Evening journal., 1918-07-06
HARLAN R|VETERS
AFTER ship RECORD
Expect TO Show Country
That They Can Build
In a Hurry
BEGIN THE DRIVE
ON NEXT MONDAY

Beginning with Monday, one hundred
gangs OF rlvetcrs at the Hsrian plant
OF the Bethlehem shlpbuildng Corpor-
alton, expect TO start a rivet drive tina,
viii not alone eclipse former local ef-
forts, but may even top the marks be-
Ing made on the Paclflno coast. Because
OF tho country-wlde competition In
building ships. interest In the contest
will prove the more keen.
Some time ago. Bill Watson. boss
riveter at the Harlan plant. sent his
men after a record. The gangs did
well, and drove $4,000 rlvets In the
weeks effort. But that was not enough
to win another banquet so tho effort
Is TO be made again.
Beginning on Monday the Harlan
riyeters will start what it ls hoped
VIII be the best weeks work here In
the East and perhaps in the country,
But there are conditions that may
hamper the effort II the weatherman
sends rain so that the riveters cannot
continue their work, then. perhaps. the
hopes OF General Watson and his army
Will be blasted. That's the reason
the riveters were praying for II TO rain
today. They figured it out that n it
did rain today and tomorrow Il might
not shower next week, and thus give
them a fair opportunity 10 make a
record.
The men are considerably encouraged
because OF the fact that Emergency
Fleet records compiled for the week
ending June 90 showed that Harlan
riveters lead the East IN number Of
rivets driven per man. But out on the
Pacific coast and particularly at the
Union yards. also owned by the Bethle-
hem Shipbulldlng Corporation, records
In rivetlng and shipbuildlng 20 by the
voyage almost every week and month.
They are the fellows the Harlan
riveters are aiming at as we'll as striv-
ing 10 increase their own record In
rlveting While the Union yard ls
much larger than Hsrlan's, yet the con-
test will be computed on the number
OF riveters engaged, so that while the
total OF the Union yard might be larger.
the output In accordance TO the number
Of men employed might be lower.
In announcing the drive, the Harlan
News said this afternoon;
some advance the idea that trench
life out there In the land OF sunshine IS
plessanter than here in the East. They
have their rainy seasot out hore, and
even in the face OF this they arc trim
ming the Eastern wOrkmen. They donk
knock OF work when It looks fUggy as
the Eastern men seem 10 think they
ought to. They wait until the damp
ness actually arrives and really forces
them to quit before they lay aside
their firearms That's the reason the
boys out on the coast are skinning US
here to death. They nave been sold
on the war and the great part they
are playing in It, They know that
every time they are forced to put up
their tools It means a curtailment OF
shipping production and loss OF ton
mage means that the end Of the war is
Just that much further away.
Those westerners will be watching
this drive OF ours for 10000, and IL we
fall fiat, good night. They'll not laugh.
but II VIII tell them that we haven't
put our hearts and hands into things
the way they have. II will be another
indication that we are willing 10 let
others carry the lead and be content
10 get on and get a glory ride when
they are passing out the laurel
wreaths. General Watson says his
men can put'er across. and the old
"gineral" about knows what his troops
can do. Bill says they will knock
that old record Of il7O0O a'kiting. OF
course, he admits that It isn't going
TO be a cinch job, or anything like that.
but he thinks his bunch Is just as good
as they grow 'em out on the Pacific
coast. and that they'll prove II by
Saturday, July i3. when they strike a
balance on the weeks work"