The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1922-06-12
ARMY OF MEN
SCRAP WARSH|P
New Industry SuppIants Building
OF Fighting Vessels Along
the Delaware River.
MANY AWAITING DISkANTLING
Philadelphia, Birthplace of Many
Vessels, Also to Be Graveyard"
OF Nays Fighting Ships That
Have Become Obsolete.

/ Philadelphia.-A new industry
scrapping of old warships-has spruns
up along the Delaware river, where
not so long ago more than 100000 men
! were working feverishly to help build
a bridge of ships" across the Allan.
tic to check the progress of Germany
in the World war.
/ Philadelphia, the birthplace of many
OF the vessels, also is to be the grave
yard' Of a number of the navys fight
Ing craft, discarded because they have
become obsolete. Later, when the
scrapping program of the arms con-
| ference becomes effective, many more
! ships will be added to the list Hun
dreds of men are engaged in turning
the steel from the discarded ships
into materials for the construction
| of buildings, tools, locomotives, auto
mobiles and other peace-time uses
+ Many Await DsmantIing.
In one Delaware river shipyard
alone there are awaiting dismantling
the battleships Maine, Missouri and
Wisconsin,, the once proud first-class
cruiser Columbia, the monitors Ozark,
Monterey and Tonopah and countless
destroyers, Eagle boats and smaller
craft.
Powerful oxyacetylene torches
welded by masked workmen are be-
Ing used to cut through the 11-inch
steel turret armor of the Maine, while
125-ton crane was used to take out
It's Pinch guns
Further along the yard little obso-
lete submarines with paper thickness
shells are being ripped apart with
prosaic chisels to the accompaniment
of the gatling gunlike staccato of
compressed air hammers The mon
ftor Monterey, an improved edition of
Ericsson's gallant Monitor of Civil
war fame, with its surface flush deck,
rapidly is being converted into billets.
It's 10 and 12-inch rifles, however, still
appear menacingly through the tur-
rets of its squatty superstructure as
they did in the early '9Os when the
vessel was one of the most powerful
battle craft afioat.
"Grandfather" of Submarines.
A little submarine, Al Plunger,
grandfather" of the modern subma-
rine cruiser Sal, is awaiting scrap
pug. SICdluIc VI the DIdlu OI y. r.
Holland, the early trials of the Al
were the subject of almost as much
ridicule and scoffing as marked the
first efforts of Robert Fulton and his
steamboat on the Hudson river.
The most precious Junk obtained
from the ships is the copper, gun |
metal, navy brass, manganese bronze, |
Lead and zinc. Complete destruction
is not necessary in the case Of all |
the craft. The bulls of some of the |
-orpedO boats will undergo a trans
formation to adapt them to peaceful |
This already has been done
With the destroyers Truxton, Worden
md Whipple. which will ply between
he United States and Central Ameri-
"a carrying cargoes of fruit
Engined with kerosene oil burners,
hey will be large cargo carriers and
# such light draft that they can navi-
ate shallow rivers on high tide and
ay off plantations for loading, there
y eliminating lighterage cost. Their
lean lines give them great speed,
5hich makes unnecessary the expen-
i've refrigerating system used in
lower fruit boats