Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-07-06
$4,000 SHIP WORKERS
IN GREAT LAKES YARDS
Former Premier of South Aus
tralia Amazed at Magnitude
of the Plans.

II had been inspired with tho magni-
tudc of the shipvards on the Atlantic
seahnard. | had seen something Of the
kcclwavs on the Pacific, | had heard of
the great preparation OF the gulf ports
rot to I've behind any other coast III the
production Of tonnage" writes John
Crawford Vaughan. in The Outlook. but
of the Great Lakes shipyards little was
known to me- or is known today ! he
lieve, to the general American public.
Yet these Lakes shipyards are doing
a great national work. and are doing 1t
under singular difficulties. Ice-bound
for the winter months, subject TO
temperature Of 40 degrees below zero
at times and limited in their launch
ings by the Welland Canal, the Great
Lakes do not. or the face Of things.
appear to offer great facilities for the
output of ocean-goiIg vessels
TURN OUT MaMMor r BOATS.
That the Lakes shipyards can turn
out mammoth boats is revealed IN the
great feet of ore freighters which carry
coal and iron ore between Superior
and the shores of Lake Michigan.
There is nothing more impressive
on the face Of the waters unless 1t he
a warship. than a loDg-noscd. black
hulIed leviathan pushing its relentless
way through the breaking ice or up
against the ore bins, there TO load up
with a freight that shortly will be
transformed into rails or roaring en-
gines. into boiler plate or hig guns. or
INTO steel that viii go screaming into the
German lines IN the form OF shells.
$4,000 TONS IN CARGO
These great ships. with their smoke
stacks astern are IN some instances
625 long. 60 feet IN beam. 20 feet
draught, and with their 1000 horse
power and averaging 10 knots, carry as
much as 1900 tons OF ore IN q single
haul 1t takes only two and a half
homs 10 Eli up all the holds of such a
ship with the red iron ore, and little
longer 10 unload, such is the character
OF the labor-savIng machinery installed
at the inalnd ports OF America. 4 boat
of 10000 tons viii pull alongside wharf :.
saw at Cleveland or Toledo, at 10 IN the
morning, empty herself of 10000 tons of
iron, load up with coal and be steam
ing out by 5 o'clock in the afternoon.
DULUTH GREAT PORT.
Duluth Harbor claims 10 be the sec
ond port in the world ID point of ton
mage shipped 1t has long since out
distanced Liverpool's total.
In July last year 1t was estimate d
that 700 tons Of freight were loaded or
unloaded at the Duluth-ouperlor wharts
and docks every minute Of the twenty
four hours per day. pom the Great
Lakes themselves Is borne CONNIE rec
of 100. 900 900 tons annually. and there is
no place in the world that approaches
the Lakes for cheapness IN the hand
ling and hauling OF ITS water-borne
commerce Ore and coal were hauled
in pre-war days TO and from Superior
70 Lake Ere ports, 900 miles away,
the round trip costing 81 ton, or one
twentieth Of a cent per mile
YARDS EXPAND AS IF BY MAGIC
The tonnage now under const ruction
iu the Great Lakes shipyards on behalf
Of the Emergency Fleet Corporation Is
an ever-lncreasing one Old yards are
expanding a. though the wand Of the
magician had been waved over them
New yards are being imprOvised along
inland water whose quletude was never
hefore disturbed by the whiting rattle
Of the rveting machl1e. Still further
wards are projected IN placid upper river
reaches that till now have launched no
other boat than the Indian canoe. OF
CtAi1aolsG snlpbuuglDg ACTIVITY nave
seen nothing but ships being launched
along tire Canadian shore at Toronto
and other rver cities, On the United
States side we spoke in the yards of
Buffalo, Cleveland, Loran, Toledo, De
trolt, Chicago, Manitowoc, Superior and
Duluth. We missed only Sturgeon Bay.
$4,000 MEN N PLA NTs
AT present more than % 900 men are
here employed in actual ship construc-
ton, while probably an equal number
are engaged in the manufacture Of parts
i'll lale-shore cities. These figures neces-
sarily take no cognizancc Of men work
ing in steel mills, in coal and IRON mines,
and in other calIings more or less Incl
dental to the building Of ships Within
few months not less than 10000 men
will be engaged 10 launching these life
boats of liberty
Overcome by Gas