The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1920-07-16
NEW AUTOMOBILE PLANT NOW
OPEN. J.
$4,000 Celebrate Opening Of New
Studebaker Plant In South Bend.


baker Corporation the newest and
4 mobile factory in the world, was of
4 ficially opened on June 26, with the
city OF South Bend observing a public
holiday in honor Of the event.
Starting with a parade OF
1000 workers in the morning
the celebration continued through
out the day and late into
I the evening. At the end of the line of
march the employees and their families
numbering 10000, gathered at large
amusement park chartered for the
occasion, where they feasted and
I Joined in more than a score of field
4 day events.
Since these plants have been erect
ed to, produce the new Studebaker
light six complete, with an eventual
capacity of 500 ears day, a brand
new light six from the factory head
ed the parade, followed by the I00-
piece Studebaker Band, President "A.
r. Erskine and other officials of the
company, office and plant employees
and leaders in political, financial, au-
ltomotive, religious and industrial cir
cles from all parts OF the eeountry.
The real festivities began upon
reaching the large amusement park,
where contests were held for en-
eployes, their wives and the kids, =
with ST 500 worth OF prizes for the
winners. Special features were the
award of a ton of nard coal to the
largest family on the grounds, a
wagon for the youngest baby and $40
to the heaviest man. Dancing and a
seven-act circus and vaudeville show
were added attractions.
Some idea of the amount of food
consumed by the 10000 eelebrants is
contained in the following figures
given cut by H. S. Vance, in charge
Of the affair: Twenty thousand bags
each of popcorn and peanuts, sc, 600
rolls, 1920 loaves of bread; 10000
doughnnts, 10000 iee-cream cones, 800
gallons of ice-cream, Is 600 pounds of
roast beef and pork sausage, 1900
watermelons, 1000 cases OF soft
drinks, 500 pounds of coffee, 200 gall
Ions of cream and 1900 pounds of
sugar
In the evening dinner to the
guests who attended the affair was
given in the main plant dining room,
with 1900 present Eresident Erskine
was toastillaster and Rev. John Cav
anaugh OF Holy oss College. OF
Brookland, ID. O., the principal
speaker.
Il The new plants represent the larg-
est piece of automobile factory COM
struction within the past II months.
They are also noteworthy in the un-
usual speed that was shown in their
erection Ground was broken on
March 10, 1919, and today, Is months
later, the plants are in full operation
Experts who arrived today and
went through the new plants referred
to them as models in construction
from the standpoint of deficiency in
motor-car production and the ideal
conditions provided for the workers.
The buildings completed have a
total floor space of 1,206,799 square
feet. In their erection and equipment
S,778,297 pounds reinforced and struc-
tural steel were used; 100000 feet of
lumber, 6G,S83 cubic yards of concrete;
.131,SS1 square feet Of glass; 1850 ,000
bricks; 10000 barrels of cement; 153
miles of electric wiring; 6,640 feet of
water mains. 3,0S1 feet of tunnels for
carrying steam. water and electrical
transmission lines to and between the
various buildings; 18,080 feet OF sur
face railroad track and 1,528 feet OF
depressed track for handling ma
terials.
The method of assembling cars in
the final assembly building is last
word in efficiency In connection
with the remarkable eonveyor system
in operation, materials stored on up
per floors are dropped to each station
along the assembly line, piece by
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. efficiency
that obtains in the new plant is in
the subassembly 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
for the quick and economic handling
of materials. The bay also has a de-
pressed unloading track with accom-
modatiens for 10 freight cars.
Some idea of the huge proportions
of the new plant may be had from
the following dimensions of some of
the larger buildings: Subassembly,
192x52S feet; stamping department,
1S3x52S feet; machine shop, 425x576
feet, and forge shop, 16lx742 feet.
The buildings are equipped with II
freight elevators, four passenger ele-
vators and 81 travelling cranes. A
powe1Ihouse, with eight 5O0-horsepow-
er boilers, fired by mechanical stok-
ers, furnishes heat to all the build
ings through a double system of di-
rect and indirect heating and also
supplies steam for the operation of
forging hammers and other me-
chanical equipment.
The new light-six is being produced
in three body styles: the fiye-pas-
Esenger touring car, the sedan and
the landau-roadster Now that the
new plant officially opened Stude-
baker officials expect to get into
quantity production shortly.
/ The other two Studebaker models,
the Special-Six and Big-Sfx will con-
tinue to be produced in the Detroit
factories, with a scheduled output
| for this year of so 900 cars. The COM