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PEA sat Ship-Yard Matters. All of the lake ship builders refrained from bidding on the revenue cutter for'the New York station, and for which the revenue cutter officials: in Washington opened bids on Thursday last. The Globe Iron Works Co. 'of Cleveland would probably have submitted a | é with coast ship builders idle and lake yards quite busy, it was figured that the disadvantage of havifg'to pass the vessel through the St. Lawrence. canals in delivering her was too much of a handicap. The Columbian Iron Works & Dry Dock Co. of Baltimore offers to build the ship for $141,000 and deliver her July 25, 1898. This cutter is to be 188 feet over all, 170 feet between perpendiculars, 29 feet 6 inches beam, 16 feet 6 inches deep amidships and 10.feet draft. Other bids were: Gas Engine & Power Co, and Charles L. Seabury & Co., Consolidated, New York City, $151,800, time Sept. 20, 1898; Lewis Nixon, Elizabeth, N. J., $173;900, time Sept. 1, 1898; Charles Hillman Ship & Engine Building Co., Philadelphia, aes $173,000, time Sept. 1, 1898. It is quite probable that several of the harbor tug companies around the lakes will soon be figuring on additions to their fleets, and the boats to be built will undoubtedly be steel tugs of the largest type. L. P. & J. A. Smith of Cleveland have just purchased in the east a large compound engine, built by. the Cramps, which they will have placed in a new steel hull, to be built during the winter. This new tug will be in addition to the tug just launched for the Smiths by Bell of Buffalo, and which is 90 feet long, 23 feet beam and 14 feet deep. The big Cramp-built engines will develop about as much power as engines of the largest wooden steam- barges, and on account of their weight it is proposed to provide water tube boilers for the new tug, making a saving in weight of boilers to com- pensate for extra weight of engines. A few men with a good practical knowledge of ship building have found places in lake ship yards as representatives of ship owners who have big freight carriers under way. . Robert Curr, who is now at West Supe- rior, is one of these. Mr. Curr is looking after the interests of the Min- nesota Steamship Co. in the construction of a big tow barge, but does not intend to give up the modest but satsifactory business which he has estab- lished in surveys and other work at Cleveland. He is meeting with favor among the largest of the ship-owning companies. i Mr. Colgate Hoyt of the American Steel Barge Co. 'is figuring on, building or buying a steamer yacht that will be just suited to the limits of lock dimensions in the Erie canal, so as to admit of ready passage -- _ between New York and the lakes. If Mr Hoyt builds such a yacht the contract will undoubtedly go to the barge company. The Ship Owners' Dry Dock Co., Cleveland, has just issued a 'circular announcing their ability to care for all repair work on the hulls of steel as well as wooden vessels. The plant of several large tools purchased for this work is now complete in all particulars. . aa The Cleveland 'Ship Building Co. has secured the contract for -quad- tuple expansion engines for the steamer to be built by the American Steel Barge Co. at West Superior. The new boat will have Babcock & Wil- cox water tube boilers. River and Harbor Estimates for the Next Congress. It is expected, of course, that the next congress will pass a river and harbor bill, andthe government engineers have accordingly prepared ess timates on work to be undertaken during the next fiscal year, which begins July 1, 1898. These lists of estimates are prepared as a guide to © congress. In many-instances the items are greatly reduced, but they are valuable frony the fact that they represent, in the opinion of the engineers, the amounts that-may be profitably expended at the different points: | 'Following are estimates for the lakes taken from the report of the engineer in chief, Gen Wilson: Toledo a hanhot ce anes eee AS pt Ua eal mee ace cn co ara $300,000. Sandusky Harbor... snc ips ciis sos Pereira aaa eee a ner ... 185,000 Huron harbor. 37. eaeud «ice sont Oe cae eee ee Lorain' harbor, 4.3 tec newer eee arene it este wile SG eee Hoan Clevelandwharh oi seer erin ee ergo ne Gab poaduAsadoc SPatOD eBairport harbota.e- ee ee swecho hist: Jigt dat os Haein! denak. Seifert Feat Ashtabula: harbor Got iut6 ls eee ek pee ere ee aces Bo Gonneatitwharboris , ReusHess . ein ee eee ees Cee oeioe acs SRT Buffaloshare ork ies Gee Pa ee eee eee cee terete om eterere =f Ranh Chicago: riveraisiege4. Steer tee ee eee ees eee crete ster ary a acer 00 Caltumet tiversharbor (South Chicago)e. «4s ass ea ae Sean Walumeteriven: . 7-7 een a: ce oteteecetcteedecseetecenecmerccs ces spare Duluth=Supertor!: harbor -s-e +c ec ce se feces ete ie ee ere ay Aidop Michigan "City harbora. ss. lec: erie et inoeag Marquette 'Harbor 2.2... 0 cn. aro: geen opie eee det 50000 Harbor of refuge, Marquette DAY. cece eeeeeeeceeer cect esses eee: mano Harbor of refuge, Grand Marais.......+.s++s--eeseerereeers deve By eh Sturgeon bay ship-chamiel .......2.+-+eeeseer resect senses Fan St. Joséph harbot '%. ...,.2. « «rede qeeeiss oeculs gure aries ceiere esa 'South Haven harbor .......... ca cicirit telah etare wet cece a 147000 Kalamazoo river' ..,...-.-- nae SERS Re oe ae eae Pr puneeees a Grand Haven harbor"2 << citer eit o clove' oto) o cllebs) lekenohmnspehe =jiek¢neeencio Bhelione 950°000 Grand river rae gerbes ine; opt sac caietee alta cence a5 areas 110,000 Muskegon Hatbor .:.. e)-pecuuach ania cagecage TE eae 40,000 Pentwater harbot .. 4. see eeeee yedjeqept) sye siete ojs)seae! escwiehe nich ny ne 50,000 Manistee" harbor <..2- 0: .. 27+: o> yang a gnag aaa 65°000 Brankfort arbors ss 1a eee er ee ere LES QUE 160,000 arbor of refuge, Portage false esrceevermers lou ORDO LODO OU00D ais 25,000 Charlevoix" harbor i... 202-4: 22ne cc srasitae ce uhien Waals: 55000 Petoskey harbor':.......-- Tey ook is aap mace MISES meer ort Haye dake chantiel® 8 SF 12 Sten ee een eae hed TT 9eq'990 Harbor of refuge, Sand Beach 2°. .05oe oie es neg sa we «82,000 Black river CIVETCH) orcs teeereere Te re cons aie =e : Se aa 91,257 | DEtor river 289", SE ee eee Sapa Rae Oa NAO 100,000 joshlland harbors". 07. 05. -<- otc: cae aac gas ee 30,000 neon "Bay harbor 7 ccc n se suciaeee seme ae en ae wae, , 26,600 Sheboygan harbor ......-seeeeee es ee waettaae : 155,650 Harbor of refuge, Milwaukee ....-------ese errr price on the' vessel, but: Improvements at the Barge Works. West Superior, Wis., 'i Oct. 26--When, improvements d6w «under way at the: works of the Amer x, the former in the ship yard and the {atter in the diawing office, aré applying to these works a great deal or the kind ot energy that young men are capabie oi, and witht. 300,000 now in hand lor improvements, a big reduction in cosi of coustruciuon will undoubtedly be made on the two vessels now under Way. Ali material has been ordered lor the new Minnesota line barge, and dimensions have also been definitely fixed. She will be 890 teet over all;, 6/6 teet keel, 46-teet beam and Yo feet-depth.,..° : a ee Aas Among new tools ordered for the ship yard are the-following: A new punch from Hilles & Jones, weighing 52,000 pounds and capable of punch- ing a hole 15 inches in diameter by 17 inches thick; an improved beam bender and. large coldsaw from Wm. Sellers & Co., as well asa stationary steam riveter and-Ajax combination bolt and rivet upsetting and forging machine; also an Ingersoll-Sargent air compresser. with a capacity.of 650 cubic feet of free air per minute.. The Pneymatic hammers and drills. will be of the Boyer type, manufactured by the Chicago Pneumatic Tool Co.; other pnuematic tools of different makes will also be used. For operating the new overhead crane and other motors 'there 'will be a 100 K. W. generator, About"25 arc lights of 2,000 candle power each have been located in'the dry dock, punch shop and in other places around the yard. Thesé are operated by a Thompson-Houston dynamo, Notwithstanding reports to the contrary, a new machine shop will be built and will be"an important feature of this plant. It will be of steel and brick, 84 by 150 feet. Several tools for the machine shop are already here. - It is more than probable also that work on the proposed new dry dock, which is to be larger than any dock on the lakes, will be begun shortly. ee ear From a Delaware River Ship Builder. -- Following a suggestion-from leading representatives of the ship build- ing industry, tlie Réview reprinted last week an'atticle on ship building in this country and in England, written recently by Mr. W. 1. Babcock of the Chicago Ship Building Co. 'One object in reprinting the article was to call special attention to it among ship builders of the country- and among members of committees that have to do with maritime affairs in both the senate and house of representatives. Mr. Charles S. Robb, manager of the 'Jackson & Sharp Co., ship builders of Wilmington, Del., acknowledges . Teceipt of the paper and says: | oe Ths "We. have read Mr... Babcock's article «with! pleasure, ; i very ably presented to American readers, and the ship builders of this country will be pleased to learn, from so good authority, that even now ' we are able to build ships as cheaply as our great English fivals. Before - tance to the eastward, finally returning to the old course at Detour. 'time to time from the importunities of foreign nations. 'now prominently before the American people. reading to the close of the article we hoped to find some plan or suggestion from Mr. Babcock as to the best means of restoring our ship building industry and our lost carrying trade. "Qaitial Ee "The rebuilding of our navy, referred to 'by Mr. Babcock, will of course give contracts to a few of our largest yards, but this is almost as. nothing to the requirements of the merchant marine could we secure the carrying trade that naturally and rightfully belongs to us. We hope Mr. Babcock will take the matter up again and give us his views on this im- portant subject. If ship builders and ship owners could agree on some plan, congress would no doubt give us the necessary Jegislation, "Dis- criminating duties gave us the carrying trade nearly a hundred years ago, and we held it for about thirty years, or until the law was relaxed from This subject is If we restore this law, enacted in the wisdom of our forefathers, American capital will become available for the establishment of new vards and our own America will have the greatest slip building boom the world has ever seen." Double-Track Idea for Lake Huron, | Capt. J. S. Dunham of Chicago refers to the great number of collisions that have occurred in the vicinity of Presque Isle, Lake Huron, and is credited with the idea of providing means to have up-bound vessels take a course some distance out from the west shore of Lake Huron, while down- bound vessels would pass closer to the land. The scheme has its advan- tages, but it would be very difficult to enforce rules that would make it effective. The time is not far off, however, when the growing commerce of the lakes will demand the adoption of measures of this kind. One course on Lake Huron, ae to Capt. Dunham's idea, would be for all up-bound boats in leaving St. Clair river at Port Huron to keep out: in the lake until they were from eight to twelve miles outside the. course they now follow. They would maintain this course all the way to. Presque Isle. When bound for Lake Superior they would continue the agitate bound for Lake Michigan they would cross over above Presque Isle'and come back to the old course there. All boats bound down would keep close to the shore, following the present course. Vessels from Lake Supe- rior bound down would cross the courses of Lake Michigan boats. bound 'up. Thus, only at one point the entire length of Lake Huron would boats running in opposite directions meet. As soon as that point was passed captains would be certain that however thick the fog they were. safe, for no boats would be coming in the opposite direction. All they 'would have to look after would be boats bound the same way, and it would be an easy matter to avoid them. The objection to having two courses-- that some time might be lost on the up trip by boats keeping out in Lake Huron--is met by the statement that while a little time might be lost, in pleasant weather, yet the gain of being free to run at a fair speed notwith- ' standing foggy weather would far more than overcome the loss.', This' is not taking into account the great increase in safety. Down-bound 'boats would not lose any time either from Lake Michigan or Lake Superior. They would keep along the course they have always followed, free to run, with nothing ahead of them. To make the two courses effective, vessels should be required to keep on them in all weather, for with the fickleness of the Lake Huron fog there is never any telling when the surface of. the water will give forth a cloud. : ; ican Steel barge Co. are competed the piant - willbe equipped to meet its competitors 1 otiier parts ' of tite lakes, "Messrs. bord and Wieric The subject is .