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MARINE REVIEW. ae Crowded Ship Yards, The British consul general at Hamburg reports to his government that the German ship building yards are receiving so many orders for the construction of mercantile vessels that they are now able to accept only a small proportion of the later ones. The orders in hand extend into 1897. The principal orders come from Hamburg and Bremen firms, such as the North German Lloyd, East African Royal Mail line and the Kos- mos line. The North German Iloyd Co. has placed with the Vulcan Works at Stettin, and the Schichau Works at Dantzig, orders for the con- struction of two immense steamships, representing a capital of about $9,500,000. The ship building yard at Flensburg is busy on three large twin-screw steamships for Hamburg firms and one mail steamship for the Kosmos line. The Germania Works at Kiel is at present almost en- tirely occupied with the building of war vessels, andis not able to under- Latest United States Torpedo Boats. It is probably not generally known that the three United States tor- pedo boats, Nos. 6,7 and 8,--one of which is being built by the Moran Bros. Co. of Seattle, Wash., and the other two by the Herreshoff Mnfg. Co. of Bristol, R. I.--will be the largest vessels of their kindin the world. This has reference, of course, to torpedo boats pure and simple. These vessels will not be as formidable as the torpedo, boat chasers but they willin many respects closely approach this later type of war vessel, Their cost,including ordinance and outfit complete, must not. exc ceed $175,900 each. The hulls will be of steel, 170 feet between perpendiculars, 17 feet beam on water line, and 5feet 6 inches normal draft. Fifty per cent. of the total displacement in these crafts is absorbed by boilers, en- gines and appurtenances. In the big commerce destroyers like the Columbia and Minneapolis, not more than half this percentage of dis-_ ONE OF THE LATEST UNITED STATES TORPEDO BOATS. 5) Bee take orders for merchant ships. Asa result of the current activity in German yards, several profitable orders have been sent tothe ship build- ers of the United Kingdom. Trade Notes. Serve ribbed tubes are either now in use or are being fitted in 104 steamers. The Berlin Iron Bide Car of East Berlin, Conn., has just completed for the Ansonia Brass & Copper Co., of Ansonia, Com . a new boiler house 65 feet wide and 142 feet long. The side walls are of brick and the roof is entirely of steel, covered with the Berlin Company's patent anti- condensed corrugation steel. During the year 1895, James Howden & Co. of Glasgow entered into contracts in various parts of the world for the application of their sys- tem of hot draft to 105 steam vessels of 278,500 horse power. This is the draft system for which the Detroit Dry Dock Co. holds the agency in this country. New Officers Among Engineers. M.E B.A. No. 87, Detroit, Mich.: Past president, W. McKittrick . president, Geo. B. Milne; vice-president, Michael Toner; secretary and treasnrer, John J, Stevens; corresponding secretary, Warren Welch; chaplain, Richard Langford; door keeper, Edward Whipple; conductor, Emil Mercier; delegate to national convention, Scott Pratt. In the list of officers of the M. E. B. A. No. 92, Saginaw, Mich., printed last week, the corresponding secretary's name should have been Henry EB. NeArthur instead of McSothern. His address is 17 McCormick Bldg. Cleveland will soon have a board of harbor commissioners if all goes well. Other lake cities not provided with such valuable adjuncts may get an idea from the proposed plan. A council resolution on the subject provides that the board shall consist of four members, to be ap- pointed by the sinking fund commissioners ardthe mayor. The terms of the members originally appointed shall expire in eight, six, four and two years respectively, anew member to be appointed every two years. The board shall meet once a week, and the members shall receive $5 per meeting The bill provides for a superintendent to have charge of bridges and the policing of harbors, or dredging and other improve- ments. He shall appoint bridge tenders and similar employes, subject to the authority of the council. placement is given to boilers and machinery. The triple expansion engines of these vessels, which will be furnished with steam at high power, probably from water tube boilers in all cases, are expected to develop 3,200 horse power at 395 turns, and to drive the boats ata speed of 26 knots. The engraving is from the Scientific American. Jackson & Church's Double Spool Friction Hoist. The illustration shows a well-built and powerful double spool friction deck and dock hoist such asis successfully used' on freight boats and docks where one or two lifts are worked at one time. 'When wanted they put friction spools in place of gypsies on ends of shaft, working fonr lifts. with one set of engines. They are builtin 6 sizes, being sixin. by 63 in.,6 in. by 7in., 7 in. by 8 in.,7in. by 9 in.,8 in. by 9in. and8 in. by 10in. cylinders, or larger if required. This concern also builds one of the best deck' hoists on the lakes, having between 200 and 300 in use on fresh and salt. water. They also build a friction dock hoist used in coal yards and pile driving, and twin engines for dredges, etc. A vest pocket memoarandum. book will be sent to any one writing the manufacturers of these hoists at Saginaw, Mich,