El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-04-06

nHILADELPHIA s. Pa. April Come
with me 70 Hog Island. and see the
biggest bodybuilding operation in IN
Gle Sans mighty shipbuilding pro-
cram. Fifteen percent Of al the steel
merchant ships now contracted for by
the emergency fleet corporation viii
be constructed there. Many OF the
ways are rapidly approaching compile
tion; the keeIs or the first vessels
have been laid, and the parts Of which
they are 70 be fabricated have begun
10 flow here from the different facto-
ries. all over the country.
A few months ago the place where
Ehipysrds now are was covered with
grass as high as your waist, and in
places with bushes as high as your
head. II was deserted and desoiate
Six miles. as the crow flies, from the
great bronze statue Of William Penn,
on the tor Of the city hall in Philadel-
phia- il was as lonesome as the valley
Of the Jordan near the Dead sea-a
dismal island OF des0lauOn in a great
ocean Of business activity There were
shipvards to the north OF IL. shipyards
20 the south Of it. and ships we're
building on both sides Of the Delaware
for miles up and down stream. Not FAR
away was the Philadelphia navy yard;
and from there now and then flew the
airplanes Of the aviation school across
the way. frightening the birds which
nestel in the rushes-
Vow 2 Great Center Of War Work
To-Day Hog Island is one of the I've
Hest labor centers OF our live war ac-
Invites. -Four months ago il was i'm
possible 70 get 20 III in q motor car
without being stuck iu the mud To-
day there is a good auto road an cleo
tic trolley and steam railways that
connect IL with Fnilaae lpnla ana az
parts OF the country. There are Ferry
boats which so there every few hours
and motor buses by which you can
reach it. within half an hour. That
part Of the island which skirts the
Delaware river. not Tar from where
the SchuylkiH flows in has been al
most lifted out Of the swamp. tt is cut
I'D By wide roads Of thick planks, hun
dreds Of two story buildings have gone
up. and from 1900 TO $4,000 men are
employed there building ships
The shipyards cover hundreds OF
acres. The tract which the govern
nnenr has leased IS equal TO nine 100
acre farms. and this has been sur
rounded by tight fence OF pine
boards about eight feet in height The
boards run I'D and down and a frame
work OF barbed wire slopes in from
the top. Barbed wires are also nalled
along the outside OF the fence max
ing Il impossible TO climb.
heart o. the winter The country had 1ust
had a great blizzard There was =
inches nf snow on the ground. and In
front Of the shfuTH rds the Zee reached
80 -r,+ i-+o fha TleIzr-are. Near the ISL
and il was four or five fset In thickness
Nevertheless the work vas going on eE-
erywhere- There we're more tlan l5-oyli
men on the Job Motor trucks OF 1iVe tons
and upward were hauling great loads q
lumber. huge iron pipes and machinery OF
one kind or anorhc--
I'll he's
Een clad in rubber boots whfch
reached 90 their waists were digging the
trenches; srme we're cutting holes n the
See on the edge o. the Delaware ana
driving piles through into the bed OF the
stream. In the snow On the edge o. the
river they were saving the piles TO Lne
right lengths with cr0sscut saws, and a
little further over were laying the Keel
blocks Of the ways Hundreds Of carpen-
tiers were working. q large gang on aacn
building and che two story structures
we're risfn- IKE magic The same condI-
lions prevail today although the work IS
much farther advanced Every thing IS
being pushed Go the u1uosr; the 9tiiels--s
tel me they ara I'D n date Win tne!r
program and that they VIII complete their
big order on time.
Soah's AK Not a Circumstance.
Before describe car visit 90 the ship
yards. 7 want 70 give you some idea a.
the sob that Uncle sam has here under
way. II was something Of a chore 20
build Noahs ark, but more th1n halL OF
the vessels 70 be constructed at Hog
Island are OF lust the same length and
aluosl the sane depth, although not so
vide Taking che cubit Of the Bible az
foot and a haif- the usual estimate = .
was lust $50 feet long, IS feet wide and
4b feet deep. The order o. ships for the
hog Island yards includes 70 steel steam
ers each o. which is 70 be $50 feet long.
IS feet wide and about 80 feet deep- In
addition 20 this. so more steamers are 20
be made. each Of which IS 60 feet SHORTER.
The big ships have Just about half the
tonnage that has usually been estimated
fcr the ieviathan OF the food, its greater
czpacity coming from lis increased width
and depth Noah'G ark was a three
decker with many rooms in t. II vas
made Of gopher wood and pitched with
out and Withil- Gopher wood has often
been compared 70 our cypress F-lcn Is
10 be largely ueed in emergency ships q
TIRE emergency fleet proEram.
Al TO Be Of steel
The hog Island vessels are 20 be Of
steel throurhout. and the parts OF which
they are made are more in number than
the animals Noah was able 70 crowd Into
the ark Each vessels VIII have about
20 600 parts. and these are 20 be made In
10eo different factories throughout the
United States and sent here 70 be assem-
Sled each part being fitted into Just
the right place IN the ship
Much Of the work Of fsbricating or
making the parts viii be done by the
large bridge making companies and
structural steel plants They viii make
the plates. manufacture the -rivsts and
punch the holes.
The whole order VIII require ABOUT
$4,000 tons Of steel thus worked into
Parts. and when the work IS well under
way e VIII take something like 500 cars
daily 70 bring in the material lne oally
train required for that purpose. il the
ears we're an Joined together. would Be
four miles IN length. Inside the yard It.
self there are now more than 50 miles
OF railroad tracks. and the rolling stock
includes - locomotive. 500 freight cars
and 50 passenger coaches The Job viii
require electrical equipment including 500
motors, and the current used viii be that
equal 70 the demands Of a city Of g quar-
Ter o. q million people. or Cor instance,
Providence p 7 Much OF the pneumatic
machinery IS 10 be operated By com
pressed air- The COMPRESSED air plant 10
the largest % the world excepting only
those IN the gold mines Of the RAND. in
South Africa.
hog Island Well Guarded.
We make our way from Philadelphia
ont 70 Hog Island in an automobile, wind
ing back and forth through the long lines
Of trucks carrying materials. We are
stopped a. the gates by uniformed guards, F.
and the automobile is searched The men
look under the hood Of the machine ana
make Us lift the seats 90 show that no
there. The government already has be-
tween f20.00e.o 900 and f30.0 600 invested
in the Hog Island plant ard bomb or
q fire could do endless damage j is Tor
this reason that the big fence. With
barbed wire guards, WAS built. and for the
same reason no one e admitted 60 the
yards without a pass. and every vehicle
that EoeE in Is carefully examined
IN moving about through the yards