The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1918-10-14


versatility af Americans probably Is
no greater exemplif1ed any where than
in the ship yards of Beaumont and
other gulf ports. The ships to help
bridge the Atlantic are being built by
crews made up largely of men who
a year ago were bookkeepers, walters.
BARRIERS, farmers, stockmen and profess
sional athletes.
A boat every ten or fifteen days is
the program here for the duration of
the war.
Hog island may not lay claim to pos
sessing the only American shipyard
located on spot that little more
than year ago was swamp. Beau
mont has alread. built and launched
for the Emergency Fleet corporation
half dozen Ferris type wooden ships
and has under construction many 9th
ers in yards evolved from lowlands
that in pre-war days were but the
breeding places for mosquitoes. Beau
mont has other yards in that have al
ways been high and dry.
In peace times the progress of ship
building here and at other gulf coast
points would make a story with ro-
mantle phases. AS it is this great un-
dertaking has become a commonplace
and the people Of the city. which was
noted as a center of oil production in
the southwest, have adapted them
selves as if they never had engaged
In any other lines of industry.
Four Large shipyards.
Before the demand for bottoms be-
came so urgent, there was one small
plant engaged in building fishing and
coastWise wooden vessels here. Now
there are four large shipyards working
on government contracts, and three
smaller private building plants. When
existing contracts are completed, Beau
mont will have contributed 100000
tons of Ferris type hulls, and will have
equipped more than 100000 tons Of
similar ships built elsewhere but made
ready for sea here. Other tonnage will
aggregate $4,000 to 10000 tons. This
does not, however, cover the expecta-
ton of additional government awards.
The first of the larger plants to be
established here grew out of the 1tal-
ian governments desire to have yes
sells built in the United States. Henry
Piaggio, a wealthy lumber exporter Of
Gulfport, Miss, secured some of these
foreign orders, and one of his yards
was located here. Others are at Gulf
port, Miss, Orange, Texas, and Pas
scagoula, Miss. Piaggio built two g.
000-ton, five-ma sted schooner rugged
ships here, each with auxiliary power.
which are now on the seas. Two
smaller ships had already been
launched and equipped by the How
land & Nelson yard and the Tarver
Ship building plant.
About this time the government
went into the shipbuilding business.
and when it was understood that
southern pine was to be used for a
portion of the wooden program, Beau
mont became keenly Interested. for
Beaumont is in the center of what is
known as the 1ong-leaf yellow pine
regin. Beaumont and Houston lum-
Der interests obtained contracts for
Ferris type ships. This plant is known
as the Beaumont Shipbuilding & Dry
Dock company, and is controlled and
by the Kirby-Benner-Link[
lumber interests, one of the largest
manufacturers of pine lumber in the
south. They had one mill within a |
half mile of the new yard, and others !!
scattered throughout east Texas. The |
little available river front land on the
Beaumont side was quickly secured !
as the site for two more yards, oper- |;
ated by Mcbride & Law and ]. N. Nc |
Cannon.
Was Once Swamp Land.
There was. however, a large tract |
of swamp land on the opposite side !
of the Neches, and New York COM !
pany Duncan, Young & Company es- i
tablished the Lone Star Shipbuilding i
plant. Each of the companies had |
contracts from the fleet corporation. |
None of them had ever built a ship. |,
The ground had to be clearend of |
timber and jungle growth, filled in to !
prevent overflows, and graded.
One superintendent came here from