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14 MARINE REVIEW. [April 11, MARYLAND STEEL CO., SPARROW'S POINT. DESCRIPTION OF AN EXCELLENT MARINE PLANT THAT HAS BEEN BUILT UP IN CONNECTION WITH A VERY LARGE STEEL INDUSTRY. [Special correspondence to the Marine Review.] Sparrow's Point, Md., April 10--The ship yard of the Maryland Steel Co. at this place is rapidly becoming one of the largest and best equipped in the country. To successfully undertake the building of such large ships as the 500-footers for the Boston Steamship Co. and the Atlantic Trans- port Co., together with five other ships, extensive additions and improve- ments became necessary. Advantage was taken of the excellent location of the yard to provide in the first plans for growth along logical lines. The present improvements, suited to the original ideas, maintain the unity of the various departments and witness to the admirable foresight of the engineers in charge of the yard when laid out ten years ago. The yard is located 614 miles from Baltimore on the Patapsco river, near where it broadens out into the Chesapeake. Indeed, at this point the river is two miles wide. Abundance of room is here available for expansion on all sides. For a year past most of the waste products from the steel plant, suitable for making land where pile driving must be allowed for, have been used for filling in at the southern end of the yard. More than 6,000 square yards of land has thus been reclaimed. Here have been built slips E and F. Slips C and D have been rebuilt and lengthened to 500 ft. The two 500-footers, Nos. 35 and 86, for the Boston Steamship Co., are assuming form on slips D and E, while Nos. 37 and 38, of similar dimensions, for the Atlantic Transport Co., will be laid down on C and F slips. These slips are spaced 109 ft. centers, thus giving ample space for the hoisting towers adopted by this company for the handling of ship ma- terial. The first of these towers was built a little more than a year and a half ago, followed directly by two others from the same plans. These three have proved so satisfactory that for the larger work in hand three additional towers, greater in size, lifting power and speed, are being erected. They are being built by the Pennsylvania Steel Co. They run on sixteen gauge tracks at the ground level upon piling foundations. Each tower has a lifting capacity of 7% tons at 54 ft. 6 in. from its center without counter-balancing, and will cover half a ship of the greatest beam on either side. The tool shed, 140 ft. wide, has been lengthened 75 ft. to provide ample space for the mold loft. New direct electrical-drive punches, shears and bending press have recently been installed. The tracks for the stock yard crane, having a span of 54 ft. with a length equal to that of the tool shed, have also been extended 75 ft. A new 8-ton Niles electric travelling crane has been erected over the stock yard, thus providing two electric cranes for handling material at this point. Between the tool shed and stock yard a small 2-ton electric crane and tracks, having a span of 22 ft. 8 in. and 480 ft. long, for the laying out of plates and angles, have been built. On the other side of the tool shed and at the head of the building ships is a new gantry crane--span 38 ft. 7% in. Under this crane the steel parts of the ships are assembled and riveted as far as practicable and delivered without further handling directly to the hoisting towers. Thus the ship material progresses steadily through the parallel lines of the stock yard, laying out floor, tool shed and erecting floor. Radical changes in the power plant became necessary and two three- furnace marine boilers have been installed. Electric light and power is supplied by the main power plant at the furnaces of the steel department, but. the enlarged use of compressed air tools has necessitated additional boiler power. An Ingersoll-Sargent compressor with a capacity of 1,200 cu. ft. per minute has been added to the air plant, and the mechanical department of the Maryland Steel Co. has just built and erected for this plant a vertical fore-and-aft compound two-stage compressor with a capa- city of 3,000 cu. ft. of free air per minute. This latest compressor has steam cylinders, high pressure 22% in. diameter, low pressure 43 in. di- ameter, and air cylinders 36 in. diameter first stage and 22 in. second stage, with a common stroke of 30 in. During the first stage the air pres- sure is carried to 40 lbs., and to 100 lbs. by the second stage. The air is distributed through the yard by new 10-in. mains, with 6-in. branches to the building slips. It is proposed to duplicate at an early date the com- pound air compressor and thus add another 3,000 cu. ft. to the capacity of a plant. e machine shop has shared in the general improvement and it output largely increased by the addition of much new machinery, The shop is operated night and day, and the force of machinists is being steadily increased. : There are now employed on marine work by this compan b 2,100 men, and this number will be increased by about 500 in the aul ae months. The dock department, which is building the great floating dock - the Speed ee here ang employs some 250 hands, and the urnaces, Bessemer plant and rail mill about 2,150 ki : et: on Be sy pay rolls. ee he Maryland Steel Co. has recently completed and delivered t New York, Philadelphia '& Norfolk Railroad a steel car float 340 Mega all, 46 ft. 4 in. molded beam; 48 ft. 3 in. over all beam; 12 ft. 6 in. depth This float is fitted with four tracks and has a total capacity of twenty- eight loaded box freight cars. Steam and hand steering gear are pro- vided. To supply steam for the steering engine and bilge pump a donkey boiler 66 in. diameter by 96 in. long, having 500 sq. ft. of heating surface * and 15 sq. ft. of grate surface, was installed. Crew accommodations are in a bridge house over the center of the float. : The newspapers have been noting the progress of the Pennsylvania Steel Co. on its plans for reorganization on a $50,000,000 capital basis. It is well known that all the stock of the Maryland Steel 'Co. is held by the parent company, the Pennsylvania Steel Co., and intense interest is manifested here over the proceedings. Reorganization means undoubted- ly a greatly increased investment at Sparrow's Point, and the ship yard will be benefited both directly and indirectly. The time limit for the sur- render of the old stock of the Pennsylvania Co. has been extended to April 10. Over 90 per cent. has been turned in and the remainder is in sight. Every confidence is expressed in the success of the Sed Say . bers Tool shed at the head of the ways 34, 5 and 36 and beyond the hull of No. 2 oO , the water bottoms of Nos. machine and boiler shops in the background. to the right, MARINE DEPARTMENT--A panoramic view showing the keel of No. 38 MARYLAND STEEL CO.,