Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1919-11-16
VIRGINIA TO MAKE
T0RPED0Es FOR NAVY
New Station at Alexandria VIII Turn
Out Eight Dcath-Dcaltrs
Per Day.
WILL EMPLOY 1900 PEOPLE
Plant Is Near Old Carlyle House,
Which WINS Scene OF Historical
Meeting Between Cen. BraddOck
= and Governors of Colonies.

ALEXANDRIA. VA. Nov. 1.-THE
Navy Department is just about com
pietinS naval station at Alexandria.
Va, seven miles south OF Washington.
on the Potomac River. for making tor
pedecs. The station is located just
east OF tho old Carlyle House. where,
in 1853. was held the council between
General BraddoclS. commander OF tho
Engiis forces in America and the gov
crnors OF the five colonies, when plans
for the concerted action against the
Gussed. Out Of this meeting grew tho
detcrmination to tax the colonies. re-
sulting In the war of tho revolution.
REINFORCED concrete. One building.
which Is aso fee, long. l1t feet wide.
store house. office and powcr.plant. The
other building. which ia Used as a
reef oSr s ang ,d is ESQ FEE; 200
VIII Employ 800.
The station when completed win
I people s'oc aDtai and MI employ 1900
Z. S. \. naval inspector of ordn a,Gr.
reported for duty the latter pArt Of
Of HfpE ;hs , t9lS and has been in charge
When the station is i'm fun oncra-
Ion II will be possible to turn no out
are ,w ,orp ,,:I"a day. The ,orpedoes
twenty-five feet i'm lengii, u nnii
made UP Of 1000 direremt Darts t' Th hS
to ' nmt INC meenanies Of the highest order
- put inc parts together, az some of
,nc pieces which help to make up a
o9 fpSdo are even smaller than some
,rhs ne paI,s used in making watch
lorpedoe3 are assembled and bull,
~ the station. and the explosives arc
psaced IN them after they have been
icit the station.
Big Lsthes In Machine shop.
In the machine shop there ,-o
"enty-four OF the largest lathcs ~
operation for boring and turning ont
ain mss, whicn contain tho compressed
,ithe is about ;hirty-eight feet long.
nas swing Of about twenty four
onaf,,,, ana weighs abou, twelve and
used in the machine sl,on from ,.t ,e
SIZE down to tho smallcs, lathe used
~. jewelers. in precision work
r SOM o. the parts used in tho con
ta'ned from the Naval Torpedo station
AZ Newport, and from the Washington
;;an - ara b ana assembled al the sta
;orpedoes, after they are completed.
are taken TO the stations range. which
- located down the Potomac River
tested. '
The range Is ten miles long and ha.
t~o old type coas, torpedo boats AT
,ached to 1t, together with number
3r gasoline launches. which are used
Ia tes,inE the torpcdocs. There arc
the. torpedors Are tcstcd in the shon
ana on the range and accepted by
;he, government they arc then ready
70 Dc turned over TO the destroyc-s.
Deliver to Destroyer.
The station has wharf $40 feet
long. twenty-five feet wide. with
nftcen feet Of water AZ mean low
water. where the destroycrs can come
alongside and have the torpedoes de-
l,Tored to them. There are also on
his wharf two aard cranes for lifting
chc torpedoes from the double track
Industrial railway used for taking
torpedocs from the station 10 destroy
cts. At the present time there are
only about 100 men working at the
station. but the force will be Increased
AZ rate of about nifty a month un;il
the necessary number OF employees is
obtained.
This is only one Of the many in
.eresting plants operated by tho navy.
where men can acquire highly tech
nical education. and be fitted to obtain
positions OH the outside where tech
nical knowledge is essential.