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18 to bend out of shape; therefore, it is apparent that somewhere' between these two. extremes a certain amount of. wood can be used in fireproof con- struction without dangerous results. It would have been possible to have made these fastenings with tap bolts, but the great. additional expense was 'thought to be unnecessary. _ The seats in the cabin are made of drawn steel moldings supported on steel angle bars. The window sash, window sills and frames are made of wood, but the wood used is complete- ly covered with sheet copper of No. 18 gauge, and recognized as thorough- THe MarRINE. REVIEW a fire-resisting material, but no such protection is afforded in the steam gangways. Without enormously in- creasing the weight of the vessel it. was impossible to find a substitute for wood that would be entirely satisfac- tory for this particular place... How- ever, the surfaces of. this deck are horizontal, are very easy of access, are constantly in view, and it is there- fore thought that a fire occurring on them could not extend very far, It is estimated that the cost of this boat has been increased about seven per cent by the construction applied. The interest on this amount is only 'canrmes Gee 1 Pomme 2840 I74 Leo ly fireproof construction. of wood forming these parts are first molded in the section desired, then loosely wrapped with copper, and both together are drawn through dies that press the copper firmly down on the wood and'lap-joint the edges of the copper sheet. It is this lap-jointing that is the important feature in the operation. Wood covered with metal cannot be considered fireproof if the edges of the material can be twisted away by heating, so as to allow the wooden surfaces to be exposed, and this particular defect has been the cause of destruction of many so-called fireproof buildings. The main deck of the boat is made of wood. In the cabin it is covered with interlocking rubber tile, which is The pieces: MIDSHIP SECTION FERRYBOAT HAMMONTON. about 25 per cent more than would pay for fire insurance premiums, and the balance is more than offset by what might be called the cost of fire vigilance. It is expected that the cost of main- tenance of this iron structure will be considerably less than of a wooden one. The greatest enemy of: steel is rust, but as the wooden joiner work on ferryboats is usually painted about once a year to keep up appearances, it is very evident that the steel struc- ture will be amply protected from rust if painted this often. Aside from fire protection, the boat is divided into watertight compart- ments to prevent her from sinking 'in the event of a collision, and water- tube boilers have been used to gen- Ho erate steam, for it has been the policy -- of the Pennsylvania Railroad Co. to use only water-tube boilers on their ferryboats for the past ten years, as there is probably no one place where a boiler explosion would cause such a loss of life as.on a ferryboat, which on its daily trips frequently carries over one thousand passengers. This ferryboat will be named Ham- monton, will be used on the ferry be- tween Philadelphia and Camden, and will be completed the lattet part of November; and in conclusion it is ap- 'propriate to state that considerable credit is due the New York Ship Build- ing Co. for the enthusiasm with which they have entered into the details of construction, which appeared at the start to be very complicated and to which they have given a considerable amount of time and study. DIMENSIONS OF FERRYBOAT HAMMONTON. enoth:< over "allt 2.22. = 160° O- Leneth, -outside to out- side: body post... 2.3: 167 0 Length, outside to out- side propeller post..... 138 6 Beam, cover suards...... aS 0 Beam, of hull molded.... 35. 0 Depth, from top of keel to top of deck beams, atdSins: foc cy 4S Cataber fore and aft.. =. Lt. 6 Ora oS. 6 Displacement (2.0.6... 625 tons. Boilers--Two of Babcock & Wilcox type.