The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1918-04-10

4 ciuus war Is faEly wT1taNns shsne
should ha no more lae<rnstinE cAan-
tar than that which he@sz with Ire
lRterued Geruan shfrs ara thelr re-
appearance In . few months -
auxiliary transports nE re Unite3
States navy. And this nctwtth-
standing the damage aunictea upon
them bv Pussian orders vEas such
as was calculated . kssn them cut
az service for two years CT what
the Germans had hEursd IS re re-
rioa within which the var would
terminate.
Thirtv-zrven German Nhips * sea~
GOO arrreKate tons had their seFeF1SN .
four engine cylinders - hFoSen n
mat rennErs within RmT raaSonanAe
time seemed out Of the question 4ae
biggest ships appeared . cal Ecr
new CASTINGS entirely ne9cn1 tle
capacity az any foundry WORKS m me
United States.
when the shipping hoara ST
down TO close estfaats = ~, 80 -
Tire repair bin at SA,eeo,e0e ana
rims reoufred eighteen to twenty
folIr months. But. American enter
prise combined with American m
rsDtior concentrated capital and
,,,5,ystysaI organization in large
uDfts accomplished the JOB N SlS
- eirht months at an expense %
onIv S2TS. 0No Every one q - -
ships has been for many 49,
most effectively in Uncle .ss
service except possibly the a
lost of the Irish coast - S.
The navy department mas
ure5 that the saving in time at ms
roinr rate OF tonnage had . NsLNs
~ not less than S240. 0oe.eeo. Nne
~ ire Rvut shins tackled had TOUT
rE,lindsrs broken and ID was est
Tafea that eighteen months woAlo
he required for repairs IN We
months the engines were t1Lll .,
over and in less than three FnonsLs
the ship was finished ana reaoS A''
sea. -. - a..
whole situation Is the fact that me
rrnairs on ali the ships were mace
within the time required 90 over
hanI the ships. clean their BOTTOMS
and otherwise make them ready TOT
80 The Germans had al their
labor for their pains. What Is also
vreII-niRh incredible, the ships are
stronger than before and the largess
az them are more econQfzalSall
operated and are actually WORKING
better in the American than IN the
German hands.
She is the biggest and most hsaua-
ful thing afioat. stood up on broao-
way. she would tower 200 feet above
the woolworth building. she has
Is decks. is elevators. kitchens,
$50 clocks. all timed from the main
bridge. hot and cold water In every
room, and many miles Of pipang'
wiring and electric controls
Captain Ruser, one or the most
manly and gentlemnnly or com
mRnders. was so in love VITA ms
shin that ne would not permit II 70
Be damaged otherwise than as d.
rected hy the government 20 insure
her being out OF commission for az
least two years. There we're no
foundries on this side OF the ocean
that could give the Naterlano, new
cylinder castings Of seventy tons
each, and no dry dock that could
receive her on this side Of the ocean
except at the Panama canal
The General Electric company
the New York Central and the Erie
railroads all co-operated with cleo
trio workers and electric Welding
devices and what it was estimated
would require I'VE months on this
ship was done in ten days Ihtr-
ten breaks or cracks In the water
lands cylinders were mechanically
patched by the electric welding sys-
tenn and made stronger than be-
fore, yet without a single rtvet
having TO be put through the II
inches Of metal.
1t was found that the United
States Steel corporation had ueVel-
hn vFN
with the proper mixture OF manga
nese and that the railroad repair
shops around New York had devel-
oped the electric welding process
OF the General Electric company 70
a higher efficiency than anywhere
else in the world. The railroad
shops and the General Electric COM
psny were able to furnish the ap-
paTatus and the crews % repair
the machinery Of the Naterlana with
in the time required for general
overhauling, and cleaning OF the
ships bottom by q half dozen sub
marine divers, who, among other
things, took ESQ bushels Of oysters
or the Vaterland'a bottom.
The Naterland was EQUIPPED with
both Curtiss and Parsons turbine
engines, but the Germans have never
been able to work them to fun |
efficiency. Indeed, on the last trip 70 |
this country under German engineers, |
the Vaterland was able Is use only |
part OF her machinery. The AM 1
erican engineers adjusted everything, |
improved the machinery and the /
draught TO her forty-six boilers, mn /
proved the piping and valves and /
sent the giant forth in a few months Il
at above a 21-knot speed and using 4
200 tons OF coal day less than be-
fore. i
The Germans had figured that 4
the VaterlRnd could never be re-
paired in the United States and liz
repaired was such a complicated
piece OF mechanism that Ii could
never be operated by Americans or
any new official staH. The ofacers
Of the big German ships have TO be
IN training at least year with their II
ships during construction. Now on Il
the Vaterland in place Of i've Ger
man captains Of the unlimited Ii
cense class. there Is but one Ameri-
Fan captain, and instead OF a chief
engineer and ave assistant engineers, III
there is just one American chief
engineer, and he is only 81 years
Did.
The secret Of the naval successes
here was not only in American en-
.erpFise and invention. but In con-
,entrated capital and industrial or
ZRniEations In large units. which
must be maintained IL we are to be