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MARINE REVIEW Entered at Cleveland Post Office as Second-class Mail Matter. Published every Thursday at 418-19 Perry- Payne Bldg., by the Marine Review Pub. Co. Vou. XXIV. CLEVELAND, O., AUG. 15) 1901. Subscription $3.00 a year. Foreign $4.50 a year. No. 4 CONTRACTS CLOSED FOR TWO MORE VESSELS. Contracts were closed on Tuesday with the American Ship Building Co. for two new freighters--one of 5,500 tons capacity and the other of 6,200 tons capacity--by the National Transportation Co., of which Capt. W. W. Brown of Cleveland is to be the general manager. In addition, the company purchased the three boats which the ship building company is now building for the Mutual Steamship Co. These three vessels are of 4,800 tons capacity but it was decided to lengthen one of them 24 ft., which will give her a capacity of 5,200 tons. It was the original intention of the National Transportation Co. to place an order for five new vessels, but with all the berths in the different plants of the ship building company filled General Manager Wallace was unable to take an order for five vessels for delivery in April, 1902. Negotiations were therefore begun for the freighters building for the Mutual Steamship Co. This company was organized by the late William Fitzgerald, and since his death the stock- holders had decided to dispose of the boats should a favorable opportunity offer. This transaction will enable the National Transportation 'Co. to come out at the opening of the season with a fleet comprising two vessels of 4,800 tons capacity, one of 5,200 tons, one of 5,500 tons and one of 6,200 tons, or a combined capacity of 26,500 tons per trip. This makes a total of nineteen freighters and three passenger steamers which the American Ship Building Co. has under contract and constitutes more tonnage than was ever ordered in one season before. The combined carrying capacity in a single trip of the nineteen freighters on 18 ft. draught is 104,000 gross tons. The National Transportation Co. is the same company the prospectus of which was lately issued in Chicago. At that time it was the intention to incorporate it on a basis of $5,000,000 and to build ten steamers. Mr. Charles Counselman of Chicago and Mr. W. H. Prime, well known in marine insurance circles, were to be heavily interested with Mr. Lyman C. Smith of Syracuse, N. Y. Mr. Counselman and Mr. Prime, having other extensive interests to look after, decided later not to join in the enterprise. Capt. W. W. Brown, who has been identified with Mr. Smith in a number of undertakings, then went ahead and organized the company upon a basis of $2,500,000 and cut the number of vessels to five. The company was organized at Syracuse, N. Y., this week and will be incorporated under the laws of New Jersey. Lyman C. Smith of Syracuse will be president, Capt. W. W. Brown of Cleveland secretary and manager, and H. W. Smith of Syracuse treasurer. The following are the directors: L. C. Smith, William Nottingham, Charles M. Warner, George B. Leonard, H. A. Smith, Horace S. Wilkinson, all of Syracuse; W. W. Brown and J. B. Cowle of Cleveland, and A. G. Brower of Utica. A TRIPLE LAUNCHING. The three torpedo boat destroyers, Truxtun, Whipple and Worden, were launched together on Thursday of this week at the Maryland Steel Co.'s yards, Sparrow's Point, Md. The construction of these boats was begun early in 1900, but considerable delay was caused on account of the slow delivery of material. The boilers and a considerable part of the auxiliary machinery, pumps, blowers, etc., are in position and the main engines will now be put in place. These boats are the largest in length and displacement of their class and are being built after the contractor's own plans in contrast to many of the same lot which are from government plans. Although there have been several double launches, it is understood that this is the first time for any yard in America to launch in one day three vessels of any considerable size. The three boats lay on parallel ways side by side. A special electric automatic device had been arranged at the head of each pair of ground- ways for the releasing of the cradles and at the touch of the electric but- ton, one destroyer after another in quick succession glided gracefully into the water. Mrs. Emelie B. N. Worden of New York, a relative by marriage to Admiral Worden, christened the destroyer bearing that name. The Trux- tun was christened by Miss Isabelle Truxtun of Norfolk, granddaughter of Commodore Truxtun, and the Whipple by Miss Elsie Pope of St. Paul. WILL PUT ANOTHER LIGHT-SHIPON SOUTH EAST SHOAL. A meeting, called by Capt. George P. McKay, chairman of the com- mittee on aids to navigation of the Lake Carriers' Association, was held in the office of J. C. Gilchrist, Cleveland, on Wednesday, to take steps to replace the light-ship recently destroyed by fire on the south east shoal, Point au Pelee passage. There were present at the meeting Messrs. J. C. Gilchrist, H. Coulby, William Gerlach, Edward Morton, W. W. Smith, J. J. H. Brown, T. T. Morford, Edwin S. Mills and George P. McKay. It was the unanimous opinion of those present that the old light-ship Smith & Post should be replaced with another light-ship. Letters to . this effect were also received from Messrs. R. R. Rhodes, C. W. Elphicke, G. W. Maytham, W. A. Livingstone, G. L. Douglass, B. W. Parker, D. Sullivan and James Corrigan. Messrs. George P. McKay, H. Coulby Edward Morton, William Gerlach and W. W. Smith were appointed as a committee to see that another light-ship was placed upon the shoal at the earliest possible moment. The committee met on Thursday morning and decided to invite tenders for furnishing a suitable vessel for this work. Such tenders should be addressed to Capt. George P. McKay, Perry-Payne building, Cleveland, and must 'state equipment, size and _ general description ot the vessel. Both the selling price outright and charter price per day must also be given. The old schooner Smith & Post, which served as a light-ship until burned, was chartered by the day, but the committee this time inclines to purchase if favorable terms can be secured. BALL-THRUST-BEARING ON STEAMER GLADSTONE. Last spring the steamer Gladstone of the Bradley fleet was equipped with a ball-thrust-bearing device upon its propeller shaft by the American Ball Bearing Co. of Cleveland and the result of the experiment has been most successful. By the introduction of the ball bearing arrangement upon the driving part of the machinery the steamer has been enabled to make a mile more per hour and the master of the vessel figures that he saves 320 lbs. of coal per hour. Mr. M. A. Bradley, the owner of the vessel, is quite enthusiastic over the result as far as it has gone. The Gladstone, to date, is the only vessel of his fleet so equipped, though he intends to equip two more at once. _ "I figure,' said Mr. Bradley, "that the vessel saves 10 per cent. in time--or 18 hours. on a round trip of 1,800 miles. Her average season is fourteen round trips, or twenty-eight cargoes. With this device she ought to make an additional trip during the season. The master of the' boat is very well pleased with the working of the ball bearing device upon the shaft, and says that he makes a mile more speed with less consumption of coal. The device uses neither oil nor water. It is quite an achievement to get a mile more speed out of an old boat like the Gladstone and we are watching the result with great interest. The ability to make an extra trip SS a season would add considerably to the earning power of a vessel, _ Regarding the construction and performance of the ball thrust bear- ing on the steamer Gladstone the American Ball Bearing Co. in a letter to the Review says: "We beg to say that the bearing was designed by our Mr. Baker and embodies several improvements in ball bearing construction. Particular attention has been given to the necessary self-aligning features, that all twisting and bending strains, always present in vessels of such large pro- portions, shall not effect any unequal pressure on bearing. The bearing is entirely enclosed in a brass sheath and requires greasing but once in a season. This greasing is necessary only to prevent rust. The bearing has now been in constant use for about ninety days and very careful ex- amination shows no wear whatever. Mr. Bradley has kindly sent us letters from the master of the Gladstone, whereby we are informed that a full mile per hour has been added to the speed of the boat, with a decided saving in fuel. To this remarkable showing must be coupled the fact that the constant water cooling and lubricating of former thrust-bearing is dispensed with by this improvement." The Review will at a later date contain a full description of this bearing with drawings. . PRODUCTION OF IRON AND STEEL RAILS IN 1900. sop ne American Iron and Steel Association has completed its collec- tion of the statistics of the production of all kinds of rails in the United States in 1900. -In' March last the production of Bessemer steel rails by the producers of Bessemer steel ingots in 1900 was given as amounting to 2,361,921 gross tons. To this total must now be added 21,733 tons of Bessemer rails made in the same year from purchased blooms and re- rolled and renewed Bessemer rails, making a grand total for the year of 2,383,654 tons of Bessemer steel rails. In the same year we also made the largest quantity of open hearth rails in recent years, 1,333 tons, and the smallest quantity of iron rails ever recorded, 695 tons, which, added to the Bessemer steel rails above given, make the total production of rails in 1900 amount to 2,385,682 tons, the largest production ever attained in one year. The following table gives the total production of rails in the United States in 1900 according to the weight of the rails per yard. Included in the total production are 101,312 tons which have been definitely re- ported to the association as street rails. : Under 45 45 lbs. and 85 Ibs. and 'Total. Kinds, lbs. less than 85. over. Gross tons Béssemer: S255. 155,950 1,625,646 602,058 2,383,654 Open hearth: ...... +. 886 Ce a 1,333 fron O99) es 695 TOtal ace ed 157,531 1,626,093 602,058 2,385,682 The total production of all kinds of rails in 1899 was 2,272,700 tons, of which 133,836 tons weighed less than 45 Ibs. to the yard, 1,559,340 tons weighed 45 lbs. and less than 85 lbs., and 579,524 tons weighed 85 Ibs. and over 85 lbs. The street rails made in 1899 and reported to the association amounted to 154,346 tons. Improvements at the Brooklyn navy yard to cost about $2,000,000 will soon be commenced by the yards and docks department. Within the next few weeks the department will advertise through the authorities at Wash- ington for bids on the construction of four structures to cost in the neigh- borhood of $1,000,000. These buildings, with the erection of a great coal- ing pier from the coal dock, a number of buildings on the ordnance dock and the completion of work already under way will call for an expenditure of about $2,000,000. The plans for a small revenue cutter for patrolling St. Mary's river are now ready and the department will soon ask bids for her construction. Congress provided an appropriation of $75,000 for the construction of this vessel. According to the plans, the vessel will be 110 ft. long, 20.6 ft. beam and 12 ft. deep, with a displacement of about 215 tons. She will be constructed of steel and have a steel deckhouse.