The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

Kngine Shorta One Million Tons of S cy vse Cuts Shij hips Launched But Not Fully Equipped Y @ --Shipping Board to Experiment With Diesel Engines (Official Figures on Engine Program Given on Page 513) NASMUCH as the shipping board I has been successful in weathering the storm of difficulties encount- ered in its shipyard and ship con- struction programs, the lay mind has not grasped the significance of the im- portant obstacle which it is today overcoming. To be able to acquire the requisite supply of engines, boilers and other machinery for the large fleet of merchant ships which are now coming off the ways, the Emergency Fleet corporation is executing an ad- ministrative, engineering and wme- chanical task of no small proportions. Officials of the shipping board and officers of the Emergency Fleet cor- poration have not shown any great willingness' to discuss the marine en- gine problem, although Chairman Hurley. of the shipping. *board.~ is known to have but recently enter- tained not the greatest enthusiasm for the situation as it presents itself today. The difficulties overcome by the Emergency Fleet corporation © last winter and spring prompted con- siderable criticism, justly and un- juetiy. =| AS. Chairman. = Hurley. ex- plained to the senate commerce com- mittee last December, the building program was first delayed by labor difficulties. It was impossible to pro- cure the requisite number of ship- yard workers, and strikes among those employed were entirely too frequent. _In the second place the transporta- tion problems were tremendous. It was difficult not only to carry the men from their homes to their work, but delay in delivering the materials to the yards was costly. In the third place the design of the wooden ship was changed because some too appar- ent architectural deficiencies were dis- covered only after work had begun. As good measure the Emergency Fleet corporation was confronted with a housing problem which was prob- ably greater than that which was discovered in any war industry. _Today's Big Obstacle These difficulties and obstacles in the way of building a vast merchant fleet to meet the war demands have been of such engrossing importance that the general public has practically overlooked one of the greatest diffi- culties and the one which the Emerg- ency Fleet corporation is still trying to solve. The problem of manufac- turing marine engines, boilers and other necessary equipment for our new merchant fleet will probably not rank second in importance in any of the difficulties which the goyernment has been compelled to confront. The public has been unacquainted with its importance because the government officials have as yet refused to make public the details of the problem over which they are working. It is generally known that it is - intended to equip the so-called stand- ard wooden ships with reciprocating engines, and the larger steel ships with turbine engines. For instance the contract for the Hog island ships requires that all. of the- vessels launched from this yard shall have turbine engines. The ships launched from the yards of the Submarine Boat Corp. will also have turbine en- It is also known that early in gines. ow! : the spring the shipping board in- stituted some negotiations with the navy department for the purpose of obtaining some of the turbine engines building for navy vessels. The navy refused to relinquish its prior right and the merchant vessels were com- pelled to wait. Deliveries Far Behind Forced to give way to the navy in its building program, compelled to develop new manufactories for en- gines and other equipment, the Emergency Fleet corporation has ac- complished a no mean task. Up to Sept. 1, 1918, "tor instance, 'the cor- poration had caused to be launched from American yards more than 3,- 000,000 deadweight tons of merchant ships. At that time-a little over 1,- 000,000 tons had not yet been com- pleted. This is the official record of accomplishment behind which it is impossible to go for the present. To say that practically one-third of the ships built for the Emergency Fleet corporation have not yet been de- livered, that is fitted with engines and other machinery, appears upon the face a serious indictment of the work of the corporation. There are, how- ever, extenuating circumstances which are fully appreciated by the initiated. The record of achievement should be approached from another point of view. On Aug. 3, 1917, the shipping board issued its noted requisitioning order. At the end of the calendar year it was reported by Chairman Hurley that 49 vessels of a total of 300,865 deadweight tons had been completed and put into service. Of more recent date the shipping board reported that the deliveries by Amer- ican shipyards, and deliveries mean that the vessels have been completely equipped, totaled 327 seagoing ships of 1,952,675 deadweight tons up to: Aug. 31, 1918. Between the first of the year and the end of last August, therefore, over five-sixths of the ton- nage equipped during that fiscal year were completed. The first million tons of completed ships were obtained during May last. The second million were obtained during August. Tn other words it required eight months to obtain the engines, boilers, ete. and equip the first million deadweight tons of ships by the Emergency Fleet cor- poration and only about three months to equip the second million. If this increase 1s maintained there will be no delay in completing the merchant vessels launched after the present' cal- 482 By OC We endar year, despite the fact that the records on this date show that ap- proximately one million deadweight tons of ships already launched are to- day incompleted because: their ma- chinery has not all been installed. The Pacific. coast yards have, de- livered, completely equipped, more tonnage than the yards in any other district, although the yards on the Great Lakes have delivered completed a greater percentage of: all ships launched. The shipping board an- nounced that up to and including the first two weeks of September, the Pacific coast shipyards delivered their first million tons of completed new vessels. The Pacific coast yards lead those of the Atlantic coast by 376,300: deadweight tons and those of the Great Lakes by 611,305 deadweight tons. , The. Pacific coast yards had. to the middle of September, delivered about one-half of all new tonnage. The board announced the deliveries. of completed ships up to and includ- ing Sept. 14, from the four prin- cipal shipbuilding sections building: for the Emergency Fleet corporation as follows: Pacific coast, 137 vessels of 1,011,160: deadweight tons. Atlantic coast, 87 vessels of 634,860: deadweight tons. Great Lakes, 131 vessels of 399,855. -- deadweight tons. oe Gulf coast, 1 vessel of 3500 dead-- weight tons. Lake Yards Best in Deliveries The total tonnage of the vessels: built on the Great Lakes may 'be- much smaller than the tonnage com-- pleted on either the Atlantic or the- ; Pacific, but the record of accomplish-. ment from the point of view of equip-._ ment is probably the greatest. The- Great Lakes have equipped a greater - percentage of the tonnage built there. Half of the incomplete new ton- nage is on the Pacific coast. The- gulf coast yards on the other hand. have equipped and delivered but one- ship out of the 29. launched. Sept. 14 more than a half million deadweight tons of new ships were _ off the ways of the Pacific coast ship- yards approaching completion. Thee vessels launched, but not delivered in the four principal shipbuilding sec- tions on that date, according to the official announcement of the shipping - board were as follows: Pacific coast, 134 vessels of 610,900 : deadweight tons. Atlantic. coast, 69 vessels of 392,816 deadweight tons. Great Lakes, 33 vessels of 117,050: deadweight tons. Gulf coast, 28 vessels of 102,800 « deadweight tons. On Sept. 14, last, therefore, 356 - vessels of 2,045,875 deadweight tons .~ On |