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10 MARINE Militia of the Lakes. The recent visit of Assistant Secretary of the Navy Theodore Roose- velt to the lakes will undoubtedly prove advantageous to the several naval reserve bodies that have been organized in Illinois, Michigan and Ohio -within the past few years. In a special report dealing with the condition and efficiency of these organizations, he speaks of them in the highest terms, and says that the best trained battalions now on the lakes could be used immediately on regular ships of war. "This applies," Mr. Roose- velt says, "to the militia of the lakes, as well as to the militia of the seacoast--and certainly no greater tribute is necessary to pay to the lake militia. I am aware that this statement will seem very surprising to those who are unacquainted with the progress that has been made by certain 'battalions of the naval militia, but I am so thoroughly convinced of its truth that I shall recommend that next year the experiment be made of giving a couple of our small cruisers of the Bennington and Machias, or possibly of the Detroit class, one to a specially selected battalion from the coast and one to a specially selected battalion from the lakes, for the annual sea practice. The captain and executive officer and navigator would be kept on board. It might also be that the engineers would have to be kept aboard, as it is apparently only among the Second Illinois battalion on the upper Mississippi that any special effort has been made to develop machinists who could be immediately used on board warships. But every other position could be filled well from certain of the naval - battalions which have been longest in existence, and which, together with | length of service, have to their credit the best use of opportunities. These ships would be sent say, from New York to Hampton roads and back, stopping for target practice and the like. From such a cruise it would be possible to learn exactly the capacities of the naval militia. Of course, only the very best battalions could be considered in connection with it, for no battalion would be sent on such a cruise until long and faithful training had fitted it to do the work, and until its members had repeatedly - shown themselves, in the opinion of the naval officers who have been with them on their annual cruises, competent for the trial. "T found in the inspection of lake organizations that the First Illinois - battalion is fortunate enough to have two naval academy graduates at its head, and it shows in every way the excellent results of their training. It is already doing excellent work and is steadily improving. The Second battalion deserves particular credit, inasmuch as it has started on a river and is without the advantages afforded by the ocean or the great lakes. _ This is the battalion which has paid such particular heed to the develop- ment of machinists. If possible, when the torpedo flotilla is sent up the Mississippi, the men of this battalion should be given drill and instruction aboard the torpedo boats. "Tn Michigan I was only able to see the First and Third divisions, and from their commander to the most recently enlisted landsman I have nothing but praise for the workmanlike way in which their duties were performed. No battalion on the coast can make a better showing. The discipline is excellent. The commissioned officers, aside from the com- mander, who is a naval academy graduate, have all worked their way up through the ranks; and the seamen, ordinary seamen, and landsmen (who, as is proper, form the bulk of the battery, for no landsman is made an ordinary seaman or seaman until he has passed the rigid examination requisite to show his fitness) are for the most part business or profes- _ sional men, who are actuated simply by a sincere spirit of patriotism, and who show by their efficiency the effect of painstaking and faithful per- formance of duties, which must often be irksome. I consider these divi- sions fit now to be put in charge of one of our smaller cruisers. j "The Ohio naval brigade has just begun its existence. The men _showed a most praiseworthy spirit and purpose, and I would particularly call attention to the wise generosity of the state of Ohio in uniforming them so well and so quickly, and in a very short time, if they continue as they have begun, they will amply prove the wisdom of that generosity." Fast Torpedo Boats. _. The development of speed in torpedo boats is a study of special interest, and the effect of the rapid increase of speed in this class of vessel is by no means confined to it, as a basis is thus formed for the introduc- _ tion of many improvements, and consequent higher speed, in vessels of large size. The question is often asked, what is the probable increase in speed to be in the future, and in what direction are we to look for im- _ provements with a view to obtain it? One evident mode of increasing _ speed is by augmenting the size of the vessel and its machinery, as, if the proportion of weight allotted to the machinery is the same, a greater speed will be obtained. To secure speed by this means, however, does not involve any special skill or anything in the nature of improvement. All that is necessary is simply to reproduce the same description of hull and engines, but of a larger size. Greater skill is shown where an excep- tional speed is obtained within small dimensions, and in this respect the results obtained by M. Normand of Havre, in his latest achievements, are specially creditable. No doubt, material of greater strength than generally adopted would admit of lighter scantlings for the hulls; prob- ably the engines themselves may be driven at a higher number of revo- lutions and possibly improvements in water-tube boilers may enable a reduction of weight to be secured without loss of efficiency. Aluminum may also be introduced, as a substitute for heavier metals. It is in the saving of weight for power that advance may be looked for in the imme- diate future, and the shipbuilder can now see his way to.obtain from 32 to 34 knots.--A. F. Yarrow in Cassier's Magazine. Buffalo papers report that the New York Central has boug! _ tons of bituminous coal, to be delivered at Buffalo and ReoeRe or Aine the coming year, at $1.20 and $1.25 a ton, the lowest prices ever recorded -. The contract is divided between the Rochester & Pittsburgh Co., the Fair- mount Coal & 'Coke Co. and Osborn, Saeger & Co. of Cleveland. Aug. 13 the Nickel Plate road will sell i i Fede Ack acca : will sell excursion tickets to ues, _ Visit the Cleveland Grays who are in camp at Chaut Nickel Plate road runs a low rate excursion ones Wa} tees wl ae REVIEW. Steel Ore Cars. There is presented herewith an illustration of one of the 50-ton steel ore cars, 600 rei which are being built by the Schoen Pressed Steel Co, of Pittsburg for the Pittsburg, Bessemer & Lake Erie Railroad Co., the ing the Carnegie coal and ore railway between Con- corporation operati eat and Pittsburg. These cars represent the most advanced ideas that have thus far been embodied in steel car construction, and if they prove successful they will have a decided influence in determining the ultimate type of steel car that is quite certain to soon supplant the wooden car in heavy traffic. The chief point which may be set forth as a claim to NEW TYPE OF 50 TON ORE CAR FOR CARNEGIE ROAD. superiority in the construction of these cars is the lightness of the struciure when considered in conjunction with their carrying capacity, and as com- pared with the weight of wooden built cars of similar capacity. The total structural weight is 34,000 pounds. The construction of a car of this kind is thus briefly described in the Railway Review: "It consists of four main sills' 10 inches deep at the end and gradually increasing to 17 inches at the mid-length where the greater swaying burden is supported. The single formation 'of the side sheet with flanges at top and bottom, and its through riveting with the top flange on the side sill practically constitutes the entire side of the car as a single girder. To the center sill are riveted two longitudinal hoods and one transverse hood, which construction adds materially to their strength. The body bolster is placed on top of the sills, which is an advantage in the reduction of the total height of the car from the top of the rails. This body bolster is made of a rectangular piece of steel. Because of the bolster being deeper at the center than at the ends, the surplus, of metal toward the end affords opportunity for converting it into gusset plates, which are riveted to the flanges of the-side sill and side sheeting. A flange is also turned up on the ends of the bolster and is riveted to the side sheeting, which is re-enforced by a rectangular plate on the outside, %4 inch thick. In addition to this the bolster is braced and tied to the sill by triangular brackets. The end sill of the car is pressed out of one sheet of steel and is re-enforced by gusset plates which are riveted to it and the main sills of the car. The car is tied together by a transverse hood and hopper and by the several shapes which are employed. The Westinghouse friction draft and buffing device is used upon these cars, and also the automatic air brake. The brake cylinders are located under the hopper, near the end of the car." Gas and Electric Buoys. A street railway manager, who is interested in vessel property, and who recently made a trip up the lakes, returned to Cleveland a few days ago with a grand scheme for lighting the Sault river by electricity. With time on his hands he had figured it out fully to his own satisfaction. His company had used electricity extensively for lighting. purposes in connec- tion with a trolley system of street railway, and he was: able to present his views of river lighting to a party of Cleveland vessel men, at the same time urging them to take the matter up with the light-house board and urge its adoption, not only for the Sault river but for other channels on the lakes. into consideration. The practical vessel man wants nothing to do with electric lights for signal purposes, either aboard his ship or in light-houses of any kind. To the vessel man the thought of some unknown powét cutting off the current and leaving a channel in darkness is the great ob- jection to electric lights. Gedney's channel, New York, is lighted by electric buoys. Here is an item regarding them from the New York Journal, just at hand: "The pilot commissioners are sometimes twice a month notified that the electric lighted buoys in-Gedney's channel are out. In fact, these buoys are becoming a nuisance on that account, although the light-house board is doing its best to keep them going. It is the concensus of opinion that these electric lighted buoys should be discontinued and replaced by a more reliable system of lights." All interests on the lakes have taken to gas buoys on account of the certainty of service to be derived from them, and from the fact also that they may be located singly or in numbers at places where it would be impracticable from a commercial standpoint to operate electric buoys. The success that has attended the establishment of Pintsch gas buoys on the lakes will go a great way towards increasing the use of them throughout the country. Aug. 16 is the date fot the annual Niagara Falls ex ion via the Nickel Plate road. Sleeping cars attached. Tein. ey Aug. 15 But he was met with an objection which he had not taken -