SHIP BUILDING. 



511 



powsr. A rani to build the hull of a, ship of about 

 2oOO tons iu a year could be established for about 

 $60,030, including buildings, but a first-class modern 

 ship and engine building establishment, capable of 

 turning out about 70,000 tons of shipping and 50,- 

 030 horse-power, fitted with the latest and most 

 improved labor -saving machines, will cost about 



Ships cannot be built, even with the necessary 

 plant, without plenty of money. The weekly pay- 

 roll of a large establishment on the Delaware is 

 a'ioui$M,0'JJ, and when, with this, the large amounts 

 spent for material, insurance, and other purposed are 

 taken, it will ba seau that a great deal of ready 

 m >u.iy is required. 



Mach jud.;:n;ut and business ability is required 

 in handling a largj ship-yard ; often a s'light modifi- 

 cation iu a m3ihxl of securing a small part may re- 

 sult in tl3 saving of thousands of dollars, and natu- 

 rally only th se succeed in ship-building who attend 

 strictly to bmiiuMs. 



When the price of the ship has been settled upon 

 an.l the design elaborated, the latter being, as a 

 rule, left to the builder.-* in the case of tnerchant- 

 vessols, they being given the number of passengers 

 and amount of freight to be carried, together with 

 the speed and character of service, the preparation 

 for building at once begins. 



Tlu linei of the vessel, showing the shape on the 

 on'sid !, are drawn out at full length on a large floor, 

 called the mould loft. 



Taking tho skeleton of a herring and turning it on 

 its back will give an idea of the construction of a 

 vessel ; the ribs are called the frames of the ship, and 

 thay come down to tho backbone or keel as on the 

 fish. Sections are drawa out to full size, showing the 

 shapes of all the different frames, and wooden moulds 

 are made to these shapes. The iron or steel angles 



The keels are the first part of tho vessel laid npon 

 the blocks. In the case of the flat keel the vertical 

 keel plate is next placed, and then the frames are 



Bar Keel. 



raised at points marked npon the keel. The frame, 

 reverse angle, and floor are riveted together on stag- 

 - about level with the blocks. The complete 



Side Bar Keel 

 frame is then lifted by means of tackles leading 



that form the frames are heated in long furnaces and i from the ends of uprights, which can be moved 

 drawn out on a large iron floor, called a bending j along abreast of the position of the frame, and the 

 slab, having a number of small holes in it. Upon 

 this slab the mould to the frame has been previously 

 laid and the shapj drawn in chalk, and then a num- 

 ber of pins stuck in the holes along the chalk line. 

 The hot angle bar is then forced against these pins 

 and liald by clamps, so attaining the proper shape. 

 While bending it is also bevelled, or one side is so 

 ahapad that it will conform with the ontside plating 

 coming against it. Tuo angle is then taken in some 

 cases to a scrive board, where the curve of the frame 

 his b>->n drawn out and the shapo checked, and any 

 corro ^tions necessary are made by bending the frame 

 col 1 in a setting machine. 



An ordinary frame consists of three parts : 



1. What is known as the frame angle bar, ex- 

 tending from the keel to the upper part of the side of 

 tha v.xsel. 



2. A rt:wr plate, extending across from bilge to 

 bil^e, riveted to the frame at its lower edge. 



3. A reverse frame angle, riveted to the tipper 

 ed^e of the floor upon the side opposite to the frame 

 angle, and at the terminations of the floor is carried 

 on up on the frame angle to heights varying with 

 the size and type of vessel. 



The holes in the frame angle are punched before 

 bending ; those in the reverse angle are marked from 



Flat Keel. 



frame is bolted in place. Usually one or more 

 beams are bolted to the frames and raised with them, 

 the beams being the cross pieces npon which tha 

 decks rest. The stem and stern posts, made of 

 forged iron or cast steel, are raised in place when 

 the framing is well started amidships. 



The lines of the edges of the plates forming the 

 outer skin of the ship are marked on the frames, and 

 these spots are faired by long pieces of wood called 

 battens, and wooden templets or skeleton shapes are 

 put up where the plates are to go. Upon these are 

 marked the holes that are to be punched in the plates 

 and the exact sizes of the plates. These are light 

 and easily handled, and are taken down, laid on the 



the frame angle and punched after bending. I plates, and the positions of holes transferred to the 



The keel is laid npon blocks extending down to plate. The plate is then sheared nearly to size, and 

 the water's edge, the blocks being high enough to is then planed on the butts and the edges of the 

 allow the workmen to get under to rivet on the bot- outer streaks, the holes are punched and counter 

 torn plates. The keel blocks are laid on an incline | sunk, so that the rivet may be hammered down flush 

 of about | of an inch to the foot. They are spaced on the outside. The plates overlap on the edges, 

 al>ont 4 to 5 feet apart and have on each side two sets the most common system being that known as the 

 of s'a-id.mls for supporting the staging upon which 



th" workmen stand. 



K''els aro of three kinds : Tho bar keel, side bar 

 keel, and flat plate keel. 



raised and sunken system. 



The ends butt against one another and are held by 

 butt straps on tho inside. When in place and riveted 

 up tho edges and butts are carefully calked, and so 



