The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

12. MARINE REVIEW. DEVOTED TO LAKE MARINE AND KINDRED INTERESTS. Published every Thursday at No. 409 Perry-Payne building, Cleveland, Ohlo, - by John M. Mulrooney and F. M. Barton. - | Svpscriprron--$2.00 per year inadyance. Single copies 10 centseach. Convenient binders seut, post paid, $1.00. Advertising rates on application. : _ Entered at Cleveland Post Office as Second class Mail Matter. The books of the United States treasury department on June 30, 1896, contained the names of 3,333 vessels, of 1,324,067.58 gross tons register in the lake trade. The number of steam vessels of 1.000 gross tons, and over that amount, on the lakes on June 30, 1896, was 383 and their aggregate gross tonnage 711,034.28; the number of vessels of this class owned in all other parts of the country on the same date was 316 and their tonnage 685,204.55, so that more than half of the best steamships in all the United States are owned on the lakes. 'The classification of the entire lake fleet on June 30, 1896, was as follows: g Gross Nn Don abet Steam vessels........ vecasiol conesendeus Biaeneslasgscegeecsstonsosnes : 1, 630. Sailing vessels and barges 1,125 : 354,327.60 G@aTTAIND OWES eee eae ceerortn cc acsscelcocscarcecsccscstsscacssccscssces 416 45,109.47 Total. ...0is. Renate tae cceis aa dees Seassesaaaed) - OsO08 1,324,067.58 The gross registered tonnage of the vessels built on the lakes during the past six years, according to the reports of the United States commissioner of navigation, is as follows: : ' ear ending June 30. 1891 ...............-+000 peneenerseeeenenster 204 111,856 45 Ye ie ae SEPA recoorecrecns meee GD 45,968.98 wi SS pe SOB Rtaeeeetettentecsectsctestecscscsscesvarxs 175 99,271.24 ns od of Od eeeen se crecteccmescanseacadeeeeadaesns ae 06 41,984.61 a ny '§ NOD teregeasesnsneecrralGnearecteosrast=ner= 93 36,352.70 = es * SOG terres jecesneecseetessranserccseercesens ; 117 108,782.38 WING fill event eee rcencenesserietetascereatecessaseora | OUd 414,216.36 ST. MARY'S FALLS AND SUEZ CANAL TRAFFIC. (From Oficial Reports of Canal Officers.) St.Mary's Falls Canals. Suez Canal. 1896" | 1895 | 1894 1896 | 1805 | 1894 Number of vessel passages- 18,615 17,956 14,491 3,409} 3,484 3,352 Tonnage, net registered...... 17,219,418] 16,806,781] 13,110,366]| 8,560,284) 8,448,383] 8,039,175 Days of navigation...... ...... 232 231 234 365) 365] - 365 *1895 and 1896 figures include traffic of Canadian canal at Sault Ste. Marie. __ A few years ago officers of the Lake Carriers' Association found great difficulty in even getting a hearing from the heads of the light-house service when they sought appropriations for aids to navigation, which in many cases they were maintaining by private subscription. But, as has been the case in other departments of the government, these officers have gradually acquainted themselves with the vast interests of the lakes, and the situation is different now. A few weeks ago the naval secretary of the light-house board, Commander Wilde, made a-trip up the lakes and returned more. thoroughly convinced than ever of the full justice of appropriations that have been granted of late for the purpose of adequately lighting and buoying and in other ways distinguishing the danger points in various parts of these waterways. Now the chairman of the board, Commander Schley, is on a trip of inspection, going all the way to the head of Lake Superior, and the officers of the Lake Carriers' Association have made arrangements at a few points that will tend to interest him in the subject of lake light-houses. Through the efforts of Capt. Geo. P. McKay and Mr. C. H. Keep, representing the vessels owners, arrange- ments were made for a special car to conduct Capt. Schley from Two Harbors to the iron mines of Minnesota, and for his return by one of the passenger steamers of the Northern line to Buffalo, At Duluth he was shown the various points of interest in and around the harbor by Mr. A. B. Wolvin and Capt.-Alex-McDougall. Capt. Schley has said that the general run of fog signals on the lakes are inadequate for the service required of them, as in many cases they cannot be gotten ready for service until an hour or more after fog has set in. He will probably be convinced also that the power of many of the lights is also inade- quate, and that in this regard, as with the fog signals, the board can render a great service by beginning the substitution of better lights and improved signals as soon as possible. These visits of Washington offi- cials to the lakes are always beneficial to the vessel interests and_ will, of course, be encouraged. Mr. Burton of Cleveland expected to have a party of members of the river and harbor committee of the house of representatives accompany him on a trip to Lake Superior next week. A few of these gentlemen found other engagements more pressing on account of the late adjournment of congress, but Mr. Burton will make the trip anyhow and hopes to have some company. Congressman Jerry Simpson, who has always been very much interested in lake commerce, on account of several years spent as a sailor on lake lumber carriers, will also make a trip to Lake Superior. As a result of increased steam pressures, superior metals and im- proved tools, the weight of marine machinery is only two-thirds what it was sixty years ago. Thus the engines of the first Cunarder, Britannia, of 8% knots speed, weighed about 110 tons, although the power was only 740. A torpedo boat destroyer today has machinery which develops 4,500 horse power and it weighs only 100 tons. The result of 411% horse power for every ton of machinery got with 80-knot torpedo craft is about the highest yet attained: It is probable that this machinery might not stand the wear and tear of ocean steaming, but with some sea-going cruisers 20 horse power per.ton.is got; with our fastest ocean steamers 14. horse power per ton, and with the ordinary tramp steamer 7. horse power. This all means greater capacity for carrying a paying load. -Thus ee ---- sixty years ago the load carried was only 10 per cent. of the total weight driven by the machinery of a ship; today steamers are built of the same speed whose paying load is néarly 7d per cent. of the total load. °° The following favorable notice of the Blue Book of American Ship- ping is especially appreciated. Hundreds of a similar nature have ap- peared in trade journals throughout the country, but this one js irom a publication at home, the Iron Trade Review, which enjoys the Tepu- tation of being thoroughly reliable and which covers a field that is closely related to the shipping interests of the lakes. The Iron Trade Review says: 'With its excellent 1896 volume, it was something of a task for the Marine Review to excel itself in the Blue Book of American Shipping for 1897. Yet this has been done. Apart from the statistical information and the marine illustrations that take up large space, the new volume has as special features lists of lake vessels, of the owners of 900 of the largest boats, of 1,000 captains, with addresses, and of 2.000 lake marine engineers, with addresses. A department that broadens the scope of the work contains 150 pages of lists of vessels and engineers jn the coast marine, with other valuable data relative to Atlantic coast vessel interests. There are 450 pages in all, and the various departments are separated by staining blue the coast directory, while that of the lakes is red. The work is exceedingly valuable to all connected in any way with marine interests, and will no doubt be largely circulated." Dr. W. J. Gatling, famous as the inventor of the gun that bears his name, is in Cleveland looking after the work of casting and boring the new 8-inch gun that is being made by the Otis Steel Co., and which js to be bored at the works of the Cleveland City Forge. Dr.' Gatling' says that if the experiments being made with this gun, to be cast in one piece, prove successful, the cost of making the big coast defense guns, which our government has in contemplation, will be cut in two. This experimental gun will weigh nearly 30 tons and will be about 23 feet long. Congress in 1896 appropriated $40,000 for experiments in casting big guns in one piece, to be conducted under the direction. of Dr. Gatling, who is of late directing his attention with all energy to the development of great arms for sea-coast defense. Bet gies Secretary Long has decided that the United States naval vessels shall not be equipped with the electrical system of turning turrets until a better system is found than any experimented with hitherto. The battle- ships Illinois, Alabama and Wisconsin will be equipped with the hydraulic system of turning turrets. Naval Constructor D. W. Taylor, who has just returned from England,-where he represented-the navy-atthe-Congress of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers, has reported that the British admiralty is making little use of electricity in connection with turning turrets, preferring the safer and more satisfactory system of hydraulics. The armored cruiser Brooklyn is equipped with electrical controlled tur- rets, and reports received from that vessel have convinced the authorities that electricity for turret use is not at present in a sufficiently advancéd stage --Army and Navy Journal. Mr. Geo. Shepard, who was with the Globe Iron Works Co. for some time and who is now known to designers of marine engines on the lakes, is in Cléveland on a visit from California, where he has been engaged with the Union Iron Works. Mr. Shepard says the Pacific coast yard is very well supplied with orders. They have in hand a battleship and torpedo boat for the United States government, a cruiser for Japan, and two merchant:steamers, one for the Sandwich island trade and another for Mexican coast trade. They have also about concluded arrangements for the building of a ferry-boat for local service, and have on hand at all times the building of marine boilers and engines, as well as a very large amount of mining machinery. Superintendent E. S. Wheeler of the St. Mary's Falls canal, who is highly regarded by the engineer officers of the war department, was seriously considered for the place on the new Nicaragua commission. Mr. Wheeler was not an applicant and did not even: know his name was being considered, If he had striven for the place he would undoubtedly. have obtained it. In the event that government work is inaugurated on the Nicaragua within a reasonable time, Mr. Wheeler will undoubtedly have charge of it, unless he should refuse the assignment. The secretary of war is quoted.as saying recently that Mr. Wheeler has the reputation of being the best lock builder in the world.--Exchange. . Although the management of the Cleveland Ship Building Co. has not been hurrying the completion of its new plant at Lorain, it 1s prod" able that the ship-yard section of the works could be started on short notice if an order for a ship or two were in hand. The main steel build- ing in the ship-yard section is completed, and the necessary furnaces, cranes and other equipment-have-been-under-order for some time past, S0 that they will go in hurriedly when the work of fitting up begins. _ ue big dry dock hole has been pumped out and it is expected that the dock, with pump-house, etc., will be fully completed about the close of navi- gation. \ . 0 In about two weeks another steamer will be competing for came records with vessels of the Wolvin fleet. Water-tube boilers from ie works of the Babcock & Wilcox Co. for the steamer Empire City we received in Cleveland a few days ago and are now being rapidly te in the ship. The Empire City was finished in all other parts when boilers arrived, even to the connecting of piping. The boilers were shipped from New York to Cleveland in a canal boat, by way ° the Erie canal and Lake Erie. The Goodrich Transportation Co. of Chicago seems determined 19 keep up with appliances tending to the safety of passengers aboard f ie vessels. They have just given an order to the Standard Automatic Relea e ing Hook Co. of 22 and 24 State street, New York, for four sets 0 ines hooks for the steamer Virginia. All of the boats onthe Virginia are no equipped with the Standard hooks. "ih