Evening star., 1918-08-05
BIG SHIP LAUNCHED
BEFORE PRESIDENT
Mrs. Wilson Christens First
of $50 at Hog Island
Yards.

PHILADELPHIA, August 5.-With
a hearty Godspeed from the President
of the United States and Mrs. Wilson.
the 7.5o0-ton cargo carrier Quistconck.
the first Of $50 ships to be built at the
Hog Island plant, was successfully
launched at 1890 o'clock this after
noon.
Mrs. Wilson, with the President
standing at her side, christened the
ship, as nearly $4,000 persons standing
in the broiling sun wildly cheered.
The President made no speech. but
An, saspense- To the urgent appeal OF
the crowd he waved his hat and
shouted Good luck to you"
Mrs. Wilson Echoes Sentiment.
Mrs. Wilson smilingly repeated this
sentiment.
The presidential party returned to
Washington after remaining In the
yard less than thirty minutes.
Less than two minutes after the
Quistconck had made her first bow
in the water, keel No. SO had been laid
on the ways she had vacated.
President Wilson watched the pro-
ceedings with an interest which show
ed he was in holiday spirit. He jest
ed gayly with Mrs. Wilson as she was
being instructed how to hold the
christening bottle and waved his hat
energetically at the unceasing ap-
plause, smiling broadly all the while.
Mrs sWilson. besides christening the
Quistconck, had the honor Of select
ing its name. which is Of Indian origin.
She will name all the ships turned out
at the yard.
The builders said today that the yes
sci will be rapidly outtitted and turn
ed over to the government before the
scheduled time.
Chairman Hurley of the shipping
board. prepared but did not deliver the
following speech:
"Friends and Fellow Workers: All
of us have been honored today by
the presence Of the commander-in-
chief Of the Army and Navy at the
first launching from the ways con-
structed at Hog Island and by the
presence of the first lady of the land
as sponsor for the ship.
"It was no mere incident in a ma
tion's shipbuilding program that
brought the President and Mrs. VIII
son to the scene Of this achievement
1t was the beginning of an epoch
in the nations history.
This launching marks another
milestone in Americas progress in
the war against the German govern
ment. It marks the beginning Of
ss Hafss of the Ined Cd saps in
'Since this war began you have
heard a great deal about quantity
production It means the production
of any commodity in such large guam
titles that the cost OF .,p
increases. America achieved front
rank in quantity production Of auto
mobiles before the war, but quantity
production Of ships was never under
taken by any nation because it was
War Brought Undertaking.
'It is doubtful whether any nation
ever would have undertaken q ship
building program on such a large
scale If Germany had not plunged the
world into war. We are in 1t now,
and we are going through with it.
We are producing more tonnage to-
day than the submarines are sinking
and from this time forward our task
will be to replace the tonnage that
was lost in the days when we were
far behind in the nerve-racking race
with the sharks Of the sea.
ut was Gen. Joffre, who, at the
Marne, said They shall not pass
but the real turning point in this
world-war was marked when Presi-
dent Wilson proclaimed that war
would follow ruthless submarine at
tacks upon our shipping. The Ger
man government Haunted this nation
because it believed we could not build
ships in sufficient quantities to carry
a large American Army into France,
because 1t believed we were q pleas
ure-loving, commercial nation, thinking
only of our own prosperity In the days
when the war clouds were gathering
there was considerable speculation as to
the extent to which this country could
participate. There was q pretty gen.
eral thought that the best we could
do. because Of our distance from the
Continued on Sect nd Pa6e.l