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1899.) PHENIX METALLIC PACKING. The continued use of high steam pressures has made a good metallic packing a necessity on all high pressure rods. Many have objected to the comparatively high first cost over that of the ordinary packings, but the shrewder steam users have long ago come to the conclusion that compar- ing the cost of buying soft packings during the life of a good metallic packing, the latter is considerably cheaper, to say nothing of the expense of stopping machinery to repack worn boxes. The Phenix metallic pack- ing, illustrated herewith, has found favor in the eyes of the Standard Oil Co. Chicago Ship Building Co., Newport News Ship Building & Dry Dock Co., Oliver Iron Mining Co., and numerous railroads and city power and pumping stations. It consists of a number of suitably formed rings of anti-friction metal, all of which are quartered, and hence can be placed in the stuffing boxes easily and quickly without disconnecting the rods, while the shape of the rings and the elastic backing make a perfect joint. The company has numerous letters showing that these packings have run over six years without renewal, and they claim that it is the cheapest packing on the market, as well as the lowest-priced metallic packing. A circular describing these packings will be furnished upon ap- plication to the Phenix Metallic Packing Co., 177 LaSalle street, Chicago. TRADE NOTES. Some months ago the B. F. Sturtevant Co. of Boston, in a neat little pamphlet entitled "Draft Without a Chimney," presented their experience with mechanical draft, and pointed out its salient advantages. The demand for information has necessitated the publication of a third edition, which has just 'been issued, and may be had upon application. The Beaudry Champion power hammer, made by Beaudry & Co., Oliver street, Boston, is winning its way rapidly among concerns that have a great variety of work coming to the hammer all the time, in quantities that make the constant adjustment an impossibility, for the reason that more time would be spent adjusting the hammer thin in doing the work. It has a range of capacity without adjustment that enables the operator not only to do the work quicker, but also in better shape as he knows where it is" all the time, and can judge his work better. This and the fact that the ram is not held in place by springs, makes it particularly desirable for ship yard purposes, where a great variety of work in single pieces 1s continually being brought to the hammer. A bit of news which we are pleased to record, both on account of the importance of the steamship concern under notice and because it shows the appreciation of a large concern for long and faithful service, devotion to duty, and a mastery of same, is the announcement that Mr. John S. Thomson, who is the assistant to Mr. M. F. Plant, president of the Plant System, has been appointed assistant manager of eee with headquarters at No. 12 West Twenty-third street. In the absence o Mr. Plant, Mr. Thomson will always be found attending to the important duties that such an office demands, and, it is unnecessary to state, in just such a manner as to give complete satisfaction. Further SO ae either the appointment or the Plant System is unnecessary. We wis it omson continued success.--Mercantile & Financial Chronicle, Boston. Mr. Holden, secretary of the Cleveland Sawmill & Lumber ae States that there will be a shortage of white pine suitable for Senna vessel purposes this winter. The supply of his company is short, a a en says, owing to the demand having exceeded anticipations when thi year's cut was made. The scarcity of white pine 1s bound to Mra. yearly hereafter and higher prices will have to be paid. Oregon By i: Overgrown, as a rule, and hence meets with little favor. Repeated at- tempts have been made to imtroduce it with little success, and there is a great deal of it that has been in dealers' hands so long that it is yard yee Georgia pine contains within itself the elements that produce dry ro When exposed to the weather, and suitable timber 'is getting scarcer Sea ay. When the present supply of white pine 1s exhausted, es ey have to use some other wood and there is some curiosity as to what 1 will be. Ohio and Indiana game law--From Nov. 9 to Dec. 1, inclusive, ex- cursion tickets for parties of three or more traveling together on one ticket at one fare for the round trip will be sold to points in meson Ohio and Indiana on the Nickel Plate road. The immense quantities 0 small game along the line of the Nickel Plate road affords rare Sue ment to the sportsman. 168, Nov. MARINE REVIEW. 19 NEW SHIP BUILDING PROSPECTS. Major C. F. Powell, United States engineer at Pittsburg, has pre- pared specifications for a new dredge, which it is claimed will be a decided improvement upon other similar boats on the river. The contract will stipulate that the boat must be completed by the end of»May and it is expected to cost about $50,000. W. G. Rust, proprietor of the ship yard at Marcus Hook, near Chester, Pa., announces that he expects during the winter to build a yacht for a well known resident of Philadelphia. The boat will be 7 feet in length, 15 feet beam and 6 feet draught. Mr. Rust has recently placed several or- ders for ship building machinery and announces that he will ere long have a yard fully equipped to construct all kinds of passenger, freight and pleasure craft not ex- ceeding 250 feet in length. New York, Cuba & Mexico Steamship Co. is the name of a new corporation with principal offices at 28 North Seventh street, Newark, N. J. Te capital is $125,000 and the incorporators are William B. Palmer and Enoch A. Washburn of New York City, and Albert Searing of Newark, N. J. The Cameron Steamship Co. of New York, has been incorporated with a capital of $200,000 by J. S. Cameron, Walter D. Munson, Andrew W. Preston, Minor C. Keith, Henry P. Booth, Lamont G. Burnham ard John S. Evans. The Elizabeth Marine Ways, located near Pitts- burg, will do all the boat building and repairing work for the new Ohio river coal combination, which is going into transportation affairs on a very large scale. Capt. Ulster Davis of Rensselaer, N. Y., has just finished rebuilding his tug Eugenia, which was burned Aug. 9 on Lake Champlain. He has also contracted with Paul La Roux at Albany for the construction of a tug of 50 feet keel, 14 feet beam and 6 feet depth and to draw 4% feet of water. PNEUMATIC TOOLS IN DOCK WORK. We have received from the Standard Pneumatic Tool Co., Marquette building, Chicago, a photograph showing their pneumatic boring tool at work on the cribs of the breakwater now being constructed at Buffalo, N. Y., by Messrs. Hughes Bros. & Bangs. The illustration shows well the small size of the machine and its consequent ease of management and portability. It is being used with a seven-eighths bit 4 feet long, and the reversible feature of the drilf enables it to back out of the hole very quickly. One-inch drift bolts are being driven in the holes bored by this mac' ine. and the company has eight of these drills in use. President Frank J. Firth of the Lake Carriers' Association, is a won- derful worker. He has watched, in the interests of lake vessels, the Sault power canal project, and has given up a great deal of time to correspond- ence with the officials of the canal company and with the war department, in order to safeguard the shipping interests. Now he is engaged in the task of preparing to have returned to the association if possible, through an act of the next congress, the sums paid by the vessel owners for private lights. According to the annual report of Rear Admiral Hichborn, the present naval strength of the United States is 303 vessels, of which 216 are in the regular and eighty-eight in the auxiliary navy.