The Butler weekly times., 1917-05-31
BIG SHIPS FOIL u.BoArs
Goethals Plans 15,ooo-Ton Freighters
to Be Torpedo Proof.

Washington, May 28.--Fifteef
thousand-ton ships of steel, bull,
with vertical compartments, so they
may get to port after striking a mine
or even being torpedoed, are includ-
ed in the new ship-building program
which General Goethals has adopted
after discarding practically all the
wooden ship program which had
been laid out by the shipping board,
as impractical.
These "semi- submarine proof
freighters are to be much faster than
the wooden or standard steel freight
ers. They also are to be turned out
at rate only limited by the capacity
of American mills and shipyards.
They will have a speed Of fifteen
knots an hour. Most of the big
docks and shipyards arranged for
construction of larger types of ships
will be reserved for these huge
freighters.
Testimony was given by General
Goethals before the congressional
committees last week. it was learned
today, that ships OF this size built op
the vertical compartment plan could
strike mines or be torpedoed, even to
the extent of having three compart-
ments blown in, and yet limp into
port as long as the machinery was
not thrown out of gear.
The advantage of this ship over T.
5oo-ton boats, as explained by Gen
eral Goethals, was that the smaller
boat sank when torpedoed-th big
boat had chance. 1t was stated that
in all the submarine warfare thus far
the Germans had not got single one
of these big ships built in the verti
cal compartment plan; that the speed
gave them an opportunity to run
away from the submarine and dodge
the torpedo as well. Hitherto all
plans for meeting the submarine
menace by the Shipping program
have been with the idea of "over-
feeding" the submarine--count on
some OF the ships getting sunk, but
hope through numbers to get many
by. The United States has facilities
however, only to turn out limited
number of this large type.
These huge "semi- submarine proof
freighters are just one feature of the
Goethals program OF steel ships,
however. As has been made known
before, the big bulk of the ships to
be turned out are to be standardized
ships of 5000 tons each. They are
to be fabricated at the MANY steel
mills and put UP on hastily erected
ways on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts.
Only six hundred thousand tons OF
the 3 million-ton building program
are to be of wooden ships, according
to the Goethals plan.
Congress today. expressing its con-
fidence in General Goethals. saw the !
House agree to a new ship COM
amendment to the War
Bill. 1t is the most
lrastic granting OF authority the
American government has ever
Known. 1t gives the President pow
,r to commander ships, ship mater
al, modify, cancel or suspend any
nov, exposing or hereafter
made for any purpose whatever
which requires in the execution there
If labor or material that may be util-
zed in ship building; to requisition
he entire output or partial output of
my factory found to be necessary"
The House having recorded itself
or giving this authority to the Pres
dent to be carried through General
ioethals. the big bill went to confer
nee. Final action will not be had
or several days. but the vote late to-
ay on this one amendment assures a
rastic Communicating section be-
ng included in the conference report. !