The sun., 1916-11-23
MORSE BUYS YARD
TO BUILD Big SHIPS
Gets 30 Acres Near New Lon.
don and Plans to Employ
5000 Mon.
FIRST FLEET OF. TEN
Vessels Will Be Used IN
Freight Trade by His $685.
100000 Company.
FIRST FLEET OF. TEN

The United States Steamship Company,
whose president 10 Charles w. Morss,
has bought thirty acres Of land on tina
east bank Of the Thames River a mile
north OF tho Hotel Griswold near New
London. Conn.,. as q site for a shipyard.
The company will build there a feet Of
oceangoing freight ships for its own use.
Mr.. Morse said yesterday that con-
struction would start az soon as pos.
sibie that the plant would probably no
complsted within two years and would
employ between 1000 and 5000 men. 1t
will be one Of the largest shipbuiidins
plants In the United states.
The company already owns a large
plant at Noank. Conn. which II bought
from Robert Palmer & Sons last May.
and which employs 500 men. Six ocean
going freight steamships are being con-
structed there now.
When these are completed the Noank
plant will probably lie devoted 10 tho
construction Of ships for freight traits
portation on the Hudson River. between
New York and Buffalo and on the great
lakes. The product VI the new plan,
will be deep sea vessels.
Expansion Of Operations.
Mr.. Morse said that the purchas.
meant not that the company plsnred
any new departure hut that It would eX-
| pand the carrying operations which were
started when Mr.. Morse formed the
United States Steamship Company last
December by the combination Of estab-
lished concerns and capitalized II a.
, S25, 900. 900.
"As il we'll known" said Mr.. Morse.
'there has been an extraordinary de-
mand for steamships since the war
started and we are simply trying to do
Dur share toward meeting It. We shall
use the ships We build in our own bus
ness. They will be tramp steel freight
ers. going TO any part OF the world with
cargoes
AT the start we shall probably con-
struct a fleet OF ten ships At the new
yard. They will be OF 5000 or 5000
tons apiece-probably all Of the same
size. After these other ships will prob
ably be built. The property We have
bought Is roomy 1t has ?.2oo feet of
river 'front.'"
On a trip to Europe early last sum
mer Mr.. Morse invested several million
dollars in chartering and buying steam
ships to ply between London and Arch
angel. London n South Africa, Cardiff
and Mediterranean ports. and between
American and English ports.
A Trip Pays for . ship.
II became known at that time that
the c%ompany's revenue from . single
voyage of its steamship Oruro. from
New York TO Archangel with Russian
supplies. was $4,000. The Original
cost OF the vessel was $4,000.
One OF Mr.. Morse's associates said
last winter:
Under the existing high freight rates
It Is quite possible to pay for a shi7
from the freight charges OH a single
trip to Russia. That Is what We had
In mind when the companies were
started
Mr.. Morse bought in December las,
four great lake steamships-,he VIII
lam Castle Rhodes. ST. Paul. Huron and
Minneapolis-which were owned by rail-
roads and had TO be sold under a de-
cIs!on OF the Interstate Commerce Com
mission. lie brought them to New Yorh
ant put them into the ocean trade.
In August he bought the 10000 tor
Minnesota. the largest vessel flying tho
American nag. from the Great Northern
steamship Company. and sent her m
Russia with coal. Other ships have
been purchased. but the Morse company
has been unable to buy or build enough
Hence the plan for the new shipyard on
the Thames Tho site was purchase
from II. @. Rowe. Mr.. Morse decl.ned
to state the price.