Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1918-10-18
BUILDING or
SHIP IS FOUR
3 PART STORY
Construction, Launching,
CarnouAaging and Fitting
Out Are the Chapters.

Alameda, Calf. Oct. 1.-THE build
Ing Of atship is a four part epic: con-
sstruction, launching, camouflaging
and fitting out. The principal effort
at the plant Of the Bethlehem Ship
building corporation here is confined
to getting the ship built, tested and off
the ways. The outstanding law is
speed" but, this must be a speed
without haste or neglect. The whole
scheme Of things in the yard is so
big. SO busy and so dramatic that few
OF the seven thousand workers have
failed to catch its spirit. 1t has in
spired some of them to verse about the
great effort as a Whole and others
about the efforts Of individuals. Here
\ Is a stanza from the pen of D. NJ.
Robertson, a yard boss, on the virtues
of his chief, D. Stevenson. superin-
.tendent Of hull construction:
"'You get me Finished is his cry
No use to reason how or why,
His n desire. his fond ambition,
TO watch ships grow into compile
ton.
Finished"
The plan is to launch u ship about
once in two weeks. The plant is held
by government contract to the turn
ing out of a certain quota of ships in
a specified period. But contracts are
a mere formally here. There is no
more necessity Of binding the Beth
lehem workers to a production con-
tract than there would be to impose
q lighting agreement on the sun or the
stars. They are out to go the con-
tractural feature one better through
their spirit and enthusiasm. They
boast more of what they are doing
than Of what they are getting. That
is why the plant Is flying efficiency
remnants M plans to keep those pen
nants coming until the emergency is
past.
Light, comfort and hard work are
the by-words Of h plant. The ma
chine shop has So, 900 panes of glass
are obliged to gather indoors are con-
structed to let in as much of the ele-
mental outdoors as possible, with the
exception of wind and rain. An en-
Urgency hospital is maintained with
numerous stations about the yard.
ment also. Much of the work is haZ-
ardous. but the element of danger is
a drawing card. Most of the men will
) be found where most danger lies.
Dave Mowatt. yard superintend-
ent. is an example of the opportuni-
ties the plant affords it's workers and
the efforts the executives are making
to detect and reward particular merit.
A few a age Mowatt entered the
plant as the humblest of workers. He
rose rapidly and brought a number
of others up with him.. The Bethlc-
hem company always presents a num-
Der of good fair targets to shoot at
in the line of promotions and Dave
Mowatt developed skilfull marksman-
ship. Much of his time is devoted to
showing others how to do the things
that he, has done.
Many things that the outsider might
not consider particularly essential 20
in to h making and launching of a
ship at this plant. Even sheep are
important in the building Of boats to
carry men and supplies to whip the
kaiser. Their tallow, particularly
suited to grease the ways, is used in
every shipyard. A quarter of a. million
pounds of it were used in all yards
July. Fourth to send ninety-five carg?
carriers ~splashing into the water. half
way on their errand to crush the
"Spurlos Versenkt" hopes of the Pots
dam crowd.
Raise sheep to launch ships" is
an appeal made by William Thomp-
son, launching master at the Bethle-
hem yard. To him sheep-raising is a
fundamental requirement of the war.
To other department heads. likewise.
some n thing, seemingly minor.
looms big.
Ships. however,, when built
must be w~ell-launched before thev
g play their part. A thousand little
things &c to make a vessel itself only
a n in the fleet of hundreds or
thousands demanded by the country
from the army lover here for the
support of the army ''over there"
To launch ships, the ways are
creased a week ahead here. This is
to permit the absorption of the lubri-