The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-03-31
Broke Into ScflDoIhouse.
NEWPORT NEWS LANDS
TWO BIG CONTRACTS
WIN Bufld Milton Dollar ships for
Standard OIL Company--Morc Than
1890 On tho Payroll.

Newport News Va, March 3o.-An-
nouncement was made yesterday that
the Newport News Shipbuilding and
Dry Dock Company has closed con-
tracts with the standard OIL Com any
for the construction OF two mammoth
oil tankers, costing approximately one
million dollars each.
The news did not come as n sur
prise to the public, as II had been ru-
morcd since that the contracts had
booked Negotiations however, were
not in n shape TO warrant announce
ment until yesterday.
Officials OF the shipyard stated that
the new contracts give the yard work
enough to keep it running almost at
capacity for the next two years. The
ward now is far ahead OF any N the
world In the amount Of merchant tom
mage under contract and Is working
the larResr'fo force of men in its history.
with the exception of the time when
the four battleships were under con-
struction at one time.
The yard at present is equipped to
launch one ship month, and that pro-
gram. 1t ia believed. will be carried
out. Improvements and engagements
are conte4n plated by officials of the
yard ana it. Is reported that an appro-
priatIon has haen made for the work.
Largest Force.
Seven thousand, three hundred and
forty men now are on the company's
payroll, which runs from $4,000 to
500 900 a week.
Construction of the new ships will
DO begun in the near future. The
time OF delivery is not known. but
there will be no delay. as every ship
and in foreign countries Is demanding
short time on account OF the unprece-
dented demand for American bottoms.
a condition resulting from the Euro
pean war.
When the two new ships are COM
pleted the local yard will have built
nine for the Standard OIL Company.
which concern operates a mammoth
feet of modern oil-carrytng steamers.
The new ships are to he Ara feet,
inches long. go feet wide. and SO feet.
inches deep They are designed
to carry II 900 tons lightweight. and
under the specifications must make
speed Of eleven knots an hour. Both
will he equipped with the most mod
ern and approved boilers and ma
chinery and will be among tho finest
boats of their kind that sail the seas.
Cost Greater.
An idea of the great demand for
ships IL gained from the fact that 'he
two new ships cost n great deal more
n ton than the ships built by the yard
n few years ago for the Standard on
Company, Prior to the European war
chips could be placed at S45 n ton.
while the price now ranges around
SIS ton, and some Japanese concerns
have paid as high as 500 a ton for
ships
America now Is being called upon TO
carry the freight of the world. The
warning nations of" Europe need their
ships to supply their armies and their
people which conditions has lief:
many American shippers high and dry,
and they formally relied on foreign
bottoms.
The demand OF ships also has In
creased as a result OF the large num-
her that have been sent to the bot
tom during the present war. Some see
in existing conditions an opportunity
10 rehabilitate the American merchant
marine and place II on par with the
feet American shippers
that were feared and admired In every |
port of the world. TO make Il a rival
that floating bnfwark OF the nation
that knew no equal anywhere.