Septem-
ber and October Some of them have
travelled far enough to have more than
encircled the globe.
The latest addition to the fleet Of
models is the magnificent new model
Of the South Carolina, which distin-
guished herself by making the record
Of sixteen bullseyes out of sixteen
shots, all in less than five minutes, and
a total of fifty-five bullseyes out Of
sixty shots, three out of four of her
turrets having made 100 per cent of
hits.
In order that the model might in all
visible respects be a true representa-
tion of its prototype its completion as
is usual was delayed until after the
vessel proper was finished. This Won
derful example Of the craftsman's skill
has all of it's details just one-forty-
eighth of their originals in size. The
real South Carolina could stow away
over 117,000 of its models, If it were
possible to pack them without loss Of
space.
The slate color adopted for the parts
Of a vessel which are visible when it
is ahoat is broken only by the light
color of the weather decks and the
shining metal of the propellers and two
bundles of tiny oars lashed in the cut
ters and lifeboats. These little life
boats are shown hanging at their da-
Wits abreast the after tower, as If at
sea.
Wonderful as the little boats appear
with their seats, gratings and other
fittings, all together not much larger
than a mans finger, the tiny oars re-
ferred to are almost more remarkable.
Though perfectly shaped and finished,
they are only about as large as an or
dinary wooden toothpick.
The stays to the topmasts and the
smokestack guys, representing about
all the rigging left in these days of
steam, have been taken from a spool
of cotton, and are so fine that some Of
them do not appear in the photograph.
So conscientious has the model max
er been in depicting the various parts
that the glass of the thirty inch
searchlight, which appears In the
model the size of a ten cent piece. has
been shown in it's dozen or more di-
visions, as If to provide in the model.
as in the real searchlight, ready and
inexpensive means of substituting a
broken part.
The craftsman has so perfectly shap-
ed the big guns, the rapid fire and field
guns with their carriages, the awning
stanchions, the life lines, the air ports,
the decklights, the boat and propeller
boOms-in fact, the thousand and one
bewildering detais-that the observer
in studying them forgets that he is not
looking on the real man-o'-war. He
forgets to wonder with what sort of
an instrument the delicate life buoys
could have been fashioned, the ships
winches brought into workable shape.
and how 1t has been possible to shape
the tiny square holes in the landing
gratings of the sea ladders-little
squares so perfect and yet so small
that pin could not be pushed into
them. This model cost about $4,000.
Less beautiful but more useful than
the display model is the skeleton mo-
del, made for the purpose of showing
the interior construction and the ma
chinery of the vessel and used to great
advantage in quickly familiarizing the
sailor with his ship, where days and
sometimes weeks of study are requir-
ed, even when he is able to read draw
ings.
All of the framing and plating of
the decks, bulkheads and inner bottom
and other longitudinal and transverse
framing are shown i'm their true rela-
ton to one another and their relative
Importance on structural strength and
water tightness portrayed. The skele-
ton model is so constructed that 1t
may be taken apart in order that the
interior may he more readily visible
and that every nook and corner of the
vessel may be revealed TO the obser-
Yer.
Probably the most complete exam
pie of a skeleton model ever made is
that of the army TRANSPORT Sherman.
1t is made up of about 10000 separ-
ate parts, though its total length is
only about IL feet The vessel proper
is arranged with 1,SOO hunks, with all
the culinary and other housekeeping
arrangements to accommodate that
many troops. Imagine the patience re-
quired to properly place these details
in the model and arrange to make all
the hunks and several other thousand
parts of the model removable.