New-York tribune., 1917-07-27

yards, and came away with kaleido
scopic impression OF thousands o.
girls, dressed in trousers and Russian
blouses, working in a din Of pneumatic
riyeters and crawling about like spi
ders in the giant network Of embryonic
ships. IL was q trip TO thrill one, Il
make one marvel az the adsptabilit!
Of the alleged weaker sex, 20 impress
upon one the fact that Britain is still
something Of a maritime power, Il
strengthen those who are depressed By
the unprecedented run Of submarin,
sinkings.
Boats for the Seven Seas
Along the Clyde in the last three
years have been built light-draft
hospital boats for use on The Tigri'
River By the Mesopotamia expedition
submarines and destroyers, battleship'
and cruisers and dozens Of other Graf
needed by the royal navy. Here alsc
are the yards from which have beer
launched scores Of merchantmen. Bu
the shipbuilding plants Of the Clyde M
longer confine their output TO sea craft
they are now building air craft anC
land craft-aeroplanes and tanks anc
guns and shells.
Every place one goes be is sure Il
find the munitionette. She may b
making the wings Of an aeroplane o.
swinging an s5O-pound projectile from
a furnace to 75-ton pneumatic ham
mer. In either place she seems a
home, and works with a deftness ant
skill that arouse admiration. if no
envy.
On my trip through the Clyde dis
trict saw many things Of which
am not permitted to write, but the
whole world will learn later tina
Britain's bag Of war tricks is far from
exhausted. She was q comparative
novice in the art OF modern warfare
when the great storm broke and caught
her unawares, but she has learned
quickly and pAven herself not too ole
and conservative 70 pattern after hel
enemy. The munitionette Of th'
Clyde, absolutely ignorant Of me
chanics, has shown herself an ap
pupil and, under the guidance Of thu
engineers and instructors, she has me-
the new requirements Of labor bettel
perhaps than could the old hand, wh'
had spent his life doing certain wors
until he had grown as mechanical II
his operations as the machine itself
The Clyde needed new blood, and i
has found it in the munitionette.
These Girls Keep Secrets
In one plant / found hundreds o.
girls employed on job that is nov
a closely guarded secret. Munition
cites can keep secrets and not wore
Of this one has leaked out yet.
To the world at large the chief In
terest in Glasgow and Clyde is con
fined TO the work being done to make
good the losses in the British mer
camille marine. without stating figures
Of tonnage. | can bear witness to th'
fact that every shipyard is oeehlV'
q, activity, that there are dozens Of
merchant vessels in various stages o.
%, .truction, that Notwithstanding IN
ever increasing drain on the man-powei
Of the country the output Of the CLYDE
"a constantly growing, that the NUM-
tionettes are doing the work Of skilled
nschanics after an apprenticeship meas
ured in months instead Of years.
Big steamers are being rushed u
completion. They are not the gigantic
liners of the type Of the Lusltania
Aonitania and Mauretania. British ship
builders are concentrating on carg'
carriers of 5000 to 5000 tons, with th'
idea Of speed in construction and spee'
in loading and unloading. IL Is ca!cu
lated that four ships of 5000 tons VII
ne more valuable than one OF 10000.
Navy Is Mightier Still
When the war is over and it is NJ
longer necessary to shrpud the navy il
mystery the world will appreciate wha
wonders British shipyards have per
formed. Twice as powerful as its near
est rival in pre-wsr days, the British
navy is mightier still to-day, and ye
the Admiralty is not satisfied. Every
day the keels of new ships are LAID; !
NAV be a submarine or a destroyer oi
a super-dreadnought- Then there arr
constant repairs 20 be made. Ever!
mined or torpedoed vessel which can d.
brought into portland the number II
much larger than one would expect
immediately put in drydock and patched
Nd quickly. II the Clyde shipyards-
the great plants Of Beardmore, Ltd, ]
Brown & Co., Swan & Hunter, th'
Clyde Shipbuildng and Engineerini
Company, Ltd. the immense Queen
Dock and Princes Dock-had nothing
except the present wants OF the roya
navy 70 supply they would be hare
pressed even under pre-war conditions
but now they are supplying the navy