Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1918-10-27
Shipbuilders Play a Part
 in the Fight
in Northwest Thousands of Men Engaged in Fight
 ing With Rivers.

Portland, Ore, Oct. 26.-Far re- moved from the fighting fronts, but eager to play their part in defeating despotism, thousands of Oregon ship builders, oad-shouldered giants, are wolNing day and night turning out wooden and steel ships to carry men and supplies to ports of debarkation.
 In the year ending July 1, these brawny-armed workers had put the last nail and the last rivet in 134 ships lO5 wood, 29 of steel. The combined tonnage of these ships exceeded 5OO.- 900 and their value S60,OOO,OOO.
 But the task of these masters of wood and metal has hardly begun. They have now under construction 127 more vessels. Of these embronic craft 45 are of steel with an aggregate ton mage of 313,500 and value of $49,- 969,000.
 And still these builders of ships are not satisfied. Two years ago their number was but 4,2O0 they have multi piled the number of workers by 10. Two years ago they had but seven yards, they have increased the num- Der of yards to 16. Now they have brought the number of ways to 108.
 But these men are not content with seeing what other men have done and then doubling, trebling it. They are planning to give to the commerce of the world something new-a creation of their own, made possible by the towering timber of their state.
 When Charles M Schwab, director general of the Emergency Fleet Cor poration, visited this city few months ago, he looked upon the 3.5OO- ton wooden craft which Oregon was building and said that he desired more-5, ,OO0-ton wooden steamers. The attempt to creat such craft had been made in othed parts of the coun-s try, but had failed. '
 MT. Schwab saw Oregon timber, be- held the giant Douglas frs of the Pacific Northwest and drought per haps his dream of 5,OOO-ton wooden steamers might come true.
 So did the ship builders of the Northwest. Consultations were held which resulted in plans for the 'Col- umbla River type of ship. The de- slgners claim that such vessels will nave third more cargo capacity than the largest wooden steamers 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 will insure the permanency of wooden ship building plants in this state.
 Despite his policy of standardiza- tlon in ship construction. MT. Schwab authorized special plans for the "Columbia River' type. Little change will be required in yards before con struction 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 shipyards of the state, the laundering roar of hammers and riveters never ceased, 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 workmen are launching hulls of 8,80O-ton fabricated steel ships at the Northwest Steel and Columbia shipbuilding plants on the banks of the Willamette river, often clipping 16 days from the contract time of 75 days, other gangs are fash ioning monarch of western forests into 3,500-ton-and soon 5,OOO-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 shipbVilders have their way, 1t will soon seem but step.