The Knoxville independent. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1917-07-21
ship BOARD ROW
SLOWS AMERICAN
WARON GERMANY
President May Be Asked to
Discharge Denman and
GoethaIs. :
OFFICIALS CRITICIZE HARSHLY
Quarrel Has Held Up Plan to Create
Great Fleet Of Merchant Vessels
to Carry Supplies to Our
Troops In Europe.

WuSiiuSloH, July III. = 1TeSlueHL
Wilson will be asked to remove from
the public service both William Den
man, chairman of the federal shipping
board, and Maj. Gen. George w. Goe-
thals, head of the Emergency Ship cor
poratlon, If they do not Immediately
reconcile their differences. Both Off
Gals We're bitterly criticized in con-
gresslonal and official circles.
Their quarrel, which has absolute
ly held up the plan to create a great
fleet of American merchant vessels, is
interfering with the successful opera
ton of the war against Germany.
Senator Smoot of Utah today intro
duced resolution calling on President
Wilson for statement Of the facts
regarding the row between General
Goethals and Chairman Dennfan over
the construction of the big merchant
shipping fleet.
Congressional leaders take the po-
sition that unless the quarrel can be
patched up and an immediate start
made on the shipping program, the
United States shortly will find itself
unable to maintain It's army in the
field, let alone carry re-enforcements
Densnan Elanes Goethais.
Chairtnan Denman has fatty told
sf + ~ IL ssi IL Ii
sBilfty raAf Oh General Cocktails He
declares that GoethaIs has discussed
publicly a program OF steel and wood
en- ship construction and Of the crea-
ton of the two government owned and
operated ship yards, which have no
foundation In fact. The generals
propositions are In no way concrete,
Denman asserts.
Until they are made so, Denman
told the president, the shipping board
cannot consider them, let alone sane
ton them. He claims that, although
some $6OO,O0,0O0O is involved in the
plans as set forth by General Goe-
thals, the shipping board is without
the first details of the fabricating
scheme.
If General Goethals will furnish
these facts. Denmap said, the shipping
board will meet and consider them and
will talk them over" with General
Goethals.
Cocktails May Retire.
Little surprise will be shown In off,
cial circles If General Goethals finally
retires from his post as head of the
emergency corporation, although de-
termined effort Is being made to get
him and Denman to bury the Ratchet
and work together.
Meanwhile, 1t Is certain that If def
mite action is not taken very soon the
president will be asked to remove both
men.
! Army and navy officials are just be-
ginning to realize the extent to which
the operations in France depend on
the gathering together Of new shipping
to replace that being sent to the bot
tom by the German submarines.
Estimates on file at the war col
lege, and with the general staff Of
the navy, show that for every man
placed on French soil an average of
25 tons must be figured as necessary
to be carried across to maintain him
for reasonable time and to transport
him to the front and back again.
This enormous quantity of supplies
must be safeguarded both ways by
the navy. as the recent loss of the
steamer Kansan conclusively shows.
Naval officials pointed out that the
navy at present is In better shape than
ever before In its history.