The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1918-01-08
Damage Done to 100 Vessels Re-
paired by Processes
Deemed Unique.
HOPES OF FOE ARE BAFFlED
Written Orders Show Central Author
Ity Gave Instructions for Making
Craft Useiess-Navy Makes
Great Record.

German ships seized by the United
States Is In the transport or cargo
service, the damage deliberately done
to their engines having been repaired
thoroughly.
the committee on public information in
the course of o statement which again
confirmed the stories OF the destruc-
ton secretly performed by German
crews by orders from Berlin.
In the statement the committee says
that "there Is evidence that a German
central authority gave an order for de-
struction on these ships effective on
or about February 1. 1917, simultane-
U with the date set for unrestricted
submarine warfare, and that the pur-
pose was to infiict such vital damage
to the machinery of all German ships
In our ports that none could be oper-
ated for from Is months to two years.
This purpose has been defeated In sig
nal fashion. In less than eight months
all the ships were In service"
COMMITTEES Tells % Repairs.
In describing the means taken by
the government to repair and reclaim
three ships the public information com-
mittee says:
There Is documentary proof that the
enemy believed the damage irrepara-
BILE.
ITO obtain new machinery would
have entailed q prolonged process Of
design, manufacture and installation.
Urged by the necessity Of conserving
time. the engineers Of the navy depart
ment succeeded by unique means I'm
patching and welding the broken parts
and replacing all Of the standard parts
which the Germans detached from
their engines and destroyed or threw
overheard. {
'The mechanical evidence Is that
the campaign OF destruction was oper-
ated on these ships for more than two
months and that the Germans were
convinced that they were making a
thorough Job OF IL. Their scheme OF
ruin was shrewdly devised. deliberate
ly executed. and 1t ranged from the
plugging Of steam pipes to the utter
demolition OF boilers by dry firing.
"When the United States shipping
board experts first surveyed the ruin
the belief vas expressed that much
new machinery would have to be de-
signed, manufactured and installed.
making 10 months a fair minimum esti-
mate of the time required. However.
at the navy department, where the
need Of troop and cargo ships was an
urgent issue. officers of the bureau Of
steam engineering. having faith that
the major portion of the repairs could
be accomplished by patching and weld
ing. declared 1t was possible to clear
the ships for service by Christmas. and
the last Of the feet actually took her
final sea test and was ordered into
service as q Thanksgiving gift to the
nation.
Many Volunteered Service.
aTo accomplish this end the navy
department secured the services of oil
available machinery welders and
patchers. many Of them having been
voluntarily offered by the railroads.
Most of the time that elapsed be-
tween the date on which work was be-
gun and the date on which the last
ship was put into commission after
vigorous tests was, In fact, chargeable
less to the actual repair work than
to the tedious task of dismantling all
machinery from bow to stern of every
ship for inspection, thus eliminating
every chance Of overlooking concealed
mutilation."
The governments repair forces
worked always In apprehension Of con.
ceAled explosives. They found every.
where on the ships instances Of artful
pipe plugging Of concealing steel nuts
and bolts In delicate cylinders, of de-
posting ground glass In oil pipes and
bearings. Of cunningly changed indi'
Gators, Of filling fire extinguishers with
gasolene. The statement goes on t.
say.
'The method OF patching and weld
Ing broken marine engines had never
before been ~practiced, although the ar
has been known In the railroad indus
try for Is years. Three methods Of
patching were used; electric welding
axiacetylene welding and ordinary me
chanical patching, the latter often late
being welded. Following the repairs
tests Of the machinery were first mad
at the docks, where the ships wer
lashed firmly to the piers while the pro
pellers were driven at low speed, an,
later each ship was taken to sea to
vigorous trial tests. The patches ant
Yields were reported as having giveI
complete satisfaction.
The former German liners, sailinI
under ~distinctively American names
are fitted as troop and cargo ships
Each Is convertible to q completel
equipped hospital ship for return voy
age service. The fleet Of seized mel
chantmen added 10000 tons to tn
American merchant marine.
What has become Of the old-fasl
toned theorist who asserted that Il W
beo poliey 70 savo a1ythingS