The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1918-10-28
OREGON SHIPBUILDERS
DOING FINE WORK
Are Laboring Night and Day to Turn
Out Both Wooden and Steel Ships
to Be Used in War Service.

Portland Ore, Oct. 2S.--Far removed
from the fighting fronts, but eager to
play their part in defeating despotism,
thousands of Oregon shipbuilders, broad
shouldered giants, are working day and
night turning out wooden and stell ships
to carry men and supplies to ports of
debarkation.
In the year ending July l, these
brawny armed workers had put the last
nail and the last riyet in 1874 ships, l05
of wood, 20 Of steel The combined ton
mage of these ships exceed 100000 and
their value $60,0O0,000.
But the task Of these masters of wood
and metal has hardly begun. They have
now under construction l27 more yes
sells. OF these embryonic craft, 40 are
of steel with an aggregate tonnage of
3l3,500 and value of 100000.
And still these builders of ships are
not satisfied Two years ago their num-
Der was but 1900, they have multijlied
the number of workers by 10. Two years
ago they had but seven yards; they
have increased the number of yards to
10. Now they have brought the number
of ways to 100.
But these men are not content with
seeing what other men have done and
then doubling, trebling it. They are
planning to give the commerce of the
world something new--a creation of
their own, made possible by the tower
ing timber of their state.
When Charles NJ Schwaib, director
general of the Emergency Fleet corpora
tion, visited this city few months ago,
he looked upon the 3,500-ton wooden
craft which Oregon was building and
said that he desired more-5,0 00-ton
wooden steamers. The attempt to ere
ate such craft had been made in other
parts of the country, but had failed.
Mr.. Schwab saw Oregon timber, be-
held the giant Douglas frs of the Pacific
Northwest and thought perhaps his
dream of 5,000-ton wooden steamers
might come true.
So did the ship builders of the North
west. Consultations were held which re-
suited in plans for the columbia river"
type of ship. The designers claim that
such vessels win have third more cargo
capacity than the largest wooden steam
ers being built for the government; that
they can be operated at cost which
will make them stern rivals of their
steel sisters; and that their success @ill
insure the permanency of wooden ship
building plants in this state.
Despite his policy of standardization
in ship construction, Mr.. Schwab author
lied special plans for the Columbia riv-
err" type. Little change will be required
in yards before construction of the big
cargo carriers can be begun, and the
builders are confident that soon they
will have riding the waves, swift,
staunch ships which can defy any gale,
Meanwhile, in the shpyards of the
state, the laundering roar of hammers
and riveters never ceases, shadowy giants
move to and fro at night in the glare
of great arc lights, and the race against
time continues.
While great gangs of worlsmen are
launching hulls of s,s00-ton fabricated
steel ships at the Northwest Steel and
Columbia Shiphuilding plants on the
banks of the Willamette river, often
clipping l6 days from the contract time
Of rs days, other gangs are fashioning
of western forests into $500 |
soon 5,000-ton cargo carriers |
in yards dotting the Willamette and |
Columbia rivers for more than 100 miles. !
The war may be more than 5000 miles !
away, but If Oregon shipbuilders have |
their way, it will soon seem but step.