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MARINE REVIEW. VoL. XIV. CLEVELAND, O., AUGUST 6, 1896. The Freight Situation. The ore freight market has shown no material change during the past week. The movement of ore from the receiving ports to the fur- naces is very light and the fact that dock space is getting scarce is causing shippers end less trouble. Some of them have stopped taking wild tonnage altogether and are kept very busy taking care of the contract boats. Ship pers have made no effort to further reduce rates and they still hold at 60 cents from the head of the lakes, 50 cents from Marquette and 40cents from- Escanaba. Owners are hopeful of getting all their ore, but much will depend on the condition of the docks later in the season, for if there is not room to store it and ship- ping orders are not forthcoming the ore can not be brought down. Quite a few small schooners have been laid up during the pats week and if it was not for the active movement of grain at Chicago during that time many of the larger boats would have been forced into ordinary as they could not have found ore cargoes. On account of the large number of boats that are on the market for coal cargoes, rates have been cut to 25 cents to all ports on soft coal and it is said that rates have been shaded on consorts. Hard coal rates from Buffalo have settled at 20 cents and even at that rate boats are more plentiful than cargoes. Some owners have reduced wages in TH F LUA Ps OT eT a U described we would, with the Howden draft, use a boiler only 12 feet 6 inches diameter by 12 feet long, with only two 44-inch furnaces and steam the same, 170 pounds. The weight of this latter boiler com- plete, including air heater, retarders, engine, blower and air duct would be 113,289 pounds--a difference in favor of the Howden boiler of 23,711 pounds, or more than 11 tons for the same power. It is our experience that a boiler of 12 feet 6 inches diameter with Howden draft is amply large to furnish, without forcing, steam for 1,000 horse power, and take the place of a shell of 14 feet 3 inches using natural draft. With a boiler of the dimensions we have noted, using Howden applicances, the steamer Aragon steamed easily at her maximum of 998 horse power. To prove this, the cuts were' pulled off with the steam at 140 pounds, and in a short time, with the engines running wide open, the steam went up to 160 pounds, and forced open the safety valve. It was easily held at this point. The Aragon's boiler is 12 feet 6 inches diameter by 12 feet long, and her engine is a triple, with cylinders 17, 274 and 46 inches diameter by 36 inches stroke. Last winter we took out of the steamer Progress two firebox boilers, 9 feet diameter by 16 feet length. These were replaced by a cylindrical boiler fitted with Howden appliances. The cylindrical boiler was:of: the size previously referred to, 124 by 12 feet, and it furnished amp! . os AS el TO THE SOO RIVER HANDICAP. order to keep their boats in commission but the movement is not gen- eral, and most of the large owners having contract ore and coal to move are paying the schedule adopted by the Lake Carriers' Associa- tion last spring. Contract boats have been the balance wheel that kept the fleet in motion, buf now one of the largest shippers whose docks are over- loaded has made arrangements to hold back a certain amount of con- tract ore from month to month. If room to receive it is available it will will be carried this fall but it may held over until next season. Big Difference in Boiler Weights. As a result of special attention directed of late to the Howden system of hot draft, the Detroit Dry Dock Co. has been receiving Inquiries regarding this draft from engine builders as well as vessel Owners. A recent inquiry from a well-known engine builder on the lakes had reference to weights and sizes of cylindrical boilers fitted with the Howden draft, as against weights and sizes when only nat- ural draft is used. The answer was in substance as follows: "We will take for natural draft a boiler 14 feet 3 inches diameter by 12 feet long, with three 45-inch furnaces and 170 pounds steam. This bare boiler with water would weight about 137,000 pounds. To get an amount of power equal to that contemplated with the boiler just steam for a double steeple compound engine with high pressure cylinders of 22 inches diameter. With her new equipment the Pro- gress drew 5 feet less aft than she was drawing previous to the change, and her cargo capacity has been increased about seventy -five tons. In addition to this she is saving in fuel about forty tons on a round rip from Chicago, and her speed is increased through having ample steam. Seven Miles, With or Without Currents? Editor of the MARINE REVIEW: The new law regulating speed in the Sault river does not seem to take currents into consideration. There are places in the river, where the current ranges from three to six miles per hour. Suppose it is three miles, then do I understand the boat's wheel is to be worked toa speed of four miles. In some laws I think you will find speed of boats | is given as water speed and not in the time it takes to pass any given stretch of shore. If this is the case in the present regulations the boat could run seven miles an hour through the water, and the current _ would add three miles per hour, making a total of ten miles an hour. Yours truly, F. MORELLE. +. Cleveland, O., August 3, 1896. No. 6. ~