The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-10-20
.R|VET|NG RECORD !. DRIVE SIMILAR ID
 DRIVE ON THE HUN
Careful Preparations Made Days in Advance, Cham pion Ship Riveter Fore
 man Explains

Washington October 19--A drive for a ship-riveting record in an American ship
 building plant is like drive of the Tanks against the Hun lines in France. Both demand intensive preparation. Pershing commanders at the front and John Wolf
 builder of ships in the Hog Island yard are using the same methods. That is how Wolf, the worlds cham
 pion general foreman ship riveter set
 a new record with his gangs and drove ls5242 rivets in eight hours at the Hog
 Island ward Friday, September 13.
 Asked how he and his men did 1t, Wolf said:
 l Before the American troops over yon- der make drive on the Hun they make careful preparations days in advance. I follow the same principle in getting ready for a riveting drive.
 "Riveters were as scarce as monkev-
 wrenches in a paror when Uncle Sam
 opened the ball in the shipbuilding game. We've had to make em, that's all.
 Every one of my 4S gangs of rivet-
 CTS were as green as fresh pine only a short time ago. I got em from the train | Ing school which has been established In the yard by the industrial relations group of the United States shipping boards emergency fleet corporation. I have worked like coal beaver whipping this raw material into shape, and want to say right now there are no better working buddies i'll the world. Any time
 of the day or night I'll stack my huskies against the cream of the famous Scottish yards on the Clyde.
 What is the secret of the success of my gangs? Well, it's as simple as the nose on your face. The first thing I do
 is to put my huskies next to the big
 idea in the shipbuilding game. l ham,
 mer it into their heads that every rivet
 they drive is equal to a stout nail into
 the coffin of that arch child murderer,
 the Kaiser. In other words I make their part in this war game so real that
 they pound rivets like the boys over there pump machine guns.
 ITO hit the bulls eye in riveting drive you've got to prepare for it like the Yanks arrange for drive against the Huns When General Pershing gets
 it into his head that he wants to give the Hun a good hard bump he takes few thousand Tank huskies back of the line and puts them through stiff course of sprouts in the way of in tensive training. When the boys have completed the course they are as hard as steel nails and they can wade through anything.
 "I lined things up for my drive in much the same way. When things opened up l had the holes all reameds and the proper tools all in place. So, when the drive started we had whirlwind start, and the way we walked away from the other gangs was good to see. Accord ing to my way of figuring this thing called morale is blamed important in any game. I don't care a rap whether it's soldering or driving rivets, you've got to have the boys mentally and phys
 ically up to snuff. I aim to keep my huslies standing right up on their toes most of the time. In the respect of keeping the boys in a fighting mood. am aided by my boss riveter, Joe Dia- mond, who has been in the game for
 more than 20 years, and has worked in shipyards all over the country. How about it, Joe?"
 Wolf turned to a stockily built man in soiled overalls and jumpers who stood
 nearby. Joe shifted bashfully from one foot to another
 q try to do my bit. boss said he, but all of us would go to I'll for you John. you know that"
 Wolf grinned pridefully.
 You see the spirit of my huskies uOntt you. ue SdiC WHY, ''iiSAi siiS drive was the hottest even our superin- 1 tenlent. Walter Blandford. got the fe- 1 yer. He chucked off his coat, grabbed riveting hasnmer and drove 3oo rivets. My huskies have the spunk and the ginger and that counts.
 1 The record for the entire yard on that
 day was 195242 riyets in eight hours, or ' 3S rivets per hour per production gang. l Wolfs gaNgs drove 19,037 rivets. or an average per hour, per gang, of 55 rivets. 1 Wolf is oS years old seasoned snip | builder of the old school, and familiar l with every turn and wrinkle Of the | shipbuilding game in the United States. In addition to being competent ship builder, he is natural leader of men.