The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-05-03


 who has just returned from the 51st | annual convention of the American | Institute of Architects held in Pheila- | delhba last week, where he repre- l scented the state of Connecticut, was | very much impressed by visit to | Hog Island where he and other archi- | tects examined the immense ship l building plant The Bridgeport War Bureau heard of MT. Briggs visit to Hog Island and requested him to make a statement for publication concerning what he had seen. MT. Briggs says: "On Wednesday last a representative of the Interna- tional Shipbiulding Go. appeared on the floor of the convention and ex tended to the convention a cordial invitation to visit thenr plant and in Vited the closest scrutiny and criticism on what had been done. He stated that a great deal had been written and published concerning their work, and while he did not say that the statements made were untrue he did say that they gave wrong impression. He asked permission to show two panoramic photographs. These were enlarged and the first shown was about 10 feet long and three feet wide and was taken on the 3rd of last Sep tember.
 Tt reminded me more than any thing else of Milford Point and Mells' Island in the Housatonic river, sim ply a waste of sand dunes and sedge. He then showed a photograph taken three weela3 ago, which showed a1ti /~If OTo morning about 100 architects visited the plant which comprises $40 acres, employed on it are 23,O00 men, 10000 of which are skilled men, the balance laborers and helpers. There is con- tained in the plant 50 ways each 1000 feet long. These ways are divided in five groups of 10 Gays in each group and back of each group is a complete ship yard, which is independent of that adjoining it, the idea being that one group is entirely separated from the other, and must not borrow or loan to the other. IT they require anything in their department they must go back to the store buildings for it.
 ''There are on the island proper 36 miles of railroad running in all di- rections and connecting it together and outside of this there are 72 miles of siding and approaches connected with the several railroads.
 '"The capacity of the yard when it is in full operation is 1S0 ships a year, or about one every two days. On Sat- urday morning there were 13 ships started and they are continually lay ing keels for more. These ships are entirely of steel and run from 390 to 4S0 feet in length and from 52 feet beam to 59 feet beam and average from 7,50o to 8,9Oo tons capacity.
 ''It is expected that a ship can be completed in 90 days although 100 days has been allowed for the first, that is the ship is completed in thhl time ready for out1tting. It is then taken to what is called the ways basin where it is outftted. As they can outfit a ship twice as quickly as they can construct it, it will take from 45 to 50 days to entirely complete the vessel ready for sea.
 "It is confidently expected that the first ship will leave the ways in the middle of July and be ready to go across in the middle of September.
 There is maintained on the ground a school for workmen and no skilled workman can be employed until he goes through this school It seems that the average steel worker is not fitted for ship building and is requir. ed to enter this school and go through a course of three weeks training During this time they are paid at the rate of 35 cents an hour and theil duties consist of boring, countersink ing, riveting and erecting. There art complete bulkheads of a ship as i will be when completed on the ground and these are set up and taken apar by these men during the three week. course They are not rivited, onl, boted together.
 q saw one bulkhead just finishet and the men had commenced to talk it down. Most of the men qualify il three weeks as skilled workmen, an if they do not in this time, they ar discharged.
 '+The laborers on the grounds re ceive $40 a day, carpenters $6.SO day. The skilled steeq worker aver ages about $10 a day The younge men or boys who act as riveters re ceive 41k cents per rivet and whe they become skilled can make any where's from S4 to $S a day. All riv citing, etc., is done by compressed ai as there is on the grounds the secon largest air compressed plant there in the world, the only one that e1 ceeds this in size is at the Kimberl diamond mines in South Africa
 "Six thousand men remain on th ground all the time at the barrack There is a large industrial housin plant outside the island which is the course of construction. All u roads on the island at the presel time are plank, but these will be sl perseded later by concrete.
 There is a complete and we equipped fire department, police d partment and hospital service, besid the government troops
 "The company receives no pro outside of that which may be contail ed in the overhead charges for u construction of the plant, but do r ceive g. percentage, which was n stated, on each ship constructed al a bonus if finished ahead of time'
 From what MT. Briggs saw he is
 the opinion that the statements ma by the officials in charge will be ca