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* The Steam Yacht Race. Editor Marine Review :--Referring to letter of Mr. Fred. A. Bal- lin, addressed to yourselves, as published in your issue of Aug. 20, page 11, under heading, "Discussion of the Steam Yacht Race,"' the inquiry which I desire to answer, quoting from Mr. Ballin's letter, is as follows: "Giving the builders of hull and engines of the Enquirer just credit, it still needs an explanation to understand how she could beat a racing machine like the Say When, considering and comparing dimensions and machinery."' In explanation, I am pleased to be able to inform Mr. Ballin and your readers generally that the Enquirer used the highest grade of steam fuel in the world in the race of Thursday, Aug. 18. Im evidence of the fact that the celebrated Pocahontas coal is the best fuel for steamship use, I will state that the Wm. Cramp & Sons Ship and En- gine Building Co. of Philadelphia, finding that the engines of the cruiser Yorktown, when she was tested by the government for speed on our coal, showed 400 horse power in excess of that shown when she used anthracite coal, gave our Pocahontas coal exhaustive tests; and this company, as well as other contractors, finding it would drive a steamer faster, and develop the power of its engines to a greater de- gree than any other coal, have since used Pocohontas exclusively on all government cruisers Which they haye built for the past several years. As a result, the steamers Philadelphia, Baltimore, Newark, Bancroft, Detroit, New York, Machias, Castine, Montgomery, Marble- head , Columbia, Indiana and Massachussetts all showed such an ex- cess, both of engine power and rate of speed over the contract require- ments, that the builders received large bonuses on all the ships, the amounts at times reaching as high as $350,000. 'The data of steam trials of various vessels above named is as follows: Name. Builder. Date of trial. Premium. Baltimore saii1s Cramp & Sons.......- Noy. 15, 1889... $106,442 Philadelphia ....Cramp & Sons........ June 25, 1890... 100,000 Newark....... 2. Cramp & Sons........ Dec. 22, 1890 ... 36,857 Baneroip . 22... Moore & Sons ........ al. 205k Ode) cee 45,000 Detroiu cir. Columbian Iron Works April 17, 1893... 150,000 News Yorke Cramp & Sons........ May 22, 1893.... 200,000 A ASA Sietogiecstonon Bath Iron Works ..... June 10, 1893... 45,000 Castine®# 2.25... 4. Bath Iron Works ..... Sept. 15, 1893... 50,000 Columbia .......Cramp & Sons........ Noy. 18, 1893 ... 350,000 Marblehead ..... Quintard Iron Works. .Dec. 7, 18938 .... 125,000 Montgomery ....Columbian Iron Works.Jan. 19, 1894.... 200,000 Indiaman. 22. Cramp & Sons....... Och =. 139 baie 50,000 Massachusetts ...Cramp & Sons.......- Tgovatl IUSIND . 5 os 125,000 Showing total of premiums earned with Pocohontas coal of $1,583,299, The U. S. S. Charleston used Cardiff coal on her trial trip and a penalty of $33,384 was imposed; the Monterey used Cardiff coal and a penalty of $32,723 was imposed, while the San Francisco earned a pre- mium of $100,000 with Cardiff coal. The U.S. 8. Petrel used Cum- berland coal on her trial trip and a penalty of $485 was imposed. The Concord used anthracite coal and earned a premuim of but $453, and the Bennington also used anthracite coal with a premium of only $3,609. These facts speak for themselves. Under date of Sept. 23, 1889, the Wm. Cramp & Sons Ship and Engine Building Co. wrote us in testimony of the fine steaming qualities of Pocahontas coal, as follows: Messrs. Castner & Curran, General Agents, Pocohontas Coal.-- Gentlemen: On the trial trips of the U.S. S. Baltimore we used the Pocahontas coal. For more than four hours we ran with a forced draught that showed an average pressure of 2.25 inches. Under such conditions the fires raised plenty of steam, the coal burning with an intense white heat and but a small amount of ash was produced. Although the firemen were on for the entire four hours they were in no way distressed. We are entirely satisfied with the action of this coal and consider it the best that we have ever used. William Cramp & Sons Ship and Engine Building Co., Philadelphia, Sept. 23, 1889. by W. M. Cramp, Vice-President. The Herreshoff Manufacturing Co. (to whom Mr. Ballin refers as the builders of the Say When, now owned by the Hon. W. J. White of Cleyeland,) hearing of the wonderful steaming qualities of our Pocahontas coal, and having satisfied themselves, by analysis and trial trips, that a steamer using it would attain a speed she could not reach by the use of other coal, tested the torpedo boat Cushing (built for the MARINE REVIEW. oe government) with our coal, which caused her to exceed the speed -- called for by the government, of 22 knots an hour. During a run of three hours, the vessel did not vary seven pounds in the amount of steam bareteal She was under 240 and 247 pounds during the entire run, her full capacity being 250 pounds. In consequence of the remarkable showing of the cruisers men- tioned above, the secretary of the navy, on Aug. 15, 1889, issued a general order to the commandants of nayy yards, aipecuie them to make all trial trips of cruisers with Pocahontas coal. Since this order was issued all government vessels have been tested with Pocohontas coal. Under date of March 28, 1890, the Herreshoff Manufacturing Co. wrote us in testimony of the fine steaming qualities of Pocohontas coal, as follows: Castner & Curran, General Agents Pocohontas Coal, Philadelphia, Pa.--Gentlemen: We hand you herewith analysis of the Pocahontas coal which you furnished us, and which was used in the official trials of United States torpedo boat Cushing. We take pleasure in saying that we have found this coal to be the finest American coal we have ever had anything to do with, and we believe it is nearly if not quite, equal to the best English coals. Herreshoff Manufacturing Co. Bristol, R. I., Mar. 25, 1890. I trust that the above facts will fully explain how and why the Enquirer won the race, and as Mr. Ballin isa yacht builder, I have no doubt that these facts will prove interesting to him, as well as to the general public. G. E. Alkins, Agent. Columbus, O., Aug. 21, 1896. Loss of the Atlantic, Editor Marine Review :--In your issue of the 13th inst., in an item giving an account of disasters to early lake passenger steamers, the last paragraph states that "the Atlantic foundered in a gale of ina Bh If this refers to the steamer of that name which left Buffalo for Detroit in the fall of 1852, I beg leave to correct you by stating that she was run into by the propeller Ogdensburgh and nearly cut in two. Over 400 lives were lost, most of them immigrants. My father oecu- pied a state-room and was saved. L. E. Osborn, Sheffield Scientific School, New Haven, Conn., Aug. 22, 1896. Yale University. Seeking infoerpations Editor Marine Review:--We are subscribers of your aaah and desirous of learning something about Mississippi river commerce. Can flour and grain be shipped from St. Paul to New Orleans by water without change? If so, what are the rates on flour, corn and wheat to New Orleans, and what is the capacity of vessels engaged in the trade? Probably some of your subscribers can answer these qusteions. Kirkwood & McKinnon. Sudbury, Ont., Aug. 21, 1896. The General Electric Co. recently secured another big order for electrical equipment to be used in a power plant on the Kern river, the third largest stream in California. The General company's three- phase apparatus will be used to transmit the power of the river to Bakersfield, a straight-line distance of about fourteen miles. The ca- pacity of the power plant, which was built by the Power Development Co., and in the flume of which there is 475,000 feet of red wood, is es- timated at 7,500 horse power. The electrical equipment will consist at first of two 450 kilowatt three-phase generators running at 257 rey- olutions per minute. The voltage at the dynamo terminals will be 550 volts. This will be raised in step-up transformers to 11,000 volts, and will be carried on six No. 4 bare copper wires to the sub station at Bakersfield, where it will be transformed down to 2,000 volts for dis- tribution. The current will be utilized at first on an extensive system of electric railroads, as well as for street and house lighting, and for oper- ating pumps for irrigation purposes. Mines in the mountains will also probably take current for their mills, hoists, pumps, etc. Letters bearing the following names await claimants at the marine post office, Detroit, Mich.: N. A. Klees, Peter Marcroix, Rey. W. Maher, iret Ma Uiprtialel Daniel Ward. i G. A. R. Encampment, St. Paul--The Nickel Plate road sells ex- cursion tickets Aug. 30, 31, and Sept. 1. Through Chicago sleeping cars and diners on through trains. 253 Sep 2. : <page eee