The Wilmington morning star., 1946-12-23
Workings OF Giant Dredge Pennsylvania
Froue ReueIations To Students, Scribes
c,,ouu of Young People See
Actual Operations Of
River Dredging
BY ROY COOK
star Staff Writer

Early ldsU WIN $3.50
inaton newspaper men and High
l lsaol students were invited by
s s.ntsin Charles Phillips of the
tImerican Dredging company's
al dredge Pennsylvania, to make
aaSi inspection tour of the dredge
al work in the Brunswick river
a. s..t reserve lay up basin.
NF Tse party composed of Carl
oaodps. Wilmington News reporter,
saa Ballard, editor of the Will
ACTON College Center newspaper,
, ';ss Winifred Harriss of the staff
'.-4 +be New Hanover High school
VI Miss Marilyn Goodman,
.astr1re writer of the Wildcat, Miss
rrelyn Futrelle, Star-News steno-
s.snber. Miss Myrtle Futrelle,
g;sb School student and Roy j.
rook Morning Star reporter, were
sscort led on the trip by John ].
henderson, Star-News Circulation
deoartment district manager, and
sorroer member of the crew of the
J.edge Clinton. Henderson worked
nasb CAPTAIN Phillips for a number
If wears or the Clinton.
The party boarded Captain Harry
Moore's boat Sonny Boy" at the
int of Chestnut street. The
Sonny Boy" is used to transport
,nnnlies and workers to the dredge
md makes three round trips every
dav. Captain Moore swung the
c~aft into the river and the cruise
was underway. He was assisted
tv Captain Claude Rowland and
1svear-old Bobby Lee Albea.
Yard Area Quiet
Out into the channel the trim
craft Piled its way past the North
Carolina Shipbuilding company
Yards, once a beehive of activity,
but now, just a deserted mass OF
buildings, booms and building
materials. A couple of surplus
ships were being stripped at the
wharves. After the stripping, the
vessels are lowed to the Reserve
Fleet basin.
With Captain Moore explaining
the sights the party was given a
brief outline of the work the huge
dredge that was to be their destina-
ton was doing. Captain Moore is
from SWansboro.
Several hundred yards UP the
Brunswick river more than Is giant
~f-eighters, which had seen service
in almost every important seaport
in the world during the war, were
tied up. Ships from Florida, Cali
torni' Texas, Maine, Washington
and several built at the local yards,
we're .ashed together, lining both
sides Of the river.
Girls Pilot Boat
Miss Evelyn Futrelle ana Miss
Myrtle Futrelle, took turns at
plotting the speedy boat, and under
the watchful eye of Captain Moore
they -.anaged to keep her on the
course"
The party arrived at the Ameri-
can Dredge Company's large
dredge Pennsylvania about an hour
after leaving the docks, and were
greeted by Captain Charles Phil
lips, who said his home was for
merly in Swansboro.
Captain Phillips explained he had
been working on dredge boats for
over "a years and had been at
tached to the Pennsylvania for
over II years. He went on to ex-
plain that he was deck captain OF
the dredge, which he said was one
Of the largest in the world. He
stated the huge dredge could cut
away more than an average of one
million cubic yards in a month.
We have been working on this
Job for nine months and have cut
away nine million cubic yards"
he stated.
Taking the group through the en-
glne room Of the dredge he pointed
out the many functions which make
ING ship operate. He then escorted
tAe party off the front of the dredeg
Where he pointed out that the cut
er blade is eg;ht feet in diameter
and weighs 164 tons. The huge
0lade cuts into the earth at any
required depth, thirty inch lines
suck up the dirt, mud and sand
and transfer il to the "hill,' which,
ee captain explained might be as
tr away as five miles and some
.lnleS as short a distance as 1000
feet.
Operations Shown
he expla ned the operations OF
me cutter blade and had the opera
WI Chris Corners, of Camden, N.
~ RAISE and lower the shaft SO
.Ae group could get some idea OF
We SIZE Of the blades and lines.
Oohners explained the operations
VI me L different levers and gad-
sstS ne has to keep in operation
aNo remarked in answer to a ques-
nun' It's not so hard, if you know
".al you are doing" But to the
%Snlookers it looked like quite a job.
runners said he had been working
vi dredge boats for 10 years.
cedpta n C.. R. Boyer, of St.
ueofges, Delaware, came aboard
ano explained that three crews. a