Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1918-11-03
VESSEL A DAY
IS RECORD OF
COAST YARDS
Pacific Ship Builders Lead the
Country in Production of
Ships for the U. S.
Marine.

shipyards of the Pacific coast a YES.
sci a day, newly completed to meet
the demands of war, sets forth as a
cargo carrier in the American
emergency feet.
Shipbuilding activities extend
from San Pedro in California to- the
northermost limits of the state OF
Washington. Hulls of steel and
wood, and some of concrete, many
OF them turned out in periods which
have broken worlds speed records.
are erected at these plants, ant,
somewhere along this stretch of
shore line, virtually every "a hours,
a ship takes the water and the keel
of another is laid before the wave
lets from the launching have disap-
peared.
Because the Pacific yards from
the Inauguration of the national
shipbuilding project have led the
country in production, their mana
gers were first to predict that the
industry would be the greatest since
history has been recorded. They
are in position now to speak with
authority of the fulhllment of their
prophecies. L. E. Meachem. secre-
tary of the Meachem g. Babcock
Shipbuilding company of Seattle,
said;
Thousands on Payrolls.
There were employed in the con-
struction of King Solomon's tenn
pie, according to the Bible, l83,300
men. That was the greatest con-
struction undertaking up to modern
times. War shipbuilding is the
worlds greatest industry, because
there are more men concentrated on
a single purpose than ever before
Probably no one could state ex-
actly the number of men employed
in the various departments of ship
building on the Pacific coast. 1t is
a constantly changing, and a con-
stantly increasing quantity. For in
stance, on July /, 1916, 1920 men
were at work in the Oregon yards. |
just one year later there were al 500 |
engaged in the task.
u A month ago there were 5000 !
men at work in the yards of the
Todd Drydock and Shipbuilding
company at Tacoma. 1t is expected |
that within two more months there |
will be approximately 10,5O0 on the
payrolls. The Skinner & Eddy
yards at Seattle, Wash, employed
1880 men a month ago. The rate
at which men are being taken on
here is in keeping with the increase
elsewhere. 1t is the same story from
southern California to the British
Columbia frontier. Nowhere are the
figures Of today the figures of to-
morrow. -
Professional Men Help.
1t is not only to the strong that
is accorded the privilege of taking
a hand in the building of the bridge |
Of ships to France" More than 100
Aberdeen, Wash, business and pro-
fessional men have come into the
plant of the Gray's Harbor Motor
ship corporation. By doing clean
ing up and other odd jobs, they have
released many ship mechanics and
artisans for actual ship work. Many
of them come to the yard after leav-
ing their offices for the day, and
turn over all their wages to the Red
Cross, convert them into Liberty
bonds or buy, war savings stamps.
Indirectly, their patriotism has
been an immense asset to the
Emergency Fleet corporation
Although their assumption of these
#ndd jobs they have enabled the ex-
D. 'ert ship workers to establish speed
81 ecords.
Il Almost every peace time vocation
!lso may be found among the
strong men" of the shipyards.
n Minister Is Boss Riveter.
1.-THE Rev. Jim Osborne, boss
riveter," is the way in which his CO.
workers introduce a former minis
ter of the gospel to visitors at the
Todd yards at Tacoma, Wash. Os-
borne is we'll known in the Missoula
valley, and famed for his work in
the interests of the Young Mems
Christian association. #@"
Another man, so big they call him
a horny handed son of soil, is an
attorney who gave up lucrative
practice in an eastern Washington
county to help the game along. An
other is doctor from a small Utah
town. These are but few ex-
amples of the hundreds of brainy.
educated men who have turned to
and are fighting on the line behind
the fighting front
Completed Ships Rule.
Completed ships are the product
of nearly all the western yards
Whether they are 3,500-ton freight
ers of wood or great steel vessels
whose tonnage runs into FIVE figures,
contracts almost invariably call for
bottoms" ready to go to sea. Some
OF the plants, notably that OF
Meachem & Babcock. turn over
to the government ships wholly
furnished, even to table napkins.
There is not letup in the great I'M
dertaking. A ship is sunk, by tor
pedo, mine or the fury OF the ele-
ments. Thousands of men in the
Pacific yards are helping to make
good the nations promise that its !,
place will be filled. /