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18 : THE Marine RevIEw From the outer edge of the wharf a steel and concrete coal bunker will be erected, having a capacity of 5 tons of coal per running foot. It will be provided with chutes for delivering coal upon the deck of vessels or into cars. An electrically operated movable coal unloading tower, con- structed of steel, wiil be operated on a track extending along the top of the coal bunker. It is designed for taking coal over from cars on the landward side of the wharf, or from colliers on the seaward side, and delivering this coal into the bunker or upon a conveyor which will carry it to the coal storage building. The conveyors will have a capacity of from 100 to 150 tons of coal per hour. The coal -storage shed 'will be a 150 x 450-{ft. steel structure © with a concrete floor, and will hold approximately 15,000 ~ tons. The enclosure will be divided by concrete partition walls, so that the greatest amount of coal in one pocket will be 600 tons, thus preventing the spread of fire. Elec- tric thermostats will be located at 20-ft. intervals, and will ring an alarm in the office of the superintendent: should the temperature of the coal rise above a fixed point. © All of the conveyors and other apparatus for handling the coal will be electrically operated, and a power house of ample capacity will be installed adjacent to the coal storage building. The unit to be erected immediately will be ne mented from time to time by other units-of similar size and type, the wharves extending continuously along the __ bay front. Each wharf will accommodate a battleship, which can be supplied with 2,000 tons of coal in less than half ® day. All of the coal used will.be br ought from the Virginia coal fields in tramp steamers, via Suez, at a cost practically of $8.00 a ton at Subig bay, as against $5.00 for Japanese coal and $5.50 for Australian coal. It is, however, of a considerably higher grade and better adapted for use under the marine boilers than those coals. In conjunction with the coal station, extensive marine and repair shops will be built, in which repairs of any kind can be carried out, and small cruisers and gunboats en- tirely constructed. Large floating docks will also be built to accommodate the largest vessels in the American navy. DESIGN FOR A LIFE SAVING TUG. Robert Moran, president of Moran Bros. Co.; Seattle, Wash., has prepared plans for a life. saving tug designed | to minimize such occurences as the wreck of the Valencia. The letter has been sent to Senator Piles and transmitted in turn' to President Roosevelt. The letter follows: - "Dear Senator: To my mind, one of the most, if not the most, important questions which should receive the immediate and united efforts of all our representatives in congress at the present time is that the United States government should provide with the least possible delay the most complete means for the preservation of life and commerce on the Pacific ocean and Straits of Juan the Fuca bordering on the North Pacific coast of the United States. The loss of the steamship Valencia last month and the appalling loss of life only tend to emphasize the nec- essity of the government taking adequate and energetic measures as will prevent as far as possible such disasters in future. "As you are advised, at the present time there is practi- cally nothing of that kind on the North Pacific coast ex- cepting, perhaps, one or two inadequate and thoroughly worn out, unseaworthy, inefficient revenue cutters of abso- lutely no use unless it be to chase smugglers on the calm inland waters of Puget sound. "The first question that occurs to the writer is how can this be most effectively done and at the least cost. Having given this matter considerable thought and being in a po- sition from wide experience, both as a resident on the ~ North Pacific coast for the past thirty years, a ship builder whose experience has coveréd both construction and re- pairs, and after mature consideration I am of the opinion that the best possible results in the saving of life and prop- erty can be accomplished by the United States government investing its money in a suitably designed and well-con- -structed floating life-saving station. "T suggest that the government build a suitably designed life-saving vessel, not too large; a length not exceeding 150 feet would probably be found most suitable, though it is important that. the -vessel be built of steel, heavily framed and plated, and in the best: possible: manner throughout; to. have a double bottom and the outside sheathed: with heavy planking; fitted with suitable water-tight athwart- ship bulkheads; a main deck that can be made absolutely water-tight. She should be of the twin screw type; of ample power to act as a powerful tug boat to take vessels out of hazardous positions, and built to such a model as will give the greatest stability, high freeboard forward, completely inclosed and of such form as is best suited for lying at:anchor against a heavy sea; pilot house low and most substantially constructed, and in every way the vessel built with the least resistance to the elements. "A broad, fairly low main deck, aft, arranged for car- rying a number of approved surf boats, one of these, at least, should be a swift gasoline engine-propelled launch. A very important part of the equipment of this vessel, and one which requires considerable detail throughout, is her 'ground tackle, that is to say her anchors and gear, her capacity to hold on to the bottom in the most violent storms, and this, in my judgment, could best be accomp- lished by the most approved type of anchors, discarding the ordinary ships' chain cables and substituting in place of them the best quality, high grade steel wire rope; an- chor cables should, in my judgment, be not less than one mile in length, that is to say, of such a length that it would be possible for the vessel to drop her anchors one mile from shore in a violent storm and by paying out cable, the vessel could be dropped shoreward as far as would be safe or necessary to accomplish the purpose, and I ven- ture to say that there is no place on the North Pacific coast where a vessel such as is described above, fitted with proper 'ground tackle,' but what could let go anchor and hold herself in a definite position in the most violent weather that is ever experienced. "The anchors and cables for such a ship should be so arranged and fitted that they can be 'let go' or 'housed home' in hawse pipes so that it would not require the presence of any member of the crew in an exposed posi- tion on the forward part of the ship. Special windlass gear would have to be proyided for taking care of a long wire cable of this kind, though that is entirely prac- ticable and is a detail. The gear:should. be so arranged and constructed that after the anchors were 'housed home' that the steel wire could be disconnected and entirely stored in a tank surrounding the drum, completely sub- merged in lime water to prevent corrosion. ae "This vessel should also be fitted with a steel mast, short and of great stability, in connection with which there should be fitted a swinging crane for handling boats to and from the life-saving vessel and also carry the well- known life-saving breeches buoy and apparatus used in transferring people from the wreck. "On the life-saving vessel which I propose I suggest that a suitably constructed crane of great stability be fitted not higher than is absolutely necessary to lift a boat from her chocks and land her in the water, and you will note by the attached sketch that as it is proposed to fit this boat she can be lowered away from either the star- board or port quarter or directly astern, and of course it