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SHIPPING TIED UP. Baltimore, Md., Oct. 9--This city is now suffering from the most serious in- terruption of bay traffic in the history of 'tthe port: Thirty vessels' of the Balti- more, Chesapeake & Atlantic. and Maryland, Delaware & Virginia _ rail- way companies. are lying idle at their piers, as the result of the resignations' of captains, mates and quartermasters on Oct. 1. Farmers who cannot get their fertilizers from Baltimore, for the plant- ing of crops, are being put to serious loss by the quitting of the steamer' of- ficers. ' The men who have quit the boats of the two companies have a practical,.mos,, nopoly of the privilege of navigating on Chesapeake bay, by reason of their gov- ernment licenses. The number of these _ licenses is comparatively limited, and it. is impossible to get other men to take charge of the vessels. Only two or three answers came in response to an adver- tisement, published in the newspapers, asking for licensed officérs. At the bottom of the trouble is"the re- fusal of the captains, mates and quarter- masters to go to Capt. Willard Thomson, vice president and general manager of the two companies, personally, and state their demands.' They put their petition for a new wage schedule in the hands of a committee from the American As- sociation of Masters, Mates and Pilots, and this committee presented it to him. He said that his own employes ought to come to see him if they had anything to ask, and that he could not discuss the question with outsiders. In June the committee presented a pe- tition bearing the names of many of the licensed officers of the vessels. Enclosed was the wage schedule, which, the let- ter asked be applied to the men em- ployed on the companies' vessels. After that, for three months, nothing was done until Sept. 20, when Capt. Thomson re- ceived another letter from the committee, enclosing the resignations of the officers of the vessels. They quit Oct. 1. The condition of affairs finally became so serious that the Maryland Bureau of Statistics and Information began an in- quiry. To that body Capt. Thomson ex- pressed his willingness to see the men and settle the question of wages. Since the vessels were quit by their captains, Capt. Thomson has extended several re- peated invitations to them to visit him and talk their complaints over. But they have réfused to do this and insist that _he must deal with the outside committee. A few of the captains and other off- cers have remained loyal to the compa- nies and are operating their vessels as "usual. Four of the steamers are kept continually moving, carrying,. chiefly, fer- - tilizers forthe farmers in the district reached by the companies' vessels. . collectively, and hear The "TAE MARINE. REVIEW companies have put their wharves. at the disposal of shippers, without charge, so that those who may be able to send their products on barges and _ lighters will have ample facilities for doing so. The wharves are also open to men who have. chartered freight boats and are operating them to relieve the congestion of freight: In discussing the situation, Capt. Thomson said: "Tani willing now, as.I Have been, to see the captains, either individually. or their complaints. If we meet, I have no doubt that we will be able to make a readjustment satisfac-. tory to all parties." ITEMS OF GENERAL INTEREST. The Northwestern Commercial Co. has just given a contract to the Moran Co:., Seattle, Wash., tion of a freighter 284.ft. long, to cost $250,000. The keel for the new boat has just been laid and the craft will be completed by June I, 1907. Work on the new B. & O. pier at Locust Point, which is being built by the McLean Contracting Co., is pro- gressing rapidly. All the cases for the construction of the concrete wall are nearly completed and are now ready to fill. Baltimore & Ohio caraleye: to the - number of 5,000, making up five regi-. ments, marched in the great industrial parade at Baltimore recently. With white hemlets and blue coats, each man carrying a cane, clerks and work- men of this great railroad corporation made a splendid showing. The first of the two large car floats, building for the New York, Philadel--- phia & Norfolk Railroad Co., was re- cently launched at the yard of the - Maryland Steel Co., Sparrow's Point, Md. The float is 340 ft. over all, 338 ft. between perpendiculars, 48 ft. three inches beam, and 12 ft. six inches deep. She will have a capacity for 28 cars. The hold will be kept free from watet by a donkey boiler and pump, with an overhead bridge amid- ships. _ The: steamer Washington, which was launched at the yard of the Wash- ington Marine Co., Seattle, Wash., was built in ninety days. The Wash- ington is 174 ft. long, 35 ft. beam and 12 ft. six inches, deep. "Her engines are compound, fore and aft, with 17 by 30 in. cylinder diameters by 20-in. stroke. Steam will be sup- plied by a Scotch boiler, and oil will be used as fuel. She will "have accommodation for 24 first cabin and 74 second cabin pas- sengers. .The electric lighting plant, a five-kilowatt,. direct-connected. ma- chine, will be installed by the Under- 3 holders "for the construc- 19 writers Electric Co. The Washington was designed by Mr. John J. Hill and het construction was. under 'the direc- tion of John Sloan. : The annual meeting of the stock- of the Allis-Chalmers co., Milwaukee, was held at Jersey City, N. J., Sept. 6. Mr..W. H. Whiteside was elected president. The reports indicated the company to be extreme- ly prosperous, having on its books $4,500 worth of orders-for classes of machinery not hitherto manufactured by this company. The steamer Oregon, Gf the North- western Commercial Co's. fleet, which went on the rocks of Hinchenbrook island, is expected to be a total loss. She was built at Roach's in 1873. The United States submarine torpedo boat Octopus was launched from the works of the Electric Boat Co., at the Fore River ship yard at Quincy, Mass. The Octopus is the largest submarine boat in the United States navy, and is within a few tons of the largest in the world. Her sister ship, the Cuttle- fish, was launched Sept. 42. The light house board of the depart- ment of commerce and labor has an- nounced the bid submitted for build- ing five light vessels to be delivered at -Tompkinsville, New York. The amounts of the bids: for building all five of the lightships follow: New York Ship Building Co., Camden, N. J., $495,000; William Cramp & Sons Ship & Engine Building Co., Philadel- phia, '$574,700; Fore Fiver Ship Build-. ing Co., Quincy, Mass., $575,000. Another big battleship was added ~ to the active force of the navy this week, when the Connecticut. .went into commission at the New York yard. . The Connecticut is one of the most powerful ships of the navy. Her dis- placement is 16,000 tons, and her con- tract speed 18 knots. Her armament includes four 12-in., eight 8-in., twelve 7-in., and twenty 3-inch guns, besides 30 of various small caliber. She will . have a complement of about 900 offi- cers and men. The Submarine Signal Co., Boston, Mass., has issued a little book giving the results of tests made by the United States light house board dur- ing June and July last of the system of submarine signaling controlled by this company. The test conducted by the light house board was a success in every way. The light house board has ordered equipment for ten light ships, with the understanding that six others are to have the apparatus in- stalled upon them immediately. Steamship lines interested in this sys- tem would do well to write to the Submarine Signal Co. for this pamphlet.