Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-03-28

shell of steel echoing with sudden fierce out
bursts of riveting. AS it was raining the
out-of-door riveting had ceased as when
ever there is danger of water getting under
the fange of the rivet there is liability
of the work not being quite watertight But
between decks some of the men were hard
at work Across the deck red-hot rivets
came flying through the air from the brazier
these were defty caught in a metal cone
by the passer With long pair of tongs he
inserts the glowing finger of metal in the
hole the backer-up holds it rigid with a
compressed-air hammer, while the riveter,
on the other side of the plates. mushrooms
down the shining stalk of the rivet with his
air gun. 1t is fascinating to watch the end
of the riyet fattening under the chattering
blows of the gun. An expert rvetng team
can drive several hundred rivets day. and
when paid on piecework the team gets six
and one-half cents per rivet. This is divided
among the team, usually in the proportion of
40 per cent to the riveter, 80 per cent TO the
backer-up and Is per cent each to heater
and passer. Many expert riveters earn as
much $50 week.
NIE CRAWLED under the bottom of the
w Schoodic, which is to be launched to-
morrow morning. She had just had her first
coat of paint, and her tall graceful bow
loomed high in air on the slanting shipway.
Mr.. White, the engineer in charge of the
launchings, was kind enough to show me the
ingenious system of Shores packing and
SdIuJdChS WHICH nOlQS up the null on the
ways and the special Hog Island grease
which is used to ease the ships slide toward
the water. The cunning manipulation by
which the ships great weight is thrown off
the shores onto the "sandjacks," and then
lowered by removing the sand from these
iron boxes, would require an essay in itself
Not one of Hog Islands launchings-and
they have had nineteen-has been marred by
any hitch. ME;"White told me that his gang
of 120 men can put through a launching in
TWO hours and "a half from he ina he,
first begin work.
IN. THE training school. where about 200
i men are learning the various shipbuilding
trades, 90 per cent of the pupils are former
soldiers and sailors. They are all men of
powerful physique, but many of them were in
sedentary clerical occupations before the
war. Many man who has served in the
army has no taste now to re-enter trade
that will keep him indoors eight or ten hours
day. must confess to an envy Of those
braWny fellows who were learning to drive
rivets. And after the army pay of $40 or
so a month it must seem good to get $50
week while learning the job
TTOG ISLAND is a poem, a vast bracing
i i chant of manly achievement in every
respect, that is, save the names of the ships
they are building down there / don't think
Hog Island workmen will ever quite forgive
Mrs Wilson for the names she chose for
their cherished and beautiful ships Ouist-
conck, Saccarappa. Sacandaga Saguache,
Sapinero, Sagaporack, Schoodic Saugus,
Schroon-what will homely sailormen make
of these odd Indian syllables? As one said
to me, whimsically, Think of some wireless
operator. calling for help, trying to get that
name across ~
We must assume, however, that no Hog
| Island ship will ever be in distress, from
| her own fault at any rate The experiment
| of Fabricated" ships was watched with ca :
| gerness by all shipping experts, some of
| whom didn't believe 1t could be successful.
| The first chapter of Hog Islands epic closes
| fifty with this cablegram, received the other
| day from the American International Ship
| building Corporations representative in
Rome:
Rome, March I6.-Quistoonck arrived
March Sth. SapOna. ErOeIient poud1e
Has been Inspected By representatives OF
| gopernment, steamship companies and
| banks Opinion favorable. Hope you tuiu
be able to send more Of that type.
| TTOG ISLAND men have accomplished
| III what they have partly because they go
| about their work with such sense of humor
There are more grns to the square acre down
| there than any place / ever visited The
| Hog islander who drove me down was
| grumbling because the man driving the car
| In front didn't give the usual signal when
| turning across our path why doesn't he
hold out his hand?" lie muttered. Must be
afraid a fivver will run UP his arm" That's
the joviai spirit of Hog Island.