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MARINE REVIEW. : a) Rear Admiral Richard W. Meade--A Fighter. Newspaper dispatches from Washington during the past few days indicate that interest has been at fever heat in navy circles as a result of the detachment of Rear Admiral Meade from command of the north Atlantic squadron. Numerous reasons. have been given for the admiral's action in asking for detachment, and indicating his intention to apply for retirement under the forty-years' service law, but it will be found in the end that he was sorely disappointed in his squadron being broken up, by REAR ADMIRAL RICHATD W. MEADE. orders of the department taking from him his flagship New York, to participate in the naval display at Kiel next month, and by other changes in the fleet that were displeasing to him. Admiral Meade had figured on doing big things with his squadron thissummer. Nothing indicates this more than the bold position taken by him at the meeting of naval archi- tects in New York a short time ago, when he opposed the policy of the department in building ships like the Minneapolis and Columbia, and de- claréd that they were experiments. His troubles date from that meet- ing. Proceedings of the New York meeting have just come to hand, and it is interesting to note how Admiral Meade's plans, there outlined, have been badly shattered by changes made in his ships. He created a sensa- tion at the New York gathering by declaring that he would first carry out his own plans with the north Atlantic squadron and report to the powers at Washington afterwards, but he probably found the task a dif- ficult one, although he is among the greatest of American naval officers. "'T am an admiral now," he said «to the naval constructors, engineers and others assembled in New York, '"'and Ido not see why a man, these days, when he reaches the rank to which he has been looking forward all his life, should not be admiral in fact. I have commanded ships of all classes, from the 'ninety-day' gunboats up to some very large vessels. I have always contended that all regulations are made for fools, not for wise men. They are made for people who do not know, not for. people who do know, and I have made up my mind, ifI get my squadron to- gether, that I am going to have some full-speed trials and report the re- sults afterwards. When I commanded the Vandalia, I did not ask the department for a trial, but I had it and I got a very goodresult. I got12.7 knots out of that wooden ship, but the bureau found fault with me, I be- lieve, for burning so much coal. I repeated the trial and was found fault with again, but I had the experiments. I propose, if I am not hampered, to test this Columbia business aw fond, as the French say--to go to the bot- tom of it. But I think that the authorities of the navy department ought not to hold up our hands; when they find a captain or an admiral who is innocently transgréssing the blue-book in the desire to serve his country, that they ought to help him out. I think that in regard to this matter we sailors in the navy can help the naval constructors and engineers a good deal, and I propose to help them. I propose that the engineer-in- chief shall get all the data possible, and Mr. Cramp shall derive all the information that I have it within my power to afford him. I am here in this society to help my colleagues to build ships and engine them, to help them to get the best results, and while I am in that:position, if God gives me health to do it, I propose to give you the best possible results in my power in the course of the next year or two. '"'As I say, the building of ships like the Minneapolis and hoierbia is an experiment, and the experiment will not be completed until I try my own. I propose to have the Columbia, with her hullin perfect con- dition, with her coal as good asIcan get it, lying inthe harbor here waiting for the Teutonic or Magestic to come out, and then I propose to signal orders to the commanding officer to overtake that vessel, and if he succeeds I shall be the first to congratulate my friend, the engineer- in-chief, on his success." This sentiment from Admiral Meade, briefly referred to at the time of the New York meeting, was then partly looked upon asa show of speech ina big gathering, butit stirred upa great deal of feeling in Washington and undoubtedly bears important relation to the present crisis in the admiral's affairs. Coal Consumption of Fast Torpedo Boat Chasers. Engineers will be interested in particulars of the coal consumption of some of the fast torpedo boat chasers that are being builtin great numbers by the British government. One of these vessels, built by Messrs. Thornycroft, on athree hours' run maintained a speed of 27.97 knots, practically 28 knots, or for the whole time 84 nautical miles; and while running this distance burned under three water tube boilers 17% tons of coal. The rate of combustion is 68 pounds of coal per square foot of grate area per. hour, althoughin some trials it has reached 79 pounds; but then the power per square foot of grate areais very high, 241. H. P. The boats of this class carry sixty tons of fuel at a pinch, and this would enable them to go at full speed for a period of over nine hours, during which they would travel fully 250 nautical miles. A ton of coal takes a boat of this class five miles at the speed noted. But it would only be onarush that such speed would be maintained. Other tests have been made at about half the speed--I3 knots--and here, instead of five miles, the ton of coal carried the destroyer a distance of about 38 nautical miles, so that the total distance at 13 knots with the sixty tons of coal would be nearly 2,000 miles. This shows the great cost of doubling the speed. The coal per horse power at 13 knots was 1.61 pounds. ; Around the Lakes. Cleveland's two harbor tug companies have made arrangement to have their tugs take turns at the piers, so that there will be no more long chases after tows. It is again said at Sault Ste. Marie that the Canadian canal will not be in readiness for the passage of vessels until late in the season, and that-a few boats may yet pass through the new United States lock peeks the Canadian waterway is entirely completed. It is unofficially announced that Postmaster General Wilson has issued Aye establishing a service for delivery and collection of the mail matter of vessels passing Detroit. It is the intention to use a steam launch on the river, and to have men constantly in charge, but the details have not as yet been fully arranged. Capt. Harvey J. Hatch of Chicago, who was lost with all hands in the schooner Kate Kelley on Lake Michigan during the storm of the past week, was among the oldest of lake navigators, and had made a number of salt water voyages from the lakes. He was vice president of the Chi- cago lodge, Ship Masters' association. ba New lake vessels, all steamers, listed in the office of the bureau of navigation during the past week are: Norseman, Port Huron, Mich., 660.01 tons gross, 501,81 net, No. 130,689; Pine Lake, Grand Haven, Mich. 388.10 tons gross, 274.31 net, No. 150, 695; Hazel, Marquette, Mich., '11.48 tons gross, 7.18 net, No. 96,293. £ F. W. Wheeler & Co. of West Bay City launched on Saturday last the wooden steamer Stephenson, a lumber carrier of abont 500 net registered tons. One of the two oil barges being built by the American Steel Barge Co. for the Standard company was also launched Saturday. Her capacity is about 400,000 gallons. The second boat is not yet ready for launching. © These barges will each spread about 9 000 feet of canvas, but wil Lege be towed most of the time while in lake service. Now that the new American liner St. Louis is about ready for trial, it is again reported that negotiations are under way for the construction of two more ships. Of course it would not be surprising if something of this sort is really on foot. The trial of the St. Louis will probably take place off the New England coast. She will first go to Newport News to be docked. A COPY OF THE PHOTO-GRAVURE SUPPLEMENT OF DIRECTORS OF THE LAKE CARRIERS' ASSOCIATION, TOGETHER WITH THE LARGE ENGRAVING OF THE STEAMER NORTH WEST, BOTH OF WHICH WERE CONTAINED IN RECENT BIG ISSUES OF THE REVIEW, WILL BE MAILED IN A PASTEBOARD TUBE TO ANY ADDRESS UPON RECEIPT OF 50 CENTS IN STAMPS.