Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-12-26
FORD'S SALVAGING OF 1879 SHIPS
NEARS COMPLETION AT DETROIT
Even Short Pieces of Wood and Used Wall
Board are Saved for Manu-
facturer's Needs.
Special Dispatch TO The Star and the North
American Newspaper Alliance.

Special Dispatch to The star and the North
American Newspaper Alliance.
DETROIT, December 26.-The last
chapter is nearing its close in another
Of the unique yet soundly economic
ventures of Henry Ford. 1t Is the
chanter on scrapping Government
ships.
Idle at ancher after the war were
SIS ships of steel. ordered by the Gov
eminent. but never used.
THE Shipping Board wanted to sal.
wage what 1t could, and Henry Foro
put down his check for $l,6s7:4'o 10.
1ss of these ships, "as is ana
where is"
The country at large took his pur'
chase as a fine gesture of hatefuiness
of war and all that war invites.
But Mr.. Ford hates waste as ne
hates dirt. And he Is business man:
He believed the ships could be turned
into use with a fair showing on tne
credit side. though he stated tnat ne
would be content If he struck even Oh
the deal.
All of the vessels he bought. except
IA lake tvpe. have been scrapped at
the docks OF the Fordson plant OF the
Ford Motor Co. Three were converted
into ocean steamers; were converted
into barges for the Great Lakes; ~
stiu are held, probably to be converted
into uses in the development OF the
new Ford rubber industry in BraZii;
some for ocean steamers, others TOT
barges.
The bringing OF the ships to Detroit
and the process OF dismantling and
scrapping were organized with the
clockiike precision and regularity OF
movement characteristic OF Ford pro-
duction.
Everything Was Saved.
Everything was saved. Pieces OF
wood less than inches long were
kept to start furnace hres. Larger
pteces were found useful somewhere
in the plants and shipping OF the IN
dustry.
Expensive unused boilers and triple.
expansion marine engines were placed
neatly in line at one side of the yards.
Some were installed at once In the
Ford industries.
Two OF the boilers were installed In
the Ford Motor Co. plant In Paris.
Four of the engines were put 10 work
in the company's plant at Chester.
Pa. and two were installed In the
Ford lumber mills at Iron Mountain.
Mich.
six boilers have been installed In
the open.hearth plant at Fordson TO
convert waste heat into steam. steam
from the ship boilers operated the
| / .oOO.ton shears which cut scrap steer
plates like jackstraws into pieces
small enough for furnace charging
boxes.
One Of the ship engines and boiler
are producing power in the by'prod-
ucts plan at Fordson and supplies
most Of the power for this plant. An
other engine was sent TO Pequaming,
Mich. where IL produced power for
the Ford Motor Co. lumber mills.
Another engine In being reconditioned
for use in the Lincoln motor plant.
Thus far nine boilers and nine en-
gtres taken from the ships have been
converted into power plants. These
we're the large unit nechan!sms or the
ships which Mr. Ford was able 10 use
without scrapping.
sO0. 900 Tons of Scrap Steel.
From 1871 ships strapped the Ford
/ Motor Co. saved 100000 tons OF scrap
steel and 10 900 tons Of plate steel.
the latter varying from onequarter
TO five4eighths of an inch thick. Thus
! far the company has melted and used
in production $1,000 tons Of scrap
| steel and has used I'm building opera
tons and otherwise 5000 tons OF plate.
Besides the scrap and plate steel
| were many ] beams, Orders, snort,
| Hat bar and round steel. angle iron
| and channel steel and smokestacks.
| which contained exceptionally good
steel.
| Rivet heads and nails all were sent
| 10 the electric furnaces. sawdunt
! produced In the cutting Ut wood
| scrap into sizes for car dunnage,
! boxes, crates and buikheads was sent
| 10 the butcher shops Of the Ford com
/ gnissa fies or mixed with oil for floor
| sweeping,
Bolts and nuts in good condition
| were sorted and put In stock. snip
| floor decking, much 0f which was Of
| exceptionally good quality. was saved
| for construction work In the CON-
pany's buildings. Quantities Of paper
and wall boafd were sent 10 the Ford
paper hniil al Fords0n. where all pa per
scrap from The Ford plnBts and 0ffices
| IL converted chiefly into cardboard for
| shipping.
Oakum from the ships upper decks
was saved for future use. Much Of
| the furniture from the ships, swivel
| chairs and tables, IL used In the Ford
/ trade schools,
Railroad Equipment Included.
! Imitation leather from the ships
| setteeE Was used on The equipment Ut
| Mr.. Ford's Detroit, Toledo H. ir0hton
| Railroad, an were many Ut the ships
Goofs.
Itadistors were al saved and USED
40 was also oak csiling, psDsiing and
uloldiGg of high quality. Mirrors In
good condition were used on th6 rail-
r.,ad and in the plants, Cabin win
dows, Of standard sizes, have been
used Ia construction work. All other
glass was remeitsd In the glass factory
| a. FGFdsDD,
Hardware hinges, locks. d00rkD obs
brass and electric Gxtufes~~~ere re
conditioned and saved fof use
ship hunks, not III standard size
| were sent 10 the saws Great guam
lilies of bed springs were kaivaEsd
some 80 we'd for usH, ath4fe sent 10 iha
/ su.4{4HU nsAA (.lfslse shai(A MaHij