Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1918-04-05

encountered a mine or submarine,
marine engineers are agreed that 1 n
case of such accident the worse that
a happen is the loss of the oil
stored IN one or two of the compart-
ments in the shell. The ship will
in any case keep afloat without loss
of stability and will be able to make
port safely, even if under somewhat
reduced speed.
But another advantage should be
mentioned which, while not OF such
vital Importance to the conduct OF
the var, is nevertheless of great con-
quen both now and after the con-
clusion of the war. What is now re-
ferred to is the lessened cost OF OPP
Grafton of concrete ships. The cause
of this is the greater smoothness OF
it's exterior surface, which will be like
glass in this respect, and the absence
of seams, joints, %rivets, or bolt heads
The friction between ship and water
will be materially lessened and the
power required for its propulsion pro-
portionately smaller.
DuL BlC OuJo IdliuAAS AlSOAAOANS O0~h
of concrete ship construction is ton
mage increase. This will be of the
greatest Importance for many years
to come from every standpoint of wal
or mmerce At this time tonnage
is of such overtowering Importance
that the government has resorted tt
even long since obsolete shipbuild'
ing materials and is trying out al
new materials that present them
selves. When the coal shortage par
alyzed our industries all industries
including even munition and fooC
producing plants, had to shut down
except only ship building and shll
operation.
Our government is fully alive Il
the urgent necessity of the situation
and is bending every effort toward
its successful accomplishment. Pub
lie opinion is being keyed to the dan
gers involved in failure of the gov
/ ernment's program by writer's in tn,
public press. All economic writer
are urging the building of ships, AM
more ships, and still more ships.
The country's very best men hav
been put to building ships and the,
have been charged with the vital ne
cessity of speed, speed, speed. Moth
ing is permitted to interfere with tn
building of ships-neither coal, no
food, nor strikes, o money. What
!. ever else we do we must build ships
and quicklyl
Our program calls for the produ;
ton of not less than 100000 tor
of shipping in 1918. Out of TIL
/, slightly over one half can be built
I steel and wood. And production !
these materials has reached it's max
; mum. The only hope rests with col
) crete. With this material we ca
not only complete our program bl
also provide a considerable factor {
I safety.
The country's best engineers ar
naval architects have Endorsed tt
feasibility of concrete as a ship bull,
n ing material and many of them haV
s prepared their own special desigl
for this type of ships.
: The worlds foremost concre
= ship builder, Mic X. Fougner of Mos
I Norway, is now in this country fl
the purpose of organizing a concre
ship building plant here. AS h
ships, built in Norway, are now pl
I ing the waves between that count
Z and England, he is something of
! authority on this subject.
In a recent interview he has Civ
- expression to the following views
a the subject:
is Concrete ships can be built wi
materials and labor that at t
Il present time are not required
&c other shipbuilding. In other wor'
- by building concrete ships we a
tonnage without depriving the st,
shipbuilding yards of their skill
mechanics, without depriving thu
"a of the structural steel manuf;
nj tured in the shops for building ST
wv ships, without depriving the VIC
m shipbuilders of the heavy luml
on required for building wood shi
ge without making use of the skill
,e. carpenters necessary for the We
o. ship construction.
h. Concrete ships are built with n
is terials that otherwise would pr
n tically not be used for war work
re all.
The principal materials nee
IL are Portland cement, sand, graz
in and steel reinforcement of the OF
m nary type used for building p
he poses. Common unskilled labor
he be employed for the greater p
he of the construction.
mis- All things being equal, concr
ply ships can be constructed in al
nd half the time that is required
ed building steel or wooden ships.
ior 1t is my personal opinion fl
us the experience l have gal
&c, through building some twenty
se1 vessels of concrete in Norway
t%a different sizes and types, that s
~ going concrete ships can be b
successfully of sizes ranging
tween 5000 and 1000 tons, wi
in is large enough for transport
ysn munitions, supplies, troops, etc.
France.
sfy No one at the present time
for state with any certainty what
mi itations in size there may be
the concrete ships. This new type
are shipbuilding must naturally be
bus veloped gradually, just like
md steel ships have been, and it W
we'd be folly for any one to asserr
tent present that concrete ships cal
g a be built as large as ships of o
; materials.