INTRODUCTORY PROCEEDINGS. xxxv 



and the manufacturing of clothes, guns, artillery, munitions and supplies for such army; the 

 despatching "over there," with the aid of our allies, of an army of two million men and all 

 of the impedimenta of war besides ; the further extraordinary work done by the several aid 

 associations, the Red Cross and others and with it all, the raising of a fourth liberty loan of 

 six billion dollars in three weeks, following the raising of nine billions in the other loans 

 and every one of the loans oversubscribed. 



Thiiik of these accomplishments, far greater than were performed by any nation in the 

 same period of timie ; and while all of this program was being executed there were built nu- 

 merous shipyards and about two and one-half million gross tons of merchant ships delivered 

 in twelve months — at least one-half million more than produced by the greatest shipbuilding 

 nation of the world in the year of its largest production — and you will conclude that this ad- 

 ditional accomplishment is worthy not only of notice but of great praise. 



We must look to the future with optimism. In a Washington office hangs a placard 

 which says: — "It can't be done! but here it is." We must neither think nor say it can't be 

 done. 



No citizens of this great land are more interested in producing a merchant marine than 

 yourselves. We naturally belong to the coasts and the Great Lakes. We must be optimistic 

 that we may exert our own great ability to its utmost. We must carry our optimism to our 

 inland citizens lest they forget the lesson of how much they needed ships in the years 1914 

 and 1915. We must be Americans and think in American terms. 



Paraphrasing a quotation used at our banquet a year agO' I repeat, "We have performed 

 gigantic tasks more rapidly in all the circumstances than could any nation in the world. 

 We shall build ships; we shall secure and train officers and sailors," and we shall establish 

 and keep forever a merchant marine on the seas of the world, "for the sea was in our fathers' 

 blood, the ocean is our birthright." This also gigantic task we shall perform. 



[Note. — It is to be noted that in this address ship tonnage is only expressed in regis- 

 tered gross tons, as determined by official measurement. 



A cargo vessel of any given gross tons has approximately a deadweight ton capacity of 

 one and one-half times the gross tons ; therefore, the production of 2,500,000 gross tons in 

 the year 1918 means approximately 3,750,000 deadweight tons.] 



The President : — The next business in order is the reading of the papers. The first 

 paper to be read is entitled "The DeLamater Iron Works — The Cradle of the Modern Navy," 

 by Mr. H. F. J. Porter, Visitor. 



Mr. H. F. J. Porter: — Mr. President and gentlemen, I esteem it a great honor and 

 privilege to present this paper to you ; the honor in having been asked to- gather together the 

 records of these old iron works, and the privilege of presenting them to you for your 

 records. I have never considered myself the proper man to perform this task, because I 

 Avas only a yotmg fellow when I went to the works, and the works had already passed 

 through three-quarters of their existence, but time was passing and there seemed tO' be no 

 one else to do it, so when I was invited to do it I willingly accepted the task. 



Now, Mr. President, if you will allow me, as long as this paper is simply one for record 

 and will not require discussion, I will present it merely in abstract. I have a short summary 

 of the contents here, which I can read in a few moments, but I should like very much if the 

 members of this Society would, at their leisure, read the paper and add to it, if they can, in 

 order that your Society may have a complete record of these old works. 



Mr. Porter then read tlie abstract of his paper. 



