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24 : MARINE REVEBW. [January 12, STANDARD OIL BARGE. NUMEROUS IMPROVEMENTS FOR THIS TYPE OF CRAFT EMBODIED IN THE VES- SEL NOW UNDER CONSTRUCTION BY THE AMERICAN STEEL BARGE CO., WEST SUPERIOR, WIS. The sale or charter by the Standard Oil Co. to the government during the recent war of several oil barges and tank steamers, and their use for supplying the vessels of the West Indian fleet with fresh water, has at- tracted considerable attention to this class of craft. Of an essentially in- teresting type of construction, it has been developed with surprising rapidity, and still further improvements may be expected in the vessel most recently contracted for. ; : The accompanying cuts illustrate the Standard oil barge now in course of construction at the American Steel Barge Co.'s works, West Superior, Wis. The vessel is 210 feet over all, 200 feet keel, 38 feet beam and 17 feet moulded depth. She is to have a capacity of about 632,000 gallons of oil on a draft of 14 feet, even keel. She is constructed of steel, of 60,000 to 70,000 pounds tensile strength, with an extension of 20 per cent in eight inches. The vessel will have no center line bulkhead, but will be divided *thwartships into six tanks, having a cofferdam for water at forward end to prevent any leakage of oil or gases from getting to boiler. The boiler is placed at forward end, with the smokestack leading into foremast. An expansion trunk 114 feet long extends over oil tanks to take care of the expansion of oil at varying temperatures. The pumps are placed aft, away from boiler, in order that gases which might be generated may be kept away from a source of ignition, and the steam pipe connecting pumps to boiler leads along the inside of gunwale on upper deck, and is covered with Magnesia sectional covering and fitted inside of an outer, or protective pipe, in order to get as dry steam as possible to pumps. The three steel masts are fitted with sails and steel wire rigging, the shrouds being set up with deadeyes and lanyards, which in the case of foremast used for a smokestack is a necessity, on account of expansion, and which would have a bad effect on rigging set up with turnbuckles. The steel deck house OUR FOREIGN MERCHANT MARINE. ABLE DISCUSSION OF WHAT IS NOW ONE OF THE GREATEST OF NATIONAL QUESTIONS--A FEW PARAGRAPHS FULL OF PRACTICAL ARGUMENT ON THE SHIPPING SUBJECT. BY FRANK. J. FIRTH, PHILADELPHIA. The United States needs a merchant marine on the oceans, built in our own ship yards, officered by our own citizens and carrying the products of our farms, mines, forests and factories under our own flag to all the markets of the world. In time of peace such a merchant marine gives employment to our ship yards; it provides useful service for our idle capital; it keeps in our own country the hundreds of "millions we now pay to foreigners annually for ocean freight on our surplus products; it advertises our nation in the markets of the world as nothing else can do so well; it trains . an army of officers, engineers and seamen for \ the national defense. In time of war such a merchant marine is invaluable. The vessels become available at once for service as auxiliary cruisers, scouts, / transports, colliers, etc., etc., without which - no effective offensive or defensive movements are possible. The officers, engineers and sea- men trained in time of peace are ready for immediate service in time of war. The neces- sity for this class of auxiliaries in time of war is beyond dispute. There are two ways in which auxiliary vessels can be provided to be ready for army and navy uses whenever needed. One is for the government to purchase and hold them as a part of the naval and mili- tary establishment of the country, useless and expensive to maintain in Outboard Plan, Oil Barge, Building by the American Steel Barge Co., West Superior Wis., for the Standard Oil Co. aft will contain accommodations for captain, mate, steward and crew, to- gether with mess room and kitchen and entrance to pump room. 'This is the fourth vessel of this type built by the American Steel Barge Co. for the Standard Oil Co., the three former vessels having been constructed under the inspection and supervision of D. E. Ford, then representing the Standard company as inspector, while in this latter case Mr. Ford is the constructor himself, as superintendent of the American Steel Barge Co. 'The placing of this contract at West Superior without competitive bids, speaks well for the confidence which the owners have in the American Steel Barge Co. and its superintendent, and it is safe to predict that when the vessel goes into commission, another success will have been added to the barge company's already long list. A steam windlass and steam cap- stan for the vessel have been supplied by the American Ship Windlass Co. of Providence, R. I CHALLENGER FOR THE CANADA'S CUP. Chicago, IIl., Jan. 11--On a small island in the Calumet river just west of 92nd street bridge, and about a quarter of a mile from the mouth of the river, Chicago is soon to have a boat building establishment that will very probably turn out pleasure craft of a creditable kind. A. G. Cuthbert, who has a contract from gentlemen of the Chicago Yacht Club to design and build the challenger for the Canada's cup, has for some time past been planning the arrangement of this boat works. Yachts built by Mr. Cuthbert are well known on the lower lakes and rivers, as are also those of his father, which held records for thirty years previously. He has leased a piece of property, 300 by 400 feet, at the point referred to, and intends to put up buildings and machinery necessary for a modern plant to build composite and wooden boats of all kinds. Work has been started on the buildings, the first being a frame struc- ture 28 by 100 feet, one half of which will be closed off to build the Chal- lenger. Designs of this yacht will, of course, be kept secret until the day of her launching, and absolutely nothing can be learned about her. Mr. Cuthbert has beside two other contracts, one for a cutter racing yacht and another for a launch. He also has other work in view, which he hopes to secure shortly. As soon as business warrants it, he will put in considerable machinery and erect larger buildings, and in the spring will put down a first-class marine railway, capable of hauling out boats up to 12 feet draught. time of peace, but absolutely essential in time of war. The other, and sensible, way is to encourage the creation of merchant vessels that can find useful employment in time of peace and be instantly available for government use in time of war. This second method is the only one that provides trained men as well as ships, and ships are useless with- out trained men. One or the other of these methods must be adopted. Can there be any doubt as to which is the best? The United States not only needs a merchant marine both in time of peace and in time of war, but it also needs prosperoys ship building industries so that it may have citizens capable of designing, building and repairing when necessary all classes of naval vessels. Ship yards are necessities in any stable government and they cannot exist without cur- rent work to do. There are two classes of work for the ship yards--gov- ernment work and private work--naval vessels of our own and other nations and the merchant marine. If nothing better could be done the United States would be obliged to sustain its ship yards by keeping them supplied with naval work. Any other course than one sustaining our ship building industries would be suicidal and would place us at the mercy of any second rate power in time of war. Instead of building naval vessels in excess of our needs, it is certainly far better to so legis- late that our ship yards shall have merchant vessels of the United States to build and keep in repair. We cannot successfully defend ourselves against aggression without shin vards canable of creating and main- taining naval vessels of the highest class. It is not a matter of indiffer- ence to us as a natiom whether our naval or merchant vessels are built In our own country or in foreign ship yards. Legislation that insures the building of our ships in our own yards is intelligent legislation and has in view the best interest of the entire nation. Legislation that ignores a national interest in the success of our ship yards and professes it is a matter of no importance where our merchant ships are built, so that we get them where they can be bought the cheapest, is unintelligent and narrow legislation. : 'i It is not a political question involving the merits of any party policy of free trade or protection. It is a great national question rising far above all party policies, and demanding such a grand and patriotic re- sponse from the entire American people as followed the recent declara- tion of war against Spain. At such a time. or in the presence of such a great question, there can be no north, south, east or west; there can