Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1912-08-08
BIC SHIP BUILDING
The Planning and Constructing
of an Ocean Liner.
FIRST A MINIATURE IS MADE.
This Small Model Is Then Thoroughly
Tested, and the Story II Tells When
Perfected Will Be the Story Of the
New Vessel When Launched.

Perfected Will be the Story OF the
New Vessel When Launched.
Building a modern ocean liner Is an
interesting and complicated operation.
The ships plan is first prepared in
sections from owners specifications. on
a scale Of a quarter OF half an inch to
the foot. One set of drawings. called
the sheer draft" Is a plan of the
ships skeleton or framework without
the plates. the internal deck. bnIkhead
and hold arrangements being indicated
by n series of detailed drawings.
Follows then the experimental stage.
A wooden block or casting of paraffit
wax is first made 10 scale from the
ships plans md tested in a large tank
about 300 feet in length and eight feet
deep. The model. weighted 10 the load
line. is towed TO and fro by m over
head ~traverser at varying speeds.
Delicate instruments register b ex-
act pull" the displacement. THE Stabil
ity and a host Of other information
The shape of the model is altered
again and again. pieces being shaved
off here and others there. The final re-
suits are carefully tabulatcd. and from
this ship in embryo the builders com
plete their plans.
Inside the central shed. $50 yards
long and 100 feet in height. the ships
berth has meantime been prepared
Thousands Of wooden piles. about thir-
ty feet in length. have been driven By
pile drivers deep into the ground. On
these are laid huge cams and the
floor completed with stout planEs.
Then in the center the keel blocks. snr
mounted by oak caps In groups OF five,
are assembled on a falling gradient 10
the river of about half an inch Il foot.
All is now ready for the reception of
the ponderous keel. This the back
bone Of the ship is Of huge strength.
measuring four feet across. and IL three
and a quarter inches thick. Parallel
with the keel. but above 1t and attach
ed by angle bars. is the central girder.
five feet high. the space between form
ing the double bottom. On each side.
at regular distances running length
wise. are seyen other Orders, the out
er one called the margin plate"
The water tight chambers are formed
by vertical partitions Of plates extend
ing above and beneath the floors up 10
the margin plate on each side.
After the great cast steel stern frame
and the stem bar for the bows have
been attached the plating begins. The
steel strips Of varying sizes. but nv
eraging thirty -four feet in length and
about three tons in weight each. which
form the skin OF the ship. are laid on
in strakes like the bricks In n wall
Fitting these strakes 10 the shape Of a
ship Is Il critical business. A thin
wooden pattern or template IS first
prepared for each plate and clamped
in position on the ships side. With
minute care every detail is marked on
1.-THE size and shape. the overlap and
the rivet holes.
1t is then transferred to its proto-
type. the steel plate. which is cut,
punched and pen by wonderful ma
chinery that slices steel strips. punches
rivet holes and bends steel plate rs
easily and cleanly as though the mi
terial were paper. Nimble travelling
cranes on gantries under the roof pick
up the huge plates when ready and
convey them TO their appointed place.
where the hydraulic riveter-a me-
chanical marvel-with irresistible force
and rapidity drives each rivet home
In the building Of a modern liner over
100000 rivctS arc used. Each joint
Is rendered water tight by caIking.
The outer shell finished and the in
side work far advanced. the builders
turn their attention to the problem OF
the launch. the weight of the vessel ut
this point on the keel blocks being
something like 10000 tons. The
launching ways. slipping gently TO the
water. are prepared. and cradles. fore
and aft. To guide the ship. are erected
with huge wooden beams. the whole
being finally fabricated by tallow and
train oil.
Amid reclamation the ship receives
its baptism and, whether for veal or
woe. takes to its element. Still help
less. though. its motive power lacking.
1t Is afterward moored to the works
wharf under n 10 ton titan crane.
whereby its boilers-twenty-five OF
tlem-are lowered into the abyss Of
the hold and a multitude OF fittings
connected with the engines.
Dwarfing all else for size come
next the four tunnels. towering $50
feet above keel level and large enough
for two uamcars to be drawn through
abreast These are fixed oD the 81
gantic 'uptakes." connecting with the
boilers by d network of dues.
A hoist Of auxiliary machinery for
lighting. ventilat ting. pumping and
steering the ship. as well as the pas
senger lifts. Is being installed at the
same time as a swarm OF men work
day and night on the internal decOra-
tons. Electricians encircle the ship
with a girdle OF light and install a
telephone aud electric call service with
800 stations.
in the chart room Is fitted a wonder
Fri cIocE which controls nrhr0