Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1912-08-08
BIG 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 1t Tells When
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 or 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. bulkhead
and hold arrangements being indicated
by a series Of detailed drawings.
Follows then the experimental stage.
A wooden block or casting OF paratit
wax is first made to scale from the
ships plans and tested in a large tank
about 800 feet in length and eight feet
deep. The model. weighted 10 the load
line, is towed 10 and fro by IN over
head traverser at varying speeds.
Delicate instruments register the G X
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 tabulated, and from
this ship in embryo the builders com
plete their plans.
Inside the central shed. 2J0 yards
long and 100 feet i'm 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 beams and the
floor completed with stout planks.
Then in the center the keel blocks, sur
mounted by oak caps in groups Of five.
are assembled on Il falling gradient u
the river of about half an inch a foot.
All Is now ready for the reception of
the ~ponderous keel. This-the back
measuring four feet across. and Is three
and a quarter inches thick. Parallel
with the keel. but above it 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 seEen 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 Ia
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 av
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 to the shape or a
ship Is q 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 bent by wonderful MA
chinery that slices steel strips. punches
rivet holes and bends steel plate as
easily and cIeanly as though the ma
terial were paper. Nimble ira eling
cranes on gantries under the roof pick
up tile huge plates when ready AMI
convey them TO their appointed place.
where the hydraulic riveter-a me
chanicai marvel-with irresistible force
and rapidity drives each rivet home
In the building Of a modern liner over
100000 rivets are used. Each joint
is rendered water tight by calking.
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 at
this point on the keel blocks being
something like $1,000 tons. The
launching ways. slopIng gently 70 the
water. are prepared. and cradles. fore
and aft. tn 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 rs element. Still help
less. though. its motive power lacking,
IL IL afterward moored TO the works
wharf under a 100 ton titan crane,
whereby its boilers-twenty-ive OF
tJiem-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 100
feet above kcel level and large enough
for two tramcars to be drawn through
abreast These are fixed on the 81
gantic ''uprakes." connecting with the
boilers by a network OF fines.
A hoist of auxiliary machinery for
lighting. vcntilating. pumping and
steering the ship. AS well as the pas
sengcr 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 q girdle OF light and install q
telephone and electric call service with
800 stations.
in the chart room is fitted a wonder
fui clock. which controls. %synchroni'
caIly. fifty other clocks In different
parts OF the ship. The lofty Marconi
mast IL linked up with the mysterious