The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1917-06-25
So Says Engineer Clark.
Steel Boats Can't Be
Built Fast Enough.
CRISIS EXPECTED
IN JANUARY
Are Being Summarized
Faster Than They Can
Be Built.
Washington Bureau,
The Pensacola Journal.

Washington, June 24-The delay
and partial abandonment by the Ship
ping Board of the plan to build 1000
wooden ships hurriedlv to break down
the German U-bOat menace, is a much
more serious matter than the gen.
eral public realizes and will be the
factor that will determine the date of
final victory for the allies, it was
emphatically asserted today by F.
Huntington Clark, one of the two
engineers who first proposed the
wooden ship building plan
Clark was recently removed from
the governments Emergency Fleet
! Corporation bv Major General Geo.
n. Goethals because of his criticism
of General Cocktails attitude toward
wooden ships.
He takes particular pains to state
| that there is nothing personal in the
controversy between the general and
himself over wooden or steel ships.
1t is simply a question of building
hundreds of wooden ships at once
when the need is imperative, or build
ing half a merchant fleet after
while when it is too late.
The crisis will come about-next
De- m5lee66enaher or January, Mr.. Clark says,
III. I'm the worlds merchant Shipping
lDoats TO the very lowest minimum at
which communication can be .gain-
tanned between America and Europe.
Merchant ships, he says, are being
steadily reduced IN number as thew
are being destroyed more rapidIv
Fhan they can be built, while on the
Pther hand, the U-boats are being
quilt more rapidly than they are be-
Ing destroyed.
The developments in the wooden
up fleet plan since it was first pro
lsed to Chairman Denman of the
sipPlng Board by Mr.. Clark, and /
r. Eustls, another engineer who /
VS. dismissed by General Cocktails. {
Infinitely described by Clark in an .
! lerview today.
lie tells of the efforts of the Shin
R Board to get General Goethals
ttake charge Of the plan to build
- u wooden ship fleet; of the gen
e1s unwillingness to ACCEPT. he
y s. because he knew nothing of
!, sbuildinS and he was not the man
- Iethe place, and of his final re-
y Iunt acceptance of the place as a
y, Poetic duty when it was urged IN
. onm that he could obtain experts
TORY out the work.
a a few days after the pIan to
" wooden ships was made public
:, WIN orders were received from ten
- colctors alone, offering to build ]
Is, 49Fooden ships in twelve months
II an36 in 10 months, Mr.. Clark as
- sci After the contractors had
sta to work, he says. General !
Coils stopped the work and :
SWed to steel ships, delivery of 7
whcannot be commenced until ,
Ap1918. ?
n q, Plan Rapid Building. v
Il / plan for the rapid constr71c {
tiol IAN emergency fleet of cargo
carr craft with which we were a
- 70 At the German U-boat cam e
dI palhid Mr.. Clark. "was launched
- ias,4ng by the shipping board T
~ I VIII approval of all the authori-
~ uesNashington and with the
ne Reimbursement from the press
IN andic. 1t started with favoring h
N wln2 tide, but just as it was G
= galAeadway, it ran into an OBJ 81
M ! stru and stopped with a violent ST
'o4 9coN HeJhef IL Is To be hOated m
Ia on Antinue its voyage to a sue. al
a ceSSpncIusion rests with the pl
~ punI a;
ne IN was brought to the Ship in
nu Pln9i Is March by two .ngI.
IN needle Board, and especially 81
me ITS Gan, Mr.. Denman, were
"a qulc1e the possibilities in wood
HI en- snstruction and at once re-
taintwo engineers to make de- of
lIeStigation as to the coun- pr
DIV Try sPle output of ships, eng ar
n mes cessories- co
- iHstigation proved conclus- tn
g. ively the proposed fleet of a ma
80 thou Sooden ships could easily VIZ
a aqa ana be built. It is to be Il
Dorhead that this program for tn
tne ction of wooden ships was fol
EEIie."qely and solely by the
En- ohlplhrd as a war emergency TC
- ineas' was not contented that
9,,,- Chesen ships were the best
o ora shiPs ible. But it was deter
~, ihlIeq they were sea-worthy; pol