1941-01-02 — Page 7

THE CHINA MAIL JANUARY 2, 1941

CHINA MAIL Job With

-WINDSOR -HOUSE

AMERICA READY

The rupture of diploma- tic relations between the United States and Ger-

Rivets

I shall get a big kick from the, with a long-handled hammer un- der the head of the rivet, I set the "gun" working. The rattle went through every muscle of my body. the noise beat on the drums of my ears in a deafening roar while I pressed the "trigger." Five min- utes of that left me just a little dazed.

-

many is foreshadowed in news that a certain new ship has been launched. That's expected reports from Washington to be in a short time.

You see, based on the observations helped to build her. of well-qualified sources. Well, I had a spell Germany's sullen hear-pneumatic riveter, and, believe it ing of the Roosevelt "fire-for not, earned the commendation side chat" is laken in of the ship's designer

some

with the

These chaps do it 10 hours a and the ri-day and their average is 300 rivets quarters to justify veuing squad! And I can say a day! No cissie job that, ch?

1 didn't

the belief that Hitler may congratulated myself, make the first move and think I had the nerve. announce that Germany You know how easy it is to say regards herself at war "Of course, I can do that," when with the United States, you're asked if you can do some- thing you'd normally side-step" interpreting American po-

That came my way. The design- licy

casus belli.

er-manager-magician of the ship- Whether speculation of building yard I sited suggested that kind is well-based or we went to see

а as

this embryonic

on the stocks. We did.

otherwise it would seem'ship she's only a number at the that events are moving, moment slowly but surely to this climax.

Wading through mud and pick- ing our steps through the thou- sand and one wooden contrivances The re-election of Pre-

that form the stocks, we got to the sident Roosevelt was tan-side of the boat. tamount to a mandate for

war.

The American pub asked. "No, of course

on November 5

deck-tu-be, 60 feet ol

the

I watched others in less dan- gerous positions, but certainly no Jess comfortable. Crouching un- der the bottom of the boat were hand riveters; two of them ham-

-By WILLIAM GIBBONS

mering away in a rave against the cooling of the rivet.

In this new ship there will be

when over a million rivets

she slips into the water, and every one of them must be perfect.

A Million

A cargo steamer takes shape as the ship's ribs are twisted in position.

are sweating from head

"You don't mind heights?" he

not: go lic voted

ahead." I replied. And we started in the full consciousness a climb up a sort of improvised that Mr. Roosevelt had ladder that seemed nome ton safe!

The carelessness of one riveter

cold day,

He's manoeuvring the steel plate never disavowed active to me, that took us to the top-could well ruin a complete cargo

with the driving wheel and bring- of, say, foodstuffs or other perish- to foot. able cargo. Water would seep

ing a pedal into use at the correct military participation on

through into the holds and ther From my position, six yards

second just over the mark for the behalf of the Democracies. | ground!

would be disastrous results.

away, the heat Was scorching.

rivet hole. With no more noise Goodness knows how those 12 Actually the efficiency of the

men only a foot or so away could than a sharp rap on the table a his in the riveters and platers withstand for the ten minutes hole is punched in the steel. And

All the steel, including they took to shape the frame with the rivets, is tested at the rolling hydraulic pressure machines. And mills by Lloyds, who occasionally they do that 16 times a day. There also supervise the testing in the jare 350 of them to complete before shipbuilding yards,

the "shell" of the ship is made.

Mr. Wendell Willkie's pro- Now you can feel fairly con- gramme stopped short, fortable in a boat at sea, with half The Republican lost nother "body" in the water and with because the United States a nice safe rail to prevent youi go- ing overboard into water, but it's was unwilling "to change

very different matter when horses in mid-stream,' but because his policy there's no rail and you're walking might ultimately have ended in disaster. Mr. Roosevelt made no secret of his intention to avoid war only so long as it was consistent with safety.

the edge with nothing to stop you falling to the ground.

I suppose this

manager chap believed me, but I was glad he I just glued my led the way. eyes on his heels, made every step he took, dodging huge protruding That intention has been bolts holding plates together be- the keynote of recent pub-neath us. and I made it! lic utterances by his Se-

But that was only the beginning.

of the structure at the bow end, 2 squad of riveters and

where

cretaries of State, Mr. On we went to the narrowest part Morgenthau, Mr. Cordell Hull, Mr. Stimson and Col. Knox. The Isolationists platers were working, meanwhile have suddenly become aroused, which is indicative itself.

There they were, standing on their than supports no thicker powerful arms, lashed by the keen wind that made me shudder in my

every side of

them.

Platers, astride on these narrow wooden planks, staging a veritablej tug-o'-war to get one of those! huge steel plates into position. A

America's entry into the own precarious position, with ut- war had been repeated-ter destruction on ly timed for a date not later than this Spring. Even before Japan threw in her lot with the Axis. The increasing false step, a slip; it would mean al chaos in the Far East death fall either to the ground.or coupled with Russia's en-to the bottom of the skeleton ship. igmatical attitude may yet they seemed oblivious of the bring that date nearer.

danger.

The American Fleet is Just ahead of them were the the strongest afloat. It

riveting squads whose pneumatic

监督

|

hands

so he goes on along each line of marks. So ridiculously simple!

Altogether there is very little in the ship--the engines and winches execpted

in that is not made But such is the skill of these

Many more marvels there are in the shipbuilding yard. The tenni men that there is seldoni any com- the yard. One, the shearing ma- is completed by the blacksmiths plaint

chine, fascinated and amused me who turn out masts, derricks and by the simple manner in which it other cargo discharging gear, stan- Then on to perhaps the most cut steel plating. half and three-chions and handrails; joiners who spectacular operation in the yard-quarters of an inch thick, with the make all the wooden fittings in the a tailor cutting berths, saloon, general equipment; frame turning. That's its technical' same facility as

plumbers who prepare and fit the ballast pipes in the tanks, the pipes for degausing, and all sani- tary equipment, and the carpen- ters, or shipwrights, who set the blocks for the keel to be laid on, erect flours and frames, Jay wooden decks, and prepare the launching operation.

LA POUSSEE VERS L'EST

Rêve do dictateur)

In six weeks they will all see the result of their labours when the ship moves majestically from her stocks, £14,000 worth of Bri- tish craft and workmanship, to join the

which now others, awaiting the finishing touches- lay in the waters around this yard,

Others will follow. The berths, not only in this yard but in every other in the country, are full.

Every available skilled marr of the shipbuilding yard is working at full pressure; the industry is at its peak in the drive to counter the Nazi menace on the seas to our merchant shipping.

:

Launching of the ship will be an ectation that calls for a little celebration. The whole family will join in the family of workers who have been responsible for yet another grand-ship from the cen- tury-old shipbuilding wart; from James Miller, 78-year-old night watchman, who this teen there. since he was eleven, and Taylor Hopps, 74-year-old gateman and ex-riveter, whose three sons are now.carying on where Taylor left off, to "Mr. Wilham," as he is to them all.,

is not only strong, but, riveters shrieked and cracked thank God, it is ready,' against steel, cach, it would seem, trying to overwhelm the other said Colonel Knox at Bos-with its noise. It was here that I ton. That was a reveal-did my riveting. A word or two ing statement. It showed from the chief of the squad, and he handed me this little revolver". how far American opinion edition, of the pneumatic drill we term; you'd know it better as rib- auta suiting.

"Mr. William" knows.everything to the there is to be known about ship- had moved forward since see and hear-in the streets.

bending. Hare a gang of a dozen The plate was slid on The the fall of France.

A white-hot rivet is passed by men stand before a huge furnace table by half a dozen men (it's building. One hundred years ago founded the shock of that fall galvan- the young heater; into its place it with long tong-like instruments in heavy and needs some handling) his grandfather

goes, and with the second riveter their hands,

and placed against the cutter, and] firm; his father and he have kept before you can say knife, it has it going in spite of a depression Ised the United States obtaining all the leverage he can

The doors of the hernaco. are been cut thaize. On to a planting that "killed" many others. into the most feverish war

opened. Flames gush out, reaching, machine which takes off the rough

To-day. "Mr. William," at 69, it seems, for those men, who, now edges, and it's ready for punching, preparations. The dan-

boasts that he could build a ship His Here's another remarkable bit himself! I don't doubt it ger that had seemed mere-ca had been unable to bending towards the fire, grasp the enti of a white hot rib, 40' feet ly academic, had how be- help. That was months long and weighing between 25 and of work. Holes for the rivets father saw to it that he knew must be in absolute alignment, So something about the business he they have a machine that does the was later to control, and he gra come very real. A great ago. To-day all Ameri- 30 hundred weight. Democracy in its hour of cans will echo Colonel slowly it is Rauled out on to the whole job- tremendous mass of, duated from the drawing office, peril had appeal-Knox's "thank God, we perforated metal floor flashing metal, operated by ale man, who, plating yard and riveting squad to *spar) and intense heat crowding perched up in the "Mokey," looks managership and chairmanship of

#the company rics and Ameri- are ready.

on the im who, on this bitterly, to be kiriving @molot-lorry.

Q