Evening Republican, Volume 16, Number 124, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 May 1912 — Schwab Plans Big Dock [ARTICLE]

Schwab Plans Big Dock

May Construct World’s Largest Ship Plant in San Fran- * cisco. San Francisco. —One possible reason why Charles M. Schwab of the Bethlehem Steel company and the Union works has decided to build the most capacious dry dock in the world at Hunters Point, San Francisco, was made known by Edward C. Holmes of this city, who prepared tentative plans for Mr. Schwab’s inspection. In anticipation of the new business that will be brought Tto the Pacific coast by the opening of the Panama canal private capital, aided by a sub--1 sidy of 3 1-3 per cent from the Dominion government to run for 35 years, wni bnild a dry dock 92$ feet long at Esquimau, R. C., on the Strait ot Joan de Fuca. Holmes drew the plans. “So far as I know,” he said “the largest docks in the world now complete are those at Glasgow, 880 feet size; Southampton, 830, and Bremerhaven, 755. The new dock at Esqufe malt will otrtmeasnre them all, and Mr. Schwab is planning to outmeasdre Esquimalt. “I am not in his confidence and do not know what his final decision will be, but when I drew tentative plans fo£» him they contemplated a dock I,* 050 feet long. "In return for aid from the Dominion government the company at Esquimau will give government business the right of way, bat It is to be paid for at commercial rates.” .No American shipbuilding company enjoys a government subsidy, hot the

biggest dry dock in the world could bid for navy business, and shipping men here pointed out today that the presence of such a* dock would remove one of the objections heretofore raised against the policy of maintaining a battleship fleet on the Pacific coast.