The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-03-02
VISIT TO HOG ISLAND
SHIPYARD IS DESCRIBED
Place Is 00Acre Tract Presents Picture of Chaos With
Little Indication of Shipbuildfng One Keel Is Laid
Preparations for Regular Town Going Ahead.

work at night. and also for night in
spection.
I Fifty miles of railroad WITHIN the
reservation have been completed, Su-
pcrintendent Carr says. There is still
a good deal OF tracking TO do About
20 900 men are employed on the island.
ard when the construction Is COM
Iploted the minimum number OF work
men expected is 600. The question
OF employing women as lahorers has
been discussed and decided in the neg
alive there is little OF the work. it is
said, which women would be physical
iy able to do, Thousands of work
men are brought down from Philadel-
ph,a every day on special passenger
trains into the yards.
Naturally, the biggest part OF the
work that has been done toward build
HIS ships at Hog island doesn't show
The keel that is laid doesn't look like
much. The ways themselves are not
imposing sights Even the piping that
Will hammer in rivets with the sec
ono largest compressed air plant In
the world (the largest is in the Rand
mines In Africa) can boast no striking
appearance. An immense amount %
work it is pointed out, has gone into
the piling under the ways, the laying
OF railway tracks, the treatment OF
the ground, and preparation OF roads
young engineer who is enthusiastic
about the achievements at oHg isIond
and who remarks that you can't
count time and money in the same
MIS-" said:
TBefore long, people will begin to
say that the work at Hog island is
Improving, that it has been lacked up.
That is as It may be- The thing to
notice is that the hardest part of the
work lie a1wady done, <and the real
problems are already solved"
AS matter of fact the most inn
pressive single thing there, next to
the size of the place. is the sight of
piles and railroads and buildings
Through all this there has been the
matter OF workmen to be thought Of
constantly. The activities and expen-
ditures that may be grouped as "sani-
tation" or welfare work. under the
direction of the Industrial relations
manager and the consulting surgeon
and sanitary engineer. form one of
the conspicuous items in the Hog Is
land work. 1t Is an item that covers
everything which has to do with the
barracks where the men sleep aud the
food they eat: the water and drainage
systems; the fight against epidemics
and all contagious diseases, which be-
gins with the examination of all APP
pltcants for employment and is planned
to include the burning of the neigh
boring mosquito marshes" and the
cooling OF the drinking water in sum
mertime: the effort to keep down the
number of accidents and the treatment
of accidents when they occur. 1t at
tends to laundry and details of per-
sonal cleanliness 1t operates a medi-
cal dispensary as well as surgical
hospital. IT has opened welfare
dressing station in Philadelphia for
the treatment of minor accident cases
among those of the workmen who
live there. 1t co-operates. of course,
with the city of Philadelphia and the
state of Pennsylvania. 1t has esta D.
lished a model frst-aid hospital at the
Hog island yard.