Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-11-19
WONDROUS CHANGE
WROUGHT BY WAR
Corps of 5000 Workers Now
There Will Be Army Of
10000 by January l
MEN AND HOUSES NEEDED
Philadelphians Have Opportu-
nifty Of "Doing Their Bit" in
Their Own Homes
By M'LISS

Hog Island Back IN the old days with
Its polutng atmosphere Of the surrounding
pisgeries. IL was not n place--was Hog
1sland-to thrill over.
Today Hog Island Is the most important
place in the world Srategists will talk Of
holding the west front unbroken In France
or Of the Taeliemento or of Petrograd They
will speak Of the various European defenses
that must be maintained But In cold, sober
moments everybody says with convincing
unanimity:
'Ships Will win the war;"
Because ships going to win the war
for civilization. Hog Island is raised TO tho
nth degree OF Importance for at Hog Island
the largest shipyard in the world--so far as
Is known-is In the process of building
This Government controlled shpyard,
being put UP by the International Ship
building Corporation. Is the last straw
needed TO make the Delaware the first river
In the world in point of maritime industry
It takes the wind from the sails of chs
Clyde. No longer will the Delaware be called
the Clyde of America perhaps, indeed. de-
scriptive writer's will feel the need of cali
Ing the Clyde the Delaware of Great Britain.
It's hard 10 believe that less than two
months ago the 900 acres that comprise the
Island were swampy soggy land covered
with a thick underbrush.
ARMY OF 10000 BY NEW YEAR
Today the fat well-drained expanse Of
sHOTl u llS DuSHtS anu DrdfTDleS, IN
a hive Of activity hummng with the music
Of band of workers who number only
1000 now. but by the first of January
are expected to total 10000.
There is the sonorous, rcverbcrating
thunder of the huge pill driving engines /;
there is the mellow recurring tune Of many
hammers driving many nails into pungent-
smelling boards: there is the gentle under
tone Of the dredging machines out in the
river, making ready the wet basin for the
t1,x.s tntN haI In oil
Is an inspriting symphony tho dominant
motif Of which is:
Were going to win! Were going to
win
In its present stage of development the
site of the largest shipyard in the world
resembles a cross between a western boom.
town and draft army cantonment.
SCENE OF CEASELEsS ACTIVITY
Scores of lean. brown engineers ride their
horses hither and yon from the ways TO
the administration building and back again.
Automobiles, trucks, wagon road-engine
and everything vehicular under the sun
abort Of jinrikshaws have been pressed n'o
service
Already twelve bunkhouses or barracks.
built after the manner Of those put UP at
Camps Dix and Meade. have been com
pIeted Each barracks houses 100 men and
the plans are for several dozens OF them.
These. however. will give shelter to only
= Seu thousand ot the 30 900 men who will
be employed when the yard Is operating at
full capacity.
IrrcIs sam looks to Philadelphia TO take
-,r. of the remainder. No spare room must
y. allowed TO go unoccupied. To take into
,,our home and board man who is he ping
70 build a ship at this time has the same
n.triotic value as sending a man into the
trench.s to fight or putting your savings
into Liberty Bonds.
sTITPENDoUS HOUSING PROBLEMS
Nsxt 10 getting the 10000 men required
,.r the operation of the yard, where fifty
.h;ns will be In the process OF building al
s~.,me tine--an unprecedented number
savs,ns them. officials of the American In
t.rnational assert, is the most stupendous
.~nhien, Many OF the 10000 men who are
S,,,ng here recruited from everywhere
lii hr,ns their families with them. Pay
~rve,opes arc fatter than ever. Those peo'
Ma will want adequate accommodations
rho Jersey side Is Already oNercrowded due
20 the boom in the other big yards. How
Philadelphia meets this situation VII
Aennonstrate the stuff she is made of,
r,ut II we must have ships to carry mer
.cd supplies to the war zone. We must have
nan before We can have the ships. The
cyv for men is long and loud for ship
) wards all over the country, To be idle a
time like this is reasonable. There Il
:. vet no conscription of labor. but ship
hu,iders are frank In the confession tina
- rnechanics and riveters and men trained
a. trades that arc allied or similar TO ship
hu,ldinGs do not patrioticslly throw dow
,~tv.ts work in which they are now en-
.sd and take to shipbulding the stu
Stsor will be little short Of desperate
EVERY MAN MUST DO HIS DUTY
Every day ct Hog Island groups OF work
-. troop in and are taken on, More, NOR
- 81 more are needed. In Great Britai
Trsn are being used in the building o
SS,rs This will not be necessary as We
I ~ tha United States, 1t is thought, II ever
1ren does his duty ana every aa, nou.enGlEe ,,'Ia
cns .a in territory adjacent to the ship
TTe American International Shipouilo
q - Corporation wants 3o'ooo high-grao
- chanics. II wants then aaiSnIy a,u
4 .-SS'-~s t,ke them from other shlpyaros'
y Z... sno,v exactly how II Is going 10 &c
& [. 'L.s ~. ,.,bst moment the fun quota wi
|l. - - sSx. ~ hut In the meantime-becaus
- srterprises are put through I'M
10 n going ahead making ready 10
- -. the ground at Hog islam
a-h ~srr Under the denomins
rs - ma naGer' he Is responsible
~ Asvrp1iou OF the yard In al OF II
49,. 1srn In philadelphia this que
&n0nnsred engineer mas pu. e
-z, 11S~, -. enc Of the most recent oein
- xr1onao cantcnment But
Ss.f ~ greatest achievement IN
= - -. srsr6est shipyard In IN
-, ~ - r1<es Il the very door Q
r111nmrxo pkr AND NIGHT
.1ca -. y ne asa Of powerfr
I1Dmu1k rsogssup>s. In January IN
~ - ~ Gkip 10 70 ~ ,a4-. BY III
zusnniser she tsut twentynv
1&a - euespas1sd, ~ nsxt - enty
r(rro - <n6 q m -. keaaxe
~ nnr1n1 q A. ee1