The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1917-06-29
BUILD THOUSAND
WOODEN SHIPS
Plant In New Jersey is Busy
Turning Out First Lot Of
American Submarine
Dodgers.
AN ARMY OF I.ABoRERS
Fjfty-sIx Acres Transformed Into Ship
Building City, With TWO
Thousand Men
Employed.
AN ARMY OF, LABoRERs
LBy George. Martin, United Press
Staff Correspondent1

EBy George. Martin, United Press
Staff Correspondence
= SOMEWHERE IN NEW
Ne JERSEY, June 29.-Rising
ISA from the barren sand lots
y Of New Jersey here today Is
Uncle Sans first wooden ship buif0-
ing plant.
From this place where an army OF
labor hammers, rigs and builds care
fully, efficiently and speedily, will
emerge the first of Americas fleet OF
q thousand 5000 ton wooden ships
Their Job will be to carry food to
allied Europe despite the kaiser's
submarines.
From lumber mills somewhere in
the south. mountain Of dressed and
measured timber is rolling northward
on flat cars to this spot.
A great yard for its reception is
being rushed to completion and will
be ready when the supply arrives a
few days hence.
AS fast as government engineers,
construction experts of various kinds
and a battalion Of laborers. can do it.
these fifty-six nat, gray faced acres
are being transformed into minia-
ture city whose populations only
task will be to turn out ships.
Two thousand men will be en-
ployed.
A comprehensive system of flood
lights is being installed. The plant
will run twenty-four hours day.
The keel of the first two wooden
ships will be laid early in July If all
goes well. These twin submarine
breakers should slide of the ways.
ready for war service, by mid-No-
vember.
Keels for two more vessels will be
laid every two weeks after the first
two, until the unit of ten for this
plant is in full course of construc-
ton.
There is no delay. no pickering.
nor stopping to argue here.
The job is detailed. Every man
knows his work. Every man is at it.
They are making war on this little
plot of the American front" as If
they meant It.
Scrutiny Of the ground plans and
talk with the constructors today re-
vealed the stupendous preparation
necessary before one plank of ships
timber can be laid upon another. You
realize here that building ships on
short order is an achievement.
In cubby hole offices not far away,
shrewd brains are inventfng new de-
vices to speed up wooden ship build
ing. 1t has never been done on
large scale Old ideas are being
worked over New ones are adopted.
Piling up on the side lines Is ma
terial for a complete electric light
plant. A small railroad system is
being assembled and built.
A big machine shop, scientifically
arranged lumber yard, motor roads in
and out, a power house. an expert
mental building, fire protection
water system and even a restaurant
and lunch room for the two thou
sand inhabitants are taking form.
Imagine the task OF rebuilding
city of 1000. Multiply that effort to
absorb the added complications Of
ship yards machinery.
Then you will have some notion
of what is going on here, just for the
Of ten Of a thousand
ships.
The plant Is guarded. A govern
ment agent oversees every move. He
bars or admits every conner. A man
with camera dare not tarry.
No one has time to talk. Every
body's busy.
Only one man could command any
Of the ship mems time. That man
Is the kaiser. They would be glad
to have him call.