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Show hhHP' j -- 7-sJ . Xaviok rtiinj A SHIP. ft UNDERTAKING CALL3 FOR SKILL AND JUDGMENT. n u Mn r nioiiKi r.irtii- Iaiiaeh.fl Mora V....I. Than Any llhr Han In Aro.rlra Mnlu Ur-adl Ur-adl af s.fr..f.t lu.tlu According to Mr M. V. I). Doughty of Newport Ni, V. the feelings of ,t a man who li charged wllh the respon sibility of the launching o( i great thin re by no meant pleasant when the fateful moment arrives which Is to decide whether the venl will glide ! gracefully off the was or allck When It la uld that Mr Doughty haa had charge of the arrangements of more launching than any other man In the United Sutra, and possibly the world. It mint be admitted that he haa a right to psss on opinion upon the subject During hla ronnectton with the. ship-! ship-! building Industry he haa had charge of j seven!) -one successful launchluga. M. V D. DOUGHTY, Among the vessels that have left the waya under hla direction were the firtt-class battlrahlpa Keanarge, Ken j lucky and llllnoli, the gunboata Nash ville. Helena and Wilmington, the fajir Morgan lino atcsrrers that were trans-formed trans-formed Into auxiliary crultera during the war with Spain, and the Plant line learner m Orande Duchease, which was used aa a transport. The Crom well liner Creole, now the hospital ship Solace, alio received her baptism under hla direction. In speaking of a ahlp at the present time, with such enor- nous dimensions. Is not only a matter of careful calculation, but one of great skill and labor Should anything hap. H" P'n lo the several things prepared, V auch aa delays in clearing the ship of r her ahores and blocks, or by a passing vessel, then romes a moment of Intense anxiety to the man having the launch' Ing In charge. He knows just how long be ran wait, and how long the limit of aafety extends. Bhould the ahlp refuse to slide from the ways, or atlck, aa It Is termed, not only Is the aafety of the . n venael Involved, but aurta a rataatrophe means a great pecuniary losa to the builders. The cause for "sticking" Is Invariably blamed on the tallow with which the waya are greased, and while k Ibis may not alwa)a be responsible, t will not dispute Its Justice, for the launching master haa trouble enough In other directions. He should hare something to relieve his mind, for should the vessel "stick" ha Is forced to go all through the same process again, and the conditions In the second rase are not alwaya quite so favorable aa In the first Consequently hla doubt and anxiety la doubled at the second attempt, Even after the ship haa started down the waya to meet her watery bed, there la a severe mental strain upon the man having charge of the launching, for while the ahlp la In motion he la thinking about how ahe will be received by the water, for ahould he have been mistaken In hla calculations and the ahlp fall after her stern had passed the outer end of tho ground ways, Instead of raising, as Intended, In-tended, the probability Is that ahe would dislodge the cradle at the for ward end ami fall between the ways. Who could tell the amount of damage In such a rase? On the other hand, ahould the atern or after end of the ahlp raise sooner than Intended, thus throwing too much weight on the forward for-ward end of the packing upon which the ahlp la resting, the vessel would be subjected to an extraordlnnry strain, as she would then be borne forward for-ward by the timber aa well aa by the water at her stern, The damage ahe ould sustain In this condition Is also difficult to Imagine "There are also other damages caused by the ship lifting at the after end too soon, thus throwing too great a weight forward. Should the trapping, trap-ping, or lashings, which are placed to keep the packing and bilge ways, or slides, from spreading, break, the probability prob-ability Is that the vessel would fall between be-tween the ways, or, on the other hand, If the trapping should not part at the jproper moment the danger Is that the iforward nscklnc would be forced through the bottom of the ship, causing caus-ing ber to fill and go down The danger dan-ger of dlsaater In launching large ships should cause the man having charge of the launching to carefully calculate all conditions when he lays the keel for the ahlp This, together with the careful care-ful laying of the lower ground ways, npon which the ship Is to slide down, ' Insures a successful launch," |