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1903.] MARINE REVIEW AND MARINE, RECORD. 9 Activity at Newport News. -- Newport News, Va., Dec. 31----The Newport News Ship Building & Dry Dock Co. has just closed an unusually busy year and enters upon another with even brighter prospects, for six vessels are scheduled to be launched in 1903--four warships for the United States government and two steamships for the mer- chant marine. At this time the aggregate contract cost of the ships under way is about $25,000,000, and there is some probability that this will be increased in January by a contract for one of the two new armored cruisers to be awarded by the navy depart- ment. The record of the year was noteworthy particularly be- cause of the completion of the two large Pacific mail passenger and freight steamers, each of 18,600 tons displacement and the largest vessels constructed in America up to their time, and be- cause of the beginning of work on no less than five new warships and three new merchant vessels. In addition to the large num- ber of ordinary repair contracts received there' were three of important proportions. The general office building was enlarged to almost double its former size, extensions were made to the joiner and machine shops, a new galvanizing plant was built and work was started on a new mold loft and ship shed. Considera- ble new equipment was added, tools of the latest designs con- stantly being purchased as needed. The only launching of the year was on Oct. 18, when the large passenger and freight steamship Monroe, building for the The Missouri will be given her builder's trial in May or. June and should go into commission the latter part of the year. The Old Dominion liner: will go in commission. about March. The Leggett will be finished during the year and the oil steamship will probably be completed by next January. The monitor Arkansas, built for the government, was: placed in commission several months ago. 'his was the first of four ships of similar design to be completed. The most important repair contract of the past year was for the overhauling of the German cruiser Vineta, which is now the flagship of the German South Atlantic squadron, flying the flag cf Commodore Scheder, and has been prominently mentioned in connection with the in- ternational complications in Venezuela. This was the second visit of the Vineta, the first contract being for minor attention and the second for a complete overhauling. Instead of sending its ships in American waters back to a home port to be repaired, the German government wisely concluded that it. would be far more advantageous to send them to Newport News, saving con- siderable time and expense. The Vineta was here for some months and went away virtually a new ship inside. So well sat- isfied was the German government with the work and with its experiment that it is understood other warships on the South Atlantic station will be sent here for overhauling as soon as the Venezuelan trouble is settled. The Vineta was the first warship Launch of the Old Dominion Line Steamship Monroe. [Burlt-by the Newport News Ship Building and Dr) Dock Co , Newport News, Va. Old Dominion Steamship Co. was put overboard. This ship will be the queen of the Old Dominion fleet between New York and Virginia ports and will cost, when completed, in the neighbor- hood of $700,000. Keels were laid for the laige armored cruis- ers West Virginia and Maryland, the battleship Virginia, the protected cruiser Charleston, the Saginaw Steel Steamship Co,'s large oil tank steamer and the Pacific coast lumber steamer Fran- cis H. Leggett, besides the Old Dominion liner Monroe. The battleship Missouri is now about 83 per cent. advanced towards completion; the armored cruiser West Virginia, 44 per cent.; the armored cruiser Maryland, 42 per cent. ; the protected cruiser Charleston, 23 per cent.; the battleship Virginia, 14 per cent. The battleship Louisiana, which the yard is building in competition with the Brooklyn navy yard, which has the battle- ship Connecticut, a sister, under construction, 1s under way and the keel will be laid some time in February. The ships which will be launched in 1903 are the Virginia, Maryland, West Vir- ginia, Charleston, Saginaw company's oil ship, which has not been named, and the Leggett. The Leggett will go overboard about the middle of January and the two armored cruisers will be launched in May, probably. Whether or not both vessels will be sent into the water the same day has not been determined. to be docked at a private ship yard in America and the first for- eign warship to be sent to this country for repairs. Other re- pair contracts worthy of mention were for the overhauling of the Morgan liner El Mar and the conversion of the steamers Sov. and Harry Luckenbach from cargo vessels into oil carriers. The El Mar, which received a new boiler plant, has gone. The S. V. Luckenbach will get away early in January and the Harry Luck- enbach will follow. shortlv after. ae The general office building was formerly 200 ft. in length and was extended 150 ft. It has a width of 4o ft. In it are located all of the offices of the ship yard officials, government represen- tatives and draftsmen for both ship yard and navy department. The enlarged building is completely occupied. The machine shop was extended 60 ft., its dimensions now being 560 ft. long and 100 ft. in width. 'The joiner shop was extended 60 ft. also, being brought out to a line with the machine shop extension. Its dimensions now are 360 ft. length and 60 ft. width, The new brick galvanizing plant is 103 ft. in length and 33 ft.. 40 width. The new frame shed and mold loft, for which the foun- dation has been laid, will measure 400 ft. in length by 7o ft. in width. 'The work on this has been delayed somewhat by difh- culty in getting iron material.