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; FE: ~NEW SHIP YARD ENTERPRISES. In view of the activity that continues in ship building on the sea- board, it is not sufprising that the projectors of another enterprise o this kind, involving am investment of about $3,000,000, are mee ue success and will probably announce shortly the completion of their pla We refer to the proposed new works at Chester on the Dele ate Be Names of the principals in this enterprise, which has been under a : some time past, are purposely withheld, and this is why the or Su the past week from Philadelphia have been so meager in detail, bu : organization of the companyis now so far advanced that a full AE BORNCE ment may be expected almost any day. The new plant will be eg arg and modern in every way. As it is generally understood that the ee the Newport News Works, the Sparrow's Point yard and other large establishments have work enough to crowd them for. nearly two seats, and all of it of a kind irrespective of ships for the foreign trade, it geen seem:that there is room for the new concern, especially as there is su decided: hope of legislation that will prompt the construction of veers s for over-sea commerce. The success of the New York Ship Bui ang 'Co. (big new works at Camden, N. J.) in securing a long line of et ers before a first ship had been built is an indication of what may be ex- pected in ship building lines on the seaboard for some time to ae This company is working on orders for eight large steel merchant ships, regarding which announcements of sizes, names of owners, etc., has been and it is understood that they have recently closed contracts for ae a large steamers, but the names of parties for whom these are to be: built will be withheld for a short time. 5 The Holmes Ship Building Co., West Mystic, Conn., besides having a five-master on the stocks have just launched nine yachts of the one- design class for the Rhode Island yacht club. The yachts are all 28 ft. over all, 18 ft. on the water line, 9 ft. extreme beam with a draught of 2 ft. 8 in. They have a cast iron keel, weighing 1,300 lbs.. The frames are' of oak and the planking of cedar. They are rigged with main sail and jib. i ae : A Tampa (Fla.) dispatch says that John W. Guider, formerly of New York, proposes to establish there a very large ship yard. He is said to have secured river front property formerly used by the West Coast Naval Stores Co., and he announces that he has orders for two vessels, a steamer and schooner, which will be put down at once, so as to have work under way while the yard is being developed. - The four-masted bark Lahaina was launched from the ship yard of W. A. Boole & Son, Oakland, Cal., recently. The vessel' was built for Hind, Rolph & Co., San Francisco, and is 245 ft. in length and 41.6 ft. beam. The keel of a sister ship to the Lahaina, will be laid immediately by the Booles. ee The Penn Steel Casting & Machine Co., Chester, Pa., are furnishing the enormous casting required for the great ships for the American line building at Cramps and for the American-Hawaiian. ships, building at the New York Ship Building Co.'s yard at Camden, N. J... | The New England Ship Building Co., Bath, Me., will build a four- 'masted wooden schooner for A. J. Hustin of Baltimore. The vessel will be 156 ft. long, 36 ft. beam and 13 ft. deep.» This company a few days ago launched the four-masted schooner Springfield. : The five-masted schooner William Marston -was launched from Stone's ways, North Beach, San Franciséo, Cal., recently. - She is in- * tended for the sugar trade between Honolulu and San Francisco: A four-masted schooner, the Ada F. Brown, was launched from Charles V. Minott's yard in Phippsburg last week. She is 221 ft. long, 41.5 ft. beam and 18.66 ft. deep. NAVAL WAR COLLEGE FORMALLY OPENED. ~ ' The naval war college was formally opened during the present week and the speech of the occasion was made by Assistant. Secretary of the 'Navy Hackett. It is a circumstance worthy of note that Rear Admiral Sampson was referred to as the distinguished chief of the squadron at Santiago and that the recognition received substantial applause. Mr. Hackett's address was as follows: "Seventeen years have passed since the first steps-were taken to bring into being an institution that should provide for the 'higher education' of officers of the navy... During its early struggle for. existence, the naval war college met and dissipated that cloud of prejudices which is almost sure to envelop a project in its nature novel and experimental. The col- lege has survived for the reason that faith has been kept with the promises of those who stood as its sponsors. You assetnble here that you may engage in the task of educating yourselves, for this is a college _without professor or text book. All are students. You are to learn something of naval tactics and naval strategy. You will listen to lectures _ upon naval history, upon international law and like topics; some of you will prepare and read papers dealing with naval campaigns; you will point out and discuss the causes of success or failure attending naval operations, of our own and other powers. "But the unique feature of the course is what is known as 'the war game.' Here one finds out empirically into what sort of a situation he is likely to be precipitated in the event that war shall suddenly come upon us. It sets a man to thinking what he had better do about it. When an officer goes away at the end of a course he carries with him a new stock of ideas. Later, upon taking command of a ship, there would seem to be no reason why he may not improve the opportunity to impart some of these ideas to junior officers. In this way the influence of the naval war college may be exerted in numerous directions, . ~ "The sinking of Cervera's fleet was not the execution of a plan sud- denly inspired. On the contrary, that memorable July forenoon saw wrought out that which in its beginnings, at least, was rehearsed, so to speak, in these very halls. An incident that occurred not long after the close of the war serves to illustrate my meaning. Rear Admiral Samp- son, happening to be here, saw suspended on the wall a large chart of the Cuban coast. It bore certain marks that denoted the movements of war vessels. The admiral took it to be a chart that had recently been pre- pared for'the purpose of illustrating certain features of the Spanish war. - It turned out, as a matter of fact, that he was looking at a working model that had been put to use two years before the war in the study of an 16 MARINE REVIEW. imaginary campaign against Spain. So; too, the contingency 'of scouting in the West Indian waters during supposed. hostilities. with Spain had not been neglected. For the purpose two rooms were occupied. An officer in each room represented a contending force. Each started with a like knowledge of the number, character and the assumed disposition of the ships of the other. Each did the best he could to fix the whereabouts of his opponent. On a signal work was stopped and the officers prepared results. It is told of one accomplished commander whose ship, did, in- valuable service as a scout on the Cuban coast, that while thus engaged he found the work strangely familiar, and said of it, 'why, it Seems .as though I am sure later on to hear Taylor's bell.' SrLinewig "Bhl "Another illustration of the benefits of the instruction here. will,..I think, interest you. You will recall the fact that during the Spanish: war Rear Admiral Remey. served on board the Lancaster, a station ship at Key West. The admiral was the center of communication. between, the navy department and our fleet in the. West Indies. How well he. per- formed the duty you need not be told. An officer of Admiral Remey's staff is quoted as having said of the work in the Admiral's office, that. it was exactly like the work during one of the war college war games; and that no study could have better fitted one for the real thing. ' 'The United States in enlarging its borders and taking . to. itself foreign possessions has indeed assumed a grave responsibility. To the navy is largely due their acquisition. Upon the people of these distant islands we are conferring the blessings of good government. For their protection and welfare we shall continue to look, in a large measure, to the navy. Nor shall we be disappointed." AROUND THE GREAT LAKES. =" The 'Canadian Northern Railway Co. has started the construction of a terminal elevator at Port Arthur, which will have a capacity of /1,500,- 000 bushels. J. A. Jamieson is the contractor and. it is planned to. have the elevator in operation in time for the wheat crop this fall. - Reference was made in the last issue of the Review to the honorable and industrious life of Capt. Andrew Hackett, of Bois Blanc island, De- troit river, who was then at the point of death. Capt. Hackett died almost before the paragraph with reference to him was in. type. The Donnelly Salvage & Wrecking Co. of Kingston, Ont., suc- ceeded, a few days ago, in releasing the barge Isabel Reid from the shoal in the rapids at Cardinal and the barge with her cargo of coal is now at Montreal. The Isabel Reid is one of the tow of the propeller L. S. Porter, which stranded some two weeks ago: The L. S. Porter; the Rob Roy and Isabel Reid have now been released. The barge Drake, another: vessel of the tow, will also be released. ee It is announced by the Canadian marine department that the light shown from the back range tower at Port Dalhousie, Lake 'Ontatio entrance to the Welland canal, will be changed from fixed red to occult- ing white showing a bright light for 30 seconds, and eclipsed for 5 seconds alternately. The illuminating apparatus will be catopttic, and the illuminant electricity. In the event of the electric power at any time failing temporarily, a fixed red light will be shown as at present until the occulting light can again be put in operation. At the sdme time the illuminating apparatus in the front tower will be changed in character from catoptric to dioptric of the seventh order, and 'the illuminant from oil to electricity, but no change will be"made in the characteristic of the light, which will remain fixed whites at present. : Cie '(Canada's marine department makes this announcement in a printed circular: "An examination of: Southeast: Shoal, off Point Pelee, Lake Erie, made by Mr. W. J. Stewartt/"D. G., sttveying steamer Bayfield, and by the chief engineer of this department, shows that throughout. its ex-. tent it consists of firm fine; sand; 'no signs 6f rocky ground, as marked on charts made from latest surveys, ot loose stones, could be found. 'The shoal is also making slightly' to the 'south-westward. The same officers find that the schooner Specular, sunk last year east of Pelee island, has been broken up by the ice, and no wreckage could be found within 20 ft. of the surface. The wreck is in the same place as last year, and the keel, with probably some frames at the bow and stern, remains. Until the locality can be tested by sweeping the place is marked by a small 'black and white flag buoy. If, on sweeping, any timbers that would en- danger a vessel are found, they will be marked by a black spar buoy." There is a little more than cold business formality in an announce- 'ment just made by the B. Uhrig Fuel Co, of Chicago regarding its rela- tions to the newly organized Milwaukee Western Fuel Co, Here. it is: "We beg leave to announce that we have sold to the Milwaukee Western Fuel Co. our plants, business and good will, and as we are financially interested in the new company, we earnestly request .a. continuance to them of your valued patronage. The new company expect to retain the services of our salesmen, and your interests will be looked. after. with. the same care and attention as in the past. While we feel a natural regret in giving up the old firm name, we wish all our friends to feel and know that it is a change in name only. We have made this change after long and careful consideration, and only because we believe the economies effected under the new arrangement, and the greater and better facilities we will have for serving you, will be of great advantage, both to you and to ourselves." New vessels listed in the June supplement of. the Inland Lloyd's Register are: steel steamer Mary C., Elphicke of 4,998 gross tons, valued at $275,000 and owned by the Federal Steamship Co., C. W. Elphicke of Chicago, manager; steel passenger steamer Troquois, 798 gross tons, built by Craig Ship Building Co. of Toledo, owned by Arnold Transportation Co. of Mackinaw Island, Mich., and valued at $150,000; steel passenger steamer Ossian Bedell of 296 gross tons, owned by..Ossian Bedell. of Buffalo and valued at $25,000; steel freight steamer Kennebec of 2,183 gross tons, built by Jenks Ship Building (Co. of Port Huron for- Ches- brough Bros. of Detroit and valued at $145,000; Lehigh Valley. line package freight steamer, Mauch Chunk, a vessel of about 6,000 tons carrying capacity, built by the Buffalo Dry Dock Co.; passenger and freight steamer Puritan of 1,052 gross tons, built by the Craig Ship Building Co. of Toledo for the Graham & 'Morton Transportation 'Co. of eee oe ae Ss he as steamer Urantis; one"of the eight new steel ships of the J.-C. Gilchrist fleet, 'Cleveland' éd $205,000 and of 8,748 gross tons. am Oe