INTRODUCTORY PROCEEDINGS. xxxi 



Frank M. Hiatt, Charge Man, Bureau of Construction and Repair, Navy Department, 

 Washington, D. C. 



Fred T. Llewellyn, in. Charge of Sales Office, U. S. Steel Corp., New York, N. Y. 



Aaron Matheis, Draughtsman, Federal Shipibuilding Company, Kearney, N. J., Lieu- 

 tenant, U. S. N. R. F. P. O. address: 71 Millington Avenue, Newark, N. J. 



Bruce A. Russell, Assistant Chief Hull Draughtsman, Ames Shipbuilding and Dry 

 Dock Company. P. O. address: Ames Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company, Seattle, 

 Wash. 



C. L. Putzel, Ames Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company, Seattle, Wash. 



Junior to Associate (3). 



Wm. Neal Briceland, Inspector, Morse Dry Dock and Repair Company, Brooklyn, 

 N. Y. P. O. address: 338 73d Street, Brooklyn, N. Y. 



M. L. Goldstein, Engineering Department, Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock 

 Company. P. O. address: P. O. Box 515, Newport News, Va. 



Herbert L. Lilla, Chief Engineer, Mine Sweeper No. 43, U. S. S. Gebbe, Portsmouth, 

 N. H. 



Junior to Member (1). 



H. C. Adams, Jr., 4S33 Pine Street, Philadelphia, Pa. 



The President: — You have heard the list read, gentlemen. What is your pleasure? 



PROifEssoR Herbert C. Sadler, Member of Council: — I move that the list be adopted as 

 read. 



The motion was seconded, put to vote and carried. 



The President : — The first paper on our program is entitled "Methods Employed in 

 the Construction of Concrete Ships," by Mr. R. J. Wig, Visitor. In the absence of Mr. 

 Wig, I will ask the secretary to present an abstract of the paper. 



The Secretary: — I think, perhaps, rather than to attempt to read an abstract of the 

 paper, which is being distributed, I will make a few remarks on the subject of concrete ships 

 for Mr. Wig. 



I would like to say, in the first place, that I had the pleasure of seeing Mr. Wig in ac- 

 tion, so to speak, as he was one of the staff of the Emergency Fleet Corporation with which 

 I was connected at the time. He had possibly the most difficult problem to attack that was 

 presented to any person during the war who was trying to build ships of any kind, sort 

 or description. There was a quite justifiable and very serious prejudice against the use 

 of concrete for shipbuilding, unless it was an absolute necessity, and particularly until its 

 practicability had been demonstrated. In other words, Mr. Wig, who was actually under 

 instructions to design and get ready concrete ships that should be serviceable, was working 

 against an enormous inertia, and further than that, he was attacking a problem concern- 

 ing which there was little or no information, at least in the size and type of vessels which 

 he was to design. I may say for him that he was, fortunately, an enthusiast, If he had 

 not been, I do not think he could ever have accomplished what he did. 



