Evening star., 1940-04-12
Navy Building
Powder P| ant
AT |ndianhead
$5.000,0oo Program
At Navy Yard Near
Completion

Behind a veil Of naval censorship
the Navy is building a new powder
factory at Indianhead, Md, as a part
of great Navy public works pro-
gram which also includes large-scale
projects at the Washington Navy
Yard and the Naval Research Lab
oratory, Bellevue, D. C.
The Navy Department declined to
discuss the work at Indianhead on
the ground it is type of ordnance
construction subject to the general
censorship ban which has been
drawn around all military activi-
ties.
The powder factory, authorized by
Congress last year, is being con-
structed under a sl25,O00 item in
the 1910 Naval Appropriation Act.
According to information submitted
to Congress at the time the item
was pending the factory is to house
100 men and will replace the pres
ent outgrown factory building at
Indianhead. The present building,
constructed in 1907, is "in the poor
est condition" it was reported to
Congress, and maintenance funds
required to keep it habitable were
reported to be "out of proportion
to the value of the structure"
The new building, it is UNDER
STOOD Is of brick and concrete, with
facilities for cooking, bathing and
recreation.
S5,O0O,OO0 Program Pushed.
A $5,OOO,OO construction program
at the Washington Navy Yard, IN
cluding the Naval Torpedo Factory
at Alexandria, Va, which is under
administration of the commandant
OF the yard, now is nearing COM
pletion.
A $l,40O,0O0 gun-assembly shop,
in the western section of the Navy
Yard, the largest single project in
cluded in the program, is rs per cent
completed, the Navy Department
reported.
A 1865 900 ordnance storehouse, in
the eastern half of the Navy Yard,
has been completed.
Foundations have been completed
for an $685. central Office and
drafting room building at the Navy
Yard and construction of the super
structure of this important building
is expected to begin this spring.
Other work in progress at the
local yard includes extension of the
poWer-distributing system for naval
ordnance construction at a cost of
100000, provision of foundry stor-
age facilities at an estimated cost
| OF $4,000 and construction of q
railroad tide bridge to permit the
loading of freight cars on barges
or car ferries. Dredging of the site
for the bridge and float has been
completed under a $32 900 contract.
A similar tide bridge at Bellevue
has been completed.
Renovation Nearly Complete
Renovation work at the Alexan-
dria torpedo factory has been prac-
tically completed. and the building
is IN readiness for the installation of
machinery and equipment. The
plant, idle since the World War, is
expected to begin turning out tor
pedoes for the fleet within another
year or so. A test range in the lower
Potomac River, near Piney Point,
has been resurveyed for use in test
ing the torpedoes produced at AL
exandria. The work of rehabili-
tating the Alexandria plant has cost
approximately $1,50O,000. and it is
estimated that the entire project,
including machinery and equipment,
will cost $2,750,000.
Construction at Bellevue, also un-
der supervision Of the Navy Yard,
includes a fuse-loading plant build
ing and accessories for producing
new type ship ammunition, at cost
Of 100000; extension of storehouses
Nos. and for storage of ordnance
material and equipment, now re-
ported to be 80 per cent complete.
100000; extension of railroad sid
ings and facilities for car-handling,
$4,000, and transportation equip
ment. $4,000.
The Navy Department has taken
delivery of the David w. Taylor
Model Testing Basin at Carderock.
Md, and now Is installing towing
rails and other precision equipment
there.
NJ III N.,...l un.l.