The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-02-18
TEXAS LOOMS UP
 IN SH|PbU|LDING Present Construction Is Looked Upon as Fore runner of Large Per-
 manent Business

An Orange, Tex, special to the Balti- more Manufacturers Record says: 2 Tt is the opinion of men who are engaged in the shipbuilding industry at Orange, Beaumont, Houston and other Texas ports that the several contracts for wooden ships which are now being fulfilled are forerunner of very large and permanent business in the construction of oceangoing vessels. It is of time when the construction of steel ships will be inaugurated on large scale at Houston, Orange and Beaumont. There are now being constructed in the new shipbuilding yards at Orange 50 wooden vessels, consisting of steamers, auxiliary sailing ships and sailing ships,
 "The National Shipbulding company is building and has under contract the fol- lowing:
 Twelve steamers of 45OO tons. sl5 feet over all, 4S-foot beam, 25-foot draft These ships are for the United States govern ment, building under specifications of the emergency fleet corporation, to be delivered complete; two steamers of 4500 tons. 4S-foot beam, 25-foot depth of hold, building for the Cunard line; foul oil tankers of approximately the same di- mensions for account of builders.
 The Internatonal Shipbuilding com pany has seven ships on ways, each 301-foot length, 44-foot beam, &-foot depth of hold, $500 tons; one ship of same di- mensions in water now being rigged; 15 g600-ton ships under contract. All of these ships are auxiliary sailers.
 "The Southern Drydock and Shipbuild- ing company has five standard govern ment hulls.
 'The Orange Maritime corporation has three ships. 203 feet over all, H-foot beam, g feet inches draft, 2200 tons, for account of builders.
 Ed Weaver and Sons have one ship of 700 tons, 19-foot depth of hold. 36-foot beam, 165 feet in length, which it is building on account of the Southern Dry dock and Shipbuilding company
 "The International Shipbuilding com pany has complete three vessels here of 2000 tons each.
 "The Orange Maritime corporation built one ship in Beaumont, which was rigged out complete in Orange and sold.
 "The Miller-Link Lumber company and the Lutcher-Moore Lumber company, whose mills are &cated in Orange, are furnishing very large per cent of the timbers and lumber for these vessels.
 There are approximately 40O0 men em- ployed in the shipyards in Orange. Sev- eral additional contracts have been of fered, and the prospects for continu- ation of this work in Orange for many years is very bright.
 "At Beaumont there are many wooden ships under construction, involving, it is stated, more than $20,00O,0o0.
 '"rhe emergency fleet corporation has awarded a contract to Mcbride & Law of Houston to install machinery and otherwise equip for sea service the four wooden ships which it is to construct at Houston.
 At the present time four shipbuilding firms of Houston are engaged in building 12 wooden ships for the government and at least four of these will be completed in early spring. Work on the other will be rushed as rapidly as possible, and it is expected all of them will be completed by the middle of summer.
 In addition to two hulls being built for the government by Mcbride & Law, the following firms are now engaged in turning out contracts:
 The Beaumont Shipbqilding and Dry dock company is building four vessels commercial use.
 '"The Lone Star Shipbulding company is constructing four hulls for the govern ment.
 "J M McCammon is building two ships for the government.
 '"rhe Tarver Shipbuilding corporation is building a small schooner for commer- cial use.
 Henry Piaggio. lumber exporter, Is building two large vessels for his own use"