The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-02-26
Boom Is Expected to Bring Millions of Dollars in Bus mess and Afford Employ ment for Hundreds of Workmen.

ment for Hundreds of l Workmen.
 Chicago, Feb. 2e-The shipbuilding
 industry on the Great Lakes after i lying dormant more or less for half a
 decade, is enjoying revival of pros
 perity, according to reports from
 shipyards at and near Cleveland, O., 1 Detroit, Mich, Toledo, O., Duluth.
 Mich, Buffalo, N. r., Chicago and
 smaller Great Lake ports.
 l The opening of the Panama Canal, i the, activities of submarines and the
 healthy increase in exports are con l sidered the immediate causes of the 1 shipbuilding boom. The claim is made, without denial from the build l CTS, that old ships and vessels now | under construction are bringing bet 1 ter prices than in many years. This boom will bring millions of dollars of business to the dozen or so | of shipbunding companies, has creat- ed now work for hundreds of men and already has caused the rebuilding tkof old yards and the planning of sew era1 new ones.
 The demand is strong for both lake and. ocean vessels and only the ina bility of the builders to give assur- ance of delivery of the ships by 1917 1 stands in the way of even heavier orders. Foreign interests are prom inent among the buyers. E. With the first clash < of arms in Europe, shippers saw the necessity for obtaining boats quickly to carry merchandise to foreign and domes- tic ports. One New York capitalist obtained at least four huge Great Lake package freighters. At the We1land Canal these ships had to be
 I,1 < I- T continue the trip to the coast.
 The tremendous amount of ship ping that has gone to the bottom in the war zone together with the fact that many of the shipyards in Eng land have been turned over almost exclusively to ships, of war, has fore ed foreign buyers to look to Aneri- can shipbuilders for new vessels and some foreign buyers are ready to pick up any ship for sale on the sea board.
 Cleveland alone reports the closing of contracts for 46 vessels at an ag- gregate cost of more than $8.00O, 1000 and that negotiations are in progress for 30 more ships. These orders are being filled at Cleveland, Toledo, LOT ain and AshtabuIa. O, Ecorse and Manitowoc, Mich, and Buffalo, N. r. The yards at these cities are said to have all the business now that they can handle during the year. The Toledo Shipbuilding Co. is working on an eastern order for five schooners with auxiliary power plants to be used in coastwise trade. A lake freighter 500 feet long also is being sets up at Toledo. The total tonnage of the Toledo contracts is said to be 30,0oO. ders for 8 score of ships by Michigan companies and Ohio firms not men tioned0 in the Cleveland reports. The tonnage of the vessels that will, be under construction in Michigan shar- bors during 1916 is estimated at 1o0,- 900.
 Duluth says the first ship to be built at the Superior. Mich, yards since 1910 will be constructed this year provided the steel can be se- cured.'' The scarcity of steel also is mentioned from Detroit. The ina bi1ity to purchase greater quantities of building material, Detroit says. has prevented Z several companies from enlarging their plants.
 At Chicago, the Calumet docks which have been occupied onlyAwith repair work during the last eight years, have just received an order for the construction of freight steamer, 250 feet long and 43.6 foot beam. This boat which is to be launched the latter part of April, was ordered through New York agents for a concern in Norway, the name of which. is not known at the Calumet docks.
 Detroit firms have received orders from. Eastern shippers which under normal Conditions would have been built on or near the salt water. East .ern coast shippers, it is evident. are buying frefghters wherever they can be obtained.
 Of the ships ordered at Cleveland, a score will be built at Lake Erie yards whence they will be sent to the Atlantic coast and a dozen or more will be launched for use on the Greata Lakes during the current year. Four more are to be delivered to the coast in 1917.
 The American ShipbuiIding Co. at Cleveland has an order for six steam freighters from Norwegian in- terests and the Toledo Shipbuilding Co., for four boats from the same source. The latter company also is building six auxiliary schooners for New York interests.
 The Manitowce Shipbui1ding Go. 1 has orders for three steam traw1ers l from a Boston concern and for a gov+ ernment survey boat to be used in l ~- - -.--....-.---.-----s--