The weekly Alaska citizen., 1918-01-21
CONSTRUCTING SHIPS MADE
 FROM CONCRETE NOW TO CUT
 TONNAGE SHORTAGE IN U. S

perience gained in this case, the con cern is now about to undertake two other floating docks of ferro-concrete, each capable of handling ships of 1000 tons displacement.
 The distinctive feature of the Nico- lay K. Fougener method is the necd of a minimum of fabricated steel, and such as is used is in the form Of either straight bars or metal lath This latter is similar to that employ ed so extensively here in the get-u0 of many of our reinforced concrete buildings. This means that steel ribs or built-up frames, such as are re- Quired in some of the American de- signs of concrete ships, are not call ed for in the Fougener system. In short, the very fabricated steel that costs most and is pressingly demand ed in the building of all-steel ships has no place in a Fougener craft. The materials required are those that can be readily had and at rela- lively low cost.
 In the building operation the high priced labor of the steel workers and the riveter is dispensed with, and the concrete fnisher is substi- tuted. The latter is not of the so- called skilled labor class, and it is possible to qualify the ordinary la borer in brief while. By means of the clever arrangement of his steel lath. Engineer Fougener is able to form the hull walls of thicknesses ranging from a maximum of four inches down to thinner sections of but 2h inches.
 Not only that, but his hull is a homogeneous body, and the union between his concrete and his imbed- ded metal is perfect. This is in di- rect contrast with other types of ferro-concrete ship designs, and is bound to emphasize it's merit after period of sea service. If the tie between the concrete and the steel be not a strong and perfect one, the ocean-going stresses will lead to sepa- ration, fracture and serious break in the concrete veneer.
 Does Not Need Mold
 Engineer Fougener does not have recourse to molds as the term is or dinarily understood in concrete con struction. He forms his metal lath in double wall and pours his ce- ment in between. Some of the con crete, of course, works through the perforations and takes the shape of knobs upon the two outer surfaces. These knobs form, in turn, the an chorage upon which he lays the coat ing of the inside and the outside ot his vessels. The steel bars that con stitute the prime reinforcing feature are. as might be expected, set in place between the two separated walls of metal lath.
 The outer surface of the Fougenel hulls is finished by hand, and this makes it possible to obtain very smooth skin. As result friction is surprisingly low; and in the case of the barges built, the boats hare been found easy to tow. It is quitc likely that the cement gun will b. employed hereafter for laying on the bulk of the surface coatings of con crete, and only the smoothing u2 will be left to hand work. It has been found advantageous to resort to waterproofing, especially where the vessels are exposed to frost.
 Waterproofing is effected by adding colloidal material to the concrete at the time of mixing. AS the Wa ter works out of the mass it leaves behind in each pore deposit of col. Ibid, and this afterwards, if reached by moisture, swells and thus plugs the passage which otherwise would admit water. The process is said to be thoroughly satisfactory. Un- doubtedly this protective agency will contribute to a marked extent to the durability of the concrete fabric.