The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1917-06-21
COMBAT U-BOATS; FIRM IN
BELIEF THAT THEIR PLAN

|
the allies.
Down in Washington was the Unit
ed States shipping board. Congress
had given it an appropriation of $780,
100000 to be expended in building,
buying or chartering vessels for the
extension of American commerce. To
Washington went Mr. Eustis and laid
his plans before the board which
looked upon them with only partial ia
Vor. This was before the United
States had declared war against Ger
many but when it was apparent to
every one war was only a question of
days.
While Mr., Eustis was trying to con-
vince the shipping board that what he
proposed was not at all visionary,
but eminently practical, Mr. Clark's
plan was reported in the newspapers
The two men had never met and did
not know of each others existence,
but Mr.. Eustis telegraphed to Mr.
Clark inviting him to come to Wash.
ington and Mr.. Clark packed a suit
case, expecting to return the next day.
He has been there ever since, work.
| ing fourteen hours a day, and the suit
case has expanded into wardrobe
trunk.
After a consultation, and finding
their ideas were in accord, they went
to work to secure government approv-
al. Both men were moved solely by
patriotic motives, both were willing to
make sacrifices and contribute their
services, and neither looked to making
profit out of their ideas. They might
have enlisted private capital and turn
ed the scheme into business venture,
but it seemed more appropriate to
make it a governplent agency and
treat it as contribution of the Unit
ed States to the allied cause.
The ships were to be built of wood,
a thousand Of them, of about 5000
tens each-it was decided that vessels
of less than a thousand tons would be
too small and uneconomical and YES
sells of a greater tonnage would be too
rich prize for the pirates-and these
audacious ship builders were asked
how they could get seasoned timber
Recalling Perry's Fleet.
You can't build ships of green tim
ber,' they We're told, because unless
your timber has been well dried out it
will shrink and warp. when the sun
strikes it the seams will open, the wa
ter will rush in and your vessel will
go to the bottom"
Theoretically the objection was
sound and if a man was building
yacht and had plenty of money and
time enough to do a good job not
stick of unseasoned lumber would go
into it. but this was an emergency
measure and methods had to be de-
Vised to meet the emergency. So
these two young mining engineers,
now turned naval architects and the
sponsors of the biggest shipbuilding
job in the world, coolly confronted
theory with facts.
They reminded their critics that the
victor of one of the most momentous
naval battles in American history
fought in vessels made of green tim
her against an adversary whose ships
were built of the best materials the
most experienced shipwyights could
supply. The keels of Perry's little
squadron on Lake Erie were laid down
in October 1912, and launched early
in the following year. Never were
ships built under such disadvantages
black oak. chestnut and pine--was cut
on the spot, and many piece which
was put into frame on an afternoon
had been part of a standing tree that
carpenters were few. but house car
penters were pressed into service,
just as it is now proposed to make up
the deficiency.
Stuck to Their Guns.
That seemed to be an unanswerable
argument but every man with new
idea always is told that it is beauti-
full in theory and absolutely unwork.
able. Perhaps. it was conceded, ves-
sells of green timbers might be induce
ed to float, but the war would be over
long before the ships could be launch
ed
1--WE can build them in few
MONTHS these two mining engineers
replied.
They were laughed at.
ibid not the federal government
build gunboats in ninety days during
the civil WARP" they asked. Were not
big sailing vessels built In a few
months in 1S49 to meet the demand
for transportation to California after
the discovery of gold?'
Primed with their facts and sure Of
their ground they beat down all oppo-
sition, and after every possible objec-
ton had been raised and met and the
skeptics were persuaded that the ships
built Of green timbers in a hurry
would arrive at port in Europe in
stead of finding permanent anchorage
In the port of missing ships the presi-
dents approval was secured and the
government committed to the under
taking.