Evening star., 1940-06-23


Horss.E~ins
Pete" keweII's faith builds ships
piping The generator was shipped away.
Promoters and real-estate men came and
went, deals for the use of the yards hickered
and died. For two years the plant gathered
dust Then finally, it changed hands; new
concern moved in and began making paper
pie plates.
The men who had made Bath ships had
scattered, or gone to farming, or set up road
side hot dog stands. w. S. Newell moved to
New Jersey and became general manager of
the New York Shipbuilding Company 1t was
a good job. paying a good salary But it
wasn't Bath And the thought of the old Bath
Iron Works kept challenging him.
That was in the middle twenties time,
you will remember, when men were making
a lot of money and spending it. Among other
things, men were buying yachts To Newell
that meant opportunity If he could just get
the old Iron Works into operation again.
with streamlined organization, if he could
get back the skilled workmen who had made
Bath-built ships famous. he thought he could
get some of that yacht building business.
Stortine from Seroteh
liz KEPT turning plans over in his mind,
lined up little capital, took an option on
the depreciated property. A. NJ. Main. a
naval architect of long experience, and l.. E.
Thebault leading Bath businessman, joined
him in the projected enterprise. They all
agreed to work at small salaries and turn
profits, if any, back into the plant. In Octo-
Der, 1927, they signed the papers of incorpora-
ton The Bath Iron Works, Limited, was
dead: but the Bath Iron Works Corporation
was born.
The pie-plate makers moved out of the
machine shop. The other buildings were in
tact even if full of cobwebs. The huge travel
ing cranes were still in the yards, asking only
for the rust to be removed. And there were
still few tools left in the other shops. For
the rest, it was start from scratch. II hope,
little by little, the business will amount to
something" Newell told his fellow townsmen
with New England caution. II hope it will
mean as much as we all wish, and that it will
add to the prosperity of the city we all love.
Early in 1923 Newell got the first contract,
to build the 24O-foot twin-screw yacht Wanda
for Z. p. Dane of Brookline, Massachusetts,.
Then other contracts: one for another yacht,
one for a toWboat, one for three hshlng
trawers. That trawler contract which would
have been trivial matter in an earlier day,
was page-one news in Bath - Hailed with
Delight" the headline said.
incidentally, the way the contract was
obtained was typical of the way Newell and
his associates were working. Hearing that a
Boston fishing concern wanted some trawlers.
Newell and Main hurried to Boston. Afraid
you'r too late" they we're told I'VE already
have the other bids in, complete with plans
and specifications.
I'VE can give you plans and specifications,
said Newell. Just tell US what kind of boats
YOU want.
But there isn't time. We -.
How about tomorrow noon?" asked
Newell. "Is that soon enough?"
Sure, but you couldn't possibly -.
We'll have them" said Newell.
He and Main dashed over to the Massa-
chusetts Institute of Technology, borrowed
some drawing boards, hired some Tech stu
dents to do their tracings, and worked far into
the night. Up early the next morning, Newell
(Confinved on pose 81