The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1918-06-22
Achievement Little Short of
Marvellous, For Ii is Day
Ahead of Time.
OVERCAME DELAY
ABOUT SIX WEEKS
Vessel Will Be All Feet Long,
and is First of Fleet
of Ten Ships.

Overcoming a delay Of six weeks in
starting their plant, the Pensacola
Shipbuilding Company laid the keel OF
their first ship yesterday morHIng, one
day ahead OF schedule time.
The achievement WAS little saort Of
marvellous, but no ceremonies ana no
speechmaking marked the important
event. The officials Of The big plant,
which has broken worlds records IN
speed Of construction. do not believe
in spectacular methods, but are deNot-
ing all their energies to the task OF
attempting to produce ships IN less
tame than il has ever been done be-
fore.
There was no confusion and no bus
Ting at yesterdays Keel laying, TO
the casual observer it would seem that
the yard had been laying ship keels
for years, With nothing to indicate that
probably the most important event IN
Pensacola's industrial history Was be-
ing enacted.
Flat cars loaded with the long await
eel keel plates arrived latc Thursday
and We're switched to tracks parallcling
the keel blocks. which were in rc1di-
ness several days ago. \ massive
travelling crane lifted the plates from
the cars and placed them in position
on the blocks Skilled Norkmcn fas-
tened the plates I rether with a rapid
ity which was remarkable and thu
building OF steel ships i'm Pensacola
hcd become a reality.
The vessel which was begun yester-
day will be a 1900 ton ship IL feet
long President A. C. ketIer. who per-
sonally supervised the laying Of fhe
keel. stated that the ship should he
ready for launching Within three
months. II IS the first Of a fleet Of
t2n 1000 ton fabricated steel ships 10
be constructed here for the United
States government
Obstacles which at times seemed in
surmOuntable We're overcome i'm pre-
p6ring the plant for actual construc-
tiop work within the prescribed time.
After the contract was awarded there
Was e delay OF nearly six weeks in
securing approval OF the site. But on
the DAY that formalities We're CON
ciuded a large force Of men began to
clear the tract which had been ac-
quired on Bayou Chico converting u
from an unproductive, semi-jungle into
a hive os busy industry. The city
extended water mains TO the property
and street paving leading to the plant
site was laid in record time. Delays
We're experienced in securing needed
materials hut plant construction was
rushed with great rapidty. One OF the
great problems which confronted the
company was the matter Of power.
ntil the middle OF February II was
believed that ample power could be
furnish ed by the local central power
h.
quIrements are said TO have rendered
that Impossible and If was necessary
for the shipbuilding company to pro-
vide their own power plant. Time was
very limited and necessary equipment
was believed To be unohtainabIe. How
ever a complete, modern plant gen
Grating 1900 horsepower constructed
and placed n operation weeks before
TIE date specified for completion OF the
ship plant
The contract calls for substantial
completion # nc plant June %. T'he
keel Of the first ship was laid one day
earlier and cculd Eevc been put down
several days ago haC the plates ar
rived
Tile organization in charge NJ the
Pensacola ShiPhuiGing Company is
composed CT experienced construction
men a C.. Keitcr is president; ! VI
sweeney and Fayette Soule vicn-presi-
cents: Paul y stewart. secretary
treasurer W l.. NiIder, auditor and IN
charge - GnanccS E5ch of the OIL 'ers
is specialist in his particular bran6h
of the work and re results WI 81
they have accomplished here have bonn
highly praised hy sFlppuilding experts
who have visited tlic plant.
G1e rcIre~c niafivc Of the government
who came rero some weeks ago said
that the progress t~Cee.ied that ma ie
az any ci'lor riant IN the cOuntry and
predicted that the Pensacola yard wouir
rank high in the production Of Shius.
in commenting m tic extent ~ the
work e re done here the NIannfae-
turers' Record stated that the local
plant has contracted for 81 2O0 tons
II steel siapcs and plates and that
each ~ the ten vessels will require
upwards of 2G01 tors Cf steel in its
construction
Long before to ::rst keel was 1aid.
tie furnances ns the plant were place
in Cpsration and steel was being shap-