The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1918-04-07

istration building you see the postof-
flee and fire stations. The fire depar
iuent is equal to that of a large city,
,eilh chemical engines and all modern
appliances. Running here and there
through the works are the steel masts
which carry the wires of the trans
rassion power lines. and you see steam
trains flying over the railroads. which
cut through the yards.
BEYOND the buildings. skirting the
Delaware river. are many tall derricks
They make you think OF an oil field.
They are the piledrivers which force
the great tree trunks down into tins
earth to give the sound foundation
needed for the ship ways. The ways
rur along the river, and the whole dis
lance is marked out by the derricks.
TIE length is almost two miles and 1t
includes the SO ways, when the plant
is all going. which will enable them t.
make that many ships at one time.
Now, take your glass and look at the
great yards below us. The vast tract
is spotted with building supplies. There
are thousands of piles which have come
here from the Pacific coast forests, and
great beams and planks which have been
brought here from the south. In all,
more than 1900, 900 feet of lumber will
be required for the construction and over
10, 900 600 feet will be used in the shipways
themselves. There are 20 acres of build
ings now under roof.
It is interesting to look at the network
of railroads. In the yards themselves
there are As miles of track, or more than
enough il stretched out in one line to
reach from Washington to Baltimore.
The iron rails wind in and out of what
at first seems to be maze like that of
Rosamond's bower. AS you look closer.
. however, aided by tho plan of your
guide. you sec that it is one great sys-
ten of classification, and that the whole
connects with the trunk lines coming in
| from all parts of the country, and with
the shipways on the Delaware river
| That will be one of the largest railroad
yards in the United States. The lumber
| ard steel in the great variety of parts
/, used for the ships come in from the fac
| tories where they are fabricated, and
are here classified and the cars sent
| right to the shipway where they are
needed. There is no double handling oil
| supplies The rivets from the factories
of Pittsburg are not unloaded until they
are put in the hands of the workmen who
are to pound them into the ships. This
| is so Of bolts, plates and all sorts o.
materials. The cars go right to the way'
1 and the steel is not touched by hane
/ from the time II leaves the Iaprlcd'iis
factories until it goes into the vessel
| But come with me to the shipways
i That is where the chief work is nov
going on. and it will increase steadily
throughout the year. The ways exten'
along the Delaware river for more thai
a mile. They slope gently up from tn
water and each consists of a long ROY
of blocks, laid one upon another, wher
the keel of the ship is to rest. MOS
of the ways are now completed, an
some have vessels rising upon them
Others are still in process of constructor
land we can see the enormous work re
o,ired to build plant Of this kind
the first place the shpways must nav
. solid foundation. The weight OF eac
Vessel is some thousands of tons, ana
must rest as firmly as the house on IN
rock. The foundation is made by drivin
down piles or great trunks OF trees
or more feet into the earth Think
building steel steamers of 5000 tons
the tree tops. That is what they ar
doing right here on the Delaware me
have already sunk a great forest
* coo trees which once reached 10 IN
height of a seven or eigAt-story buiio
ling down into this island, and upo
them have constructed these ways 10
building the ships,
zach way Is considerably wider tina
the ship which is to rise up WITHIN y