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TAE Marine Review from great depths. The actual weight lifted in this 'case was about 370 tons. The author has been unable, owing to the time it would take, to go into all the minor details of the case, but before closing his remarks would like to say that there is room for very much improvement in this class of work. For instance, we have, at present, no means of knowing exactly the strain that each wire rope is carrying. The slack of each of the wires is taken in at low water as carefully and uniformly as possible, but even then one may be tighter than the other, and as this wire will get the strain first it may easily be carrying more weight than its safe load, and should a rupture take place the consequences may be very disastrous. All lifting vessels should be fitted with compressors through which the wire ropes would pass, and these compressors should be of sufficient strength to enable any of the ropes to be slacked away to an inch if necessary, even when bearing | their full weight of 280 tons. Apparently the demand in the former case could be met by attaching some sort of dynamometer to the lifting wires, so that the exact strain in tons the wire is bearing at any par- ticular moment can be seen at a glance, so enabling them to be slacked away until each one has an equal strain. It is possible such an apparatus is already in existence, but if so, it has not come under the author's notice, at any rate in a form convenient enough to make it available for salvage work. There are many other appliances and requirements' which are well worth the attention of the engineer and the inventor, but which the author regrets time does not permit him to enumerate or describe, and he will therefore close by thanking you for the kind attention you have given him. THE STEAMER DAVID Z. NORTON. Capt. W. C. Richardson is quite convinced that in the David Z. Norton he has the best freighter on the lakes. She is a 500-footer and can carry about 8,200 tons of ore on 19-ft. draught. She differs from the prevailing type of lake vessel, in that her hatches, of which she has only fourteen, are 12 ft. fore and aft. This makes an unusually wide opening and enables the clam shell to work well under the deck. At the same time this permits a rigidity of con- struction that is not possible in the 12-ft. center vessel. To begin with, there is 12 ft. of deck space between each hatch, and in addition to the arches, of which there are fifteen in the Norton, and which are usually the sole strength- ening of the sides and deck in a 12-ft. center ship, there are fifty-six deck beams each 52 ft. long, 3 in. thick and 12 in. deep. The arches weigh 8 tons each and are 5% ft. deep. There has been so much steel worked into the ship that Capt. Richardson believes her to be at least 400 tons heavier than a 12-ft. center ship of the same length. There are three such vessels on the lakes now, the Eugene Zimmerman, W. H. Bixby, and the D. Z. Norton. The two steamers building for the Cambria Steel Co. are to be of similar construction. The only vessel of this type that has both loaded and un- loaded cargo is the Bixby, as the Zimmerman collided with the Saxona on her maiden trip and is still aground. The merit of this type of ship, in Capt. Richardson's eyes lies in the fact that it can be both loaded and unloaded from every hatch simultaneously and requires no trimming. It is, however, in numberless well-thought out little de- tails that the Norton presents advantages over other freight- ers. These details are entirely the work of Capt. Richardson and are the result of the experience of a lifetime. For instance, the mates' pump, instead of being stowed away in some dark corner under the forecastle deck, is installed in the engine room immediately under the engineer's eye. When the mate wants water for flushing the decks, he has but to telephone to the engine room and the pump goes immediately into : 25 commission. The hinges on' the skylight over the engine room are of solid brass, as iron ones rust out within a year or two. There are three Brosseau engines installed forward, -- amidships and aft respectively, for operating the hatch cov- ers. The hatch covers are further strengthened by thwart- ship strongbacks fore and aft 20 in. from coaming. A deck engine has also been installed amidships for warping the steamer along the dock should occasion require to move her.. The bulwarks at the eyes of the ship are 4 ft. 8 in. high and have a fine sheer and slant to 2 ft. 10 in. at the aft end of the forecastle deck, which is 50 ft. long. There are three wrecking wells, one forward, one aft and one amidships, so that in case of emergency access can be got to any part of the ship. The sides of the cargo hold are 4 ft. 6 in. from the skin of the ship, and the water bottom is 5 ft. deep. Water ballast is carried, not only in the water bottom, but along the sides of ship as well, the vessel having a water ballast capacity of over 5,000 tons. A space of 24 ft. separates the collision bulkhead from the screen or second collision bulk- head, which is 14 ft. forward from the first hatch. The cargo hold is divided into three compartments by two. bulkheads. -- In the construction of these bulkheads, Capt. Richardson's experience is again in evidence. The stringers are up and down, instead of athwartships. The reason for this is sen- sible and clear. Ore will lodge on: an athwartship stringer but will slide harmlessly down a perpendicular one like water on the bark 'of a tree. There are fifteen of these stringers in each bulkhead. Much thoughtfulness has been displayed by Capt Richard- son in the crew's accommodations. The galley is a model of convenience and is fitted with every appliance for facilitating work. One of the ingenious arrangements is the partition which separates the kitchen from the pantry. It is so con- structed that dishes put in from the kitchen end are acces- sible from the pantry compartment, thus obviating the neces- sity of the 'waiters entering the kitchen in order to get clean dishes. In the dining room is a fine Chelsea clock, presented to the ship by Mr. David Z. Norton. This clock is manufactured by the Chelsea Clock Co., Boston, Mass. "Have three of them on the ship," said Capt. Richardson, "wouldn't have any other. One of them hasn't varied. a minute in four years and hasn't required any attention in that time either." Accommodations are provided aft for the engineers, the firemen, oilers and water tenders. The rooms are spacious and shower baths are provided for all. Fresh water is pro- vided for this end of the boat by four water tanks, each 12 ft. long and 3 ft. in diameter, carrying sufficient water to last 60 days if necessary. The space forward is equally divided between accommoda- tions for passengers and crew. On one side of a wide cor- ridor, which is entered by a 4-ft. door, are the passenger quarters; on the other side are the quarters for miates, wheelmen and watchmen. "Why did I make that door four feet wide?" said Capt. Richardson. "I will show you in a minute." "This corridor leads directly into the windlass room abaft 'the collision bulkhead. "If anything happens to a° windlass on any freighter on the lakes, they have to take the forecastle deck off to get at it," said Capt. Richardson. "In this case it can be taken along the corridor and out of the 4-ft. door without dis- turbing anyone. That's why I made that door four feet wide." : The captain's quarters are all that thoughtfulness and experience could provide. He is in complete communica- tion with all parts of the ship by telephone, there being seven telephones in all aboard. For his personal comfort accommodations are provided that are not equaled in any - hotel.