The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1919-09-18
This Has Been Monthly Record Since
May With Yards Working at
Half Of War Emergency
Force.
KEOKUK PEOPLE THERE
a Large Number of Local Men Were
Employed in This Big Project
During Months of Fever
ish Activity.

An average of seven ships a month
have been turned out at the Hog Is
land yards since May This output
has been accomplished with working
force of one-half the war strength.
Had the emergency continued, Hog
Island would have been producing its
expected quota of thirteen each month
and more. Keokuk people who were
employed at the ship yards in Phila-
delphia. and local people who are in
terested in the work done there, may
be further interested in some facts
which are available in a letter re-
ceived by Manager Sears Of the Pow.
er company, from Charles w. Stone.
president of the American Interna-
tional Shipbuilding corporation.
In his letter Mr.. Stone gives these
facts:
The contract between the United
States government and American In
ternational Shipbuilding corporation
for the construction of the yard was
closed on September 18th. 1917.
The first ship. the "Quistconck," Of
$500 dead weight tons was launched
on August 5th, 1913.
The fiftieth ship was launched and
the fortieth ship delivered complete
to the United States Shipping board
on August 23rd, 1919.
Every ship delivered from the Hog
Island yard has received the highest
possible rating from both Lloyds and
the American bureau, and in service
has proved satisfactory IN all respects.
Fifty Per Cent Production.
All OF the fifty ways in the Hog Is
land yard are now filed by keels of
ships n process of construction, the
average state of completion of ships
now in the ways being fifty per cent.
The record OF ships delivered, accept
ed and paid for is as follows:
December, 1918, two ships.
January, 1919. three ships.
February, 1919, one ship.
March. 1919, two ships.
April, 1919. five ships.
May, 1919, seven ships.
June, 1919, seven ships.
July, 1919. seven ships.
August, 1919. seven ships.
September, 1919, ESTIMATED )seven
ships
The Hog Island yard Is now oper.
ating on a much lower basis Of man
hours per week than was originally
ships at the rate of seven per month.
With the yard fully manned, the de-
liveries per month would be greatly
increased. When the yard was orig
inally designed, It was expected to
work with full crew of men twenty
four hours per day and to produce be-
teen twelve and thirteen ships per
month The production, with a re-
duced force and an eight hour day.
of seven ships per month, indicates
that the yard would easily have &C
compIished the estimated production
had the war emergency continued.
Big Rlvet Drive.
Each ship has 100000 riyets. The
average rivet drive per day in the
Hog Island yard for August was 144,-
600 for eight hours and the average
drive for the Ave days ending August
30, was 10000 per day. At the lat
ter rate, one ship is completely rtvet-
ed every three working days.
The ships so far delivered from the
Hog Island yard have covered in serv-
ices at sea a total OF approximately
900 900 nautical miles and have car
ried 100000 tons of cargo.
II think that the work accomplish
ed by the organization of the Ameri-
can International Shipbuilding cor
poration since September, 1917 has
been marvellous" Mr.. Sears adds.
"The results which have been achiev-
ed in such a wonderfully short time
would have been impossible If the or
ganization had not been extraordi-
narily efficient from the start and
great credit is due to the splendid
group of men which have constituted
that organization Personally, | feei
that every Keokuk man who has had
TO do with Hog Island may well be
proud of the results"