Modern shipbuilding and the men engaged in it

by David Pollock

The progress of shipbuilding and marine engineering on the Clyde may be said to include several more or less well-defined periods or stages, and the student of industrial progress must feel bound to connect with these the name of the late John Elder, a distinguished leader in these important industries, and an engineer whose improvements in the marine engine deserve to rank alongside those improvements which James Watt effected in his day. In 1852 Mr Elder joined his friend, Mr Randolph, in an established business, and shortly afterwards made preparations to add marine engineering to the mill-wright and other businesses of the firm. The new firm speedily established itself through a series of improvements, having for their object the reduction of fuel consumption on board steam vessels. In 1860 the firm commenced to build ships, and as shipbuilders and marine engineers they laboured successfully for sixteen years, building during that period 106 vessels, with an aggregate tonnage of 81,326 tons, and constructing 111 sets of marine engines, showing a nominal power of 20,145 horses. At this time the co-partnery contract expired, and Mr John Elder took over the entire works, carrying them on with great success until his death, which occurred in London in September, 1869, when at the early age of 45 years. After his death the business of the firm was taken up by Mr John F. Ure, Mr J. L. K. Jamieson, and Mr William Pearce, all of whom had previously achieved distinction in shipbuilding and engineering, and the efforts of these gentlemen far exceeded the success of Mr John Elder’s first firm. In 16 years, as above stated, the latter launched 106 vessels of an aggregate tonnage of 81,326 tons, and constructed 111 sets of marine engines of 20,145 nominal horse-power, whereas the new firm launched in nine years 97 vessels of an aggregate tonnage of 192,355 tons, and constructed 90 sets of marine engines of 31,193 nominal horse-power. About six years ago Mr Ure and Mr Jamieson retired from the firm, leaving Mr Pearce sole partner, and during these six years the activity and enterprise formerly characterising the firm have been worthily sustained, and the firm has kept in the very front rank. In maintaining this position, and achieving unprecedented results in the matter of swift steamships, not a little credit is due to Mr A. D. Bryce-Douglas, an engineer of well-attested skill, who wields the sceptre of authority in the engineering section.

The works, which are situated on the south bank of the Clyde at Fairfield, near Govan, occupy an area of about 70 acres, and comprise shipyard, boiler shop, engine works, and tidal basin. The disposition of the various workshops is admirable, and as these are connected with each other by a broad gauge line of rails communicating with all parts of the yard and the terminus of the Govan railway, the conveyance of raw material in the first instance, its location in whatever section of the works it may be specially designed for, and its transmission in the form of finished items of structure or outfit to the vessels of which it is to form part, are all accomplished with ease.

Entering by the south-east gate, the visitor proceeds in the direction of the business offices, his first impression probably being one of wonder at the immense quantities of iron and steel in plates and bars covering every available piece of ground, as well as the great quantity of timber of all dimensions stacked and in racks, maturing for after use. Arriving at the offices of the firm, the visitor is probably first ushered into the draughtsmen’s rooms, which, as well as a large reception-room, contain an extensive collection of models of the vessels that have been constructed by the firm. In these apartments a large staff of draughtsmen are employed in the work of designing new vessels, and making working drawings of ships already contracted for.

Following the routine of practical operations the visitor is conducted to the moulding loft, which is 320 feet long by 50 feet wide. Here the drawings of the vessels are put down full size. The term “laying off” is applied to the operation of transferring to the mould loft-floor those designs and general proportions of a ship which have been drawn on paper, and from which all the preliminary calculations have been made and the form decided. The lines of the ship and exact representations of many of the parts of which it is composed are delineated here to their actual or real dimensions, in order that moulds or skeleton outlines may be made from them for the guidance of the workmen. These lines, when completed and carefully verified, are afterwards transferred to scrieve boards, from which the frames, floors, &c., are bent. In connection with the moulding loft is a pattern shop, in which the various moulds required in “laying off” are made.

Descending to the iron-work machine shop, which measures about 1000 feet long by 150 feet wide, a scene of great activity meets the eye. Proceeding to that section where the bending blocks are situated, the operation of forming the frames of a vessel may be noticed. The bending blocks are massive iron plates weighing several tons, on which the form of the frame is marked from the scrieve boards. All over the blocks are round holes, closely spaced and equidistant, in which iron pins are placed to give the form of the frame to be bent. Long bars of angle-iron, properly heated in adjacent furnaces, are brought by the workmen to the blocks, and there the bars are bent round the pins to the form required. The half frame of a ship is thus fashioned to the proper form in little more time than it takes to describe the process. It is now allowed to cool, and it is then returned to the scrieve boards to be set or adjusted with the reverse frame, which with the floor plate go to make the frame in its finished form. While this is going on, the keel blocks are being laid in the usual manner on the building slip, and the keel, stem, and stern-posts are being forged and drilled. The keel is laid, and the frames are then set up in their places, and are kept in position by shores and ribbon pieces. The stem and stern-posts are then set up, and the work now becomes general all over the vessel. The beams previously made are put up, the bulkheads, stringer plates, and keelsons are added in due succession, and the outside shell is being fitted and riveted. Thus the full and perfect form of the vessel is gradually developed, and exhibits one of the most interesting and useful productions of man’s labour. In the bending shop alluded to are several large Gorman furnaces, 25 smithy fires for heating angle irons, several sets of plate-bending rolls, five stands of vertical drilling machines with several spindles each, a huge punching machine capable of producing ten rivet holes at each operation, squeezers, boring, planing, counter-sinking, plate-bending, plate planing, numerous punching and shearing machines, and other appliances. The motive power of this section is supplied by a powerful set of engines lately erected by the firm.

Immediately to the front of this building are the slips, which extend 1,200 feet along the Clyde, and admit of 12 to 14 vessels being proceeded with at one time. While proceeding among the slips hydraulic riveters may be observed at work on several structural features. The attention given to such machines in the preceding chapter makes further notice here unnecessary.

When a steamship leaves the ways she is towed into the firm’s tidal dock to receive the boilers and machinery. With the assistance of a pair of 80-ton sheer-legs, Messrs Elder & Co. are able to complete this part of the construction of a vessel with wonderful despatch. In connection with this section is a smithy and small mechanics’ shop, which are alongside of the wharf. Space will not permit a description of the smiths’ shop, the paint shop, riggers’ loft, plumbers’ shop, belt-makers’ shop, boat-builders’ shop, block and pattern-makers’ shop, pattern store, general store, &c., about each of which much of interest might be written.

The wood-working department, though stocked with the most approved labour-saving appliances, still affords employment to several hundreds of hands. In the saw mill, which is about 100 feet square, there are several sets of steam saw frames, circular saws, planing machines for operating on deck planks, and other tools, the producing capacity of which is very large. Adjacent to this is the spar shed, where all the spars required on board the vessels are made.

In the joiners’ shops are numerous wood-working machines, which are placed advantageously all through this department, comprising planing, morticing, and moulding machines, circular and fret saws, surface planing and jointing machines, general joiners, lathes, and a variety of other tools from the most noted makers of this class of mechanism. The cabinetmaker’s shop is a spacious one, and here the finer class of interior fittings are seen in all stages of progress. Nothing in this section seems omitted in the way of mechanical appliances to afford the utmost facility for rapid production and excellence of workmanship.