Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-04-26
CHESTER FACES BIG
INDUSTRIAL BOOM AS
RESULT OF SHIPYARD
Undertaking of Sun Shipbuild-
ing Company Expected to
Stimulate New Great
Enterprises
CONTRACTS AWARDED

Organization Of a new corporation, TO
he known as the Sun Shipbullding Com
pany. marks the first step In a movement
which will place Chester in the forefront
of Pennsylvania manufacturing centres.
AS announced exclusively In the EVENING
NLEpGER last Saturday, the s5,00O,0O0 con-
cern, just organized. is only one of several
great Industrial enterprises projected for
operation along the lower Delaware water
front and the commercial development of
the Delaware County city.
]. Howard Pew of this city; State Sem
ator William G. Sproul, OF Chester. and
capitalists of Philadelphia. New York and
Pittsburgh are the financial hackers of the
Sun Company. Their action in organic
ing that corporation with its vast cap.
ital and their plans for the erection of a
great shipyard on the lower Delaware
have stimulated other promoters of man
ufacturing Industries.
Announcement of additional enter
prises which will attract a small army
of workers to Chester is awaited
simultaneously with the publication of
the Sun Company's organization comes the
announcement that contracts for the build
ing of the new shipyard have been award
ed. About 5000 tons of steel will be re-
quired for the various shops and work will
be started Mt once The Belmont Iron
Works. with n plant at Eddystone, holds
and the task of manufacture assures em-
ployment and prosperity to hundreds of
Chester mechanics
WILL EMPLOY $500 MEN
The Sun Company has also taken over
the plant of Robert wetherill & Co., Inc,
of Chester. This is a million-dollar con-
cern and was recently acquired by Sena-
tor Sproul and his associates. 1T is
famous for its Corlss engines and will
be further developed for the building Of
marine engines and boilers. With this
equipment the Sun Company will be able
to build in their entirety ships up to n
length of 700 feet in its own yards. More
than S3,0Ob, 900 of the total capitalization
will be expended in the equipment and
construction of the new yard Employ
ment will be given to $500 men.
Already the Sun Company has ac-
uuired a tract of 30 acres, with 500 feet
frontage, on the Delaware River. 1t ex-
tends from the Ridley River east to Nor.
ton avenue, Chester, and back 1900 feet
to the Philadelphia and Reading Railway
tracks. The land is bulkheaded and
filled in from dredging operations. 1t
was acquired about nine years ago by
Senator Sproul and the Simpson estate
from the Mcclure estate.
Gen. T. Coleman du Pont, of New York
and wilmington, Is one of the organizers
of the new corporation. Other persons In
terested in the company are j. Howard
Pew. president of the Sun Company; Jo-
seph n. Pew. Jr., his brother who Is
part owner of the same concern; Senator
Sproul. who heads the Seaboard Steel
Casting Company, and Robert Wetherill
& Co., Inc. of Chester; NJ, Vauclain, vice
president of the Baldwin Locomotive
Works; f.. v. Babcock, the Pittsburgh
lumberman, and j. Leonard Replogle. of
the Cambria Steel Company.
Control of the new corporation will rest
with the Sun Company, which operates
large fleet of tank steamships In addi-
tion to its oil Industries