The Washington herald., 1917-04-17
ny A. N. JAMESON.

Just think moment of this scheme oi
thousands and thousands Of little, wood
en- American ships sailing the Atlantic
carrying supplies to Britain and France
and making the submarines vain anc
futile.
wouldn't It typify Yankee luck II this
idea OF ours proved the decisive stroke
Of the war?
Wouldn't 1t give our shipping and ouI
government some new plumes in the way
Of effieiency7
It is an American plan all the way
through, and it's going to be a reality
In very few months. Unless all Ameri-
can calculations go astray, unless every
body on this side of the Atlantic is en-
tirely wrong. it's going to make the u
boat almost joke.
The idea Is almost absurdly simple.
Simply build moro ships than Germany
can sink. no matter how hard she tries.
Build 'em like Ford builds "fiivvers," sc
small and so maryland 50 dependable
that the subs will ind them as hard TO
get rid OF Us flies around a sugar bar
rel.
OF course. II America didn't have
abundant lumber, II she didn't have I'M
mense resources In the way OF labor and
plants, that could be converted into ship
yards in few months, the whole scheme
would be impossible. Perhaps no other
nation than the United States could at
tempt II.
1t Is perhaps two months or less since
New York civil and marine engineer,
Huntington Clark, first grasped the plan
that IL the United States should turn its
hand toward turning out l,O0O-ton ships
made entirely of wood, It could make q
powerful lot" Of them in a brief time.
Assembling the lumber. cutting 1t, get
ting the labor-only 10 per cent OF skilled
labor Is necessary-would be almost sim
pie. The ships could be built inland,
wherever there are certain types Of con-
yertible Industrial plsIts.
The Shipping Board took the plan up.
II discovered that all OF the early calcu-
lations were correct, but found that the
1000 tons would be commercially imprao-
ticable after the war. and therefore q
dead loss. 1t was seeking some way OF
combating the submarine and building
up the American merchant marine: OF
killing two birds with one stone
Therefore, after a broad study OF the
subject. II decided upon the S,O0o-ton ship,
which will take somewhat longer to build,
but will provide the United States with
a formidable merchant feet when the
war ends, should 1000 or more Of them be
built, as is now contemplated Think OF
II. 100000 additional tonnage for Amer
lean shipping to start the keen rivalry
for foreign trade when the world gets on
a peace basis once morel
The thing seems almost like Q dream.
and yet, here II is right at our doorstep.
Congress Is to be asked to Appropriate
s225, 10000 for the idea; and those who re-
member how ship subsidy has been
fought for the past fifteen years on Cap
ltol Hill, Will gasp at the immensity OF II.
If II goes through. as now seems GER
tain, the nrst batch of new ships will
be ready for service by next October,
md hundreds Of them will follow short
" thereafter.
OF course, the wooden ships viii be
lsed primarily to scotch and XIII the
snake, should the snake
continue on its course steadily and re-
entlessly through the summer.
This is the calculation-the small
wooden ship is cheap, small, hard for q
submarine TO hit, perhaps almost as