El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-03-21
DUMP CONCRETE INTO FORMSI
AND OUT COMES A BIG SHIP.

begins TO look as though the concrete ship might be
The answer 10 the submarine problem BY providing
- with lot O. ships IN q short time Many ships soon
that is the big need. We plenty Of wooden and
Steel ones Il fs months OF two years hence Our great new
spyards with immense shipbuding program which
Trey Just ebarkng VIII be delivering ships in
hers year and half from But how to get through
the intervening time is the problem With great army
&c transport, keep equipped and feed and with the allies
and dependent the United States fO0d
lh each ships carrying ability much less than IN peace
used to- and with the submarine constantly nbbng the
fetal tonnage available ships badly needed than
wooden and steel ships can Be built
The concrete ship "Fah which left the ways at Pa
cc coast port few days ago, launched only few
weeks after the poured into the FORMS
building the forms required only short time It was quick
cr, building the hull Of that and the takes
The most tine Building the hull Of wooden OF a steel
sp IS the work Of many months. The process is much
Epfed n the case Of the concrete ships They up
TIE FORMS arrange the steel reinforcement and pour the
concrete In the case Of 5000 ton ship It takes three
weeks for the concrete TO harden. Then the hull is ready
90 be launched and the mould regretted secOnay and
process repeated Time saving in the hull is the great
e- r. H. Installing the boilers and otherwise completing
thf inEe0r W0r takes much time in concrete as in
wooden OF steel ship Of the same size, but the saving is
very considerable enough to shorten the building process
10 eanz is required by the concrete ships as is the
case With wooden ships yet the Path" when launched
did leak drop. The reinforced concrete hull was
water tight The ship vel balanced, riding the water
easily and with level keel
RE concrete. The salt may have tendency disin
tsEze the concrete but If the engineer who had
oast the He also is Of the opinion that exterior
coating nay be applied to Withstand the acuon Of the
salt water.
Tie Frsnch have been building small craft Of concrete
year and two others Of the European
ceuntes have been experimenting with them, with what
Is Unknown But presumably they giving salts
faction else no tine would be wasted On them IN this
Gentry.
L IS the intention TO build so concrete
SHIPS N Pacific coast yards fast they be put
Eshsr The @Fahs" constructor said advantage was
that they required extensive ship yards so that they
be built n almost any place along the coast where there
ars any shpyard facilities
Ihsre Is also announcement that construction OF ten
ccr1ee ships is to be undertaken at shipyard
the vicinity Of Boston the keel Of the first having been
The first ship is TO be delivered TO the government
three months and the others thereafter the rate Of
each week This gives better indication than any
r1inE else Of the rapidity Of manufacture
Lhs progress Of concrete ship construction viii be
sced with great deal Of interest Fifty 100 ships
the next four months 10000 to 10000 tons may form
the additional weight small enough IN itself, which viii tilt
Re scales u favor Of the United States and the allies and
the day until the steel and wooden ships begin to
take 70 the water at the rate Of 100000 tons month
Tie boys who wear wrist watches don't always have
lots OF tine On their hands.