The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1918-10-24
ship BUILDERS ATE
DOING RECORD WORK
Towns and Villages on Della
ware River Near Philadelphia
Great Hives of Industry.

Philadelphia. - Shipbuilding,. under
the spur of the German submarine
menace, has made Philadelphia, Tor the
second time in American history, d
"cradle of liberty" Fostered by the
natural advantages OF the
river, together with proximity 10 INC
nations steel production centers, the
country's largest group OF
including the world record making Hog
Island plant, has grown up in the nome
district of the Pennsylvania metropolis.
In this district are employed more
than 100, 900 shipworkers, one-1ourth
the enrolment in the industry through
ont the United States, whose outturn
to date is SO vessels, q OF them ready
for service. Vessels Of all types, from
$500 ton woode steamers 10 huge
steel freighters of $4,000 tons are pro-
duced. The influx OF workers 4
overrun q score OF en-
towns. yet the cry is for more men ana
more men. Given a sufficiency or ma
terials and the workers to handle thefn,
the philadelphia phenomenon IN shlp
construction promises to become an
other worlds center.
In this region the Emergency fIees
corporation, through the
CARRYING on it's work a undertaken
an extensive housing project. AL
Bristol, Chester, Cornwels, ana hog
Island, in Pennsylvania, at Camden
and Gloucester, on the New Jersey size
and at Wilmington, In Delaware
homes, bachelor apartments, barracks,
boarding houses and even a hotel have
been erected, with the hope or sowing
| the problem Of inadequate labor grow
ing out of poo ACCOMMODATIONS.
How the yards on the Delawar river
| have expanded in the past IL montns
| and what this influx Of labor means TO
- A-.rz,,Nittn n1rIlO the river. is IN
| dictated by comparison with the census
of last October, when the aggregate
of men engaged was less tina DIV
Excluding Cramps and the New york
Shipbuilding corporation, whicn were
then working as completed yards the
| nine other plants on the then
| reported 10000 workers.
Recruited From Outside.
More than half the present force of
| shipbuilders has been recruited from
| outside the district. so that the popula-
ton growth from this source alone has
been doubled that OF any normal year.
At Bristol. 20 miles above Philadelphia,
and beyond the confines Of the pre-
viously accepted shipbuiiding zone
exceed the entire population OF the
borough In 1910. Chester, where John
B. Roach built American warships so
years ago, has treDled in a year It's
population gain between 1900 and 1910.
Except the great Hog Island plant,
that Of the New York Shipbuilding
Corporation at Camden, employing
IL, 500 men, is the largest in the Phila-
delphia district. When work under
way is completed there will be 29
shipways, most Of them able to accom-
modate at n time two ships of ordt-
nary size. The yard set a new worlds
record when 1t launched the collier
| n-- -. - OF MA frayn fhA ttr1A Tho
keel was laid. Ten days later the YES
sci was completed, a feat which has
not been eQuaIed for a ship of this
type. Transportation has been a prob
lem, with the majority Of workers
forced to travel long distances to and
from the plant. To overcome this diff
flculty the company Is erecting the
works, with a connecting trolley line.
The community, which will be without
saloons. will be made a part of Cam
den.
Neighboripg Gloucester is another
shipbuilding center. When the glory
the ban Of New Jersey legislative en-
actment, the town went to sleep. 1t has
beer awakened. The Pusey & Jones
Company operates two yards. The
Pennsylvania" plant, two years old,
has launched seven ships OF assorted
types within o year. ana the newly
completed New Jersey shops have
four vessels on the ways. L~aunchfngs
here are made. sidewise> into q basin.
a process said to be much simpler than
the sternforemost slide which has been
practiced through centuries OF ship
building. The company Is erecting $50
homes for It's workers near the two
yards.
Recently both the Gloucester and
Wilmington Yards OF the Pusey & Jones
Company have been combined under
the, Emergency Fleet management and
a standard type Of 10000 ton steel
vessels will be built.
Made 0rsat Record.
Creation In less than q year Of q
great fabricated steel shipyard with one
vessel launched and three others about
ready to take the water, is tho feat
accomplished by the Merchant Ship