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22 steamers. Mr. Frank E. Kirby, designer of these steamers as well as the steamers of the other two lines, says they will in all proba- bility be ready to go into commission as soon as they are wanted next season. The principal dimensions are: Length over all, 362 ft.; hull beam, 45 ft.; beam over 'guards, 80 ft.; molded depth, 19 ft. 6 in. There are 200 staterooms arranged in double tiers, and twelve parlors, the latter fitted with baths. The galley and dining room with cafe are located ait under the main deck. Cafe and dining room combined will have a length oi 90 ft. and extend over the entire width of the ship. The smoking room, 28 by 24 ft., is located on the hurricane deck. The most improved lighting and ventilating systems will be arranged all through the ships, and the passenger accommodation as a whole will, of course, exceed that of any of the side-wheel steamers now in service. Of this feature of the vessels more will be said later on. These steamers will be propelled by direct- acting inclined side-wheel compound engines. The cylinder diameters are 52 in. high pres- sure and 72 in. low pressure, with a stroke of 84 in. The high-pressure cylinder is fitted with a double-ported slide valve, working between double seats so as to be equal in balance to a piston valve. The low-pressure cylinder slide valves are treble-ported with ordinary balance plates on back. All valves are driven by the usual link motions and reversed by direct steam cylinder as well as a powerful worm and screw. The crank shaft is 18%4 in. in diameter, of compressed fluid steel and supported in six journals. The pil- low blocks are of cast steel and connected to cylinders by steel struts, which also form guides for the crossheads. The wheel shafts, also of compressed steel, are 2034 in. in diam- eter. The paddle wheels are of the feathering type, 25 ft. diameter over buckets by 138 in. face, with ten steel buckets 4 ft. wide. The wheel centers are of semi-steel, and the arms of steel channels. The two air pumps, 48 in. diameter by 36 in. stroke, are worked from the low-pressure cylinder crossheads by means of levers and connections and discharge through pipes and valves into tanks arranged on the guards to trim ship when required. The two bilge pump plungers, 6 in. by 36 in., are at- tached to the air pump crossheads. The feed pump is of the independent outside-packed type. Steam will be supplied from six single- ended boilers of 13 ft. 6 in. diameter and 18 ft. length, designed for a working pressure of 140 lbs. Each boiler has two 50-in. corru- gated furnaces. The total heating surface is 13,254 sq. ft. and the grate surface with bars of 5 it. 6 in. length is 275 sq. ft. The boilers are located entirely under the main deck and are worked under the Howden's system o: hot draft. One stack is provided with eliptical section 7 by 10 ft. and 70 ft. high from the grate. The necessary air for combustion is supplied from two blowers having wheels of 84 in. diameter by 41 in. face. WORLD'S GREAT CANALS. "Great Canals of the World" is the title of a study prepared by the monthly bureau of statistics for publication in the forthcoming volume of the monthly summary of commerce and finance. The study is quite interesting in its reference to the great ship-canals of the world. The report says that ship-canals con- necting great 'bodies of water and of sufficient dimensions to accommodate the great mod- ern vessels plying upon such waters are of comparatively recent production and few in number. The one great example of works of this character which has been a sufficient length of time in existence and operation to supply satisfactory data as to cost of mainte- nance and operation and practical value to the commerce of the world is the Suez canal, and for this the available statistics begin with the year 1870, while its new and enlarged dimen- sions only date from the year 1896. For the Sault Ste. Marie canal, connecting Lake Su- perior with Lake Huron, statistics date from 1855, though for the canal in its present form they cover but about four years. Statistics of the Welland canal date from 1867, but for the canal in its present enlarged form cover only two years,,of operation... The other great ship- canals of the world.are of much more recent construction, and data regarding their opera- tion therefore .cover.a comparatively brief term, and in some cases are scarcely at present 'SUAWVALS THHHM-ACIS 00 OTVAANG-LIOULHG YOM SHNIDNA GHNIIONI MARINE REVIEW. [January 16,