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ITH 90 ways occupied with fabricated ship construction, the Emergency Fleet cor- poration is today entering upon a pro- duction test of the fabricated vessel under normal conditions. The abnormal year 1918 did not. offer a good test of the efficiency of the three large fabri- cated yards of the government, but they have at last been completed and_ ship production is now beginning in earnest. Eight fabricated ships have already been delivered, two others have completed their trials and one more was under trial on Feb. 8. To this date, these represented the total completed work from the 50 ways at Hog. Island, the 12 ways of the Merchants Shipbuilding Corp. at Bristol, Pa., and the 28 ways of the Submarine Boat Corp. at New- ark Ne, On Feb. 8, the Hog Island yard had launched 14 hulls and delivered 5 com- pleted ships; the Bristol yard had launched 5 hulls and .2 ships had been accepted by the government; the New- ark yard had launched 23 hulls, delivered 1 completed ship, and had 2 others ready for delivery. : All of these ships have received first class rating. granted a second class rating to the QuistconcK, the first fabricated steamer completed at the Hog Island yard, are not true. The classification society merely. withheld the equipment number THESE VESSELS AT NEWARK BAY ARE NEAR COMPLETION AND SOON 150 Reports that Lloyd’s had - from the steamer because when she sailed on her maiden voyage she car- ried a chain cable which had two im- perfect links. The managers. of the ship considered it so imperative that the yes- sel get away that they refused to delay her sailing date until another cable could be secured. The QuistconcK was rated 100 A-. When the defective cable is replaced to the satisfaction of Lloyd’s, the vessel will be rated 100 A-1. The QuistconckK made port at Cristo- bal, Panama, on Jan. 10, 1919, just seven days after she left Norfolk with a cargo ‘Of coal for the canal zone. She touched’ at Cuba on the trip. Her en- gines worked perfectly throughout the voyage and she made an average speed ’