The Daily Alaska empire., 1945-03-26
HEALTH BOAT IS COMPLETE
 LAB AFL0AT'
Twin Screw Fly Gene Gets in from Seattle Ready
 for Field Work

| Outlying AlaSKa communities Will have medical and nursing services brought to their front doors by the first floating health laboratory" On record.
 The new floating lab is the vessel "Hy Gene" the former Cameo the second, well known Alaskan craft, recently acquired by the Ter ritorial Board of Health from the War Shipping Administration. The lily Gene" arrived in Juneau early this morning from Seattle and will go on it's first field trip in a few days.
 The lily Gene" was purchased by Federal funds which provide monies for salaries of crew and technicians for period of five years. The United States Children's Bureau put up $125,O0O and the United States Public Health Service S90,- 900. The Territory of Alaska is pay ing nothing out of tax funds and total Alaskan" expenditures in- volved is the approximate sum of $500 for tuberculosis x-ray equip ment bought of Alaska Tuberculosis Association funds.
 The lily Gene,' which served for many years after it's construction in 1929 as a Continental Can Con- pany service vessel, was taken over hy the Navy at the outset of the war and later became official float ing headquarters for the Command ing General of the Alaskan De- partment under Army colors. The vessel is 73.5 feet overall with a Is foot beam and crosses 65 tons. Planking is double, two inch carvel without and diagonal within braced with steam bent oak ribs 2ia inches by Az inches on l2 inch centers. Iron barking sheaths the hull from stem to stern below the waterline.
 Power is derived for a nine knot cruising speed from twin Chrysler Royal 143 horse power engines with g to l reduction gears. The stern is transom type with the hull broken into three watertight com partments.
 Wheelhouse controls boast Sole noid remote clutch controls. two way radio is also a wheelhouse fixture.
 There is an after stateroom with four berths, a doctors stateroom with three-quarter size bunk, a nurses stateroom beam width with twin beds, all aft and below decks. Forward of the wheelhouse are a stateroom for the captain, state room for the engineer, and a two bunk peak room for crew.
 The main cabin, aft of a spacious galley contains two room labora- tory complete with ,X-ray equip ment, dark room and laboratory paneled in Philippine magogany and birch.
 Hotwater system is Arcola with an oil burning galley stove. In ad- dition to large galley refrigerator, the vessel is also equipped with York refrigerated cold box of BIZ cubic foot capacity in which tenn peratures can be driven to 20 de- grees below zero.
 Auxiliary equipment of the boat includes 10 volt generator powered by a gas riven 3la kilowatt engine for the X-ray equipment. An auto matic COP fire extinguisher system is also part of the Fly Genes" equipment.
 The vessel will be crewed by four men and four technicians. Skipper is Tony Christianson, Engineer Darrell Naish, Stewardess Mrs. Ocie Swanson and Boatswain, Albert Benson.
 Dr. N. Berneta Block, Director of Child and Maternal Health and the Crippled Children's Service will be m charge of the medical work. She will be assisted by nurses Mrs. Magnitude Bogue and Miss Grace Plum. Clerk will be Mrs. Patricia Mayo.
 The floating laboratory inspira- ton is the result of two years of work by Dr. George Hays, Senior Surgeon of the United States Public Health Service and executive officer