Show canal has big repairing plant facilities at balboa and cristobal for ship work are arc described washington abe elaborate facilities for the repairing ring of ships nt at tile panama ina canal tire given in a bulletin of the canal the principal manufacturing and repair plant Is located at kalbon balboa the pacific terminal of the ho canal it ta Is adjacent to nn an inner harbor which lias has tin nn area sufficient clent to permit access to docks which aggregate feet in length including commercial docks repair wharves and coaling docks A much smaller plant ts Is located of nt cristobal the atlantic terminal about ono and one half miles from the main commercial oin mercial docks A description or of the plant ut at 1 albea follows tile the dock has a depth of BB feet over the blocks at mean tide high tide varies from 9 to 11 feet above tide it la Is nerved by a 50 ahon ton traveling crane brahe 01 th an outside reach of five feit fe beyond the center of the dock this trane crane Is also of traveling along tho the face of some of the repair wharves thus facilitating the work or of repairing vessels for ships which do not net require dry docking there are adjacent to the shops about awo feet of repair wharves at regular intervals along the coping of the dry dock and tho the repair wharves ue ace outlets for air water and alternating electric current A limited quantity of direct current can be supplied by two portable motor generating sets either compressed nir or elec electricity trIcIti can be supplied for operating auxiliaries on ships on which steam Is cv Q where refrigerating machinery Is shut down cold storage can an bo be removed from the ships boxes anil stored in the canal cold storage ehouse nearby tho the arv alo simps cups are centrally located with respect to the dry dock and wharves ample track and crane services provide for handling work between shops and ships huge traveling cranes the main metalworking metal working shops machine and boiler shop are provided with cuton CU ton overhead travel cling elang crones while the tha foundry has it 25 ton overhead crime crane As nit all the shops are equipped with as complete lines of power tools as are generally found in an up tofate to ante repair shop only tho the larger tools wu be given special mention so to give an idea ca 04 the maximum capacity of each department part ment the machine shop Is provided with a vertical boring mill cap capable tible of working 18 feet in diameter with an open ide bide extension planer la 10 feet by BL 82 feet and with a lathe tach inch swing by 05 feet between centers no ship machinery mit chinery la Is too large for tho the capac capaci i ity of this shop this shop tins a noor floor area of approximately square feet the Is provided with a baton ton forging press with tho the necessary nry furnaces to handle anny work that tho the press Is capable of biliett 24 indies inches square by 11 10 feet long are kept in stock rind can be worked under tats press there are other machinery clil nery and tools usually found in A first class there Is dilso a department for spring making lunking and a tool dressing department that includes oil burning and electric tempering furnaces of the latest type tills this shop has a floor area of approximate ly square feet the boiler and ship ditting titting have a set of rolls capable of bending plates 3 inch by 40 foot feet 1 inch by 21 24 feet or 21 2 inches by bj it 11 feet any size of ship chip or holler boiler plates or structural shapes can be worked ly by the lie other ery which includes tingle angle she tirs punches nin rolls plate planer and aid hending nia ma clione this sh eliop op lini has a hoor floor area ot of approximately square feet the pipe shop Is outfitted for plumbing work tin anil for pipe copper tind and sheet worl work of the highest lilg hest classes the floor aren of this shop Is approximately square feet the foundry Is equipped with a two ton on tro penas converter tind and one two ton and one one ton cupola and the usual brass furnaces thero Is tin an sandblast sand blast system for cleaning castings also gate saws cutters and other modern equipment including furnaces core ove oven n and mold drying oven even the foundry can turn out castings as aa follows bronze brass or composition 34 pound to 1000 pounds iron A 24 pound to pounds steel A 34 pound to pounds in connection with the foundry Is a shop equipped to handle any and nil classes of pattern work this foundry and pattern shop together have n floor aron area of approximately square reel feet woodworking machinery the pinning mill and joiner shop la Is outfitted with the usual woodworking machines ines including a n 72 inch sawmill capable of handling timbers likely to bo be used in connection with ship work this shop has a floor door area of tipp approximately roxi square feet the oxy plant tins has portable electr electric lc welding and oxy acety lene cutting outfits capable of handling emergency repairs the plant develops approximately cubic feet of acetylene per hour cuble cubic feet of hydrogen per day all classes of boiler weeding aro are done large welds con he be performed main engine cylinders have hare been welded in place both high pressured pressure and low pressure the welds being as extensive and as successful na as the welds made in the united states on engine cylinders during the world war this plant tins a floor aren area of approximately square feet an instrument repair shop Is maintained in which repairs are made to navigating instruments clocks gauges ganges typewriters anti and computing machines and other work of a minute character rn hi connection with this shop there Is a plating plant for zinc capper copper nickel silver and gold this shop has ii a floor area of approximately aux square feet located in the same building with the instrument repair shop Is nil an electric shop under the control of the electrical division the facilities or of which are aval available lable for the entire panama chiq shop Is equipped for motor winding switchboard work and making repairs to practically any kind of electrical apparatus the floor area of this shop Is ly y 1100 I square feet there la Is a car shop equipped with nil all necessary nia machinery chInery for the building of railroad cars of all kinds and also the repairing of all the rolling stock of the railroad in connection with tins shop there Is a re rolling null mill for re moiling rolling bara and miscellaneous scrap material into rounds tin and flain this shop has a loor floor nna arva of approximately square feet there Is located at both the lini balboa boft and the cristobal shops and connected therewith n roundhouse where here general overhauling na as well ns aa minor repairs are made to the locomotives of the Pa panama rinnia railroad the air compressor plant and dry dock pumping plant at balboa are located in the building there aro are two cubic toot foot and one 2600 cubic toot foot air compressors in use driven by electric motors and one 2500 cubic toot foot stearn driven compressor prossor which la Is considered only na as an emergency unit up to date laboratory there Is a laboratory equipped with a pound testing ina chino and a hardness testing machine and other equipment tor for making physical tests of a nil 11 k kinds in ds there are also aval fable in another noth r division of the Vatin panama tria canal laboratories where chei chemical te tests S t 9 ca can n bo be made of fuel olla oils metals etc all shop tools tire lire operated by electricity tri city tho the larger tools are provided with independent motors and tho the smaller ani tiller tools are nr ranged in groups and driven from countershafts counter shafts tho the current Is obtained from a hydroelectric plant nt at fie gnoun spillway supplemented acy bya ft diesel dle el driven plant nt at the 25 cycle cv ie alternating current la Is transmitted to the balbon substation nt at roll q at the substation it Is transformed to 2100 volts and so distributed d through h underground der ground duct lines to the various shops where it I 1 Is further transformed where necessary tr to suitable voltages for use the var various lotis speed tools in tile the machine ship tire driven by direct current from rotary transformers within the shop all other tools arp are driven by alternating eu current rr e nt gene generally r at volts current at volts la Is available nt at all points along the water front for power purposes and at volts for fop lighting in the event of ships generators being out of 0 use the storehouses under the control of the supply department carry on liand a large stock of steel shapes chapes pipe ship fittings tin and supplies 9 of every description steel plate Is carried in stock in all up to and including 2 inches plates smaller than inch vary by sixteenths and plates larger than i inch vary by eighths eight hs the largest plates in stock tire are 72 inches by 10 feet by 2 inches thick A large amount of steel billets Is kept on hand in nil sizes up to and including 24 inches by 24 indies inches by 10 19 feet structural shapes are carried ns as follows I beams all sizes up to 27 inches channels all sizes up to 15 inches ship all sizes up to 12 inches and angles all sizes up to 8 Ji inches liches by 8 inches by luch inch there are also carried in the storehouses lumber of all sizes and miscellaneous equipment and supplies of practically every description lon that are used in the operation anti and maintenance of the entire Inna inn canal |