The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1918-08-29

lawns about the city. Soldiers and
their wives were given pink roses by
the thousands and they appreciated
them.
The West is very prosperous on ac-
count Of the great ship building pro-
gram. Several Portland firms are en-
gagged in building wooden and steel
ships to beat the Kaiser and his sub
marine program. Thousands Of peo-
pie are employed in the ship yards
and they are drawing all the way
from six to twelve or fifteen dollars
a day, depending somewhat on the
kind Of work they do. Portland in
1911 had fearful slump in real es-
tate but houses are now getting
scarce, and rents are high. At one
of the ship yards, 1900 employees drive
to and from their work in their own
automobiles. Merchants and all other
businessmen are coming money evi-
IDENTIFY.
The writer spent couple Of days in
Seattle and managed to get pass id
to the Skinner & Eddy shipyard,
where eleven steel ships are being
built for Uncle Sam. The first day
the writer failed to get in as we did
not have any credentials. 1t is very
hard for stranger to get into one of
these ship yards. Finally a represen-
tative of the Post-Intelligencer, Sc
| attic newspaper, drove the writer
down in his car and secured the much
coveted pass. A young man connect
ed with the yard showed us around.
Eighteen thousand men are at work
shifts of 5000 each. We arrived at
the yard at. $3.50, just when one SHIFT
was going on and the other leaving,
and it was some sight.
Everything goes like clock work.
Men are running and hurrylng every
where. Here big crane is lifting d
bundle of many tons of steel plates
I'D the ship. The steel is lifted up
by the crane and then pulled across
to the ship on a huge cable. One
immense machine is punching holes
thru the inch-thick steel. Rivets are
being heated red hot in fire-pots,
everywhere about the yard. One boy
takes the rivet out with a pair OF
| tongs and he tosses it to another ~
or 80 feet away, who catches it in a
funnel shaped can. The rlVeter IS
there and makes short work of the
! rivetinp, using machine operated
with compressed air. One OF the ships
can be completed in 81 days. 1t has
a capacity of $500 tons and IS worth
| four million dollars when completed.
Each ship has deck at either end
! for mounting of guns. The ships are
painted a white, blue and black color,
a sort of a camoufage SO it looks the
color of the ocean when it is mile or
SO away. =,
Saw Mr. Keeler formerly, of the Ar
cade Theatre ,Minot working in the
/ shin ward. Eddie Roise was in Seattle
last week and understand ne IS az
ranging to go into government elec-
trical service. A..
Many more men are needed IN Tue
ship yards and there is great scar
city of labor everywhere. mayor
Hanson of Seattle is now working, o
/ hours day in the ship yards and az, de-
votes 8 hours to his office work. Inc
rest of the time he eats and sleeps.
Saw Del Irish, former Minot bar
ber, in a big Seattle barber snop
where he is employed.
Had swim in Puget Sound laSt
Saturday but didn't swell the tlde
Arrived in Glacier Park this even
inp and am enjoying an evening II
the big hotel built by James ). Hill. IN
tend to 90 up into the mountains
where the snow and glaciers abounc
and as money is running low expec'
to he back in Minot about the time
this letter arrives. I'd
The crop of tourists at the farK Il
verv small but those who find II con
venient to visit the place are hlghlyy
elated over the scenes. Glacier Part
station is located 5000 feet above seq
!, level and the air is so cool this even
r ing that huge logs are blazing III 'i''
2 big fire place. - ,,,s
mess. Spokane is very slow just now
!, Crops thruout Idaho, Washington an(
, Montana are very poor and man!
, thouands from Spokane have gone u
Seattle to work in the ship yards
, Have seen no city half as good, al
Minot for it's size and after travellnf
e over Oregon, Washington and ldah'
= and viewing the limited farms IN tn
! narrow mountain valleys, the tertll
coil m Of North Dakota's wide expans
looks @ better than it ever did before
a Montana is most woefully dry AM
farmers and stockn1en do not kno!
: what they will do for feed; lnls In -
n the second year Of drouth: Diont s. Sc
e a single good field of grain along 1n
:. Great Northern IN Montana ah
i, Shelby, Mont, we met Henry JaGop
!, con hrother Of Bertel and D. r. Jac
/, obson b Of Minot. He had marketed ~ 70
e had bead of cattle recently but has ~
e head of horses left at his big ranch
k >.:.A Av;.+or Reaches England.