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Tips From the Man a the Dock. When I sometime since made a few remarks anent whalebacks, I little thought I was stirring up such a hornet's nest. It looks nowas though this would be a good time to make the excuse, "didn't know it was loaded." However, it looks to me as though the discussion had been productive of a good deal of unnecessary bitterness of feeling, and "Topsail" has evi- dently more than his share of it. I had intended to let the matter drop, so far as Iam concerned, since I am not personally interested, but I will take time to address myself shortly to "Topsail's" allusion to my remark to the effect that McDougall had not gone out of his way to attack the regular pat- tern, and his citation of two instances to the contrary. When I spoke of attacks on the whalebacks I had in mind principally the sneers directed at their construction and at their constructor, or more properly originator, and the apparent malice with which every one of their little shortcomings was eagerly seized upon, magnified and held up to ridicule. Some even went so far as to malign McDougall personally. Isaid,and I say again, that he did not retaliate in kind. As for the comparisons made from time to time, and which vex "Topsail's" soul so sorely, they were only to be ex- pected, inasmuch as certain claims were made for whalebacks and the only way of substantiating or refuting them was by comparison. Supposing certain claims were made that could not be made good, the practice is older than whalebacks. Referring to the comparison between the Mackinaw and Wetmore, why does not "Topsail" tell the sequel also? He should not garble. It is ad- mitted as a fact by all who are not partisans that the whaleback is, other considerations aside, capable of a better sea performance than the ordinary type, by which I mean that the power perton mile is lower. If "Topsail" wants proof, let him make a few trips along the docks and ask questions of those most likely to know. Let him look up the log books of any of the whaleback steamers and note the time they make, or, if he thinks that the source is unreliable, let him ask-the masters or engineers of the numerous outside steamers how they like whaleback tows. An unanswerable argu- ment in their favor is that in conservative England, where the poor de- spised whaleback was almost swamped with ridicule, one yard is now full of them, and all on contract too. The fact that they are called "turret decked" makes no particular difference. In all essentials they are the same. A recent issue of a London technical journal contains two or three views of one of these "turret decked" whalebacks. One of them, an in- terior view, would almost lead the spectator to believe he was in the belly of a "whale." 'The fact that they are more favorably received there among the ship owning fraternity, than "Topsail" believes them to be on the lakes, shows either that our English friends are more gullible than lake owners) or that the whale is a better craft than "Topsail" would have us _ believe. The well known English character of conservatism contradicts the first theory, and in connection with the second I note that the purchasers are - already, as they say over there, "ship owners in a large way." Now I notice that some people have been very anxious that McDougall should not have all or any of the credit for developing the whaleback idea. If he had not secured the benefit of good professional advice the whale - would never have gotten beyond babyhood. Its apoor rule that won't work both ways. "Topsail" makes the point that certain of the whales failed to carry within long range of their contract capacity. Will these same professionals now come forward and admit their responsibility? You bet they won't. See them scramble to get in out of the wet. Perhaps "Fairplay" could tell something about this. Of course McDougall wasn't to blame because "Fairplay," "The Man off the Dock" and "Topsail" have all agreed that he wasn't capable of doing that kind of thing himself and had to have assistance. I am sorry to see further that "Topsail" has to get in a fling at a well known Cleveland man who had the audacity to say a word in favor of the whaleback. Just think of.it! A Cleveland man to dare to say that a boat could be put together anywhere outside of Cleveland and be worth a cuss. If we were not so badly "stuck on ourselves" here, perhaps we would be content to let other people alone. I am very certain that the whaleback is a good deal better looking craft than any of the numerous parodies which it gave rise to, whether called turret-deckers, straight-backs, monitors or what not. It begins to look as though the name "hyphen back" might be used as a generic term for all classes of vessels produced now. They all seem to have something the matter with their backs. Perhaps weak backs would fit some of them very closely. Illustrated Patent Record. SELECTED ABSTRACTS OF SPECIFICATIONS OF A MARINE NATURE--FROM LATEST PATENT OFFICE REPORTS. 617,630. APPARATUS FOR RAISING SUNKEN VESSELS. John Taylor and Cash Taylor, Detroit, Mich. Filed April 8,1893. Serial No. 469,548. (No mode}.) Claim.--First, in a wrecking device, the combination of submergible pontons, means for handling the same under water, and means for forc- MARINE REVIEW. | 5 ing air into said pontons, and braces having bearing ends P Q, connecting links R R', and an adjusting bolt. Second, in a wrecking device, means of securing submergible pontons in place, comprising a cable secured to its under side and passed under the wreck, and an adjustable strut, one end of which is secured to the wreck, the other end of which bears against the ponton, substantially as described. 517,726. EXCAVATING OR DREDGING MACHINE. Julius E. A. Braun, Dautzschen, near Torgau, Germany. Filed June 11,1892. Serial No. 436,356. (No model.) Patented in Germany March 27, 1892. No, 66,619; in England April 22, 1892, No. 7,652, and in | Austria-Hungary Sept. 29, 1892, No, 18,593, and No. 42 056. Claim.--In an excavating apparatus, the combination with a suitable supporting frame, of a driving shaft rotatably mounted therein, an inclined elevator frame loosely mounted at one end upon the driving shaft and adapted to be raised and lowered thereupon as described, the upper side of said elevator frame being open to permit the excavated material to be dis- charged therethrough, a rotatable shaft carried by the elevator frame atits opposite end, an endless bucket chain arranged within the said elevator frame and mounted upon the said rotatable shaft and the driving shaft and adapted to receive the excavated material, a cylinder mounted 517,536. LIFEBOAT. 7 L 517,726. EXCAVATING OR DREDGING MACHINE o over and rotatably supported by the elevator frame, said cylinder being provided with a series of circumferentially arranged cutting blades and with a series of openings, said blades being curved and adapted when rotated to raise the excavated material and discharge the same through the openings of the cylinder onto the bucket chain. 517.462. SHIPS'S BERTH. Edward Lawson, Birmingham, England. Filed Feb. 9,1893. Serial No. 461,558. (No model.) 'i Claim.--In a berth supported by pillars, the combination with the supporting pillars, of collars fixed thereon, having vertical conical sockets, said sockets having at their lower outer portions closed front walls, and having horizontal laterally cut away portions fin their walls adjacent to the corresponding berth bars, and said sockets extending downwardly in conical form back of said front walls, the horizontal bars of the head, foot and lee rails, vertical conical plugs carried on the ends of said bars, and neck g between said plugs and said bars and of less depth than and fixed to the upper part of said plugs, said plugs having conical lower ends extending downwardly below said necks, and entering and fitting said sockets, and passing behind the closed front walls thereof, and said necks of less width than and entering said cut away portions, whereby when said plugs are fitted home in said sockets a tight joint is obtained at the lower end of the plugs and thereby all chatter between said plugs and said sockets is obviated, and when said necks are in said cut away portions said bars can be displaced horizontally while said plugs are in said sockets. 517,636. LIFE BOAT. Carl Baswitz, Berlin, Germany. Filed June 17, 1893. Serial No. ; 478.018. (No model.) Patented in Germany Sept. 24, 1892, No. 68,641, and in England, Nov. 24, 1892, No. 21,469. Claim.--A boat, having its sides composed of bolsters c' c2 c3 meeting at stem and stern, said bdlsters consisting of envelopes of a watertight fabric stuffed with a yielding buoyant material of low specific gravity, the bottom of the boat, also consisting ofa watertight fabric stayed bya rigid stretcher freaching from stem to stern, said stretcher supporting cross-stretchers ¢ carrying bolsters e' ¢2 ¢% the latter being adapted to be used as'seats,¢the upper bolster or seat bolster proper being held by straps /, secured to cross-straps 6 , the latter connecting the sides of the boat. A ' (pF t a - ON cg = at / so ot 2 z j Gg