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IN MEMORY OF THE GRIFFON. In the village of La Salle, a suburb of Niagara Falls, a monument was dedicated on Saturday last to the memory of Cavalier De La Salle, the French explorer, who in May, 1679, built the Griffon, the first vessel known to have sailed the upper lakes. In December, 1678, La Salle landed at the mouth of the Niagara river, on the spot now known as Fort Niagara. He secured from the Seneca chieftains permission to build a vessel to navigate the inland waters, and after setting his men at work on her construction, he left for Fort Frontenac, traveling on foot. When he returned in the spring of 1679 he found his trading post at Fort Niagara in ashes, and he looked to the trading facilities offered by this vessel to redeem his lost fortunes. The site of the construction of the vessel has been located as nearly as possible on the farm of Jackson Angevine, close to the Little Niagara river, and_ there on Saturday a magnificent bowlder monument was erected. This monument stands less than 100 ft. from the water. It has been given position close beside the fence line, in full view of pas- sengers on the steam cars and trollies. It is a mammoth stone, many feet in circumference, and just such a rugged monument as one might conceive La Salle would pick for himself in commemorating the birth of the commerce of the great upper lakes. On the stone there is a bronze tablet, on which is inscribed: "Hereabout, in May, 1679, Robert Cavalier De La Salle, Built the Griffon of sixty © Tons Burthen, the First Vessel to Sail the Upper Lakes. Erected by Niagara Frontier Historical Society and presented to Niagara Landmarks' Association May, 1902." ' The ceremony was attended by a-large crowd, all interested in the historical work of western New York. President Avery of the Buffalo Landmarks' Association was the master of ceremonies. The exercises opened with an invocation by Father Grace of Niagara university. The transfer of the bowlder site, and the presentation of the bowlder and tablet to the Niagara Landmarks' association followed, Hon. Peter A. Porter, president of the Niagara Falls Historical society making the presentation speech. Mrs. John Miller Horton of Buffalo unveiled the monument, and it was accepted by Mr. G. D. Emerson, speaking for the Landmarks' asso- ciation, An address of an historical nature was delivered by Dr. T. B. Lovell.. A poem was read by Mr. Charles W. Wilcox, and Herbert P. Bissell of Buffalo spoke. 'America'? was sung under the leadership. of Hon, George A. Lewis, and then Father Grace pronounced the benedic- tion. : 5 ' _. The placing of this monument is the first step in marking many places of historical interest in western New York. THE COTTON DUPLEX IGNITER. This device consists of a Y-shaped brass casting, containing a three- way valve and two receptacles for the standard jump-spark plugs now on the. market. The nipple is made to fit %-in. pipe thread, but can be furnished to order in any thread and size. A tube, closed at one end, extends from each plug orifice and is of sufficient length to act as a com- pression chamber, into which the burnt gases remaining around the spark- plug are forced by the compression of the charge in the engine cylinder, thus providing that the sparking points shall always be surrounded with fresh gas and thus insure the ignition of the charge. The rushing back and forth of the gases into and out of the compression chamber keeps the points clean. Deposits of carbon on the points from _improperly mixed charges of gas are said to be impossible with this device. Dupli- cate chambers are provided, connected with the engine by a three-way valve, so that in case one spark-plug is not working properly it may be cut off and the other one thrown in without stopping the engine; the other being then taken out and examined at leisure, or a new one substi- tuted. The cuts show a front view of the device and a section through one chamber and the three-way connection to the engine. The device can be attached to any engine and is being placed on the market at a low price by the Automobile Equipment Co., 21 Quincy street, Chicago. M. B. 'MéDonald, Mystic, Conn., 'will build 2 five-masted wooden 'schooner fér Capt. Lutius J. Stevens of Clinton, 'Conn." Her 'dimensions are: Length, 240 ft.; beam, 46 ft.; depth of hold, 21 ft. Ce | | MARINE REVIEW. | ag Saath ~ ATLANTIC COAST SCHOONERS. Some interesting information regarding schooners of the Atlantic seaboard (nearly all of them wooden vessels, of course), has been com- piled from government records by the Maritime Journal. There are 1,233 schooners of over 100 tons gross owned on the Atlantic coast. Of this number 1,111 are of less than 1,000 tons gross and 122 range from 1,000 to 3,500 tons. Nineteen are above 2,000 tons, and only one, the Eleanor A. Percy, a six-master, is above 3,000 tons, Following are the names and tonnage of the largest of these vessels: Name. Gross tons. Name. -- Gross tons. Eleanor. Ay. Perey 3). 3 3,401 | Frank A. Palmer ...... Ld 00s George' W. Wellee .¢. 2 5¢o *. 2,970) Jennie French Potter ..../.. 1,993 Préscott"Paliner 772744... , 2,811 | Marie>Palmer 7.00201. 0) @5aO0e Baker Ralmer (20. 005.040. 2;792' |. Mary BF. Barrett'. ..i%.: 0 Ieee William C. 'Carnegie [00.0.7, 2,663 | James: W. Paul,oJrot) J). 20760 Rebecca Palmer 308. on, 2,556 |) Henry '©; Barrett? 42ecce/, 2: 1,807 Nathaniel/P, Palmer 07,04 2,440 | William B. Palmer ...... ett D805 Cora' F}: Cressey'. .aiiees thet 2,409°) Governor 'Ames. i354 305 le ESET TS Oakley C.:Curtis...200..5...°2,3874 Jacob Me Haskell 4a: os.4.. dT © Helen We Martin 20.000. o/0y.°2/265 |S) iP. Bisekburni 4 0 to, cae Bantite. Palmers 0910 ioe «2/288 | Maude! Palmers .¢cia i fil. ede Louise B. Crary ti... 0.1 0°2,2810) Maleolm (Baxter, Jr cc. Jed eae Jennie'R, Dithois? 2). ot 2) 25224 Jamies Bierce: 2.4721 ar. cs asec eee waathtir Sette coin ae 2:207)Phentry We 'Cramp ia: eta, 20 2620 Martha Po Small'-22i¢; wea O16 Paice: Poa lari: guise: 'dye thOad Mary We Bowe) 25055 (7a a;108-| Kdward BE) Brity. «boven ele Van Allens Boughton...... ve Q6129: | Alice MM os Colbarn 2,2. Loa 1,603 iM. -DevCresby hae OR. ROD Gh 2,114 ro ae i -Six-masted vessels in the foregoing list are the Eleanor A. Percy and George W. Wells.. All other vessels in the list above 2,100 tons carry five masts. Some of. the vessels of less than 2,100.tons also carry five masts, but the four-mast rig prevails when the tonnage is less than 2,100. There are in all twenty-two five-masted schooners. Less than 100: full-rigged ships fly the American flag. PS Goan Of four-masted schooners there are 161 owned on. the Atlantic coast. The largest two-masted schooner is the Oliver Ames, 456 tons. _ The smallest four-masted schooner is the Massachusetts, 501 tons gross. a, Ae ne: pee first two-masted schooner was built at Gloucester, Mass., in The largest four-masted schooner afloat is the Frank A. Palmer, 2,014 tons gross. : eas bos ee The first three-masted schooner was the Zachary Taylor,. built. at Philadelphia in 1849. : ee : . The largest three-masted schooner on the ocean is the Bradford. C. French, 968 tons gross. ° ee he ae ee a The smallest five-masted schooner on the Atlantic is the James Pierce, 1,664 tons gross. a Sa The largest five-masted schooner in the world is the Prescott Palmer of Boston. She registers 2,811 tons. The largest full-rigged American ship is the Roanoke, 3,539 gross tons, and the smallest, the Dashing Wave, 1,054 tons. The oldest schooner over 300 tons gross register is the two-master Eliza S. Potter, built at Mystic, Conn., in 1857. The largest American brigantine is the C. C. Sweeney, 622 tons gross register, and the smallest, the D. A. Small, 119 tons. The largest American barkentine is the James Tuft, 1,274 tons gross register, and the smallest, the Monitor, 235 tons. The largest American bark is the J. B. Walker, 2,178 gross tons, and the smallest, the President, 123.tons, she being a whaler. , The four-masted schooner Elliott B. Church, was the first schooner over 1,000 tons gross register ever built. She was finished in 1882. The first four-masted schooner was the W. L. White and the second et ee C. Yarnall. The White was built in 1880 and the Yarnall in The new seven-masted schooner building for John G.. Crowley. will be the first steel schooner ever built in this country and the first seven- master ever built in the world. The largest schooner in the world at the present time is the Eleanor A. Percy of Bath, Me. She registers 3,401 tons gross and has six masts. The only other six-master afloat is the George W. Wells of Boston. She registers 2,970 tons gross. Ship yards in Bath, Me., are all busy. At the Kelley, Spear Co.'s yards the Maine Central passenger company's steamer Norumbega was launched last week. The four-masted barge Santiago, building for the Staples 'Coal Co., Taunton, Mass., is three-fourths planked, is decked, has her masts in position and part of her rigging up. The schooner, building for Charles H. Hirsch & Co., New York, is one-half framed. The keel is stretched for a 200-ft. barge for the Hudson Bros., Norfolk, Va. The New England Co., Bath, Me., is building a four-masted schooner for Capt. J. E. Higbee, to be christened Robert H. Stevens. The keel is laid for one of the barges for the Baltimore & Boston Barge Co. She is to be 225 ft. long, 35 ft. beam and 18 ft. deep. This barge will be launched some time during the month of August. The three-masted schooner Alice M. Davenport, building for Capt. M. D. McKeown of Boothbay, Me., is framed and partly planked. As soon as she is launched the keel for another schooner will be stretched. At the works of Arthur Sewall '& Co., Bath, Me., the large steel oil barge for the Standard Oil Co. is half completed. The work on the five-masted steel schooner to be managed by the firm is now at a standstill. At the Bath Iron Works the battleship Georgia is progressing finely. The keel for the oil barge for the J. M. Guffey Co. is nearly all stretched. Work on the dock gates for the Kittery navy yard has begun. The armor for the monitor Nevada is being put on and the two 12-in. guns are aboard. Masts for the cruiser Cleveland will be placed in position as soon as the wooden top-masts are made. The old Reed ship yard will be used by Mr. Crosby to build a four- masted schooner in. Work upon the schooner will begin in a few days. William Rogers, Bath's veteran ship builder, closed a contract this week with, Capt: Slocum of Somerville for a four-masted schooner, .' Capt: James W. Hawley's schooner, building in the Houghton yard, is té be called the Fred A. Davenport. a