Evening journal., 1918-07-09
BY FREDERICK VI. KIRBY
N. T. A. SIAN Correspondent.


PORT NEWARK. n. j.. July 81 have
Just talked with the father OF the most
Important set Of triplets the world has
ever known. They were born on the
morning OF July q. Their names are
Alamosa, Alcona and Chetopa.
They are girls. and they have one
older sister, who is only 30 days older
than they. The older sister is named
Agawans, and she was born May 30.
BY The end OF 1918 there will be $50
children in this family alone, and there
viii be hundreds Of cousins.
The Alamosa, Alcona and Chetopa are
steel fabricated ships, and with their
older sister, are the only four ships of
their kind in the world They are the
most significant Of the huns that took
the water when the "blg splash" came
on July L.
Henry r. Sutphen is the man whose
remarkable brain gave birth TO the idea
OF building ships like skyscrapers or
bridges. A year ago last April he pre-
sented the idea TO General Goethals Of
the Shipping Board, but il was moi nm
I'll September "a. 1917. that the FIRST con-
tract for these ships was awarded 10
the company OF which he Is vice-pres-
ident, the Submarine Boat Corporation.
Ut was not easy TO convince the
shipping board that fabricated steel
ships were a possibility" said Mr.. SUIT
phen. We sat in a room the windows
or which give a view OF the complete
sweep OF 2s shipways, with their tow
ering shapes in every stage Of near.
completion, with the busy fingers OF
enormous cranes necessarily moving
back and forth picking and gingerly
placing the masses OF steel that 20 10
make up the ships, while through the
open windows with the breeze from
Newark Bay comes the incessant
"bu-r-r-rapV Of hundreds OF riveters.
"The Idea was new 10 shipbuilders."
Sutphen continued. "They could not
believe that II was possible TO stand
ardize and fabricate ships as we would
a bridge. But the thing simply had
TO be done. The rolling mills produc-
ing plate for ordinary shlpbuilding op-
erations were scarcely able 10 supply
the steel necessary to meet the build
ing needs for warships. But Il seemed
to US that II II were possible to or
ganize the steel mills producing struct- |
ural shapes so that fabrication and as
sembling could be done at the shipyard, /
then quantity production OF ships would |
be possible.
"That is what we are doing. This I
that you see is not a shipyard; IL is a I
factory; we are assembling material /
and putting 1t into place. Nlnety-flve /
per cent OF the work Is done In the So |
steel plants located all through the mid
die western states that produce the
Steel We furnish the drawings and
specifications 70 those plants; they turn
out parts TO order, properly numbered /
ana 'lettered. We flt them together"
As ! climbed over the endless piles
Of steel and up onto the scaffolding
around Nos. and and 6, which soon
will be the completed Alamosa, Alcona
and ChetOpa, / realized what Sutphen
meant. Behind the row Of 2S ways, each
holding a ship, are the yards piled high
With the various shapes Of steel A
spur track from the railroad runs down
between each shipway. A busy little II
donkey engine drawing a crane puffs
ID and down each spur, bringing for
ward as needed each piece OF steel to II
lt In its place, while the swarming
army Of riverers on the sides Of each
ship Keep busy with their eternal
'ivets.
/ actually saw these ships grow up
IS l watched. / saw piece after piece
lut in place and the sides rise almost
~ magic.
"The work OF building this yard had
10 be done from the ground up" said
Last fall this was a marsh.
You see what it is today. The work
II building the yard-buildings shops,
.ef1road frocLg cranes evervfh fno-fs
o per cent completed; in another month
ne last lick will be struck, and then
We will devote ourselves wholly to the
lob Of getting our $50 ships. Working
It capacity, we expect TO be able TO
aunch a ship every three working
lays"
There are only two other yards, Hos
slaDd and Bristol, Pa, that viii turn
,ut fabricated ships on the plans first