TIIE STTXDAT OREGOXIAX, PORTLAND, APRIL 15, 1917.
COAST Ifj LINE FOR
GREAT SHIP ORDER
SHIP SCHEME 10 BE
LAUNCHED MONDAY
CHANGE IX THE WESTERN BATTLE FRONT SINCE BATTLE OF THE SOMME BEGAN.
GRAPHIC ACCOUNT OF TRENCH
WARFARE IS GIVEN IN, LETTER
Portland Man Hears From Son in English Hospital Recovering From
Bomb Wounds Received in Fight in Shell Crater on Somme.
16
Government to Call for 1000.
65 Per Cent May Be Built
on Pacific Coast.
CARPENTERS TO BE LISTED
Call Is Sent Out to Labor Unions
and Postmasters to Report on
Xumber of Skilled Men Avail
able to Train Others.
An estimate that 65 per cent of the
wooden vessels to be built by the Fed
eral Shipping- Board, the programme of
which calls for 1000 carriers, will, be
built at Pacific Coast yards is made by
Representative McArthur In a telegram
received yesterday by the Chamber of
Commerce. Because of the number of
plants, unlimited material available
for construction, and vast area on riv
ers and bays open to the establishment
of yards. Oregon's share of the Coast
contracts will be large.
About the time Representative Mc
Arthur's message arrived, another came
from Commissioner-General of Immi
gration Caminetti, at Washington, to
Inspector R, P. Bonham, of the United
States immigration service, instructing
him to report to headquarters in four
days the number of experienced ship
carpenters to be had in the state of
Oregon who can be used in training
hundreds of other men in the general
work of constructing vessels.
Commissioner Caminetti asked that
steps be taken to obtain the co-operation
of other interests in spreading
word about the necessity of experienced
ship carpenters being listed. Immedi
ately Mr. Bonham arranged for men
to register at his office, on the fourth
floor of the Railway Exchange build
ing. Call Is Sent Out.
Information relative to the call for
carpenters was conveyed to the Cen
tral Labor Council, that all men of al
'Hed organizations may assist; also to
St. Helens, Astoria, Tillamook, Coos
Bay and Florence, postmasters at those
points being asked to obtain lists.
In -his message on the Shipping
Board's plans. Congressman McArthur
cent the following:
'Shipping Board advises that 1000,
hot 3000,-wooden vessels will be built.
Roughly estimated, 65 per cent of this
business will go to the Pacific Coast.
Highly probablu tha.t every legitimate
shipbuilding concern prepared to handle
work will get share of business. Build
ers will probably have option on flat
rate or cost plus percentage basis.
Nothing definite or official will be an
nounced until Brent returns and holds
conference with other members. In
meantime would suggest that our people
consider plans for mobilization of labor
and materials. Will advise further
upon Brent's return."
Portland Data Furnished.
Mr. Brent, who is vice-chairman of
the Federal Shipping Board, passed
through Portland a few days ago and
held a public hearing at Portland,
where he mas placed in close touch
with all builders and supplied with
maps and considerable valuable data.
He took in the entire Washington ter
ritory where wooden vessels are under
way.
It is known several proposals for new
yards are under way, contingent on the
Government work being atioted. and at
leant double the number of plants-now
engaged in wooden construction on the
river can be provided immediately on
equipment being obtained.
W. D. B. Dodson, executive secre
tary of the Chamber of Commerce, yes
terday was informed by the Navy De
partment that no awards had yet been
made to Pacific Coast yards for wooden
patrol boats, tenders for which were
received last month. It has been as
sumed that the first vessels would be
provided on the Atlantic side, where the
greatest need existed, builders in the
West being called on for such work as
soon as available facilities on the other
side were taken advantage of.
MOTORSH1P SCARES TAHITIAXS
City of Portland Taken for Warship
In South Sea Port.
ST. HELENS. Or., April 14. (Spe
cial.) The motor vessel City of Port
land, after undergoing minor repairs
in Portland, arrived in St. Helens Fri
day night and- is now taking on a
2,000.000-feet cargo for delivery in Aus
tralia. Captain Johnson, who took the
vessel out on her initial trip, will be
relieved by Captain McClemens.
On the voyage from Australia to
the Columbia River, the motor vessel
called in at Tahiti to replenish her
fuel supply. Arriving early in the
morning, the vessel docked before the
natives were awake. The noise of the
auxiliary engines awoke them, and re
membering the time when two years
ago a German war vessel shelled the
town and sank a "vessel ut anchor,
thought another war vessel was visit
ing them.
Without investigating, many of them
fled to the hills, and would not re
turn until assured that a friendly ves
sel was visiting them. While in Tahiti
the vessel was visited by hundreds of
the natives and the Governor and his
official staff were entertained by the
officers of the vessel.
SIX FREIGHTERS CONTRACTED
Oakland Builders Get Orders Ag
gregating $4,000,000.
OAKLAND. CaU April 14. Six
freight steamers costing $4,000,000
were contracted for in the East by
Daniel J. Hanlon, president of the Han
Ion Dry Dock & Shipbuilding Company,
who has returned from a business trip
to New Tork with the announcement
that the employes at the Hanlon Yards
1n East Oakland will be Increased from
350 to 2,500 within six months.
Of the new vessels to be built by
the Hanlon Company two will be. 7,630
ton, steel freighters and will cost more
than $1,000,000 each.
Montana Would Aid Shipbuilding.
MISSOULA. Mont.. April 14. Dr. E.
C. Elliott, chancellor of the University
of Montana, early this morning an
nounced the appointment, of a war
committee at the State University to
facilitate the institution's service' of
the Nation. Faculty members consti
tute the council, whose duty it will
to direct every energy of the univer
sity to National service during the war.
A request to the forestry school for
Bid In the shipbuilding campaign vlll
be among the first to receive atten
tion. ."
Dredge Montlcello Out of Service.'
KELSO, Wash.', April 14. (Special.)
Lack of Government funds, for the
continuance of the dreging operations
In the Cowlitz and Lewis rivers has
caused the tying up of the dredge Mon
ticcllo. Captain. Nelson Delude, who
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The Heavy Broken Line Show the Position of the Battle Front Before the Battle of the Somme Began, on July 1. 1916. The Heavy Black Lino
Shows the Present Position Since the Battle of the Somme, the German Retreat and the Battle of Ami. Light Solid Llneo Are Railroad.
Unless Marked as Rivera. Light Broken Lines Are Main His vraya.
has been operating the dredge, is pilot
ing the Kellogg Transportation Com
pany's steamer Chester on the run from
Kelso to Toledo temporarily. Captain
Delude was formerly on this run reg
ularly with the steamers Northwest and
Chester .until a few years ago. when
he went into th Government service.
STEAMER COXGRESS LIBELED
Salvage Company Claims $314,200 for
Towing Ship to Harbor.
SEATTLE, Wash., April 14. (Spe
cial.) The Pacific Coast Steamship
Company steamer Congress, which
caught fire off Coos Bay September 14,
1916. and was towed, to shore with the
interior- of the vessel entirely burned
out. was libeled today in the United
States District Court for J314.200 by
the British Columbia Salvage Company,
of Victoria, B. C.
The claim w.s filed for the services
rendered by the salvage company's
tug Salvor which aided in towing the
hulk into safe waters. According to
officials of the Pacific Coast Company,
the tug owned by ithe Port of Port
land reached the Congress- before the
Salvor and if any tug is entitled to a
claim it is the Portland vesseL
The sale of the steamer Congress to
the China Mail Steamship Company
for a sum said to be $1,000,000 is now
being negotiated and the company said
today that the sale would go through
regardless of the suit. The vessel is
now in the hands of a deputy United
States marshal but when the sale is
consummated, a bond covering the
amount of the claim will be put up
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so
permitting the vessel to change own
ership. . .i
The claim presented by the Salvage
company represented 30 per cent of the
value of the damaged liner.
M'DONALD FCXERAL IS TODAY
Fellow Steamboat men to Gather for
Last Rites at Cathedral
Steamboat owners and co-workers of
Stephen F. McDonald, who died here
Thursday night, will rfttend funeral
services at 9 o'clock tomorrow morning
at the cathdral. Fifteenth and Davis
streets. The interment will be at Van
couver, Wash., in the family plot.
Bernard McDonald, the 23-year-old
son of the ,deceased, is in the regular
Navy, on duty here at present. being
a yeoman and detailed in the office of
Lieutenant-Commander John H. Black
burn, in charge of the Navy recruiting
stations in this district. Another son.
Allen McDonald. 20 years old, survives.
Charles McDonald, a brother, is an at
torney at Lewiston, Idaho, and th
are two half-brothers, one. Klynn
Smith, residing here, and the other,
Leo Smith, being in the regular Army
and stationed at Fort Bliss, Tex. Mrs.
Maggie Smith, a half-sister, resides iii
thd East. Mrs.. Mary B. McDonald is
assisting in the funeral arrangements.
Mr. McDonald was born at Vancouver
4 5 years ago. and as a youth began his
career in steamboat lines. His longest
service was with the White Collar and
Regulator' lines, and latterly with the
Great Northern Pacific at San Francisco.
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4 SHIP GONTRACTS TAKEN
TACOMA PLAJVT EXPECTS TO GET
ORDERS FOR MORE VESSELS.
Plans Submitted by" Pacific Coast
Shipbuilding Company Are Said
to Satisfy Allies.
TACOMA. Wash., April 14. (Special.)
Eleven wooden steamships, with a
valuation or more than $3,600,000. will
be constructed at the Tacoma plant of
the Pacific Coast Shipbuilding Com
pany, if present expectations prevaiL
This is the announcement today by J.
H. Hyde, president of the organization.
Mr. Hyde says that, as a result of
foreseeing the plans of the United
States Federal Shipping Board and for
warding specifications for a 3000-ton
auxiliary schooner to Eastern agents
of the company, seven contracts have
been offered. The final awarding of
the contracts will depend on the ac
ceptance of the plana by the Shipping
Board. The American Bureau of Ship
ping and the French bureau have ap
proved the plans, says Mr. Hyde, and
copies will be forwarded to Lloyds In
London. .
Four out of six contracts offered for
wooden boats for use oii the Atlantic
were accepted yesterday by the com
pany, says Mr. Hyda. The vessels will
i k...ii. in T" QxnmYia o n H sent, to the
UQ Wuwt .v.v...
AtUuiUo with, cargoes. They will re-
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A graphic account of trench warfare
along the Somme was received by E. S.
Jones, of 346 Jefferson street, from
his son, Albert E. Jones. 20 years old,
who is a signaler with the Second Bat
talion of Loyal North Lancaster.
The writer was wounded in the at
tack that he describes and at the time
of writing was convalescing- in a mili
tary hospital in England. The letter
confines itself to the things that came
to the personal experience of the
signaler during the two days that his
battalion was actively engaged on the
front line and the later Journey to tlfe
military hospital. He says:
"After doing -the usual trench war
fare for a while. 1. e., Just hanging on.
in the northe.n part of the Somme. we
went out on a fortnight's rest. This
means some hard training to Iceep the
men from being morose. We moved
from there up to Thlepval In the usual
way, by easy stages from village to
village.
Barrage Fire Encountered.
"The Wilts had succeeded in their
assault, with very few casualties. This
was Thursday afternoon and the bat
talion that I was in(, being in sup
port, received the barrage fire, which
is the method in vogue to keep back
the supports. We were in small dug
outs, which would hold four, any ob
jections to another chap's feet being
in your face being a minor considera
tion. We never knew when the dug
out, protected by a few sandbags and
a piece of tin. would give away.
"The next morning we rushed up
with bombs and it was a ticklish busi
ness, as the trench was a row of shell
holes. This meant over the edge of
one and into the r.ext. being in full
view during the intermittent dashes.
"We came back to our dugouts after
a while. The trench mortars were
dropping bombs very near all the time,
but it is mainly the concussion of
these that do the damage. As I re
sumed a much interrupted nap, I heard
a terrible explosion and a feeling came
over me that I was dead.
Shrapnel Helmet Protects.
"Half awake, I found that the place
had been blown in. My shrapnel
helmet took the weight of the sand
bags, but my arms and equipment -were
buried. I was dazed. I did not know
what had happened. God knows that it
was a narrow shave and I thank him
that I am live.
"Our artillery after their usual
custom bombarded Tor ten minutes the
trench that was to be our objective.
After the first of July our bombard
ments before an attack did not last
Sr. G AS
main In service out of New Tork. Mr.
Hyde says he is not at liberty to dis
close the names of the owners until a
later date.
IIIGH CHARTER OFFER REFUSED
Owner Rejects Proposition of $77,000
a Month for Nine Months.
SEATTLE, Wash., April 14. (Spe
cial.) A firm offer of $77,000 a month
each for nine months for the steamers
Golden Gate and Key West, now being
completed at the Seattle Construction
& Drydock Company, was refused today
by the owner, Knut Knutsen. of Nor
way, according to a local shipping
broker, who was negotiating the
charter.
The charter was for service on the
Atlantic for New Tork interests and
sets a new record, for price offered for
a long-timer charter. The two steam
ers are of 750qmtons deadweight ca
pacity. In wiring the definite refusal of the
offer, the .owner stated that a similar
offer had already been refused.
Mrs. Grimm Dies at Centralia.
CENTRALIA. Wash., April14. (Spe
cial) Mrs. Warren Grimm, wife 'of a
prominent Centralia attorney. died
Thursday as the result of a long ill
ness. The funeral will be held Sun
day at 2 o'clock. Mrs. Grimm was 25
years old and is survived by her hus
ban'd and sister, Mrs. W. A. Reyburn.
She was married a little over a year
ago to Mr. Grimm, a former prominent
University of WaiiU iffloa sVt-eta
ten days, but every conceivable shell
was ased in ten minutes. '
"A whistle blew and No. 4 company,
on our - left, went over the top. We
could not see how they got along. Our
duty was to lay low and be ready tp
stop a counter attack on our own
lines.
"The prisoners were coming In and
were in a sorry plight: with fear in
their eyes and crying 'mercy comrades,"
their hands in the air. The accounts
of how German prisoners give them
selves up are not exaggerated. They
are sen. to rear under a small guard;
about two men to 20, and generally
the. two were slightly wounded.
Germans Elajht Ynrda Away.
' "I was in a trench at the head of
about 20 men. An officer was beside
me. The trench was narrow and we
could Just move 'a little way. Ahead
another trench crossed ours. There
was a mound near us and the officer
tol 1 me to climb up on it and find
out where the enemy were. I did not
like it but I crawled up and yelled
'here they are.' Just then a German
stuck his head over the edge of a
trench about 80 yards away. I fired in
a hurry, but I am afraid I missed for
he ducked his head. Then the officer
let go. I Jammed my bolt and had
nothing left but the bayonet.
"The Boches threw three bombs right
away. I saw them coming and kept
flat against the wall. It was a good
thing I kept my head out of the way.
"If it had been one of ours. I and
the officer would have geen killed, but
they rely on the explosion more than
on the bits the bomb Is made of. The
nearest dropped about four yards away.
I got small bits in my legs, but knew
that- It was not serious.
"The sergeant told me to go down
one of the dugouts that the Germans
had held two days before. I went
down and their dugouts were much
safer than ours.
Shell Kills Five.
"Fritz was searching the trench
from one end to another and the boys,
poor devils, were catching it hot. One
shell landed on top of the dugout but
nothing happened: another landed and
we began to wonder. Then one hit the
parapet in front oi the dugout
entrance and killed five chaps besides
wounding some more.
"They came down to us and there
were some things that I can't bear to
mention. Another : ell blew the
entrance In and without putting it to
vote we decided to leave. The dug
out was too much of a rood thing. You
see the Boche had the exact range of
that trench-
"We wandered among the criss
crossed trenches. The only thing that
kept my leg from getting useless was
the moving about. At last we came
to a service station where our wounds
were treated and we were started
back.
"The service stations are close to
gether and all those that possibly can
must walk. I was unable to walk
and was carried to a big ambulance
service wagon and taken from there
to the nearest clearing hospital.
"While there I learned that I was to
be sent to 'Bliejhty.' wl 'ch is the name
the soldiers have for England. In four
days I 1 ft ion a comfortable hospital
train for the channel." .
The . account was finished while
Albert Jones was in the hospital-at
Lincoln.
LONGSHOREMEN KEEP BUSY
Temporary Spurt Draws Others to In
sure Tonnage Moving.
Day and night labor performed on
vessels in the river has necessitated
the employment of outside longshore
men familiar with certain cargo being
handled, stevedores explaining that they
are unable to obtain all gangs wanted
in such emergencies. The rush is un
usual, for since the European war the
longshoremen have had numerous leis
ure days and many of them have sought
employment elsewhere' or entered new
lines here, a percentage of them being
at work in the shipyards. .
High freights paid for vessels actu
ates charterers in hastening their dis
patch, so overtime and similar expenses
frowned on during normal times are not
considered in the same light, the aim
being principally to handle cargo with
out loss of time.
CANNERY BOAT CONTRACT LET
Astoria Company to Build 6 0-Foot
Launch for Fishermen.
ASTORIA, Or April 14. (Special.)
The Wilson Shipbuilding Company has
received a contract for building a 60
foot launch for the Union Fishermen's
Co-operative Cannery.
The craft will be used as a cannery
tender. The same yard, is construct
ing a 53-foot steam tugboat for the
Astoria Lumber Company.
Marine Notes.
J. K. Wilkman has been igned.as master
of the ferry City of Vancouver, which la
to be taken to Puget Sound to play between
Point Defiance and Gig - Harbor. Her for
mer master waa Frank Stevens, who oper
ated her for years between Vancouver and
the Oregon shore, her employment andlng
with the formal opening of the interstate
bridge.
Authority has been granted by the Port
of Portland Commission for the Installation
of a small acetylene plant at the public
drydock. The plant there has numerous Jobs
on dredges ana steamers on which the
acetylene gear can be used. It is said had
it been available last week when the ladder
of the dredge Willamette waa ehortened 20
feet, the cost of installing one could al
most have been saved.
Action of -the- Navy Department in clos
ing the entrance to the Columbia River to
vessels, except between aunrlse and sunset.
Is not expected to effect the dredging pro
gramme there thia season, only that It will
probably cut down the time. and. with only
daylight operation, the expense will be In
creased.
Colombia River Bar Report.
NORTH HEAD, April 14. Condition of
the bar at 5 P. M. : Sea smooth; wind,
northwest IS miles.
GERMAN PRISONER OF WAR
Private Karl A. Horn Held Under
President's Proclamation.
Private Karl A. Horn. 108th Saxon
regiment, of the German army, is held
here as a prisoner of war, the first
man taken into custody at Portland to
be so confined.
Horn was arrested a few days ago
on Larch Mountain, near Bridal Veil,
on a United States Commissioner's war
rant, charging him with having made
threats against President Wilson and
other disloyal statements. He was ar
raigned before Commissioner Drake
yesterday and bound over to the United
States grand Jury.
United States Attorney Reames
caused Horn to be rearrested under au
thority of President Wilson's recent
proclamation, so Horn was made there
by a prisoner of war.
The Rittman process of transforming
petroleum waste into gasoline, benzine
and toluene may act as a check on
any movement to increase the prices of
these products. Gasoline made by this
process cobta 6 cents a loa
Goethals Appointment to Di
rect Work Is Tribute to
Teutonic Descendants.
OFFENSE TO BERLIN FACTOR
General Never Forgiven for Build
ing Canal After Germany's Ex
perts Declaring It Could
Not Be Accomplished.
WASHINGTON, April 14. The Ad
ministration's programme for building
a vast fleet of wooden cargo ships to
transport supplies to the allies and thus
defeat the German submarine campaign
win De put definitely under way Mon
day when the Shipping Board will form
a $30,000,000 corporation to build and
operate the vessels.
The corporation will be organized under
the laws of the District of Columbia.
and its entire stock will be held by
the Shipping Board. In legislation to
be introduced in Congress early in the
week the Board will ask authority to
increase the stock in the future if
needed to as much, perhaps, as $225,
000.000. Private ship-yards will construct the
ships on a standardized plan adopted
by the Shipping Board on a basis in
most instances of 10 per cent profit.
The Board probably will finance soma
yards, although private capital already
is offering millions for construction of
the vessels.
Goethala) to Report Soon.
Major-General Goethals, who, at the
request of President Wilson has agreed
to supervise building of the. ships, will
come to Washington to take charge of
tne work as soon as he can arrange
to leave his task of building New Jer
sey highways. E. A. Eustace, a New
York engineer, who conceived the idea
of a wooden ship fleet, probably will
be associated with him.
The law creating the Shipping Board
provides for a corporation, the majority
or whose stock must be held by the
Board. Its directors will be employes
of the Board, who will elect their own
officers. General Goethals probably,
will be elected general manager of the
corporation, and Mr. Eustace, as an
employe of the Board, receiving a sal
ary or $1 a year, and Mr. Clark, di
rectors. The 700.000 tons of German shipping
taken over by the Government with the
declaration of war undoubtedly will be
put under the corporation as will the
Austrian ships now in custody of the
United States. The general opinion is
that the German and Austrian owners
will be paid for their use during the
war and for the ships themselves If
they are lost or are retained.
Traditional Ingenuity Maintained.
The story of how the wooden ship
building plan grew from an idea con
ceived simultaneously by two mining
engineers until it has taken a place
In the forefront of America's war pol
icy, reveals that Yankee inventive geni
us and ingenuity were as ready to meet
the present emergency as at any time
of National stress in the past.
After Mr. Eustace and Mr. Clark had
been called to Washington by Chair
man Denman. of the Shipping Board,
and the Board decided to take up the
plan, Mr. Eustace decided to interest
General Goethals. The canal builder
Immediately seized on the plan as the
one way by which the United States
could do most to aid the allies in de
feating Germany.
German Descent Is Factor.
Then General Goethals was told the
Board wished him to take charge of
the work. Reluctant at first to leave
his post in New Jersey, the General
finally was convinced the Nation
needed him.
General Goethals was chosen to head
the work, it was explained tonight,
for three reasons his capacity, his
German descent and as a testimonial
to the loyalty of American citizens of
Teutonic extraction, and because he
Is considered the one man in the United
States most offensive to Germany.
Germany, it has been said, has never
forgiven the man who constructed the
Canal, when German experts said it
could not be accomplished.
In their efforts to pursuade General
Goethals to take charge of building the
ships, it was pointed out that he prob
ably would spend before the war was
over as much or more than was ex
pended on the Canal.
Police Disarm Enemy Aliens.
HELENA. Mont.. April 14. The Hel
ena police today received orders to dis
arm all enemy alieus if possible within
24 hours.
Road The Oregonlan claslfld ads.
made by us cost no more
than Kryptoks made by
'other opticians, but the
Kryptoks supplied by us
are better, being finished
on specially made ma
chines and in the finest,
most completely equipped
retail optical factory in
Portland.
J Besides, we do all the
work under one roof, from
the examination of your
eyes to the accurate fit
ting of the finished glasses.
THOMPSON
OPTICAL INSTITUTE
209-10-11 Corbett Bldg.,
Fifth and Morrison
iji the jl
lens NiaSS
KRYPTOKS