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1896. MARINE REVIEW. a CRUISER WASP. THIS FAMOUS VESSEL OF THE AUXILIARY FLEET, FORMERLY THE STEAM YACHT COLUMBIA, IS LIKELY TO BE STATIONED AT CHICAGO.--PRICES PAID FOR AUXILIARY NAVAL VESSELS. The report emanating from Washington to the effect that Secretary Long of the navy department has assigned the auxiliary gunboat Wasp to duty at Chicago as a training vessel for the naval militia of Illinois, is of especial interest to naval officers and vesselmen on account of the cit- cumstances under which the Wasp, formerly the steam yacht Columbia, wa' built, and for the reason also that her achieverhents have been such as to make her one of the most interesting vessels of her craft afloat. For the two years previous to 1893 the Wm. Cramp & Sons Ship & Engine Building Co, of Philadelphia had, by reason of a 'pressure of naval and commercial work, declined all proposals for the construction of steam yachts, but in the year mentioned J. Harvey Ladew of New York, sub- mitted to the Philadelphia firm a request that they construct for him the fastest pleasure vessel afloat. The result was the Columbia. She is a steel schooner-rigged vessel, 20414 feet over all, 189 feet on the water line, 93 feet beam and 14 feet depth of hold. She is of 380 tons burden and is AUXILIARY GUNBOA WASP, FORMERLY STEAM YACHT COLUMBIA. fitted with a four-cylinder triple expansion engine, with cylinders 21%, 31, 44 and 44 inches diameter and 20 inches stroke, steam being applied b; two single-ender, return-tube boilers 12 feet 2 inches in diameter by 11 feet 5 inches. long, with a working pressure of 160 pounds, the machinery developing under forced draft a maximum of 1,900 indicated horse power. Relative to the displacement and draught of the vessel there seems to be a discrepency in the details furnished from different sources. In the case of the latter particular this is at present a highly important matter, in view of the fact that definite determination as to whether the vessel will go to Chicago seems to rest on the question of whether her draught will enable her to pass through the canals. The navy register lists the auxiliary gunboat Wasp as of 400 tons displacement and 12% feet draught, but de- tails furnished to the Review 'by the Cramp company fix her displace- ment at 526 tons on a mean draught (cruising trim) of 1034 feet, with the comment that her best racing draught would probably not exceed 9% feet with a displacement at racing draught of 436 tons. : The Columbia made a most remarkable showing during her trial. She steamed over a course 80.52 knots in length at a mean speed of 17.85 knots, equal to 20.53 statute miles per hour. At one part of the run for a distance of 22 knots her speed was 18.35 knots. This was due to deep water in that part of the course, the depth in other parts not being suffi- cient to prevent dragging to some extent. At a mean speed of 18 knots this vessel requires a depth of water at least fifteen times her own draught to avoid dragging. She was promptly accepted by her owner and natur- ally the Cramps were elated by the fact that the record of the trial placed the Columbia at the head of the list of sea-going pleasure steam craft in the world for sustained speed. veo : The conversion of the Columbia to the auxiliary cruiser Wasp took » place at the Brooklyn navy yard and her armament consists of four 6-pounder rapid firers and two Colts, her complement while in service be- ing five officers and fifty-one men. Should the draught of the Wasp pre- vent her selection for the Chicago service it is probable that the selection will fall to the Frolic, formerly the yacht Comanche, which was taken to the seaboard from the great lakes after the declaration of war. The Co- manche is 186 feet over all, 165 feet water line, 25 feet beam, 14 feet depth of hold and 11 feet draught. She was built by the Globe Iron Works Con Cleveland, and wa's purchased from Mr. H. M. Hanna, president of the company. ise : In connection with this inference to vessels of the auxiliary fleet, in- terest attaches to the custom house records filed this week, which show the prices paid for a portion of the vessels of the fleet, purchased during the war. They are as follows: Steamships El Sol, El Rio, El Norte and El Sud, all Morgan liners, $575,000 each; steamship John Englis, $450,000, aine Steamship Co.; steamship Creole, $40,000, Cromwell Line; steam- ship Yorktown, $475,000, Old Dominion Steamship Co.; steamship Nia- gara, $200,000, New York & Cuba Main Steamship Co.; steamship Me- J nemsha, $145,000, Miami Steamship Co.; steamship Nictheroy, $575,000, Charles R. Flint. steamship Merrimac, $342,000, Miami Steamship Co.; steamship Alice, $19,000, J. M. Worth & Co.: tug El Toro, $40,000, Mor- gan Line; tug Edgar Luckenbach, $45,000, Lewis Luckenbach; tug John Dwight, $25,000, Transfer Co.; tug J. D. Jones, $55,000, Merritt Wrecking Co.; tug Hercules, $40,000, Standard Oil Co.; tug Atlas, $65,000, Standard Oil Co.; tug Walter Luckenbach, $75,000, L. Luckenbach; tug Right Arm, $30,000, Merritt & Chapman Wrecking Co.; yacht Kanawha, $50,000, J. P. Duncan; yacht Sovereign, $300,000, M. C. Borden; yacht Shearwater, $26,- 000, H. R. Wolcott; yacht Stranger, $75,000, M. Lewis; yacht Thespia, $65,000, T. Dows; yacht Viking, $30,000, H. A. Hutchings; yacht Elfrida, $9,000, W. Seward Webb; yacht Almy, $110,000, Fred Gallatin; yacht Al- icia, $117,500, H. M. Flagler; yacht Alleen, $55,000, R. Stevens; yacht Corsair, $225,000, Pierrepont Morgan. POWERFUL TUG BOATS. THE HILLMAN SHIP AND ENGINE BUILDING 00. OF PHILADELPHIA Is BUILD- ING A FLEET OF THEM FOR THE STAPLES COAL Co. The growth of the coastwise movement of coal by vessel on the At- lantic seaboard and the constant effort for a better solution of the prob- lem of large tows has exerted many influences, which have resulted naturally in improvements and innovations. One factor wherein this de- mand for improvement and enhanced power has been met most adequately is found in the construction of the seagoing tugs designed to tow the barges engaged in this coal trade. The exigencies of the case have re- sulted in the construction, during the past few years, of quite a number of first-class towing steamers. Modern development along this line is, how- ever, best represented by a fleet of six vessels, the last of which the Hill- man Ship & Engine Building Co. of Philadelphia will, ere long, be ready to deliver to the Staples Coal Co. of Taunton, Mass. The vessels are almost identical in every respect and are 140 feet in length, 26 feet 4 inches beam and 16 feet 3 inches depth, with a draught of 12 feet. Each of them is fitted with triple expansion engines capable of developing a speed exceeding 14 miles per hour. The picture presented herewith is the Waltham, the third tug of the present contract for four, TUG WALTHAM, BUILT BY THE HILLMAN SHIP ENGINE BUILDING CO. on which the Hillman company is at work. The Eureka, which was the first to leave the yard, has 'been in commission for several montths; the Concord went into service a few weeks ago, while work on the fourth vessel is well under way. The Hillman company has built in all six towing vessels for the Staples company, one of the number being the Winthrop, now the Oceola of the United States naval auxiliary fleet. As may be imagined from the general appearance, the vessels are very staunch and of considerable power. The General Electric Co., New York, has submitted to the board of construction of the navy department a proposition which contemplates the installation of the electric system on the battleships Alabama, Illinois and Wisconsin for operating all auxiliaries, instead of the turrets only, as now proposed. The Kearsarge and the Kentucky are equipped with electrical gear for nearly all purposes except steering, for which steam is used. The system to be used on the Maine, Missouri and Ohio has not yet been de- termined, but will probably be electricity for all auxiliaries. Rear Admiral Schley reported that in the battle of July 3 the turrets controlled by elec- tricity did better and quicker work and were not so hot as those functioned by steam. The Buffaio Fish Co. will raise the steamer Jones, sunk some weeks ago. Diver Alexander Zess of Sault Ste. Marie made the preliminary examination and recovered $1,500 in bills from the vessel. Mr, Zess has been very successful in diving operations in the vicinity of the Sault. E. B. Sheffer, purchasing agent of the Erie Railroad Co., 21 Cort- landt street, New York, announces that J. W. Platten has been appointed assistant purchasing agent.