THE CUBA REVIEW 



17 



THE NAVAL COALING STATION, GUANTANAMO, CUBA. 



Territory Acquired at the Termination of the Spanish-American War — A Modern 

 High-Speed Coaling Station Installed. 



Courtesy of Tliu Ii 



General view of the coal-handling equipment installed for the United States Government at 

 Guantanamo, Cuba. 



El grabado representa la instalacion hecha en Guantanamo, Cuba, por el Gobierno de los 

 Estados Unidos, para la descarga del carbon. La maquinaria para el trabajo esta montada en el 

 puente de acero, y funciona por medio de motores electricos. La instalacion se acepto en Noviembre 

 de 1908, y desde entonces esta funcionando, reduciendo el numero de brazos de 70 hombres que se 

 empleaban primitivamente a 2 maquinistas y i fogonero. 



At the termination of the Spanish- 

 American War, the U. S. Navy Depart- 

 ment acquired certain territory border- 

 ing on Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, for a 

 naval station, including, among other 

 equipment, a plant to store coal from 

 colleries and also to coal vessels using 

 Southern waters. The Government en- 

 gineers finding an available location near 

 Hospital Cay, dredged a channel for 

 water approach, and built a wharf, hav- 

 ing a frontage of 340 feet, and a coal 

 storage area in the rear of 68,000 square 

 feet. 



A temporary coal handling and stor- 

 ing equipment was promptly installed, 

 but the small tonnage — 350 to 400 tons 

 per day — meant the employment of a 

 stevedore force of 70 men and a high 

 labor charge per ton handled, besides 

 the remoteness of the station from any 

 labor center or community from which 

 labor of this type could be drawn, 

 caused many delays. As soon, therefore, 

 as additional appropriations were avail- 

 able a modern high-speed coaling sta- 

 tion to transfer coal from colliers to the 

 storage area and from this storage area 

 to the naval vessels, was installed. 



The illustration gives a general view 

 of the new plant. The operating ma- 

 chinery is mounted on a steel bridge 

 spanning the storage area, with a dis- 

 tance center to center of tracks of 261 

 feet. It is supported by structural steel 

 legs, mounted on a universal truck. The 

 bridge is moved by electric motors, one 

 geared to the driving wheels of each 

 truck. These motors are controlled by 

 one controller stationed in the operating 

 room of the bridge. 



The coal handling machinery, how- 

 ever, is operated by means of steam pow- 

 er, for the designers, C. W. Hunt Co., 

 West New Brighton, N. Y., believe that 

 reliability of operation in emergencies, 

 economy of maintenance, and easy reg- 

 ulation of operating speed are all on the 

 side of steam. 



The operating machinery is housed at 

 a central point and requires two opera- 

 tors, one to control the lowering, filling 

 and raising of the 2^-ton grab bucket, 

 and the other to control the running in 

 and out of the trolley truck over the 

 boom and the discharging of the bucket 

 over the storage area. The plant was 

 accepted November, 1908, and the ma- 



