The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-05-21
OUR new WOODEN FLEET
THE TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
INFORMATION BUREAU
BY Frederic j. Haskin. Director
Washington. ID. G.

80 declared Lulu
ford of The British navy. few weeks
ago. Fortunately, the United States
is able to profit by EnglandS mis-
takes in the early part of the war, and
to direct its preparedness program &C
cordingly One of the first things
we will have is the standard ship. and
in order that we may have 1t as
quickly as possible it is to lie wooden
Ways for the first Thousand wooden
ships are already in process of build
ing: large supplies of lumber are be-
ing Assem- bled for work along the
Pacific Coast. and the American Fed
GRAFTON 0f Labor is cooperating with
the government in supplying l5O,Ooo
workers for the various ship-build-
ines concerns awarded the bids on
these small wooden steamers.
Each ship is to be $500 tons, and
is to cost 100000. Il will be built
of fir or pine; will use oil for fuel;
be mounted with wireless and guns
man each ship. According to pres
ent estimates, the first delivery OF
these vessels will be made not later
than November l, from which date
they will be turned out at the rate
of three a day until the first thousand
have been completed. Whether any
more are built or not will, of course,
depend upon the extent of their sue
cess in comba ting the enemy's sub
marines.
The most important and strategic
move that the United States can make
in the war at the present time is the
constant shipment of food to the al
lies. The cruX of the war situation is
admitted to be food French farms
have been planted with trenches in
stead of potatoes, and England, after
nearly three years of war, is just be-
ginning to retrieve it's mistake in
sighting the important matter of ag-
riculture. The allies now are not self
supporting and it is the part of the
United States to supply them with
large amount of food. This is impos-
sible without ships.
The American merchant marine,
which, at the beginning of the war,
carried about per cent of our COM
merce, now carries about 3 per cent,
after more than two years. We have
been warned again and again that We
needed ships, if only for foreign trade,
but as long as the allies provided us
with ships in which to send their sup
plies, the warning was little needed.
Now it is too late to get steel ships
by the time we shall need them, ow-
ing to the fact that eighteen months
are usually required to build one such
vessel, and the situation would be dis
couraging indeed were it not for this
wooden-s ship project of the United
States shipping board.
was created last November for the
purpose of encouraging, developing
and creating a naval auxiliary and
naval reserve and a merchant marine
to meet the requireme OF the COM
merce of the United States, and for
other purposes" Five commissioners,
including William Denman of San
Francisco, chairman; Thomas Brent
of New Orleans, vice chairman; John
A. Donald of New York, John D.
White of Kansas City and r. B. Steph-
ems from New Hampshire, were i'm
mediately appointed by the president,
and by the first of the year the super
vision of United States shipping was
well under way.
From the beginning, the members
of the board We're worried over the
scarcity of shipping, and when the
German submarine note arrived, they
were more than worried. They we're
distressed. Shortly -afterwa rdS how
ever, New York engineer by the
name of Eustis paid a visit to the
headquarters of the board in Wash
ington and there laid before it a
brand new idea. At which, the mem
bers went home and had their first
good nights rest in months, and the
next morning they invited Mr.. Eustis
70 occupy one of the boards offices
Mr.. Eustis idea was what the board
IS now putting thru-a thousand
wooden ships. What we need is a
standard model of ship that can be
turned out swiftly to run the German
blockade, he told Chairman Den
man. The Germans can not possibly
sink them as fast as we can launch
Them
AS it happens, wooden building
is almost lost art in America, where
steel is taking the place of wood in all
lines of building, so that Mr.. Denman
spent five or six days in going over
the plan before he announced himself
convinced. About this time Mr.. Eus-
us learned that Mr.. Huntington
Clark, another New York engineer,
had conceived practically the sama
idea, so he sent for Mr.. Clark to come
to Washington Together, they man
| aged to show naval architect what
they wanted, and requested bids on
labor and materials. 1t was decided
because most of our lumber is on the
Pac1f1c coast that that was the place
the SHIPS should be built, and 10 per
cent or the contracts have since been
paced there. The trip from coast to
coast when the vessel is finished will
be an expense to the government of
course, but this will be more than
discounted by loading it with cargo.
Mr.: Eustic and Mr.. Clark are now
contributing their services to the gov
t erhnent purely for patriotic reasons,
the amount of their compensation be-
ing one dollar a year. The dollar Is
paid because the United States govern
ment can never accept the services of
any person gratis.
me organization of a project for
building a thousand ships is a ire
mendous undertaking, requiring an ex-
| Perlenced administrative head, so Mr.,
Eustis suggested that the board an
peal to General GoethaIs to take
charge. In accordance with this sug-
/ gestion, the president asked the gen
eraI once more to enter the service OF
| his country, and q few days later he
arrived in Washington, where with
characteristic promptitude lie started
! his campaign of action. Altho the
/ morning after his arrival was Sunday
he was at his desk at an early hour
making appointments with various
lshipbuilding men and clearing up halt
his next days work.
/ With thousand wooden ships al
its disposal. the United States may eff
/ fectual1y run the German blockade il