New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1912-08-14
BIG BIZ SHIP l! BUILDING .||| !. ! |! \
The Planning and Constructing
Of an Ocean Liner. /.
FIRST A MINIATURE IS MADE.

This Small Model 10 Thsn Thorough,
Tested, and the Story Il Tells Wis,
Perfected Will 30 the Story Of FL,
New Vessel When Launched.
Building q modern ocean liner is or
interesting and complicated operation
The ships plan Is first prepared IL
sections from owners specifications. or
Q scale Of q quarter or half an inch t
the foot. One set Of drawings, called
the ''sheer draft" is plan Of the
ships skeleton or framework withou,
the plates. the internal deck. bulkhead
and hold arrangements being indicated
By series Of detailed drawings.
Follows then the experimental stage
A wooden block or casting Of parafIln
wax Is first made to scale from the
ships plans and tested in large tank
about 800 feet in length and eight feet
deep. The model, weighted to the load
line. Is towed to and fro by an over
head traverser at varying speeds.
Delicate instruments register the ex-
act pull" the displacement, the stabil-
ity and host of other information.
The shape Of the model is altered
again and again, pieces being shaved
of 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. ,25O yards
long and lao 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 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 a falling gradient to
the river Of about half an inch foot.
All, is now ready for the reception of
the ponderous keel Thistle back
bone Of the ship-is Of huge strength.
measuring four feet across, and Is three
and 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 seven 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 to |
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-
sraging thirty-four feet in length and
about three tons In weight each, which
'orm the skin Of the ship, are laid on
n strakes like the bricks in wall.
Fitting these strakes to the shape of a
ship is a critical business. A thin
wooden pattern or template is first
prepared for each plate and clamped
n position on the ships side. With
minute care every detail is marked on
1.-THE size and shape. the overlap and
he rivet holes.
1t Is then transferred to its proto-
ype, the steel plate, which is cut.
and bent by wonderful ma
:hinery that slices steel strips, punches
tvet holes and bends steel plate as
.asily and clearly as though the ma
erial were paper. Nimble travelling
ranes on gantries under the roof pick
lp the huge plates when ready and
convey them to their appointed place.
where the hydraulic riveter-a me-
hanical marvel-with irresistible force
md rapidity drives each rivet home.
n the building Of modern liner over
100000 rivets are used. Each joint
} rendered water tight by calking.
The outer shell finished and the in.
lde work far advanced. the builders
Urn their attention to the problem Of
be launch, the weight Of the vessel at
his point on the keel blocks being
like $4,000 tons. The
lunching ways. sloping gently to the
'ater, are prepared, and cradles, fore
nd aft, to guide the ship. are erected
'AS4 Au6o "oONS0 OC&4AASS V19
eng finally fabricated by tallow and
ain Oh. 80
Amid reclamation the ship receives
, baptism and, whether for veal or
roe, takes to its element. Stn help
.ss, though, its motive power lacking,
!: Is afterward moored to the works
7harf under a $50 ton titan crane,
hereby its boilers-twenty-five of
1em-are lowered into the abyss of
lie hold and a multitude of fittings
onnected with the engines.
Dwarfng all else for size come
ext the four tunnels, towering $50
.et above keel level and large enough
n two tramcars to be drawn through
breast These are fixed on the 81
antic ''uptakes." connecting with the (
pliers by network Of tiues.
A hoist Of auxiliary machinery for
ghtng. ventilating. pumping and
eerfng the ship. as we'll as the pas.
niger lifts. is being Installed Mt the