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# ! § 2 3 4 : POOR eT Ty ae ee ee PEPE ee ee ae eee ee a eke ee re ee ey OS eR ee ee ee 4 : ‘ ¢ . : - AS Concrete Producers Have Developed New Material for Shipbuilding —$hips Cast in One True Monolithic Bond Offer Advantages NNOVATIONS in an established industry always arouse severe criticisms. This is the case today with ferroconcrete ship construction. Shipping people are frank in express- ing their doubts as to the practic- ability of concrete vessels and are not as-yet inclined to accept such ships for operation. On the other hand, many naval architects, ship- builders and others of extended ex- perience have been willing to lend their names and their reputations to this form of construction. Inspired by the cement producers of the United States, an organization has been started, known-as the International Concrete Ship association with head- quarters in New York for the purpose of assembling data on the most ad- vanced and approved methods of building concrete ships and to promul- gate information on the subject to anyone who might be interested in the matter. At a recent meeting of this as- sociation no less an authority than Maj. Gen. George W. Goethals gave approval to the concrete ship. Frank Van Vleck attended the meeting by direction of the general and made this statement: : “I> can ‘say on. behalf of General Goethals, that he is very much in- terested in the reinforced concrete ship, and he is willing to: back up his reputation, as the builder of the Panama canal, made possible by re- inforced concrete, on the building of -concrete ships. He has asked the transportation division of the war department to commit itself definitely in regard to concrete boats.” > Many others who are in a position to judge concrete construction and to judge shipping have shown equal positiveness that the concrete ship is a commercial possibility. Their opinions, of course, are based upon prospects rather than achievements and their faith rests in the improve- ment of the design rather than suc- cess had with vessels built of con- crete in the past. The industry had an enviable op- portunity during the war when the shipping emergency was at its most acute stage. That more use was not made of this opportunity was because concrete shipbuilding was forced to begin at the ground and work up, whereas both steel and wood ship construction had_ established their commercial value throughout a period of many years. The history of con- crete shipbuilding indicates but sporadic efforts on the part of a. few. daring builders. Industry 70 Years Old The first concrete boat of which any record can. be found was built in 1849. This was nothing more than a small rowboat constructed by M. Lambot, of Carces, France. The manner of building was patented by the builder and the boat was ex- hibited at the world’s fair held. in Paris in 1855. This concrete rowboat was still in service at the outbreak By V. G. Iden of the European war. The next at- tempt was made by Gebruder Picha- Stevens at Sas van Gent, Holland, who built a rowboat of concrete in 1887 and named it the ZeemEEuyv. In February of last year it was still in use by a cement products plant in Amster- dam. About 1897, Carlo Gahbellini of Rome, Italy, began the construction of con- crete scows and barges. The following year the reinforced concrete boat Er- TORE was built by Gabellini which was of respectable finish and design. By 1905 the concrete boat-building work of this Italian had been so developed that a 150-ton barge was constructed for the city of Civita Vecchia. Results were so Satisfactory that a number of additional boats and barges were ordered from Gabellini. ae Following. the precedent established by those who had experimented. with. concrete for boat building in Holland,, German shipbuilders constructed in-~1909. at Frankfort-on-the-Main, a. ,concrete . freighter of 220 tons. Rectangular com- - partments formed watertight bulkheads in the structure and a small after-~ cabin was added to complete the vessel. The -same year A. A. Boon of Am- sterdam built the Juriana in Holland. An old wooden vessel which had be- come unseaworthy was used as an inner form. A netting was constructed of ™%4-inch bars spaced so as to form meshes 2 inches square. This was assenibled in place outside the’ old hull and covered with fine wire mesh, then filled in and covered. with con- FIRST CONCRETE BOAT TO BE LAUNCHED IN NEW ENGLAND—THIS CRAFT ‘IS THE FIRST OF A NUMBER OF LIGHTERS NOW UNDER CONSTRUCTION BY THE ABERTHAW CONSTRUCTION CO. 123 Deh agli Sk AS ae a Ne