Bisbee daily review., 1920-09-19
b|C STUDEbAKER PLANT FORMALLY OPENED' HOLIDAY
$20,OOO,0 Factory, Said to Be Most Modern in World, Ready for
 Big Business

$20,000,000 plant of the Studebaker corporation, the newest and declared to be the most modern, automobile factory in the world, was officially opened today, with the city of South Bend observing d public holiday in honor or the event.
 Starting with parade of 1000 working in the morning, the celebra- tion continued throughout the day and late into the evening. At the end of the line of march the employees and their families. numbering 30,000, gath cred at large amusement park char tered for the occasion where they feasted and joined in more than score of field day events
 Since these plants have been erected to produce the new Studebak- CT Light-SiX complete. with an even tual capacity of 500 cars day, a brand new Light-Six direct from the factory headed the great parade.
 The real festivities began upon reaching the large amusement park. where contests were held for em-
 
 with $500 worth of prizes for the winners.
 Some idea of the amount of food consumed by the 30,000 celebrants is contained in the following figures given out by H. S. Vance. in charge of the affair: 10000 bags each of popcorn and peanuts, 36,0OO rolls. 125O loaves of bread. 10000 dough nuts, 10000 ice cream cones, 500 gal Ions of ice cream, 15,OO0 pounds of roast beef and pork sausage, 150O watermelons. 1000 cases Of soft drinks. 800 pounds of coffee, 200 gal Ions Of cream and 1500 pounds of sugar.
 In the evening dinner to the guests who attended the affair was given in the main plant dining room with 15OO present.
 The new plants represent the lare. est piece Of automobile construction within the past twelve months. They are also noteworthy in the unusual speed that was shown in their cree. tion. Ground was broken on March IS, 1919. and today, fifteen months later the plants are in full operation
 The buildings completed have total floor space of 1,206.79 square feet. In their erection and eouin- ment S,77S,209 pounds reinforced and structural steel were used: 2.OOO oOO feet of lumber; 60,SS3 cubic wards of concrete; 131,SS1 square feet of glass; 1.350,00O bricks; 2O.OOO bar- rels of cement: 153 miles of electric wiring; 6,640 feet of water mains SUM feet of tunnels for carving steam. water and electrical trans mission lines to and between the va rlous buildings; S,0S0 feet of surface railroad track and 1928 feet of de- pressed track for building materials
 The method of assembling cars in the final assembly building is the last word in efficiency. In eonnec- lion with the remarkable conveyor system in operation materials stored on upper floors are dropped to each station along the assembly line. piece py piece, in the number required for each individual car This system not only increases the speed with which cars may be assembled but reduces the cost and confusion of moving stock to a minimum.
 Another instance of the efficiencyl that obtains in the new plant is in the sub-assembly building. which has an interior bay open to the roof. This bay is covered with a glass skylight and is equipped with crane service and landing balconies on all floors Tor the quick and economical hand. ling of materials. The bay also has depressed unloading track with accommodations for ten freight cars Some idea of the huge proportions , or the new plant may be had from The following dimensions of some of the larged buildings; sub-assembIy. 192x52S feet; stamping department. 1S3x52S feet; machine shop. 425x57e feet and forge shop. 16fx742 feet.
 The buildings are equipped with twelve freight elevators four pas senger elevators. and thirty-fnur travelling cranes. A power house. with eight 300 horse power boilor4 fired by mechanical stokers. furnish es heat to all the buildings through double system or direct and indi- rect heating. and also supplies steam for the operation of forging ham, mers and other mechanical equip meut