Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-07-17

curists and everything else--Hog Islant
at one time employed 1000 men ant
women, of whom IA 900 were graduated
from school as shipbuilders.
More Than Nine Miles Of Ships
'If the 122 ships launched from Hop
Island were placed end 70 end they
would extend nine and half miles
or from the foot Of Market street tc
| Eddystone.
ITO build these ships 1t was necessary
to erect 356 OBS tons OF steel plates and
to drive 84,573 ,4S6 rivets of approx
mately one and one half inches each.
NEARLY one tenth Of the entire pro
gram for contract steel ships given Ia
all the shipyards Of the United States
Emergency Fleet Corporation has been
done at Hog Island.
"The launching Of seven ships mex,
Wednesday, will be the greatest numbe,
of ships ever launched on one day in
| any shipyard of the world. This would
be considered a full years job for most
shipyards.
Hog Island ships have rescued thir-
teen crews or ships and the Liberty
Clio, which was salvaged of Holland
was declared to be the strongest ant
most remarkable ship the salving com
pany had ever seem"
The pieces for the complete bow of O
ship are now waiting to be fitted to
gether at Hog Island, after which they
will be transported to Holland to bt
attached to the remains of the Liberty
Clio, which struck mine in the North
sea and was cut in two.
This illustrates what can be don,
with a Hog Island ship, Mr.. Brush de
clared.
Enemies Spread False Reports
Apropos of the Quistconck, the frs,
ship launched at Hog Island, Mr.. Brush
said:
This ship was advertised all owe,
the world as not being able to float
when launched, as being tied up with
rope instead OF put together with rivets
as put together with lead rivets instead
of iron and everything else anybody
could say of a derogatory character.
Yet she has cruised $4,000 miles, has
earned thousands Of dollars and has
proved perfect since she was put In the
water in August, 1918"
Regarding malign influences which
"Vi obeihot lhC bulDNdTu, ne
the story of a German (Hog Island was
permeated with Germans during the
war, he declared), who went to Con
gresham Edmonds and begged him not
to allow the Quistconck to be launched
as it was so unseaworthy. at would
sink and block the channel" he said.
This man claimed to be workman al
the yard, according to Mr.. Brush.
All criticisms of Hog Island, he said
have come from those who never went
through the shipyard or who had axes
to grind.
Magnitude Hard to Grasp
Never since the plant was originally
conceived has the average American n
been able to grasp It's magnitude, Re-
peatedly from the thousands and thou
sands of people who have visited the
plant we have heard the comment, saI-
though / read about it and have seen
pictures and heard 1t described. I
never had any conception Of it until l
| saw it,
ut is difficult to comprehend its
| magnitude in figures as figures mean 90
little, but il one will stop and estimate
IoOo acres and check this against the
same area in city. the individual
| va huNV ouhiS NohsNptlOH OF The tprri :
tory covered by the plant, and 10 bo
will stop and realize that the wavs We
occupy water frontage Of a mile and
quarter and that the wet basin ocI %
cupies another mile and a Quarter
and that two miles and a half Of
river front is occupied BY the shin
construction ways and Quitting hao;n
he will gain some conception ~ % tho
size of the plant. Then If he will f"e fo
ure eighty four miles of railroad sSd S
appreciate we have that much on tho tho
island It may mean something to his his
imagination. W niS
II he stops to realize that here IL
w,tS tSnPie'e fre eii.sustaining municipality
mestie water system, restaurants. bots,
electric light, hospital service and evcrv, %
thing else that goes to make I'M a c;,y
ne can appreciate 1t and gain some idss,,
Of the size Of it." ''"' 'aea