The Washington herald., 1918-06-11
SHIPYARDS HUM
ON ALL COASTS
Holland Tells of Startling
Progress-750,0O 900 Men
Now Employed.


skilled artisans and wage earners who
are now making ships and equipment
for them to France within a week,
then the American army now in
France. il the common understanding
Of its size be correct, would find itself
oYermatched in numbers by these
American workmen. The soldiers are
fighting and the workmen are labor
ing for a common cause. An est-
mate made by the National Service
section OF the Emergency Fleet Cor
poration fixes the number Of artisans
and wage-earners in the shipyards
and in Industrial plants that are oc-
cupied in manufacturing machinery
and other equipment for the ships at
about 10000. While. of course, the
country knew something Of the mar
yelous activity the United States is
now directing in the building of ships
and equipment for them, yet 'only a
few can have realized, until the semi
official statement was made, that this
industry alone entails the employment
of over 10000 artisans and wage
earners. This is a new Industrial
army that has been mobilized and
trained within a year.
There may be a few submarines
of the Atlantic coast and it is pos
sible that some attempt will be made
to scatter bombs over coast cities,
although this is very doubtful. but
when it is borne in mind that the
United States is now building ships
at such a rate that before the end
of this year we shall have floating
upon the ocean more ships than the
German submarines have destroyed
since submarine warfare began,
then it will be possible to realize
that whatever danger there may
come from submarines will be in
cidental: trivial in comparison with
our ship production.
More Than River Clyde Shipways.
There are upon the River Clyde
a hundred shipways and there Great
Britain is manufacturing, launching
and floating ships TO a greater eX-
tent than at any other of the ship
building plants of Great Britain.
but today there are more shipways
within Is miles of New York City
than the entire number upon the
River Clyde. These shipways have
been established. not exactly secret
Iy. and yet without much public no.
tice. so that the statement that there
are more shipways within Is miles
of New York than are now estab-
lished upon the River Clyde will GER
tainly cause some astonishment.
But that is not all. On the Della
ware River. and exclusive of the Hog
Island plant. there are also more
shipways than are to be found upon
the banks of the River Clyde. We're
this statement not semi-officiaIIy made
it would seem almost incredible that
vpifhin hY,V
from New York southerly there are
more than twice as many shipways
than the number of those now estab-
hshed upon the River Clyde. and this
does not include the Hog Island plant
The Hog Island Plant.
The development of Hog Island
within a year or more is one of the
marvels of American efficiency and
speed. Situated at the junction of the
Schuylkill and Delaware Rivers, it
was barren place, esteemed of no
especial consequence when Congress
declared that a state of war existed
with Germany. Today there are fifty
shipways upon Hog Island, One-half
of that number being already COM
pleted. 1t has become a bustling
center of industry. The workingmen
are tOihlOE ldDlS HOuStt. an eNCellenC
hotel has been established, and those
who have been its guests speak well
Of it. 4 bank has also been estab-
iished there and various other acces-
sorieS sure to follow the creation of
a city of some 5000 inhabitants.
Coast Fringed With Plants.
Within a little over a year the At
lantiC, the Gulf and the Pacific Coast
have been fringed, so to speak, by
shipways and shipbuildinS plants. The
one established at Sparrow Point, on
Chesapeake Bay near Baltimore,
which represents the foresight and the
capital of Charles NJ Schwab and his
associates, is one Of the greatest of
our shipbuildinS plants.
Then at Newport News and at Nor
folk and Alexandria, Va, other ship
building plants and shipways have
1"en established, or are about to be
established. and the hum of the river
hOufd almost echo from Fore River,
ear Boston. as far south as Bruins
lex. Ga, and Jacksonville, Fla. so
carly linked are these many Ship
ays.
What Mobile is Doing.
Word has been received in this city
that the great shipbuilding plant at
Mobile, a plant which is to be PEI
manent and not merely a war emer-
Sency institution, and which repre-
sents investment of capital by the
United States Steel COrnOration Il.