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1901.] MARINE REVIEW. other steel elevators ever built, so a Z bar is run up the center of each side of each bin. These bars are connected each way by tie bars, spaced 5 ft. apart, one above the other and running to the center of each plate. These tie bars are 5%4 by 7-16 in, and hold the plates rigidly. Each cor- ner of each bin is reinforced from bottom to top by angles that are at the bottom 8 by 8 in., tapering to less than half that size at the top. These make a solid riveted beam up the depth of the bin in each interior corner of the great house. Alternate flanges of bin plates are bent inwards to make a rim, which is done in order that the grain may be deflected into an arch, thus taking off some of the weight of the mass of wheat and distributing the pressure throughout the depth of the bin instead of con- centrating it at the bottom, as usual. This is a novel and interesting feature and would be almost impossible in any other form of construc- tion. The hopper bottom of each bin is also reinforced by a strong-back of angles that assist in making a lower arch and and strengthen the bins. Above the bins is the bin floor, next above that the spout, then the scale and then the machinery floor, which is close under the roof. All these are in the cupola of the building, which is itself a high structure and in which so much head room is required that the problem of wind bracing was a difficult one. The bin floor contains little, but the lower ends of the discharging spouts running into bins below. On the spout floor, next above it, are the lower turn heads which direct the grain from the upper series into bins, and a pair of longitudinal belts, each 40 in. wide and running the length of the elevator. They are to transfer grain lengthwise of the house and the two when running 1,000 ft. per minute will transfer 32,000 bushels of grain hourly. They are endless, passing over pulleys, and devices called trippers are placed in each belt for dis- charging the grain. By these the belt is run in the shape of a U and the grain, which drops from the lip of the U, is caught by a spout inserted in the U and delivered to one side. The belts have no cleats or holding de- vices of any kind and run full, but do not spill, They are sustained by idlers, spaced at short distances. On the next floor above are the scales, immense balances holding bins capable of weighing 1,600 bushels of wheat or 2,000 bushels of oats. The upper system of turr heads is on this floor, under the scales. By an ingenious arrangement a man on either this or the floor below can place the turn heads in any desired spout, reaching certain bins. Above the scales are the garners, into which wheat 1s first poured when it is elevated into the house. These are large and their girders form the sides of the house and the floor. They empty into the scales. Above them is the machinery floor, on which all the motors for driving the elevating and cleaning legs and elevators are situated. DISCRIPTION OF THE POWER DISTRIBUTION. The power distribution in the house is all electric, generated in an outside building by one tandem compound Allis and one cross compound Buckeye engine. A third engine is to be installed for another large dynamo. There are now two 3-phase, 440-volt, alternating current dyna- mos of Westinghouse make, in addition to the lighting machines. All the three houses of the system are worked from this generation. In the new steel house are these motors: 'For the car haul into the building, one 100 H.P.; for the receiving and shipping legs, eighteen, 75 H.P.; for the cleaners, shovels and fans, eight, 50 H.P.; for the conveyors, two. 95 H.P.; for the transfer table, one, 20 H.P.; for the cleaner legs and passenger elevator, ten, 15 H.P.; for a conveyor, one, 7.5 He. eine all forty-two motors of an indicated horse power of 2,107.5. The-e is a switchboard in the superintendent's office and each motor has its starting switch near the machine it drives. The elevator is fireproof, though some of its floors are of wood, asbestos lined. The use of wood was decided upon from the fact that wheat on a steel floor would make walking a difficult fact. The building was recently examined by the insurance underwriters and it is probable that a rate of 50 cents per $100 will be made on grain therein. The rate on the usual wood house is 2 per cent. or more. This elevator full of wheat is worth $3,250,000. The fire protection is furnished by three pumps, 2.500 gallons per minute capacity, which provide for the three elevators and the flour warehouses, the largest in the world, which lie alongside. Smaller direct and triplex pumps are in continuous operation, and a 1,500- gallon Buffalo pump will commence action automatically when any sprin- kler head is released, Outside the steel bin walls of the elevator is to be put another skin of galvanized iron, with a space of 6 in, between. This space can be converted into a sheet of water by the opening of discharge pipes along its upper line. This water pouring against a hot metal would be converted into vapor, which will make a more efficient fire curtain than the os itself. The entire outside of the building can thus be pro- tected. The capacity of this elevator is greater than any in existence. It will hold 3,100,000 bushels; it will receive 500 to 600 carloads a day, an average car holding 800 bushels of wheat. It will grade, scalp and clean 12,200 bushels per hour. It can ship 300,000 bushels a day, with its sixteen marine spouts, and in one draft it can pour 160,000 bushels into a waiting ship, a larger cargo than the average ship will hold. The extreme length of the house is 367.33 ft., its width is 124.33 ft. and its height is 251.5 ft. It makes a capacity in terminal house and storage at the head of the lakes for this road alone of 6,350,000 bushels. The building has been planned with machinery capacity and belt room sufficient so that additional steel tank storage can be placed alongside for 3,000,000 bushels more, all to be operated from this house. This storage room is expected to be built in the near future. The contract for this elevator was let to the Riter-Conley Mfg. Co. of Pittsburg in March, 1889. A coal dock filled with coal occupied the site. This was torn out and 15,000 tons of coal were removed and the foundations were begun in May, when 23,000 cubic yards of loam were removed. The completion of the house would have been a year sooner, but for the congestion of the steel market. The steel was erected by the Kelley-Atkinson Construction Co. of Chicago. The scales were furnished by the Standard Scale Co. of Pittsburg and the electric appliances and machinery by the Westinghouse Co. A civil service examination will be held May 7 for the position of inspector of hulls in the steamboat inspection service at Detroit. Persons who desire to compete should apply to the civil service commission, Washington, D. C., for application form 1087. PENNSYLVANIA STEEL CO, TO BE SOLD. The board of directors of the Pennsylvania Steel Co. last week adopted the following resolution: "That the stockholders of the Pennsylvania Steel Co. hereby accept the proposition of John Lowber Welsh to pay $5,000,000 for all the prop- erty and assets of the Pennsylvania Steel Co., he agreeing to take over all such property and assets subject to the payment of all indebtedness of the corporation. And the board of directors is instructed to accept said offer and to take such steps as may be advised are necessary to put the sale and transfer into effect." The plan for providing the company with additional capital and for the retirement of a portion of its bonded debt contemplates an increase of capital from $6,500,000 to $50,000,000. There will be a new Pennsylvania Steel Corporation to acquire all the property of the Pennsylvania and Maryland Steel Cos. It is proposed to issue $16,500,000 preferred shares and $10,750,000 common shares for the issues of which the properties will be conveyed, or the control transferred to the new company, subject to the existing bonded debt; and $9,000,000 in cash will be paid into the treasury of the new company. The remaining shares will remain in the treasury. The $16,500,000 preferred shares and the $10,750,000 common shares will be used as follows: The shareholders of the Pennsylvania Steel Co. will deposit their shares with the Girard Trust Co. for conversion upon the following basis: The present preferred shares will receive new pre- ferred shares 100 per cent., and new common shares 50 per cent. The present common shares will receive new preferred shares 100 per cent. Ten million dollars preferred shares and $10,000,000 common shares to be issued will be sold to Drexel & 'Co., Dick Bros. & Co. and Edward B. Smith '& Co. for $9,000.000 cash. Out of the money thus provided $2,000,000 will be appropriated for the retirement of so much of the pres- ent bonded debt as can be obtained at satisfactory prices. The significant feature of the purchase of the Pennsylvania Steel Co. by the John Lowber Welsh syndicate is the fact that the syndicate has a strong representation in some of the most.important steel and iron con- cerns in the east. These concerns are the Bethlehem Steel Co. and the Cambria Steel Co. The Pennsylvania Steel Co. recently purchased the entire capital stock of the Spanish-American Iron Co. and became the owners of the iron mines at Daiquiri, province of Santiago de Cuba, and also various other groups of mines in which development has only recently begun. The mines of the Bethlehem Steel Co. are not far from this com- pany's property. There have been rumors of an intention to embrace these properties under one ownership preliminary to their transfer to the United States Steel Corporation, but Mr. Charles Steele, who has been J. Pierpont Morgan's right-hand man in the formation of the great corporation, says that there is no company or set of companies under consideration for absorption at present. REGULATING THE CHICAGO RIVER CURRENT. It will be recalled that a meeting of the special committee of the Lake Carriers' Association having in hand the matter of the current in the Chicago river, due to opening of the drainage canal, was to have met in Philadelphia recently, but the meeting was found to be unnecessary owing to the manner in which Mr. Frank J. Firth of Philadelphia, chair- man of the committee, had handled the subject with the secretary of war. In reply to letters which Mr. Firth sent to the secretary of war on the subject he has received the following under date of April 9: "T have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letters of March 18 and April 2, also telegram, concerning the flow of water in the Chicago river. Replying thereto, I beg to inform you that I have this day approved an instrument directing the sanitary district of Chicago to regulate the discharge from the Chicago river into the drainage canal, under war department permit of May 8, 1899, so that the maximum flow through the said river and its south branch shall not exceed 200,000 cu. ft. per minute. Maj. J. H. Willard, corps of engineers, United States army, the local engineer officer, will be instructed to observe and gauge the river at suitable points where the greatest and most dangerous velocities may be expected, and if he finds that the resulting currents are such as to permit an increase in the maximum flow beyond 200,000 cu. ft. per minute without endangering navigation or property, he shall so report to this department, with a view to the consideration of the question of a modifica- tion of the above mentioned instrument." Mr, Firth in response sent the following letter to the secretary of war: "T am in receipt of your favor of the 9th inst. and thank you, on behalf of the Lake Carriers' Association, for your action in the matter of regu- lating the maximum flow of water through the Chicago drainage canal and river. We recognize that the regulation is of necessity to a certain extent experimental, and we are therefore gratified to note the instructions given to Maj. Willard, corps of engineers, United States army, Chicago, to ob- serve closely and report to the department the current result of the regu- lating order, with a view to such consideration and further action by the department as you may find necessary. I will transmit a copy of your letter to Capt. J. G. Keith, the Chicago resident member of our special committee, and ask him to keep in close communication with Maj. Wil- ard. Arrangements have just been completed by the Pere Marquette Railroad Co. with the secretary of the treasury for changitrg the names of the entire fleet of Pere Marquette steamers. The four steamers, which have been known so long as F. "& P. M. Nos. 2, 3, 4 and 5, will hereafter be called Pere Marquettes Nos. 2, 3, 4 and 5, respectively. The car ferry Pere Marquette will be known as Pere Marquette No. 15; the car ferry Muskegon will be called Pere Marquette No. 16, and the new steel car ferry now being built by the American Ship Building Co. at Cleveland will be christened Pere Marquette No. 17. It is said that the directors finally decided upon this plan of naming the boats in order that the name Pere Marquette might be kept as prominently before the public as possi- ble. It will also simplify the naming of any boats that may come out in the future. The jump from 5 to 15 is made in order that there may be no confusion of the numbers representing the car ferries with those of the line steamers.