New-York tribune., 1917-06-24
Holden A. Evans, Noted
Shipbuilder, Urges Build
ing of Steel Vessels
Upholds Gen. Goethals
Cost About the Same and
Metal Is More Seaworthy,
He Says

The plan Of Major General George
n Goethals to build steel merchant
r,.sels instead Of wooden ones finds a
.,ropg advocate in Holden A. Evans,
,o-merly a constructor in the navy and
orssiden. Of the Baltimore Dry Docks
and Shipbuilding Company, who is
..orpinc at the McAlpin Hotel.
NJ. Evans declared that steel ships
,.n be built more quickly, can be made
"a develop greater speed and will bt
les, likely 10 be destroyed by torpe-
does than wooden ones. which, in any
case. probably would have to be dry
locked and recaulked after each voy-
age.
Nr. Evans was educated at Annap-
oils and spent three years studying
naval architecture and construction at
the University of Glasgow. He was in
the navy until 1910. His company,
which employs $500 hands and has
contracts for sixteen steel ships for
the United States government, has re-
Gently enlarged its plant at a cost %
s5,5O00OO.
Doesn't Want Contracts
81 am not looking for contracts" said
Mr. Evans last night, but if | were,
IL. would be 10 my advantage to secure
orders for as many wooden ships as
possible. Iventure TO predict, however,
that there viii not be one wooden ship
in ten built in this country. which, If
put in the overseas trade, will not re-
quire drydocking and recaulking after
each voyage.
NO competent shipping man will
willingly build overseas ships OF
wood when steel is available. Steel
ships can be built of the larg-
est size and very high speed
This is not true Of ships built of wood
Wooden ships Of 200 feet or over must
be most carefully designed and built
Even in vessels Of this moderate length
il is difficult to obtain longitudinal
strength with wood. Moreover, wood
en- ships, even when carefully designed
and carefully buil., change shape after
being operated for a short time. This
makes it very difficult to keep machin-
cry in line. 1t is also impossible to
use high-powered machinery in a wood
en- vessel giving sufficient speed TO es-
cape the gunfire Of submarine.
AT the present time in this country
there are ~try few competent wooder
ship builders, and there is no doubt
that many Of the ships building to.
day are not carefully designed and vii
not be carefully built. A recent ex.
ample shows what we are 10 expect
There is to-day in New York Harbol
new wooden ship, 228 feet long, built
in one Of the Southern shipyards. This
vessel was loaded and started for New
York, and was forced 20 put into Hamp-
ton Roads, leaking dangerously. A few
days ago the vessel arrived in New
York. was unloaded and was drydocked,
and it was found she was 'hogged' two
feet; that is, the keel had gone up
smidships two feet, opening her seams
and causing her 20 take water rapidly.
Not Suited to Dry Cargoes
"This vessel was built under the SUI
pervision Of one Of the classification
societies, and is intended for overseas
trade. I do not mean 10 infer that
sll the vessels will be like this one,
bu. this is what we may expect OF
many OF the ships building in this
country. In addition, these ships are
not suitable for dry and perishable
esrgoes, because il is impossible 70
build a ship of wood that will not leak