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Sei see - io. | MARINE REVIEW. ee MODERN EQUIPMENT IN SHIP BUILDING. The Fore River Ship '&- Engine Co. is completing, at its new ship building plant, Quincy, Mass., a set of forgings for the Old Dominion line steamship now under construction at Richmond, Va. The order comprises nineteen separate forgings, including line, propeller and thrust shafts, crank shafts, crank pins, piston and connecting rods, eétc., all of mild steel, the total weight of rough forgings being approximately 18tons. It is interesting to note that this company is the only ship building con- cern in this country equipped with facilities for producing, from the ingot, heavy crank shaft and similar forgings: The forge department of the Fore River works is eqtipped with a 20-ton steam hammer, in ad- dition to a number of smaller hammers, and-is served by two electric cranes, one having a capacity of 75 tons, the other of 25 tons. This equip- ment will render it practicable to forge from ingots 48 in. thick. _ With the single exception of a steam hammer of similar capacity, now in use at one of the large steel works, and not including hydraulic machines, it is believed that the facilities of the Fore River company are not excelled. Aside from the production of heavy forgings from the ingot, the machine shop equipment, which makes it possible not only to forge but also to rough-machine the entire lot noted above in approximately ten days from receipt of order, is of interest. The entire machine shop in- stallation is a notable example of the best practice in': modern methods, and includes a crank shaft lathe of 72 in. swing, 20 ft. centers; two shaft- ing lathes 60 in. swing, 60 ft. bed; two shafting lathes, 60 in. swing, 115 ft. bed; each driven by an electric motor geared direct to machine. In connection with the work of rough-machining these forgings, it may 'be stated that the diameter was reduced 134 in. at a single operation, the tool standing up well, and working dry without undue heating--in fact no discoloration of the chip was perceptible. The use of electricity as a motive power is general throughout the entire plant, the current being distributed from the company's power house. A majority of the ma- chines are driven by individual motors, connected direct or by interme- diate gear, though group driving is resorted to in the case of certain small tools. is In regard to the increase in productive capacity and the reduction in costs effected by this method, the facts have been particularly well sum- marized by Mr. William S. Aldrich in a paper entitled "Requirements of Electricity in Manufacturing Work," presented at the recent meeting of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, held at. Milwaukee, May 28 to 31. Mr. Aldrich states that "the resulting economy of production and the ability to fill orders promptly are all in favor of the electric sys- tem. It may be compared to skilled labor--high-priced, but very desir- able from the standpoint of the economics of production. Few manu- facturers still hesitate to employ high-priced skilled labor. Many more cling to antiquated methods of driving modern machinery operated by most skillful men. Today, therefore, this question assumes very different proportions. The discussion has been shifted to the field of manufac- turing economics, involving considerations of maximum output - with given equipment, floor space and working force. It is a question of accepting and filling orders or of losing the business to those manufac- turers who can take them." VIRGINIA TYPE OF BATTLESHIP COMMENDED. The navy department has received an interesting report of the decis- ions arrived at by the naval board of experts recently in session at New- port, R. I. The board consists of Rear Admiral R. D. Evans, Naval Constructor D. W. Taylor, Capt. C. F. Goodrich, Commander Richard Wainright, Prof. P. R.-Alger, U. S: N., Lieut. Com'dr J. B. Murdock and Lieut. S. E. W. Kittelle. A majority of the board: has reported adversely to the construction of armored cruisers of the Maryland type and hold that one battleship of the Virginia type is worth two of the Maryland type. The board is unanimous in agreeing that more vessels of the Virginia type are needed by the United States navy. The Mary- land is a sister ship to the Colorado and South Dakota. "All three have been appropriated for by congress. The vessels are of 13,680 tons dis- placement, 502 ft. in length. They have two barbette turrets and two military masts. They will have a speed of 22 knots and will carry four 8-in. guns, fourteen 6-in. rapid-fire guns, two 3-in, rifles, eight 1-pounders and two submerged torpedo tubes. The battleship Virginia is a sister ship to the Rhode Island and has a displacement of 14,948 tons. A speed of 19 knots is demanded. The Virginia will have four 12-in. rifles, eight 8-in. rifles, and twelve 6-in. rifles'in the main battery. Prof. Alger reports that seven Marylands would have no chance in an action with four Virginias. _Lt. Com'dr Murdock thinks the Maryland is inferior to any armored cruiser ever constructed, and Lieut. Kittelle favors the construction of seven Virginias and no Marylands. Rear Admiral Evans advocates a type of battleship of 16 knots, 15,000 tons displacement, four 13-in. guns, and twelve 8-in. guns, without turrets. WIRELESS TELEGRAPHY FROM A LIGHT-SHIP, Nantucket island is again to be brought into prominence in the maritime world. Through the enterprise of the New York Herald, ar- rangements have been perfected for the establishment of a Marconi sys- tem of wireless telegraphy between the South Shoals light-ship and San- katy head light-house for the purpose of reporting incoming and out- going vessels. It is expected that this atrangement will give from 13 to 15 hours. notice of the approach of ocean liners. The service will be in operation by abont July 1. Commander A. P. Nazro, -light-house inspector for the second district, has made a personal examination and reported favorably upon the plan and formal permission has been granted by the United States light-house board for the installation of the system upon the government property. The Nantucket south shoals light-ship 1s stationed farther from the shore than any other light-ship in the world being anchored in about thirty fathoms of ter 43 imi ' head and 193 miles from Sandy Hook of water, miles from: Sankaty The torpedo boat Bailey, built by are Engine & Power C a Charles L. Seabury -& Co., Consolidated, Morris Hei O., an accepted by the navy department. orris Heights, N. Y., has been SKETCH OF ROBERT MORAN. The World's Work contains the following sketch of Robert Moran, of Moran Bros. & Co., ship builders of Seattle, Wash.: "Robert Moran, scarcely yet in middle life, is perhaps the most notable case of individual achievement in the northwest. Born in New York, his childhood was hard and toilsome. At the age of fourteen he had left home, gone to Cincinnati and was doing a man's heavy work in rolling mills. Twelve hours over red hot iron.and before the heat of blazing furnaces was' not enough for this ambitious youth. He studied long hours after others slept. In 1874 he packed his few possessions and went to New York, there to pay his last cent for passage to San Fran- cisco via Panama. Before he reached San Francisco an unknown philan- thropist discovered that this boy of seventeen was broke, and after urging him to go to Seattle where the great city of the Pacific coast was one day to be, paid his fare. When Robert Moran reached Seattle early in 1875 he had not a penny. His education was such as a boy might gain who had worked in a rolling mill from the day he was old enough to run about. His first work in Seattle was performed for "Big Bill Gross," a negro restaurant keeper, to pay for food. Later he was hired as cook in a logging camp and as he had never cooked he was "fired" for the first and last time in his life. Gaining a job as fireman on one of the Puget Sound steamers he bought books and a drawing board and when he was not working he studied diligently. He was carried as assistant fireman on the old Cassiaire to the Sticksen river and there within a year by his superior nerve and coolness in time of danger he was made chief engineer and pilot. Old timers tell how he stood seventy-two hours at his post, eating such food as was brought to him. The first money he could save went east and in due time his mother, his sisters and his brothers joined him in Seattle and within ten years Moran Bros. had the best machine shop in the northwest. There were many triumphs during those ten years; notable among them was his first contract from the government for the construction of great pumps at the then embryonic navy yard at Port Orchard. The officials passed him by, but he sought and impressed them with his force, went home, drafted and designed all night, and was on hand next day with figures that gained him $10,000 worth of work and the admiration of every man he met. Not a figure or design of his was changed, and he was on his feet. The great fire of 1889 when $12,- 000,000 worth of Seattle property went back to the elements brought out another trait in his character. He had meanwhile been made mayor and but a few days before he had collected thousands of dollars for the Johns- town sufferers. On June 6, 1889, he stood at his post in the center of the city fighting fire when word came that his own plant could be saved if he would go down there and direct operations. He refused. His duty was in the center of the city and there he remained while everything he owned was in flames. He was everywhere that night. He directed and controlled excited men. He preserved order and closed every saloon. At 4 o'clock on the morning of June 7, hatless, coatless, looking more like a black than a white man he stood on the ruins of his dearly-loved plant, chewed his cigar and reflected. Within an hour he had men at work building other foundations and at noon was back in the city pre- siding over a meeting that sent thousands so sorely needed in Seattle to Johnstown. That was his spirit and the spirit of Seattle. Without a dollar in the world he managed to rebuild that plant and the brothers had so prospered in 1896 as to build the torpedo boat Rowan and to exceed the speed required. What wonder they succeeded? Nothing could keep them down. The man who reached the Pacific coast a penni- less boy, hardly able to read and write, is today a famous mathematician, and probably not a man living has a better knowledge of his profession." rite, SHARON STEEL C9.'S ORE SUPPLY. A dispatch from Duluth says: "The Sharon Steel 'Co. will begin shipments of iron ore from its new Mesabi range mine late next month. It is expected that about 200,000 tons will be shipped this year. This mine was bought by the company about a year ago for $150,000. Explo- rations showed the price to be a bagatelle compared with the true value, and the money was quickly paid. Since then the company has been offered $750,000 and has refused to consider any price. Yhe mine is being stripped of the overlying earth and will be mined open pit, but not by the steam shovel method, now so noted. The surface is too deep for that. It will be mined by the 'milling' process, which, while not as cheap as the steam shovel method, is more economical, per ton of product, than any other class of mining. As high as 80 tons have been produced in one day per man in the mine, which is a remarkable record. The Sharon mine is supposed to contain about 15,000,000 tons of Bessemer ore, and so far it is the only mine in its immediate vicinity, though the Minnesota Iron Co., the Lake Superior Consolidated, the Republic Iron & Steel Co, and the Union Steel Co. have close by properties known to contain ore. The ore of the Sharon will be shipped to Duluth under a traffic agreement with the J. J. Hill road which lasts as long as the mine exists. The Sharon was the first notable exemplification of a newly found geo- logical fact, that ore exists in the Mesabi range under a rock called locally a 'taconite.' " eee GREAT THINGS PREDICTED FOR MONTREAL, Mr. Tarte, minister of public works in Canada, addressed the busi- ness men of Montreal last week and said that as soon as the St. Lawrence route was made right Montreal would have dozens of elevators like Buf- falo's. This would be necessary when shippers began to transport by the St. Lawrence route a good proportion of the 40,000,000 tons of freight tributary to the great lakes, and for which Montreal was the natural out- let. The Port Colborne works, Mr. Tarte announced, would be com- pleted in two seasons, and the government was about to undertake im- portant works at Georgian bay and the French river. Mr. Tarte pointed out that there were no Canadian boats to carry any increase of traffic and the business should not be allowed to pass into the hands of the Americans. Mr. Tarte also announced that the Great Notthern railwav would soon enter Montreal. He favored free canals and a free port at Montreal. The minister also announced that at the next session of par- liament he would ask for money to build a large dry dock at Montreal.