Evening star., 1938-12-09
Building Work
To Start Soon
AT Navy Yard
Contracts Awarded,
Projects to Cost
$2,280,000

Ground will be broken for a
$2,280,000 building program at the
Washington Navy Yard within a
few days as a result of the awarding
by the Navy Department late yes
terday Of contracts for construction
there of an Ordnance storehouse
and the foundations for a new gun
assembly shop.
The contract for the gun assem-
bly, shop work was awarded to the
w. P. Thurston Co., Richmond, Va,
for $179,450. The work is to be
completed within 100 calendar days.
The Harwood Nebel Construction
Co., Inc, 1920 K street NV, re-
ceived $224,62O contract for the
Ordnance storehouse job, which is
to be completed within 240 calendar
days.
The gun assembly shop is the
most important of the construction
projects listed for the local yard
and is expected to attain an ulti-
mate cost of sl,400,0OO, including
accessories and equipment. The
shop is badly needed in connection
with the increased program of gun
construction for new ships now
building, Navy Yard officials said.
Location of Buildings.
The new gun assembly shop, a
building 500 by 1T feet in size, is
to be constructed on site near the
water front in the west part of the
Navy Yard. Its larger dimension
will extend north and south, with
the south end in the vicinity of
Slip No. 4. Several small, old build
ings on the site will be razed to
make way for the new structure.
Work on the foundations probably
will begin Monday.
The ordnance storehouse will be
about 700 feet south and slightly
east of the Ninth street gate to the
Navy Yard, just south of the pres
ent proof shop.
Other Projects Scheduled.
The Second Deficiency Act carried
a total of s415 900 for improvement
of the power plant at the Washing
ton Navy Yard. Several contracts
probably will be awarded for this
work, the first for construction of a
cooling water tunnel An extension
to the power house building also is
scheduled for construction.
The Navy Bureau of Yards and
Docks, in charge of the program,
also will undertake improvement of
the electrical distributing system in
the Navy Yard shops, for which
total Of 100000 is available.
The work at the local Navy Yard
will be carried on under supervision
of Comdr. Ira P. Griffen, Civil
Engineer Corps, public works officer
on duty there.
In addition to the program at
the Navy Yard, the Navy Depart
ment also is rehabilitating the idle
naval torpedo factory at Alexandra,
Va, which is under jurisdiction of
the local yard. An appropriation of
approximately $500, 900 was carried
in the 1889 Naval Appropltatiol
Act to start the work of restorin~
the wartime plant to operatin.,
condition.
Work to Cost S2,750,000.
1t is estimated that the work at
Alexandria will require two years
for completion and will cost about
s2,750,000. A number of small con-
tracts for repair and construction
work there already have been
awarded and several jobs now are
in progress.
The plant, when completed, is ex-
pected to be geared up to a peace
time production rate of about one
torpedo a day.
The Bureau of Yards and Docks
also has awarded a contract for
reconstruction of a bulkhead at the
Naval Proving Ground, Dahlgren,
Va, to A. w. Vinton & Co., Silver
Spring. Md, in the amount Of $l9,-
700. The work is required to be
completed within 120 calendar days.