Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-10-27
VISITING THE WAR
BRIDES.
I.-What They Mean to
America.
By Frederic J. Haskin.

BETHLEHEM, Pa, october 25.-This
mountain town on the Lehigh is a CEN
ter of Americas newest. greatest ana
most spectacular industry-the max
ing of munitions for the European bat
| tlefields. Here came some of the first
| war orders, obtained by the emlssarles
| abroad of the Bethlehem steel COM
pany.
| From Bethlehem as center the busl-
ness has spread. first to the suosidl-
aries of Bethlehem Steel, then to other
| large manufacturing interests, ana
| finally to the little fellows" many or
| whom have leaped to greatness In
day.
| . Undoubtedly the coming of the war
| brides has been one of the most un-
usual and picturesque phases of indus
| trial development ever seen In TINS
| country. Business was slack. especial
| ly in iron and steel, but also in many
other industries. Plants were closed
and men were idle. Then came the
and the waiting, restless forces of in
| dustry rose to meet 1t. Working
| forces have been doubled and treoled
! Plants in full blast are surrounded by
that are springing up like growing
| things.
At Hopewell, Va, a city of 10000
has come into being where before
| there was
City Of 10000 Was only a
Formerly Only Forest. Pc $
Grove, N. j., peaceful little country
village has been invaded and turned
| upside down by army of 10000
| powder makers. In the great cities the
change has been less spectacular, but
| the production of everything that
armies use has increased MANIFOLD.
SO towns and fortunes have been
made; firms struggling against adverse
conditions have been suddenly lifted
| to the highest degree of prosperity;
| tens of thousands of idle men have
found employment. The landing of the
| won the prosperity game for American
| industry.
But the waf brides have brought
about thing perhaps more important
| than that They have built up in the
United States a group of organizations
| for the making of munitions of war
| that are as competent as any in the
world. The American people have
| spoken plainly for more men and more
ships, but the question of shells and
guns does not seem to have been widely
considered. Meanwhile, American man.
ufacturerS have answered it. Further
| more, they have shown all the world
what America can do in the way of
ma king arms and ammunition on short
notice.
The War Department has not over
looked the Importance to the govern
ment of this rnunition irSustry. Ex-
perts from the bureau of ordnance
have resigned their positions, with the
consent of the War Department, to
enter the employ of the munition maxi
ers. For example, at one of the great
powder mills, the work is supervised
by a Russian general representing the
chief purchaser, which is his govern
| ment, and also by an American army
officer.
r
Through these men the War Depart
ment will learn exactly what the ca
Learning Capacities facilities of
of American Plants. can ,,xn,,,on
plants are. 1t is known that the gov
eminent hesitated to take this step
lest it be construed as a breach of
neutrality, but decided that it was JUS
| tiled in taking steps to obtain knowl
edge of it's own resources in possible
time of need.
| Not only the capacity of American
munition factories, but their prof1cien-
cy. is being greatly increased. Ameri-
| can engineers are making a labora-
tory study of the mechanism of war,
| as it has been perfected in Europe.
| Munitions to be used by European
armies have to be made in accorda ace
with European standards and specifica-
| tions, and this cannot be done properly
| unless all of the formulas and designs
are laid before the men who do the
work. ,
| 1t is known that certain European
| governments tried to hold back some
| of this informa ton, which had been
| among their, most important military
secrets. 1t also is known that Ameri-
can manufacturers found it more ex-
| pensive to do the work under such a
| handicap. So the foreign governments
| took the munition makers into their
| confidence as a matter of dollars and
| cents, and it has come about that
| chemical and metallurgical formulas,
| and designs for guns and shells. that
| were perfected in Europe and long
| guarded as secrets, are being used in
| American factories under the eyes Of
| American military experts.
| The foreign governments are taking
| every precaution to see that their re-
| quirements are
More Than 1000 met. They have