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MARINE REVIEW. He i Ship Building Matters. Everybody in the-vessel business is guessing as to the plans of John D. Rockefellers representatives on the lakes regarding new ships. The re- port that the 'Carnegie company or the Carnegie-Oliver interests are to let contracts for new vessels on account of their recent acquirement of big ore properties on the Gogebic range, was dismissed with little thought, as there is absolutely nothing in it. Neither is there any reason why Mr. Rockefeller's representatives should rush into the building of a large number of new vessels on account of their connection with this transaction. It will undoubtedly be the policy of the Bessemer Steamship Co. to add gradually to its fleet, and at this writing Mr. L. IM. Bowers, general man- ager of that company, is known to. be figuring with several of the lake ship builders. It would not be surprising, howeve1, to find that this figuring would result in contracts for only one or two ships to be out next spring, or that the matter would be deferred until later on, so as to take advantage of lower prices on one or two ships which the builders would not be required to deliver until next fall. A statement which seems to come from Mr. Oliver says that the Carnegie Gogebic ores. will be on the general market to be carried by the lowest bidder. As announced in the Review of last week, the American Steel Barge Cc. has two steel ships to build at its West Superior yard, and in' prep- aration for this work the directors of the company have authorized an expenditure of $20,000 for an overhead crane system to cover a slip on which the two vessels will be built. No appropriation was provided for the proposed machine shop. The steamer which the barge company will build on its own account will be 412 feet over all, 50 feet beam and 27 fee. depth. The bow will be of the ordinary type with turtleback fore- castle, but other parts of the vessel will be whaleback in design, with tur- rets, whaleback stern, etc. The tow barge to be built for the Minnesota Steamship Co. will be 3876 feet keel, 46 feet beam and 26 feet depth. It's wonderful how quadruple expansion engines for freight steamers are taking hold. Everybody who is contracting or talking of a contract includes quadruple engines in the plans. (Mr. A. B. Wolvin and the man- agement of the Chicago Ship Building Co. may claim credit for this ad- vance in engineering on lake freight steamers, the Chicago company especially on account of the meager machine shop facilities under which they began the construction of the first set of engines of this type. It is understood that the new engine works of the Chicago company, al- though not very large, is a fine shop. It is now about complete in all its parts. The Ship Owners' Dry 'Dock 'Co., 'Cleveland, has just finished on the steamer Yuma the first job of repairs worked with its new plant for tepairs to steel vessels. Bottom pleting seams and butts on the Yuma were caulked and a number of frames were strapped and re-riveted in the water bottom. Although the job was a small one, it was well done, bearing evidence of good workmanship in every particular. Some differences have come up regarding the formation of the new Cleyeland-Toledo steamship company, and on this account the final ar- fangements with the Detroit Dry Dock Co. for the construction of a duplicate of the passenger steamer City of Buffalo are delayed, but the matter will be amicably settled within a few days. Jones & Loughlins of Pittsburg are interested in the 400-foot steel steamer for which Mr. Wm. G. 'Mather of Cleveland let a contract to the Cleveland Ship Building Co. a few days ago. Decision in New York-Conemaugh Collision Case. | The United States circuit court of appeals, sitting at Cincinnati, has reversed the decision of United States District Judge Swan of Detroit, who held the steamer New York to blame for the sinking of the steamer Conemaugh in the Detroit river below Sandwich point, Oct. 21, 1891. Damages involved amount to $72,978, together with interest and costs. The collision occurred at 8 o'clock in the evening. The New York, of the i nion Steamboat 'Co., was bound up, and the (Conemaugh of the Anchor ae was bound down. The latter had a full load of package freight; the ormer had part of a load of package freight. The Conemaugh, with the current, was going about 12 miles an hour; the New York, against it, was 8oing about 10. The old steamer 'Burlington, bound down with a tow ol barges, all lumber laden, was rounding toward Smith's coal dock, Where she was bound for fuel. The two steamers attempted to pass each other astern of the last barge in the tow and the collision followed. The grounds on which the decision of Judge Swan was reversed will not be Gis until the full decision is at hand. The decision not only assesses aes Conemaugh the full damage to herself and cargo, but the $3,000 emer to the New York also, together with the six years' accumulated rest on the entire amount, and the costs, as well. The value of the Around the Lakes. bros iPments of iron ore from Ashland 6 Oct. 1 aggregated 1,572,684 'tons, of which 718,709 tons was moved from the Wisconsin Central ocks and 853,975 tons from the Northwestern docks. rng enominee, Mich., now has a very good harbor. The channel is inet fet long from the end of the government piers to the North Lud- asin Gd 200 feet wide and 18 feet deep. At the upper end is a turning : 00 feet long and 250 feet wide. Ship ae Tilden, admiralty lawyers of 'Cleveland, have dissolved partner- Tae" Tilden goes to a new firm, to be known as \Solders,. Hogshett dient. Mr. Roger M. Lee retains, on his own account, the offices of the 'min the Perry-Payne bui!ding. Years €ceipts of coal of all kinds, net tons, at Milwaukee during several Past, according to reports of the chamber of commerce of that city, 1893, oct as follows: 1890, 996,658 tons; 1891, 1,156,033; 1892, 1,374,414; Yearg te) /925 1894, 1,337,046; 1895, 1,446,423; 1896, 1,587,795. Of late 'eneniaugh is ow considerably less than the total involved in the suit. . € receipts have been about equally divided as to hard and soft coal. Southwark and Kensington. nat Editor Marine Review:--On page 12 of your issue of Sept. 16 you speak of Archibald Denny presenting figures indicating the great amount of detailed calculation and design involved in the construction of the Southwark. Now, if you refer to the Southwark which the Denney con- structed in 1893 for the International Navigation 'Co., 1 beg to say that the dimensions given are all wrong. Being attached to the Southwark in the interest of the International Navigation Co. from the time the first part of her machinery and boilers was put in until she had made her trial trips on the Clyde, when I was transferred to the Kensington, built for-the same company by J. & G. Thomson, and being in a position to know all the particulars and dimensions of these two ships, I will give their prin- cipal dimensions, which for the Southwark are: Length between per- pendiculars on 26 feet water line, 480 feet, breadth, 57 feet; depth, mould- ed, 40 feet; dead weight carrying capacity, 10,505 tons; gross tonnage, 8,606; net register, 5,641; total cargo capacity to bottom of beams, 512,360 cubic feet; to top of beams, 54,194 cubic feet. The Southwark is propelled by twin screws, driven by two sets of quadruple expansion engines haying cylinders 25%, 3744, 52% and 74 inches diameter by 4 feet 6 inches stroke; which developed 7,780 I. H. P., making 87.5 revolutions per minute on the trial trips, the ship averaging 16.34 knots per hour during the fonr hours' run down and up the Clyde. 'Her mean draft was 22 feet, with about 5,000 tons of coal and iron in her. The Kensington is the same in length, breadth and depth and has engines and boilers of the same size. Her gross tonnage is 8,668.73; registered tonnage, 5,645.30; displacement at 22 feet mean draft, 12,469 gross tons; at 24 feet mean draft, 13,759; at 26 feet mean draft, 15,055, and at 28 feet mean draft, 16,355 gross tons; cubic feet of cargo space, 517,860 to bottom of beams, and 544,270 to top of beams; water ballast in eight tanks, 1,456 gross tons. During her meas- ured-mile trial down and up the 'Clyde, May 30, 1894, she averaged 15,874 knots per hour on 22 feet mean draft, the engines developing 8,313 I. H. P., making 86.7 revolutions per minute. New York, Oct. 5, 1897. 'iH. J. PHIPERS ['The vessel referred to in Mr. '\Denny's calculations is not the Sotth- wark built for the International Navigation Co.--Editor]. To Educate Naval Constructors at Home. The refusal of government officials in England to admit young naval cadets from the United States to the Royal College at Greenwich has re- sulted in steps being taken for the special education of these young men at home. A new course in naval architecture, for the benefit of constructors who are hereafter to be appointed in the navy, was begun at Annapolis on the 4th inst., when three cadets, recently graduated in the four years' practical and theoretical work at the academy, entered upon another course which will cover three years. It had been the purpose of the authorities to limit the course to two years, the time taken by American cadets to cover the work prescribed at the Royal College at Greenwich and at Glasgow, but it was decided that another year should be added in order to afford ample time to the class for studying the navy yards of the country and the character of designing conducted by them. . Constructor Hobson, who will be in charge of the course at Annapolis, says that during the winter theoretical work will be carried on, and in the summer the class will be taken to the leading ship yards of the country, where the actual work of warship building can be investigated and studied. This winter the class will be set at work designing a big battleship, a cruiser, and a torpedo boat, and if the plans are better than those turned out by the construction bureau in Washington, they may be used in build- ing the next new vessels for the navy. The establishment of this course at the naval college is due to Chief Constructor Hichborn, who urged that there was no longer necessity of sending cadets abroad to take a course in naval architecture, as our own constructors were now capable of imparting as complete knowledge as was required. Cargo Records of Lake Ships. James Corrigan's steel tow barge Amazon loaded 5,631 gross tons of ore at Duluth, Monday, for South Chicago. This is equal to 6,307 net tons, or eleven tons more ore than had previously been moved in a single cargo on the lakes. The Wolvin steamer Empire City is thus deprived of the ore- cargo record by the small margin of eleven net tons. Record cargoes of ore, grain and coal follow: : Iron ore--Schooner Amazon, owned by James Corrigan of Cleveland, 5,631 tons gross, or 6,307 net, Duluth to South Chicago, draft of 17 feet 1 inch; steamer Empire City, A. B. Wolvin of Duluth, 5,622 tons gross, or 6,296 net, Two Harbors to Cleveland, draft of 17 feet 2 inches; schooner Polynesia, James Corrigan of Cleveland, 5,477 tons gross, 6,134 net, Du- luth to Fairport, draft of 16 feet 8 inches; Andrew Carnegie, Wilson Transit Co. of Cleveland, 5,425 tons gross, 6,076 net, Two Harbors to Cleveland, draft of 17 feet 4 inches. Grain--Steamer Crescent City, A. B. Wolvin of Duluth, 225,000 bush- els of corn, equal to 6,300 net tons, South Chicago to Buffalo, draft of 17 feet; steamer Empire City, A. B. Wolvin of Duluth, 205,445 bushels of wheat, equal to 6,163 net tons, Duluth to Buffalo; schooner Amazon, James Corrigan of Cleveland, 217,000 bushels of corn, equal to 6,076 net tons, Chicago to Buffalo, 16 feet 6 inches draft; steamer Crescent City, A. B. Wolvin of Duluth, 318,000 bushels of oats, equal to 5,088 net tons, Duluth to Buffalo. Commander Folger, U. S. N., light-house inspector of the district that includes Lake Superior, Sault river, Lake Huron and other places on down to the headquarters of the district in Detroit, has been making a number of changes among keepers of lights and other employees, and it naturally follows that some of the politicians are after him. It is quite certain, however, that Commander Folger did not find this district in the best of shape when he took hold of it, and his efforts to improve the service will undoubtedly be approved by superior officers at Washington. ~