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14 MARINE TORPEDO BOATS FOR THE DUTCH NAVY. 'Messrs. Yarrow & Co. have just completed two first-class torpedo boats for the Dutch government. The vessels are named Hydra and Scylla, and are intended to strengthen the naval power of the Dutch authorities at their East Indian colonies. They are 130 ft. long and 18 ft. 6 in. beam, and have a displacement of about 90 tons. Their guaranteed speed on official trial, carrying a load of 16% tons, for three hours, was 23 knots. The general arrangenient of these boats is similar to what is customary in vessels of this class, the crew' space being forward -and the officers and petty officers having their cabins aft. The machinery consists of a set of inverted triple-expansion surface-condensing engines, indicating about 1,200 H.P. The air and feed pumps are driven off the forward end of the crankshaft. The special feature about these engines, in which they differ from those of other torpedo boats, is the svstem of forced lubrication which thas been adopted, the working parts of the engines being completely enclosed. This plan has been introduced with great success in many types of land engines. The great advantage of forced lubrication is that all anxiety on the part of the ensineering staff is set at rest as regards this point, which is one of the most 1m- portant in the proper working of such fast running machinery. As a consequence a smaller engine room staff may, in case of emergency, control the machinery; as the lubrication, being self-acting, does not re- quire attention. This might tbe a circumstance of the very first im- portance in time of war, when engineers and artificers may be very scarce indeed. There is a centrifugal circulating pump with its engines for supplying the condenser with water; an evaporator and distilling plant, in duplicate; steam steering engine and air compressor; also dynamo for electric lighting. There is an overhead fan and fan engine in the stokehold between the two boilers for forced draft. The boilers are of the Yarrow water tube type, with, of course, straight tubes. There is a Worthington pumping engine in the stoke- hold for feeding the boilers when the main engines are not working. The bunkers hold about 18 tons of coal. The armament consists of three 18-in. swivel torpedo tubes, and two 6-pounder quick-firing guns. The official trial of the Hydra took place on May 25, under the direction of Mr. Loder, chief constructor of the Royal Dutch navy; Mr. Koning, Engineer-in-Chief and Capt. de Booy, who will command the vessel. A mean speed of 24.87 knots was made for the three hours, with 160 Ibs. of steam, and' a trifle over 400 revolutions per minute, the load carried being 17% tons. The official trial of the Scylla took place on June 26, with practically the same results. This trial was directed by Mr. Loder and Mir. Koning, who again represented the Dutch authori- ties, assisted by Capt. Smit, who will command this vessel. Both these vessels have since had a full-speed trial to show their capabilities when burning astatki, by means of Holden's spraying ap- paratus, with which the vessels are fitted. It has been shown by these trials that there is no difficulty in burning this oil, and as it is plentiful in the Dutch East Indies there is no doubt it will be found an im- portant adjunct to coal. It is proposed to burn the two in combination, as usual on the Great Eastern railway.. The Hydra and the Scylla will be immediately fitted with their equipment in Holland, and it is expected during next month they will start for their station in the east via the Red Sea. It may be here stated that Messrs. Yarrow & Co. have in the course of construction three somewhat larger first-class torpedo boats for the Dutch govern- ment for home service in addition to a number of similar vessels for the Japanese authorities. ABANDONMENT_OF COLLIER BRUTUS. Capt. 'Richard P. Leary, U. S. N., governor of Guam, in a report made public by the navy department on July 25, gives an account of the abandonment of the United States collier Brutus off Guam two months ago and her subsequent recovery before she had suffered serious injury. A court of inquiry was appointed by Gov. Leary to investigate the cir- cumstances of the abandonment. The court exonerated the officers and crew of the vessel and commends their conduct. The Brutus has been the station ship at Guam. She was and is still commanded by Lieut. A. B. Hoff, U. S. N. At the time of the trouble which she experienced the Brutus was riding at single anchor off San Louis d'Apra. A storm came up in the night, and starting fires, Lieut. Hoff kept the vessel steaming ahead to ease the anchor cables. At daylight it was found necessary to change position, owing to the proximity of a dangerous reef, but in getting under way an anchor failed to come up quickly and the steering gear got out of order. This brought the Brutus around broadside to the reef. She grounded heavily, seas passed over to the starboard side, and there was danger that she would capsize. Lieut. Hoff decided to abandon the vessel while the tide was low, it being im- possible to do so at high tide. A landing was made on the reef and a boat was dragged along it to Cabris island, whence communication with shore was secured. The next day the hospital ship Solace came to the assistance of the Brutus and succeeded in getting her off the reef. Off- cers and men had been constantly on duty three days when the ship was abandoned. . Dry dock No. 2 at the Brooklyn navy yard,; which is being re- paired at an expenditure of $1,000,000, sprung a leaksion Tuesday last and in a few hours there was 10 ft. of water in:the drydock. The leak was caused by the removal of the caisson from the! mouth of drydock No. 3. If the water continues to run into the uncompleted dock the repair bhi of six months will need to be done over. The damage is already arge, ns _ Rule 3 of the rules and regulations for Portage lake ship canals, Mich., has been altered by the secretary of war, upon the recommenda- tion of Maj. Clinton Sears, government engineer, to permit vessels here- after to go at full speed through the Portage river and the cuts, therein. The rate of speed through the upper canal, however, is to remain at not to exceed five miles per hour. Mr. Fred H. Pell of No. 11 Broadway, New York, who is well known to ship builders throughout the country, has been appointed agent for New York and the New England states by the Standard Chain Co. REVIEW. [August 2, ACCIDENT TO THE TORPEDO BOAT DUPONT. ne were in search of ocular evidence of the fine quality of steel which is used in the construction of torpedo boats he could not do Boe than study the crumpled up bow of the torpedo boat Dupont. a plating was folded back on itself, concertina-fashion, so that the whole of the forward compartment, which was about 8 ft. in length, has been compressed within a space of not more than 2 ior 3 ft. This was an extettiporized "cold-bending test'? that speaks well for the quality of the material. Niot only does the mild, open hearth, steel, of which the thin Y%-in. plates are composed, fail to show a single crack in any of the folds or laminations, but the riveted joints of the plating in many cases are not even started. : "Although to the lay mind the fact that the plating of the Dupont should submit to such rough usage without a sign of fracture is very astonishing, it is well understood by builders of torpedo boats and other naval craft that this test is not nearly as severe as that which the plates have to undergo before they are accepted and built into the vessels. Thus, for instance, in the cold-bending test, two pieces cut from each heat during the manufacture of the steel must be capable of being bent over flat upon themselves, without showing any sign of fracture on the outside of the bend; while in the quenching test the specimens are heated to a dark cherry-red, plunged into water at 80 degrees Fahrenheit, and then must submit to be bent over a piece of their own diameter with- out fracture. This, it will readily be seen,,is far more severe than the treatment to which the plates were subjected in the collision. The accident to the Dupont happened at Newport when the craft was being brought into her berth. Ordinarily in bringing these little craft to their moorings, they are run into the dock at a speed of from 10 to 12 knots, and when a given point on the vessel passes the end of the dock the bell is rung for full speed astern. Such is the power of the engines that the craft is brought to rest as soon as the stern has passed within the pier head. On this particular occasion the signal was given about a second too late, with the result that the Dupont struck the end _ 'of the dock when she was yet traveling about 4 knots an hour. As it happened, the 'bow served as an excellent buffer, bringing the vessel gradually to a rest without dislocating the steam pipes, boilers or engine fittings.--Scientific A'merican. : NEW LIGHT-HOUSE IN PELEE PASSAGE. Capt. McKay, on his late trip to Amherstburg, met Col. Anderson, chief engineer of the Canadian department of marine, who was survey- ing the middle ground of Pelee passage, to select a site for the new light- house, which the Canadian-government is preparing to build there to re- place the dummy light. An appropriation was voted by the Canadian parliament just before its adjournment this month, for a first-rate light and fog alarm in the middle ground, and Col. Anderson is pushing the work vigorously. The pier will be located in 14 ft. of water as near the north extremity of the shoal as a suitable bottom can be found. It will be of stone, in a steel caisson, and will be protected against ice and waves by a heavy crib work breakwater. The tower will be fireproof and will be surmounted by a modern quick flashing light, and a first-class fog siren will also be provided. Col. Anderson proposes to build the pier at Amherstburg, and has left Mr. W. H. Noble there in charge of construction. He hopes to be ready to put the pier in position on September next, but the light-house will probably not 'be completed until next year. As soon as the pier is in place a temporary light will be shown from it; the middle ground buoy will be removed to southeast shoal, and the southwest shoal buoy utilized to mark south reef. Col. Anderson drew Capt. McKay's attention to the fact that vessels give both Colchester reef and the middle ground a wider berth than is desirable. A better course could be shaped by passing quite close to the gas. buoy, which is in 32 ft. of water. TRANSPORTATION TO ASTA. Mr. E. T. Chamberlain, commissioner of navigation, in an article on transportation to Asia in the North American Review, says: "The commercial importance of the new conditions of ocean transportation to Eastern Asia seems to have been more fully and more quickly real- ized by foreign countries than by the United States, which in all its inter- ests ought to tbe the greatest beneficiary in the new order of things. While we are, many of us, chopping over academic theories and dis- carded or inopportune policies, other nations are contriving tio make the best for. themselves out of the situation. A legislative proposi- tion which has for one of its principal objects the establishment, as soon as practicable, of the best and greatest facilities for the transportation between the United States and Asia is entitled to the careful considera- tion of every American. It is of as much importance to the cotton states of the south and the wheat and corn belt of the northwest as it 1s to our seaboard constituencies." _ The Harlan & Hollingsworth Co.'s ship yard at Wilmington, Del., is a busy place at present. The steamship Whitney, which was launched several months ago for the Metropolitan Steamship Co., is nearing com- pletion and will probably 'be given a trial trip some time next month. The steamship Indian, which was recently cut in twain and lengthened, is also nearly finished and will be ready to leave in several weeks. The work on the two torpedo boats, Hull and Hopkins, is going rapidly for- ward and they will be launched early in the fall. In addition to the above work the company has a large amount of repair work on hand. shee shops are also busy and shipments of cars are being made every The steamboat City of Salem, built for p: ex ; parties in Salem, N. J., was jnaehee from the yards of the Jackson & Sharp Co., Wiisincic: Del. ast week. The vessel is 108 ft. long, 2814 ft. wide and 7 ft. deep, and will be placed on the route between Salem and Philadelphia. : Mr. Henry Konitzky, 1911 Diamond street Philadelphi j » de ett elphia, has just ne nee. from Europe where he spent several months in the ceiaciel iki yards with a view to acquainting himself with anything new that may be going on in ship building lines. He is now open for employment. He nas had twenty-five years experience as a constructor of ships.