Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1918-07-24
BELFAST
Local Yard Building Largest
Craft Ever Built in
PenOhSr0t

Belfast's contribution to the ship
building program Of 1918 will be a
great 1ve-masted schooner, the larg-
est craft ever built on Penobscot
waters and one Of the largest to be
built in Meine this year Of the fore
and-aft rig. Belfast was once a live
~ shipbuilding port and in the palmy
days of the merchant marine sent
over many staunch and handsome
craft. Building was kept up here
long after the business was abandon
ed in many other places and as late
as 1906 a fine schooner. the Pendle-
ton Sisters was launched, and that
was the last. The yards gradually
disappeared and were disnantled. the
workers went elsewhere or into 9TH
er business. and it was the same
story here as all along the Maine
coast with a few exceptions Vessel
property was not a paying invest
ment with steam tonnage and rail-
reads reducing the freights below j
profitable figure.
But when the war came on vessels
became scarce. tonnage jumped 10
unheard figures. old yards were res
directed from the weeds all along
the Atlantic seaboard. Belfast joined
the procession. A happy combination
OF local enterprise, excellent facili-
ties for building, Capt. w. r. Kreger.
Crowell & Thurlow and Q. e. Frost
Of Matthew Bros. all resulted in
bringing back shipbuilding to Bel
fast and the huge flve-master rap
idly growing into shape.
Capt Kreeer knows all about ship
building and sailing the big cargo
carriers for he has seen a lot of
them grow from the keel to launch
and sailed The most Of them; the
edward j. Lawrence, Alice NJ. Law
renee, Addie NJ Lawrence. Henry F.
kreger and others, all able and hand
some craft. Capt. Kreger believes in
that type Of craft and is combining
al his past experience in the new
vessel now growing under his watch
full eye-and she is named for his
wife, Jennie Flood Kreger-so of
course she will be about the last
word in construction and equipment
H. is going to sail her himself for Z
few trips. anyway
The Matthews Bros shipyar
sprung from the bare ground am
work began there last November.
Although only about so men are
building the vessel. labor-saving de
vices and machinery make them
equal 10 double the number. or more,
with the old-time methods. For in
stance there is a great saw that
I. in
hours, when days were formerly
needed, doing the work of 20 men.
Pneumatic boring machines drive the
big Gusers through the oak as II
they were cheese DerriCks and hoist
ing gear move everything and un-
less held up by slow delivery Of ma
terial the Jennie Flood Kreger VIII
go overheard with great eclat late III
October, as now planned.
She is a three decker o25 feet on
the keel, As feet beam, % feet depth
of hold and is rckoned - good for
GGno tons dead weight capacity and
will measure about 1900 tons net. She
has an oak frame, Oregon fir ceiling
and planking and for backbone
there's 10 feet of solid wood, from
the top Of the keelson to bottom OF
The keel. with sister keelsn 14xl4.
feature Of the construction is the
iron strappine, giving her the
strength of steel vessel. with all
the advantages Of a wooden craft.
Louis Brown is masterbuilder and
Capt. kreger acts as inspector. Prac-
tically all Of the help is from Bel
fast and the work is big help to
the city And this will by no means
be the end of shipbuilding in that
yard as just as soon as she goes
overheard the keel will be stretched
for a fourmaster.