New-York tribune., 1917-10-23
Ships Ships Ships
Chairman Hurley and Admiral Capps Now
Doing Things in Building OF
Vessels to Win the War
By Theodore M. Knappen

pIOuutO HiiApo hNAS ~"fN<S
cheaplv than they can be made of
iron or steel. The advocates Of this
ship made no impression on either
Denman or Goethals. They finally
raised SS5O,oOO by private subscrip-
ton to build the first ship,
II It be a success, the government
will have first rights to II, because
Of the patriotic motives Of the men
and companies that made up the
sS50.0O0 But II the board had taken
hold Of this idea when it was put up
70 it last spring, the demonstration
Of its worth or wcrthlessness would
be complete by this time. II hard
headed business men are willing to
risk that much money on a new idea,
it would appear that the board would
have been justified in experimenting
with it.
Now The time for new Ideas is
past. The board Is committed to
certain number Of steel ships, a GER
tain number Of wooden ships and a
certain number of composite ships.
The big organization is moving
ahead with increasing momentum.
The managers naturally don't want
to be sidetracked now. Yet it would
seem that If John Ericsson or en-
Edison came along with O revolu-
tionary Idea that was sound there
ought to be some provision for CIV
ing a fair consideration to his propo-
sition.
Mother Ship
Not Considered
So far as l can find out no c6nsid-
GRAFTON has been given to the mother
ship" idea Of John l.. Bogert, Of New
York, which has been seriously dis
cussed by the technical press, neither
does it appear that any special at
tention is being given to epy plan for
increasing or conserving the buoy
ancy Of ships, so that torpedoing will
rot mean sinking. To keep vessels
from sinking would seem TO be as i'm
portant as building new ones.
A while ago man who has done
two revolutionary things in the min
ing worldwide has twice achieved
%he impossible against all the judg-
ments of the experts-worked out a
new idea in ship construction. The
merits Of his plan included rapid and
cheap building, the utilization Of
easily procured materials and dis
pensing with skilled labor. He came
to Washington with good letters and
with nothing but patriotic motives.
he has an ample fortune and does
not seek to make money out Of his
idea.
After five days in Washington he
got an appointment with an assistant
craftsman Of the Emergency Fleet
CORPORATION and this man was too
preoccupied With his own pressing
work to listen to the man with the
idea. The latter took his rebuff
cheerfully as part of the necessary
submergence Of the individual In the
general pressure.
II guess such things can't be
helped" he said. ~ could see that
they all took me for q nut Somany
nuts have ideas, that it IS held that
the converse is true and that every
man with an idea is nut"
This sort Of thing is maddening,
but apparently it cannot be avoided.
The complex, tremendous war ma
chine with It's ten thousand classifi-
cations Of intense activity is on the
way. II is remorselessly consuming
the lives and energies Of thousands
of men who have never seen battle
field. With work piled high on their
desks, with headquarters and the
whole nation forever demanding
haste and more haste these men are
working by calling on their second
ary energy as they never thought
they could. They have no time to
reflect and consider. They must
achieve.