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MARINE REVIEW. VoL. XII. CLEVELAND, O., AUGUST 22, 189s. No. 8. How the Alva was Patched. Mechanical skill and neatness of workmanship that would pass ap- proval in a dry dock was exhibited in putting a patch over a hole 16-feet square, under water, in the steel steamer Alva while sunk in the St. Mary's river. Upon being pumped out and raised, so as to continue her voyage with a cargo of ore to South Chicago, the Alva, using only a syphon to dispose of a little water, was in condition to make an Atlantic voyage, although repairs to the big hole in her side, caused by being run into by one of the whaleback barges, had all been made by divers working entirely under water. Capt. Mart Swain of the wrecking steamer Favorite, which has been engaged on several wrecking jobs of special importance this season, has with him an Indian diver, Adam Kiosh, who is a good ship carpenter and who has had some training in the higher branches of ship building. Before the Favorite was called to the Alva, Captains Mcleod, Sinclair and others, representing the vessel and the underwriters, had talked over several plans for raising the steamer. The big break in her side was on the starboard quarter, just aft of the engine room gangway, The nose of the whaleback had entered the boat almost to the ma- chinery. Had the break been in the side of the boat, where there was a flat, even surface, there would have been no difficulty in applying tim- ber on the outside and covering it with canvas, but the bilge-like turn of the stern presented a new problem. It was accordingly decided to use dynamite in blowing out the wreckage at the point where the col- lision had occurred. so as to present as clear a surface as possible for the patch. With so much accomplished, a small bit of dynamite was tried on the head of one of the numerous rivets which held the plating fast to the frames on either side of the break. It was planned to blow off the heads of rivets and then punch out the rivets themselves. The dynamite not only blew off the head, but also blew out the entire rivet. One after another, the rivets extending through frames were blown out in this way, and then the diver, who had secured the assistance of two men engaged on government work at the Sault, took down templates and by marking them, just as would have been done in constructing a ship, every piece of timber that was to enter into the patch was shaped and prepared, ready for fitting, before it was taken below. Screw bolts were run through the holes in the frames and plating, left by blowing out the rivets, and in addition every piece of timber in the patch was edge-bolted. It will thus be seen that the covering, even had there been no canvas over it, was made tight enough to float the ship when pumped out. The thoroughness of the work explains how it was pos- sible to send the ship on to Chicago without even a single steam pump at work. On the United States cruiser Columbia's fast run across the Atlantic, the highest speed for an hour was 20.6 knots, and the best speed for four hours was 80.5 knots. On the day of the fastest run the average revolu- tions for the starboard engine was 105.8 and for the port engine the same, while for the center engine it was 105.7. The coal consumption that day was 225% tons for the 462 miles run. The boilers carried 140 pounds pressure to the squareinch, The maximum horse power de- veloped was 19,916. The average speed for the entire run was about 18.55 knots. It must be remembered, of course, that the ship was not running under full power. The average horse power for the entire trip was less than half the ship's full power, which is 21,000. Her instruc- tions were, first to run under natural draft and then, during the last twenty-four hours, to run under forced draft; the latter, however, proved impracticable on account of difficulty in getting out coal, due to smallness of crew and distance of coal from fire room. The chief en- gineer of the ship has been quoted as stating that the Columbia would have made faster time on this run if the middle screw had been taken off. This statement is correct when using half power, which she was doing on this run. The ship was designed to run with two screws when run- ning under half power, with three screws when working at full power, and with one--the center screw--when cruising at low speed. Some of the Pittsburg concerns operating big furnace plants have had representatives on the lakes of late figuring on machinery for dump- ing ore cars and otherwise cheapening the cost of handling ore in furnace yards. Success attained with car dumping machines in the lake coal trade has prompted the furnace owners to look for the adoption of similar methods in handling ore, and it is understood that the Carnegie company is about to let a contract for a big plant of this kind. MASTERS OF LAKE VESSELS CAN NOT WELL AFFORD TO BE WITHOUT THE NEW CHARTS. EXAMINE THEM AT THE OFFICE OF THE REVIEW. Experimental Tanks for Ships' Models. Unfortunately there is no truth in the report that Chief Constructor Philip Hichborn, U.S.N., has ordered the construction of an experi- mental tank for the trial of models of war vessels at the Washington navy yard. Under date of August 19, Mr. Hichborn says in aletter to the REVIEW: 'The article about an experimental tank was an elaboration upon a few simple experiments we hope to make--not in a tank, however; and from which we hope to get such data as may lead to an appropriation. In the meantime we prefer silence." Repeated efforts have been made by the navy department to secure from congress an appropriation for a tank for experiments with models of ships, with a view to at least keeping pace with other countries in study of the question of resistance and speed, but as in many other mat- ters pertaining to ship building, these efforts have failed, on account of the lack of a proper understanding in congress of the importance of the matter. Tanks of this kind are used with valuable results by the natives of Great Britain, Germany, France and Italy, and one of them, owned by a private concern, Messers William Denny & Bros. of Dumbarton, Scot- land, was described and illustrated in the REVIEW of August 17, 1893. One great drawback in connection with the fewtanks of this kind thus far built throughout the world, is the manner in which the great mass of information obtained from them is buried as regards the distribution of scientific knowledge. Should the efforts of our navy be successful, there is little doubt that the builders of merchant vessels in the United States would be permitted to share the benefits of experiments. Protesting Against a Center-Pier Bridge. Chicago vessel owners have secured the aid of the Lake Carriers' Association in opposing, through the*war department, the plans of the public works department of the city of Chicago to erect at North Hal- sted street a bridge with a pier in the center of the river. Capt. J. G. Keith, one of the vice-presidents of the association, has kept the Cleve- land officers informed regarding the plans in Chicago for this bridge, aud as a result a telegram protesting against the erection of a bridge with center pier was sent to the secretary of war by Mr. J. C. Gilchrist, © first vice-president, on Wednesday. 'This will be follcwed up later by a full explanation to the war department by Secretary Keep, who is at present absent from his office in Buffalo. Mr. Gilchrist's telegram ex- plained that what is wanted is a folding or lift style of bridge, such as is -- in use at Van Buren street. The increased size of vessels now building requires a channel of at least 100 feet in all parts of the Chicago river, and it is only a matter of time when every bridge in the river must be of a kind that will permit of free navigation in the center of the channel. When a streak of ill-luck follows a vessel captain in the ship he is sailing, the management of the vessel is almost certain to make a change, no matter what may be thought of the ability of the man in charge. There is an unwritten law in two or three of the Buffalo lines, that reduces the rank of acaptain every time he meets with a serious accident. Capt. Holmes of the steamer Alva has been in the Bradley line for twenty-four years. This season he has met with two costly accidents, and as a result itis announced that he will be succeeded in command of the Alva by Capt. John H. Wysoon, who was in the wooden steamer Gladstone, and who has within afew years been advanced in the Bradley service from command of a tug to the best boat. Capt. Holmes has taken com- mand of the Gladstone. A Cleveland firm of ore dealers has offered 80 cents on a quantity of ore to be moved from Escanaba to Ohio ports between Sept. 1 and the close of navigation, but no vessel owner has been found to accept the pro- position, although the going rate at present is only 55 cents. This is an indication of the strong feeling that prevails in the freight market on account the probability of high fall grain freights. Theaction of Duluth grain shippers in refusing to load A 2 vessels while they can get ships of higher rating is very probably prompted by the low rates at which grain insurance was covered this season by blanket contracts. On Wednesday next at South Chicago the largest steel tow barge in the world, the Aurenia, being built by the Chicago Ship Building Co. for John Corrigan and others, will be launched. The boat will be | christened by Mr. Corrigan's daughter. The Aurenia is 365 feet over all and 44 feet beam, and itis expected that she will carry about as much ~ as the 400-foot steamers, Her owners are figuring on moving with her 4,000 gross tons of ore each trip from Lake Superior when the draft of water is full 14% feet.